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Welcome to ICG Certification

The Instructional Coaching Group is committed to one goal: “that every student will experience excellent instruction, every day, in every class.” We are continually researching what we can do to make that goal a reality. At this point, we believe the best way for that goal to be realized is that schools employ and support instructional coaches who effectively implement the Impact Cycle.

What is ICG Certification?

ICG Certification provides a target for any instructional coach interested in engaging in great coaching.

We have created this certification process to clearly describe what excellent coaching is and to provide a target for any instructional coach interested in engaging in great coaching. Around the world, organizations are hiring coaches even though they are unclear about what kind of coaching approach they’re adopting and what effective coaching looks like.

Our certification process helps schools and districts better understand what effective coaching is and how to implement it. Better teaching will lead to better learning, and we have found that better coaching is the most powerful way to make that happen.

register here

The Goals of ICG Certification:

1. To communicate the research about what works in instructional coaching

  • Understanding not only what works for teachers, but what works for STUDENTS
  • Learning how to make sure coaching has an impact on students

2. To provide coaches with a way to demonstrate their accomplished coaching practice

  • Providing a process and standards to understand if their actions are enabling the best outcomes for students

3. To ensure that coaching has the greatest possible influence on students

  • Providing an understanding of how instructional coaching directly affects students and how to achieve these positive changes

Similar to the National Board Certification process for teachers.

ICG Certification is NOT:

Training for new coaches: If you are looking for training for new coaches, you’ll want to register for A Framework for Instructional Coaching: The Seven Success Factors.

A “train the trainers” program: If you are looking for customized training for your school or district, visit our Bring ICG to My District page or our 1-1 Coaching page.

A course on instructional coaching: If you are looking for courses and workshops, visit our Upcoming Workshops page. If you are looking for asynchronous courses, visit Radical Learners.

Eligibility Requirements

Candidates must:

  • be employed as a full-time instructional coach for at least two full school years before registering as a candidate,
  • spend 60-70% of their work time on coaching (versus administrative tasks, testing, intervention, or other non-coaching tasks), and
  • submit registration and portfolio requirements by the specified deadlines.

Candidate Timeline

Year One:

  • Submit as many portfolio pieces as you like between May 1 and June 15
  • Receive your scores by October 31

Year Two:

  • Submit any remaining portfolio pieces between May 1 and June 15 (Both Entry 1 and Entry 2 must be submitted in full by June 15 to qualify for retakes.)
  • Receive your scores by October 31

Year Three:

  • Submit any qualifying retakes for the portfolio between May 1 and June 15
  • Receive final scores and certification notice by October 31

Refund Policy

Please note that refunds cannot be provided for this program.

What’s the process?

1. Register for Certification

The registration window for each annual cohort is November 1 – January 31.

The registration fee of $500 can be made via PayPal, credit card, or purchase order.

Register here

2. Develop Your Portfolio

The ICG Certification process is a demonstration of current, accomplished coaching practice, so we use a multidimensional portfolio process to evaluate a candidate’s coaching practice.

Portfolio Details

3. The Scoring Process

Scores for each year’s submitted entries are released October 31. Click the link below to see the scoring and calculation process to help candidates understand their scores.

Scoring Process

4. Submit Your Portfolio

The entry submission window each year is May 1–June 15. Candidates will receive directions in advance each year explaining how to submit their written documents and videos when this portal opens during that time.

Submit Portfolio

Register for Certification

register here
step 01

Register for Certification

Next cohort date TBD, to express interest, please reach out to certification@instructionalcoaching.com.

register here
step 02

Develop Your Portfolio

Your portfolio is organized around the 7 Success Factors for effective coaching programs. All video clips must be submitted as secure YouTube links. All videos must be continuous and unedited except for shortening to meet the length requirement.

