West Des Moines Valley's Brad Rose Develops New Standards for Coaches

West Des Moines Valley High school Activities Director Brad Rose was

featured recently in a blog for Media-X, a software development company serving K-12 schools, for “tweaks” he made to teacher evaluation standards to make them more applicable to coaches.

Rose wanted to extend that winning formula – which he says extends well beyond the athletic field or court to all aspects of life – to other schools in his role as leadership training coordinator for Iowa’s athletic director. When he took the job, many ADs asked him to develop standards specifically for coaches.

“Coaching is an extension of teaching,” Rose said. “I am not looking for the exact same thing you are looking for in the classroom.”

Iowa teachers are evaluated by eight standards and Rose added six elements of his own: engagement, intensity, fundamentals, teamwork, an overall impression of the professionalism and demeanor of the coach, and attitudes and sportsmanship among the athletes themselves.

Rose first recorded his observations on paper, but “fell in love” with an iPad and began working with a Heartland Area Education Agency technology expert to apply his methodology using Media-X’s eWalk system.

At Valley, athletic teams at Valley, the biggest school in Iowa, have won more than 50 state titles, averaging three or four a year.