Supporting new teachers and improving math & ELA outcomes in Groton Central School District

Key results

• 26% improvement in student ELA test scores – the largest improvement in in all of New York state
• 80% of teachers agree or strongly agree that coaching would support them to positively impact student outcomes
• 90% of teachers felt very or extremely confident to try what they’d discussed with their coach
• 92% of teachers said BetterLesson coaching was personalized to the specific needs of their classroom
• 100% of teachers said BetterLesson Coaching was more effective than other professional development experiences

Groton Central School District (GCSD) in Groton, NY serves a geographically and economically diverse student population from both rural and suburban communities.

Having set goals to dramatically increase student learning outcomes (some indicators by over 50%) and improve teacher instruction with a focus on student-centered learning, GCSD partnered with BetterLesson to support its teachers through 1:1 coaching that would turn the district’s vision into classroom reality.

The partnership, which spanned years before, during, and after the pandemic, would expand to include teacher PD workshops and instructional leadership coaching, and ultimately help the district foster measurable changes in instructional practice and student learning outcomes – including the highest improvements in all of NY state.

The challenge: improving student-centered instruction while bolstering classroom management skills

A key component of the district’s vision for student-centered instruction was creating meaningful opportunities for each student to excel in small, collaborative, and supportive learning environments.

But a year into implementing their five-year strategic plan, GCSD’s Superintendent, Margo Martin, recognized an important hurdle: most early-career teachers were focusing more on classroom management skills than student-centered instructional strategies. 

And nearly one-third of GCSD’s teachers were new to the profession.

The district’s newest teachers would need individualized support that balanced foundational classroom management and student engagement skills alongside student-centered instructional practices. 

The solution: instructional coaching provides personalized support for each teacher

Martin sought out continuous, job-embedded professional learning that reinforced the district’s instructional practice. Coaching seemed like the solution, but the district did not have the resources to hire, train, and deploy the coaches they’d need.

Instead, BetterLesson’s national network of carefully-vetted coaches would provide personalized professional learning for the district’s first-year teachers, in 1:1 sessions.

For the first year of the partnership (2016-17), the district focused on its 18 early-career teachers. With their BetterLesson coaches, each teacher engaged in our Try-Measure-Learn framework: try proven strategies aligned to the district’s vision, measure progress in the classroom, and learn with a coach how to continue refining practice based on outcomes.

Coaches were matched with teachers based on grade level and content, with a special emphasis on selecting coaches with expertise in reading. In alignment with the district’s vision, each coach would emphasize the importance of explicit reading strategies in daily lesson planning, provide non­evaluative support, and promote a growth mindset.

Teachers would meet with their coaches online, at times that work best for them, and would be guided in leveraging BetterLesson’s extensive library of lesson plans and teaching strategies to meet their unique classrooms’ needs. 

And, BetterLesson would partner with district leadership to identify instructional priorities and metrics to monitor instructional changes.

Over the course of the partnership, BetterLesson would expand its multi-faceted, connected PL program to include a train-the-trainer approach to instructional leadership coaching as well as virtual and in-person teacher PL workshops to engage teachers in learning together.

The outcomes: measurable improvements in student learning outcomes and instructional practice–even during the pandemic

In the first year, teachers demonstrated more effective and engaging classroom management strategies, leading to classroom environments more conducive for collaborative learning. Because of this, teachers were able to facilitate student-centered activities and deepen student engagement with academic content.

By the end of that first school year, teachers had made significant shifts in practice, developing effective systems of classroom management as well as making substantive strides in personalizing students’ learning experiences.

Many teachers had implemented small-group instructional strategies such as centers-based math activities and literacy workshops, with measurable results for students.

Benchmark student assessments demonstrated significant gains in both English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics scores, further validating the success of providing individualized support to newer teachers. 

By year three (2018-19), as a result of these impacts, the partnership had expanded to provide professional support from 18 teachers to 37 teachers. 

And the district continued to see improvements in students’ learning outcomes. In fact GCSD demonstrated the largest improvement in ELA proficiency throughout the entire state of New York – and amid the height of the pandemic – increasing by 26% between 2019 and 2022. 

In the seventh year (2022-23), teachers continued making significant shifts in their instructional confidence and impact. Collectively, they pursued progress in 17 learning outcomes and implemented more than 40 instructional strategies. 

Survey data from teachers participating in BetterLesson coaching revealed a significant impact on teacher confidence:

• 80% of teachers agree or strongly agree that coaching would support them to positively impact student outcomes
• 90% of teachers felt very or extremely confident to try what they’d discussed with their coach
• 92% of teachers said BetterLesson coaching was personalized to the specific needs of their classroom
• 100% of teachers said BetterLesson Coaching was more effective than other professional development experiences

Groton Central School District’s journey demonstrates what becomes possible when district leaders prioritize individualized support for educators. Superintendent Martin’s decision to invest in her early-career teachers didn’t just improve classroom management—it transformed instructional practice and proved that new teachers can drive exceptional student outcomes when given the right support.

Ready to transform teacher practice in your district? Whether you’re looking to support early-career teachers, implement new instructional strategies, or scale professional learning across your district, BetterLesson can help.

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