All written submissions must be submitted as one text document for each entry with all text pieces for that entry included in it. Size requirements for each written piece are contained herein. All written submissions must be in 12-pt. Times Roman font, double spaced on pages with 1-inch margins at top, bottom, and sides.

step 03

Scoring Process: Standards & Guidelines

Your portfolio demonstrates current, accomplished coaching practice around the Seven Success Factors for effective coaching programs.

standard 1

The Impact Cycle

Certified Instructional Coaches effectively implement the Impact Cycle to partner with teachers in achieving their student-focused goals (Knight, 2017).

standard 2

The Instructional Playbook

Certified Instructional Coaches use an Instructional Playbook to partner with teachers to choose a strategy to achieve their PEERS goals. (See Knight, 2017, for an example of an Instructional Playbook.)

standard 3

Data

Certified Instructional Coaches partner with teachers to set PEERS goals and to monitor teachers’ progress toward those goals, and that means that coaches must be able to gather and analyze data. (A description of the important data that coaches should gather and PEERS goals is included in Knight, 2017.)

standard 4

Communication Habits and Skills

Because coaching involves communication, Certified Instructional Coaches continually engage in improving their communication skills and in communicating about coaching with all school stakeholders to build a collaborative school culture.

standard 5

Partnership Principles

No matter how much knowledge instructional coaches have, they will not be effective change leaders unless they understand the complexities of helping and working with adults. Certified Instructional Coaches demonstrate that they understand how to interact with adults in ways that do not engender resistance.

standard 6

Leadership

Certified Instructional Coaches are emotionally intelligent, responsive to teachers, embody a stewardship approach during coaching, are ambitious for students, organized, and reliable (see Knight, 2016, chapter 9). In other words, effective coaches are effective leaders.

standard 7

System Support

Certified Instructional Coaches flourish in systems that support them. When district leaders and, in particular, principals, support instructional coaches, effective coaches succeed. However, when support does not exist, effective coaches may have little or no impact (Knight, 2011).

Resources

  1. Knight, J. (2011). Unmistakable impact: A partnership approach for dramatically improving instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
  2. Knight, J. (2016). Better conversations: Coaching ourselves and each other to be more credible, caring, and connected. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
  3. Knight, J. (2017). The impact cycle: What instructional coaches should do to foster powerful improvements in teaching. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Scoring Guidelines

Rubric:

The ICG Certification uses a four-point rubric.
4 = Clear, consistent, and convincing evidence is apparent.
3 = Clear evidence is apparent.
2 = Limited evidence is apparent.
1 = Little or no evidence is apparent.

Scores of 3 and 4 indicate that accomplished coaching is evident.
Scores of 1 and 2 indicate that less-than-accomplished coaching is evident.

Ranges:

When calculating candidate scores for each of the 7 Success Factors, we use these scores ranges:
4 = 3.75-4.25
3 = 2.75-3.25
2 = 1.75-2.25
1 = 0.75-1.25

Candidates receive an overall score between 1 and 4 on each of the 7 Success Factors. We then divide that total from all of the factors by 7 to obtain the overall score. The certification threshold is 2.75.

Floor Score:

Candidates may not score lower than a 1.75 on any of the 7 Success Factors to qualify for certification. If they score less than that on a specific factor, then they may resubmit a revised version of that factor as a “retake” to achieve certification.

Score Report:

Each candidate will receive a score report like the one below. Candidates who do not achieve certification and want to retake specific pieces of the process may refer to their report for information on which sections to retake and to see where they can improve.

Download the Standards and Scoring Guidelines

step 03

The Scoring Process: Standards & Quality Indicators

Your portfolio demonstrates current, accomplished coaching practice around the Seven Success Factors for effective coaching programs.

standard 1

The Impact Cycle

Certified Instructional Coaches effectively implement the Impact Cycle to partner with teachers in achieving their student-focused goals (Knight, 2017).

