by Emily Cowan
It’s that time of year again. Inboxes are filling up, classrooms are buzzing, and goal-setting deadlines are looming. Across most schools, teachers will soon be kicking off their annual evaluation cycles and drafting mandatory growth goals.
As instructional coaches, our initial instinct might be to step in with our own coaching cycles and introduce a COACH goal right alongside their district-mandated SMART goal.
There’s just one problem: if a teacher already feels overwhelmed by required administrative paperwork, handing them a second, separate goal isn’t going to build a coaching partnership… it is going to feel like “one more thing” on an already overflowing plate!
So, how do we honor district requirements without reducing our coaching relationships to a compliance checklist?
We don’t add to their plate; we help refine what’s already on it—like layering the perfect ingredients for a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Whether you are using the COACH framework to satisfy district requirements or using it to ground a teacher’s mandatory goal in real human support, the goal isn’t to create more work. Just like combining bread, peanut butter, and jelly, it’s about taking distinct components and blending them into something cohesive, satisfying, and manageable.
If you missed our initial breakdown of the C-O-A-C-H acronym, make sure to give it a read! But today we’re diving into the real-world execution: What does a 15-minute goal-setting conversation actually sound like when you’re helping a teacher turn a mandatory task into a true coaching opportunity?
The 15-Minute Blueprint
Uncovering the Real Need
You already know what I’m about to say—because you’re a coach who has likely been an educator—but it still needs to be said. If a teacher is giving you time out of their day to set a goal, respect it. There are an infinite number of things they could, would, or should be doing, but they are choosing to dedicate time to you and their own personal growth. Keeping this goal-setting meeting to 15 minutes is easy to digest… AND easier to market to teachers!
The first 5 minutes of this meeting need to be dedicated to uncovering what the real need is for the teacher. Oftentimes we start these brainstorm sessions with a big, generic question like “What is your goal for this year?” But not this year! We know that a question this broad is going to result in answers that make goal setting extremely challenging.
Try some of these instead:
- “What about your job is keeping you up at night?”
- “Imagine your dream classroom. What does it have that your current classroom doesn’t?”
- “If time and resources weren’t a concern, what is something you’d want to do in your classroom?”
- “If we fast-forward to May, what is one thing you’d like to be celebrating from the school year?”
- “Looking at your [required] district goal, what role can I play so that you aren’t doing the heavy lifting alone?”
Refine Through the Framework
We’ve identified the teacher’s biggest pain points for the year—way to go! That’s our first key ingredient. Now we need to bring in our second ingredient: connecting that pain point back to the COACH framework in a way that is manageable for both the teacher AND you. I highly recommend sitting down side by side [or casting your screen] so that you are BOTH looking at the same document. Remember, this is a partnership, so the goal should be drafted together. As a team, we want to take this pain point and turn it into a clear, obtainable, and connected goal.
Let’s imagine your teacher’s pain point was that he doesn’t know which kids are keeping up and which are falling behind until they get to the assessment. Here is what that conversation could look like:
Coach: “In order to make this clear and obtainable, we don’t need to overhaul your entire teaching practice. Let’s focus on one small, effective strategy over the next two weeks that helps you with formative assessments to know your students’ understanding of the material.”
Teacher: “I’d love to try a digital strategy for exit tickets. Maybe we can create one that is generic enough to use over and over, but still gives me insight into student learning.”
Coach: “Perfect! Since the school’s focus is on data-driven instruction this year, you’ve nailed the connected part of the goal as well!”
Look at what you’ve accomplished in just 10 minutes! You’ve identified the issues at play and started on a path forward together. Now let’s dive into what that will look like.
The Co-Commitment
Now comes Phase 3, where the sandwich finally comes together! In the remaining five minutes, you’re going to direct your focus to the A & H of the COACH goal: making it Action-Oriented and High-Impact. Just as bringing two distinct slices together creates a complete meal, this phase combines the teacher’s needs and the coach's support into one cohesive plan. This is my favorite step because it’s really what sets a COACH goal apart from a SMART goal—it is what the teacher and coach will do TOGETHER. This is also where the coach gets to take some of the load off that teacher.
Coach: “Okay, now let’s plan out our action-oriented steps. If you have the time today, we can walk through setting up a Google Form for your formative assessment. Then, next week, I will come in and co-teach to help you launch it with your students. I’ll pull the data and then we can meet during your planning period to review? Once we have an understanding of student knowledge we can plan for reteaching or strategic grouping! How does that sound?”
You’re most likely going to be greeted with a response like “Wow, really? That will be so helpful and take something off my plate!” which is music to a coach’s ears.
Your Next Step
Your next step is simple: schedule that 15-minute goal-setting conversation with a teacher this week. When you meet, focus on identifying one small, actionable task you can take off their plate… turning that “one more thing” into a collaborative win.
Sometimes, you’ll offer this kind of support and hear “I don’t have time for this” or meet resistance. And that’s okay. Coaching is about building trust over time, and not every teacher is ready to dive in right away. We’ll be tackling how to navigate those trickier, less-receptive conversations in an upcoming blog post, so stay tuned!
๐พ Want more?
- ๐ Read
- Beyond SMART: COACH Goals for Instructional Coaches
- Domain 2 of the Core of Coaching Framework: Sustainable Change
- Creating A Personal PD Plan
- The Importance of Reflection in the Coaching Process
- ๐ Listen to the Restart Recharge podcast
- ๐ฌ Watch (EDU Coach Network All-Access Members only)
