From First Alert 7, by Rachel Fortunato, February 12, 2025
MIDLAND, Texas (KOSA) – Over the past few years, MISD has been teaching its teachers how to be Multi-Classroom Leaders otherwise known as MCLs. The district says teachers that have become Multi-Classroom Leaders have led to student success overall. The program allows teachers to serve as coaches and mentors for other teachers and train them in proven instructional techniques.
“What a great way to help other teachers,” said Emily Terry, an MCL and 6th Grade Math Teacher for Midland ISD.
For the past five school years, MCLs have been fostering growth and peer support in MISD schools. MCLs coach about 4 to 5 teachers each school year.
“We like to use a differentiated model. so that means that she’s going to determine what’s needed for that teacher based on the needs of the teachers,” Chelsea Reyes, the Director of Talent Development for Midland ISD said.
An MCL can train a teacher by teaching in their classroom, the trainees classroom or by co-teaching a lesson together. MCLs will support teachers that either teach the same subject or same grade level, or both. Emily Terry had an MCL before becoming one herself.
“I saw the benefit of having that person guide me, even though at that point I had 20 plus years of experience, I still needed and had room to grow,” said Terry.
“That’s absolutely the goal,” Reyes said.
Terry says she shares lessons from her training with other teachers.
“Lesson planning. How to develop good lessons that follow our TLAC straits, Teach Like a Champion. Just really focusing in on getting our students to grow,” said Terry.
She also teaches other teachers to use past data for improvements.
Another goal of this initiative is to retain teachers and allow MCLs to increase their salaries.
“So that first year their map growth was so high that I was able to then be awarded the TIA, or Teacher Incentive Allotment money, and so that was based on my student growth,” Terry said.
“I feel like opportunity culture is going to continue because it’s self-sustainable. We don’t have to use or rely on grant funding. it’s all in campus based budgets,” said Reyes.
Last year 22 campuses had MCLs and 18 saw improved STAAR scores.
This year five more campuses added MCLs for a total of 27 schools.