Identify

QUALITY INDICATOR 1.1

The coach-candidate partners with the teacher in obtaining a clear picture of current reality by using video, student interviews, student work, and/or observation data. [Current Reality]

QUALITY INDICATOR 1.2

The coach-candidate uses the Identify Questions with the teacher to set a measurable student-focused goal. [Goal]

QUALITY INDICATOR 1.3

The coach-candidate uses an instructional playbook to aid the teacher in choosing a high-impact teaching strategy to use to achieve the PEERS goal. [Strategy]

Learn

QUALITY INDICATOR 1.4

The coach-candidate uses a checklist to explain the chosen teaching strategy to the teacher and prompts the teacher to modify the strategy as the teacher wishes. [Checklists]

QUALITY INDICATOR 1.5

The coach-candidate models the strategy using a modeling approach that the teacher has chosen. [Modeling]

Improve

QUALITY INDICATOR 1.6

The coach-candidate begins every coaching conversation by asking the teacher about the teacher’s most pressing concerns. [Confirm Direction]

QUALITY INDICATOR 1.7

The coach-candidate partners with the teacher in gathering and analyzing data on student progress toward the PEERS goal. [Review Progress]

QUALITY INDICATOR 1.8

The coach-candidate partners with the teacher in making modifications until students achieve the PEERS goal. [Invent Improvements]

QUALITY INDICATOR 1.9

The coach-candidate partners with the teacher in determining more long-term work on the goal as necessary or on future goals once the goal is met. [Plan Next Actions]

standard 2

The Instructional Playbook

Certified Instructional Coaches use an Instructional Playbook to partner with teachers to choose a strategy to achieve their PEERS goals. (See Knight, 2017, for an example of an Instructional Playbook.)

QUALITY INDICATOR 2.1

The coach-candidate creates, maintains, and periodically updates an instructional playbook tailored to the coaching audience that contains a selection of thoroughly vetted high-impact strategy choices for teachers to use to achieve their PEERS goals.

QUALITY INDICATOR 2.2

The coach-candidate uses the instructional playbook during the Identify Questions conversation to offer strategy choices to teachers.

QUALITY INDICATOR 2.3

The coach-candidate’s playbook contains a Table of Contents of instructional strategies, a One-Page Summary for each strategy on the Table of Contents, sufficient checklists for each strategy, and an explanation of the coaching audience and how the playbook meets their current needs.

standard 3

Data

Certified Instructional Coaches partner with teachers to set PEERS goals and to monitor teachers’ progress toward those goals, and that means that coaches must be able to gather and analyze data. (A description of the important data that coaches should gather and PEERS goals is included in Knight, 2017.)

QUALITY INDICATOR 3.1

The coach-candidate partners with the teacher in using video, student interviews, student work, and/or observation data in obtaining a clear picture of current reality in the classroom in an area of teacher-identified need.

QUALITY INDICATOR 3.2

The coach-candidate partners with the teacher in determining the form of measurement and appropriate data tools for a PEERS goal and how to track progress over time.

QUALITY INDICATOR 3.3

The coach-candidate partners with teacher in gathering and analyzing data on the goal until students meet the goal.

standard 4

Communication Habits and Skills

Because coaching involves communication, Certified Instructional Coaches continually engage in improving their communication skills and in communicating about coaching with all school stakeholders to build a collaborative school culture.

QUALITY INDICATOR 4.1

The coach-candidate communicates with teachers in a spirit of partnership as evidenced by use of the Better Conversations Habits (Demonstrating Empathy, Listening, Fostering Dialogue, Asking Better Questions, Making Emotional Connections, Being a Witness to the Good, Finding Common Ground, Controlling Toxic Emotions, Redirecting Toxic Conversations, and Building Trust) as appropriate in coaching conversations (Knight, 2016).

