Notes
Coaching Session #4 – Optimizing Performance
Coachee: Lora Brzenzski
Date/Time: March 12, 2026 8:00 a.m.
Next Coaching Date/Time: April 2, 2026 8:00 a.m.
Overarching goal: Student P will engage in whole group (5 minutes/day), small group (25 minutes twice a week), and DRI group instruction (10 minutes once a week) for 3- and 4-syllable word decoding. The strategy used will be to deconstruct the multisyllabic words then recode so that reading the passages becomes more fluent for P. In addition, reading the passage multiple times during the week will improve fluency for the student. P’s baseline WPM is currently 94. The goal will be to improve to 99 WPM by March 17; 104 WPM by April 15; and 109 WPM by mid-May. Improvement will be tracked using progress monitoring that occurs every 2.5 weeks. The student’s progress will also be noted through FastBridge assessment.
P’s new WPM is 120. He has made great progress since we began the coaching process!
Coachee reflections on data and current teaching video: In the video, P is reading a passage for assessment. Given the vocabulary in the passage, he is relatively fluent. P clearly knows the routine. He went from 44 to 83 in one day. Lora and P then work on the word “providing” that he miscued on. P had another approach that worked. They also looked at “experienced” as well and P separated the word into syllables. Lora had P highlight the punctuation that we need to pay attention to while reading. They are going to listen to the audio recording tomorrow so that he can hear himself reading. Lora modeled how the passage should be read with pauses. They then choral read the passage. She stops him when he forgets to pause at punctuation. Lora reads robotically and with tone so that P can hear the difference.
What stands out to me is that P tries very hard and is willing to work on his fluency skills. He wants to do better. It is evident that P knows the routine of practicing passages so he can focus on his reading and improving.
In the final video, P reads the passage. Lora tells him that he will tell her what he read about after reading. He does know the main point of the passage.
Coach reflections on data and current teaching video:
I am impressed with the progress that he has made. He really thrives on any positive feedback especially from adults. Peers are even making comments that he is becoming a fluent reader. This is amazing since Porter usually gets negative attention from his peers because of his ADHD. On the video I noticed that Porter was able to mimic my reading style and explain why it is important to use emotion when reading. I would like continue to work on multi syllabic words with him. His always pauses and figures them out, but my goal is to make those more automatic when he is reading. Especially on the first read of a passage.
Coachee reflections on Schutz and Hoffman article (if read): I forgot to discuss this with you. We will do that on April 2!
Questions to consider:
What are some “baby steps” that you noticed outside of the goal itself? Using expression while reading, where to pause so that the passages are phrased appropriately, retelling and strengthening comprehension.
What specific actions did you take to meet the goal? Marking punctuation, listening to Lora read robotically and with expression, listening to Martin Luther King, Jr. give a speech, and listening to himself reading. He could see how he pauses when he reads.
How is the planned course of action working for you? For your student(s)? The plan is going well for both Lora and P. The goal needs to be extended along with comprehension. They are on the right track. He independently took an assessment recently and achieved at the B level.
When you return from spring break, what will your student(s) need to stay on track for goal achievement? Jump right back into the fluency group, retest him again Thursday or Friday after returning from spring break. He may drop a bit.
Scaled questionnaire or checklist based on coachee’s goal
On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with your progress? 9 on WPM.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how effectively do you think you are using the strategy you have chosen? 10
What barriers are there to effective implementation? During hockey season he misses Fridays, so attendance can be a factor, P’s ADHD is a factor, and not reading at home.
On a scale of 1 to 10, at what level of fidelity would you say you are implementing this strategy? 10
On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rank the results of your implementation of this strategy? 8
What additional resources do you need (strategies, supplies, tech support, accountability partner, cheerleader, etc.)? Any ideas to help other students in the fluency group.
We discussed numbering retellings so that Lora can tell whether or not the students have sequenced.
For comprehension skills, we discussed having students identify the most important part of a sentence, a paragraph, a page, etc. We also discussed using the QAR activity with students perhaps using a golf text since the students will be engaged in project-based learning related to golf.
Working on Next Steps
Identify a specific problem of practice that we can add to your goals. This is something you want to work on within your own practice. We can work on applying it with the current student(s) you are working with, OR we can work on it separately.
Keep working on steps toward goal with Student P that you want to meet by mid-April.
Create video for this goal of your teaching and student learning.