It is possible to fly without motors, but not without knowledge and skill.–Wilbur Wright
Anyone who has ever been involved in education knows that educators use the phrase “building the plane in mid-air” with abandon. School needs may appear to be so immediate that educators often work from an “implement first, plan second” mindset that can be at once exciting and exasperating.For years, instructional coaches and school leaders have been asking The Instructional Coaching Group to create a coaching certification process. ICG has worked to develop that process by creating “standards” on which to frame it, a procedure by which to have candidates submit it, and a method for scoring it and reporting the scores to candidates,In creating those materials, we have learned from our own experiences with certifications from other agencies to create as lean and clear a process as possible. The truth is, though, we can’t do that alone. We need feedback on this process as it is in mid-air.ICG certification is a three-year process. Thus, the 2017-2018, 2018-2019, and 2019-2020 school years are the pilot phase for ICG certification. Coaches who sign on as candidates during this first phase are flexible, innovative, and willing to give helpful feedback that will make the process better for future candidates. They understand our intent to provide the best, clearest, and least expensive certification experience possible, and they are hungry for the challenge of certification and to help us develop the process.As we build the certification program, we will use various tools such as a candidate forum on Facebook and regular email messages to communicate modifications to the process and to provide materials that we will add in response to feedback. We will rely heavily on candidates’ questions and comments to refine this process to be the best it can be. Join us for what is to be surely exciting (and perhaps occasionally exasperating) as we work toward better learning through better coaching.The registration deadline for the pilot phase is January 31, 2018.Interested in certification?
- For more information on the ICG coaches’ certification, visit our website .
