Starting Your FAME Coaching Journey
FAME's extensive resource library and support staff are prepared to provide Coaches with information about their role and offer suggestions, ideas, and resources to assist in forming, establishing, and leading their Learning Teams.
Coaching Journey
Year 1
COACH
In Year 1 of the FAME program, coaches participate in coaches participate in a New Coach Webinar Days 1-2, a Launch into Learning Parts 1 and 2, and a four-day Adaptive Schools training. Additionally, coaches receive the FAME Learning Guide - Coach Edition and become oriented to FAME's many resources through their Leads and FAME-provided webinars, events, and additional optional trainings.
LEARNING TEAM
When beginning their journey with FAME, Learning Teams attend a Launch into Learning Part 1 to learn about the formative assessment process. Typically, FAME Learning Teams spend their first year in the program going through the sections of the FAME Learning Guide, reading about the different FAME formative assessment Components and Elements, and considering what the implementation of these practices might look like in their classrooms. FAME offers many resources (print materials, suggested meeting agendas, and videos) to assist coaches in planning and conducting Learning Team meetings.
Beginning Year 2
COACH
In Year 2 of the FAME Program, coaches participate in Cognitive Coaching Seminars Days 1-4. They continue to receive guidance from their FAME Leads and additional development opportunities through FAME-provided events and trainings. FAME offers numerous resources for coaches to reenergize their Learning Teams as they plan future learning.
LEARNING TEAM
Learning Teams have several choices as they approach their second year in the FAME program. They might begin to try out various formative assessment practices in their classrooms and reflect on their successes in doing so to improve their use of these practices over time. Teams may also choose to explore particular formative assessment practices more deeply, using resources available to them. Others may examine how the formative assessment process works in select disciplines or with sub-groups of students.
Year 2 & Beyond
COACH
In Year 2 and beyond of the FAME program, coaches participate in Cognitive Coaching Seminars Days 5-8. Coaches work with their Learning Teams to plan for deepened understanding and increased use of the formative assessment process. They continue to receive guidance from their FAME Leads and additional development opportunities through FAME-provided events and trainings.
LEARNING TEAM
In Year 2 and beyond, FAME Learning Teams continue to customize their journeys through the use of resources that encourage self-reflection and deeper learning. By this point, team members should be routinely using formative assessment practices daily, along with their students. Team members consider how they can continue to refine their instructional practices and assist students to become even more self-directed learners.
Coaching and Team Expectations
Coaches
Learning Team Members
Helpful Resources
Next Steps in Your FAME Coaching Journey
The FAME program provides an extensive FAME Coach Learning Program for all Coaches. Professional learning activities to enhance the skills of Coaches is provided by the Thinking Collaborative™ for Coach participation in Years 1, 2, and 3 of the FAME program. Coaches are able to explore the list of professional learning offered each year and schedule their learning on the FAME Events page. But be sure to reach out to your FAME Lead, other FAME Coaches, and even your own Learning Team members for more ideas on how to improve your use of the formative assessment process. Your colleagues are often willing to share their instructional practices and examples of student work!
Frequently Asked Questions
The FAME program is a project commissioned, funded, and supported by Michigan Department of Education (MDE), and coordinated by the Michigan Assessment Consortium (MAC).
Throughout the Coach's journey, all FAME Coaches are supported by the MDE Program Manager, FAME Leads, and the Research, Evaluation & Development (RE&D) team. Further, Coaches have unlimited access to Professional Development Trainings and 400+ resources to support deeper understanding of formative assessment and facilitation of learning teams.
Michigan educators including administrators and teachers may be FAME coaches and learning team members.
Teams usually consist of 5-8 members from the same school, district, or area.
Please go to the events page to register you and/or your team. Remember to use correct names and email addresses.
This depends on what structures are in place for your site. For example, some teams meet once a week, biweekly, or monthly as their availability allows. However, we recommend meeting at minimum once a month to share their team's learning, planning, successes, areas to improve, and next steps.