QUALITY INDICATOR 4.2

The coach-candidate communicates about the coaching role, the coaching approach, and the coaching process regularly with school and system administrators and teachers to foster a collaborative school culture.

standard 5

Partnership Principles

No matter how much knowledge instructional coaches have, they will not be effective change leaders unless they understand the complexities of helping and working with adults. Certified Instructional Coaches demonstrate that they understand how to interact with adults in ways that do not engender resistance.

QUALITY INDICATOR 5.1

The coach-candidate uses a dialogical approach (Knight, 2017) to coaching in which the coach and teachers are partners who use their collective strengths to make powerful classroom changes for students.

QUALITY INDICATOR 5.2

The coach-candidate consistently embodies the Partnership Principles (Knight, 2011) in coaching interactions to build trusting relationships with teachers and school and system leaders.


standard 6

Leadership

Certified Instructional Coaches are emotionally intelligent, responsive to teachers, embody a stewardship approach during coaching, are ambitious for students, organized, and reliable (see Knight, 2016, chapter 9). In other words, effective coaches are effective leaders.

QUALITY INDICATOR 6.1

The coach-candidate has built trusting relationships with teachers that have resulted in many teachers choosing to work with the coach in Impact Cycles.

QUALITY INDICATOR 6.2

The coach-candidate has an exceptional level of instructional expertise and shares that knowledge with teachers as appropriate but does so dialogically as a partner, not as an “expert” or as an evaluator.

standard 7

System Support

Certified Instructional Coaches flourish in systems that support them. When district leaders and, in particular, principals, support instructional coaches, effective coaches succeed. However, when support does not exist, effective coaches may have little or no impact (Knight, 2011).

QUALITY INDICATOR 7.1

The coach-candidate has worked with school and/or district leadership to clarify the coach’s role in the school, to clarify how the coach should spend their time during the workday (with the majority of time spent working with teachers in Impact Cycles), to clarify the boundaries of confidentiality in coaching, and to communicate these policies and practices to teachers.

QUALITY INDICATOR 7.2

The coach-candidate communicates regularly with school and/or district leadership to ensure that everyone who supports coaching views it with the same theoretical perspective and to address issues concerning the coaching role.

Resources

  1. Knight, J. (2011). Unmistakable impact: A partnership approach for dramatically improving instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
  2. Knight, J. (2016). Better conversations: Coaching ourselves and each other to be more credible, caring, and connected. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
  3. Knight, J. (2017). The impact cycle: What instructional coaches should do to foster powerful improvements in teaching. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Scoring Guidelines

Rubric:

The ICG Certification uses a four-point rubric.
4 = Clear, consistent, and convincing evidence is apparent.
3 = Clear evidence is apparent.
2 = Limited evidence is apparent.
1 = Little or no evidence is apparent.

Scores of 3 and 4 indicate that accomplished coaching is evident.
Scores of 1 and 2 indicate that less-than-accomplished coaching is evident.

Ranges:

When calculating candidate scores for each of the 7 Success Factors, we use these scores ranges:
4 = 3.75-4.25
3 = 2.75-3.25
2 = 1.75-2.25
1 = 0.75-1.25

Candidates receive an overall score between 1 and 4 on each of the 7 Success Factors. We then divide that total from all of the factors by 7 to obtain the overall score. The certification threshold is 2.75.

Floor Score:

Candidates may not score lower than a 1.75 on any of the 7 Success Factors to qualify for certification. If they score less than that on a specific factor, then they may resubmit a revised version of that factor as a “retake” to achieve certification.

Score Report:

Each candidate will receive a score report like the one below. Candidates who do not achieve certification and want to retake specific pieces of the process may refer to their report for information on which sections to retake and to see where they can improve.

step 04

Submit Your Portfolio

The submission form opens May 1st and will appear below this text. If you have trouble submitting your portfolio, please contact us at certification@instructionalcoaching.com.

To submit your portfolio, please click the "Submit Your Portfolio" link below.
If you have trouble submitting your portfolio, please contact us at certification@instructionalcoaching.com.

Portfolio Submission Form

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