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Interventionist Vikki DeLoach and Principal Elizabeth Rivera on the Power of Collaborative Coach

Interventionist Vikki DeLoach of Joseph Shanklin Elementary School shares her experience with Collaborative Coach and the impact this coaching had on her SIPPS instruction and student achievement.

We also hear from Vikki’s Collaborative Coach, Genevieve Thomas, and principal Elizabeth Rivera about the decision to bring Collaborative Coach to her school.

Vikki DeLoach, Interventionist, Joseph Shanklin Elementary School

Vikki, thank you for speaking with us. Please tell us about yourself and your role at Joseph Shanklin Elementary School. 

I am a new literacy interventionist with the school this year. I was previously a third grade teacher.

My current role is to provide reading instruction and to support students who may just need a little boost with their reading or students who may be grade levels behind in their learning. 

Share about how you partnered with your Collaborative Coach, Genevieve Thomas, across the eight-week session. 

I was given an opportunity by my principal, Mrs. Elizabeth Rivera, to join this Collaborative Coach cohort. She knew I would be seeking to learn what I needed to best support the students.

I was then assigned to Collaborative Coach Genevieve Thomas to work with during my eight-week coaching period. This eye-opening experience has provided me with individualized instruction to support my students in their classrooms.

During this eight-week process I was able to digest and go deeper into the SIPPS routines, which was one of my focuses. Genevieve also allowed me to guide my own learning in this new endeavor. 

Did you feel safe during this experience? What contributed to that?

Absolutely, I felt totally comfortable during this experience.

I felt safe being able to ask questions via email or through the Collaborative Coach platform. As my coach, Genevieve was extremely supportive and open to any questions that I had. She was always available and responded to me as quickly as possible.

As my coach, Genevieve was extremely supportive and open to any questions that I had. She was always available and responded to me as quickly as possible.

She made me feel comfortable during this process so that I could learn and implement the program.

You had the unique opportunity to participate in Collaborative Coach asynchronous coaching — as well as in-person coaching from Genevieve Thomas. What was the impact of that dual experience?

The experience of having my coach in person, as well as having access to her online, was most beneficial. I never felt unsupported in the learning process.

Also, it gave Genevieve an opportunity to view in person the area of focus we had been covering via Collaborative Coach to see its effectiveness and to provide supportive feedback.

My coach always emphasized the positives she saw first. This experience also allowed me an opportunity to feel comfortable enough to take on a different level of the SIPPS program while she was available. 

What is your biggest takeaway from how Collaborative Coach impacts student outcomes? 

I believe that Collaborative Coach allows an individual educator to effectively learn strategies and practice them gradually with support from their coach, while also seeing immediate student results.

Collaborative Coach allows an individual educator to effectively learn strategies and practice them gradually with support from their coach, while also seeing immediate student results.

The biggest takeaway for me was seeing how the SIPPS program aligns with other research-based reading programs we are currently implementing for student learners.

Another big takeaway was learning how to engage students in instruction while also allowing them to show ownership of their learning. 

Genevieve Thomas, Coach, Collaborative Classroom 

Genevieve, you have a long history with SIPPS and Collaborative Classroom, and more recently with Collaborative Coach. Could you please tell us a little about your experiences?

I have been involved with SIPPS in one capacity or another for over a decade now. I’ve been a consultant with Collaborative Classroom for about four years — and I’ve been a coach since the organization launched Collaborative Coach last school year.

I feel fortunate to have many opportunities to support SIPPS implementations across the country, and it’s been really fun to add Collaborative Coach to my toolbox of support.  

What did you notice about Vikki and her professional growth throughout the Collaborative Coach learning cycle?

Vikki is truly a reflective practitioner. While she was brand-new to SIPPS this year, she immediately took advantage of every opportunity she could get her hands on to grow her knowledge and refine her practice!

She has been such an active participant in all of the professional learning experiences I’ve been a part of. When I was working with Vikki in Collaborative Coach, I could count on getting videos from her several times a week—videos of her instruction, of her reflections on student learning, or of questions that were coming up in her practice.

Because of her commitment as a learner herself, she has already achieved a level of implementation that it takes many years to achieve. The results are evident with her students. 

You also had the unique opportunity to coach Vikki asynchronously and in person. What was the impact of that experience on your end?

I loved having the opportunity to work with Vikki both in person and asynchronously via Collaborative Coach! 

Our in-person support felt like a natural extension of the conversation we were having via Collaborative Coach.

We had already had the time to establish a strong relationship via Collaborative Coach, so we were able to dig right into the work during both of my in-person visits to her school site. Then we could start right back up via Collaborative Coach afterwards. It was seamless.

I also loved getting to meet in person the students I had been getting to know via Vikki’s instructional videos.  

Elizabeth Rivera

Elizabeth Rivera, Principal, Joseph Shanklin Elementary School

Elizabeth, thank you for speaking with us. Why did you decide to invest in Collaborative Coach for educators using SIPPS at your school?

At Joseph Shanklin Elementary ,we have an inverted pyramid of students performing below grade level and needing intervention services. SIPPS was a resource provided by the district to assist us in meeting the needs of our struggling readers.

However, we needed support in how to utilize the program in the best way to gain the best results. There was no one on staff to be considered the “go-to person” on how to implement SIPPS. That’s why we decided to invest in Collaborative Coach for our school.

What impact did you notice as Vikki DeLoach participated in Collaborative Coach? What impact did you notice on student achievement?

As Vikki participated in Collaborative Coach, she became the person who was most familiar with the SIPPS program.

At first, my other interventionists were apprehensive of the program at and could tell you five other things they would rather do! But as Vikki became confident in the program thanks to Collaborative Coach, she was able to share her learning with the other interventionists.

Now, almost all of our intervention groups use SIPPS exclusively.

What do you think is important for others to know about Collaborative Coach?

Collaborative Coach is a very nonthreatening and flexible way to provide teachers with individualized professional development that is tailored to fit the needs of the school.

Collaborative Coach is a very nonthreatening and flexible way to provide teachers with individualized professional development that is tailored to fit the needs of the school.

I also highly recommend adding some on-site days if possible. As a principal, I was able to see how effective coaching looks and what to look for when visiting my intervention classrooms.

Learn more about Collaborative Coach.

Read another interview: The Power of Individualized Coaching: An Interview with ELA Instructional Leadership Specialist Lynanne Lamothe