Literacy and Numeracy Specialists

Literacy and numeracy specialists work through West Virginia’s regional support network to ensure consistent, high-quality coaching across all counties. In partnership with WVDE’s Office of Academic Support and local districts, their responsibilities include the following.

Coaching Support and Development

This provides direct guidance and formative support to the WVImpact+ coaches in their region. It also involves:

• Facilitating weekly virtual coaching meetings
• Maintaining frequent communication (e.g. email, calls) for consultation
• Conducting on-site visits (at least monthly) to each coach’s school

Specialists help coaches plan and reflect on coaching cycles, troubleshoot challenges, and model best practices.

Professional Learning and Resources

These are planned and delivered via ongoing training and support for coaches to build their expertise in evidence-based literacy and numeracy strategies. This include curating and developing resources that coaches can use with teachers. Specialists also facilitate regional workshops for sharing successful coaching techniques and addressing common challenges within schools and across districts.

Collaboration and Continuous Improvement

These specialists serve as a liaison between the Department, districts, and schools. They ensure that state guidance is uniformly understood and implemented. They assist districts in interpreting program requirements and help coordinate monthly district meetings (virtual or in-person). These meetings help specialists support district implementation teams with literacy/numeracy goals aligned to the Third Grade Success Act and the Multi-Tiered System of Supports framework. Specialists also collect and share implementation data with us (e.g., common needs, successes, and concerns encountered by coaches) and help monitor framework fidelity in their region. By doing so, they play a key role in the feedback loop that informs state-level adjustments and additional supports.