Notes
Coaching Session #3 – Take Action
Coachee: Allysa Reck
Date/Time: Monday, February 23, 2026 4:15 p.m.
Next Coaching Date/Time: Monday, March 9, 4:15 p.m.
Overarching goal: Student A will engage in one-on-one instruction for phonics and phonemic awareness lessons for blends by March 17, digraphs by April 15, and long vowel sounds by May 15 at 80% academic success measured by PSI and FastBridge assessments.
Reviewing the Teaching Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XQ1F6z1bjEPQyOVMFVf8uwDtLoO-Yk3o/view?usp=drive_link
Coachee reflections: The knee-to-knee seating is working because the student is far less distracted. Her low confidence is improving which is impacting her success with the skills for consonant blends. Student A asks questions about words and about what she needs to do.
Coach reflections: The video shows Student A and Allysa working knee-to-knee which keeps the student focused throughout most of the lesson. They worked on identifying sounds in words containing blends like fast, west, ask, task, crisp, clasp, then transitioned to using chips with different colors for the vowels and consonants, and finally writing the words Allysa pronounces for her. It is excellent use of time, easily and quickly transitioning from one task to another. It is layered from what seems the easiest task to the student to the more difficult. Allysa does a great job of giving the student choices when there is an opportunity. Student A asks good questions and is not afraid to speak up if she doesn’t know a word or understand what she is supposed to do. Overall, the student understands the /sk/ blend, but not as sure of herself for /sp/ blends. I did note that the /sp/ blends are more difficult words and one Student A may not be as familiar with. All of Allysa’s students were engaged in learning while she was with Student A. She was never interrupted by another student.
Questions to consider:
Would it help to review the vowel sounds before beginning the lesson? Student A did not initially use a different color chip for a vowel sound and had to be reminded to do that.
Would it be possible to weave in use of the words during the lesson? Perhaps some of the time, she could generate the sentence. I noticed that she understands “gust” and told a story about an umbrella in a gust of wind.
Based on our reflections, is there anything we need to change about the overarching goal? No. We reviewed each of the goals, and Allysa is confident that Student A will reach 80% for consonant blends by mid-March.
What is working for your student? Knee-to-knee proximity with the student is working. She is less distracted and knows that Allysa will draw her back in if she gets off-task. Even when she tries to distract with an off-topic conversation, Allysa is able to draw her back into the learning quickly. The student tends to “hide” in full class learning because she lacks confidence, so the format for learning the skills works well for this student. Chunking also helps this student learn.
What is challenging for you or for your students? Running her finger under the letters that make words is difficult for her. She understands what to do, but has to be reminded. We discussed nonsense words because Nonsense Word Fluency is a part of what is assessed for this grade level. The student struggles with nonsense words and has low confidence when she encounters them; the assessment is difficult for her.
Have you determined any progress toward goal during the past week? Yes, the student has mastered the /sk/ blends and is nearly there with /sp/ blends. She will begin working on new blends that may be more difficult for her. It takes her about a week to learn each of the blends.
Are you confident that students will make the improvement we are striving for by mid-March? Yes, the student is on track to reach the goal of 80% for consonant blends by mid-March.
Do we need to change anything about the goal at this time? No, the goal will remain as it is currently written.
Working on Next Steps
Keep working on steps toward goal that you want to meet by mid-March.
Create video for this goal of your teaching and student learning.
Read the Schutz and Hoffman article if you have time.
NOTE: Allysa is beginning work on her Library Media Specialist degree through Ft. Hays State University. We also discussed looking into National Board Certification and what that looks like in the Olathe School District. She would be a great candidate for pursuing Boards.