Kagan Publishing & Professional Development

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Associate Trainer Application Process

Kagan Coaching Certification

  • Has your school’s entire faculty been trained in Kagan Cooperative Learning?
  • Is your school implementing Kagan Cooperative Learning with fidelity and with frequency as a school-wide initiative?
  • Have you been trained by Kagan and have used Kagan successfully with students or staff?

If your answer to these questions is “YES,” then this program may be for you.

Prerequisites

  1. Applicant Prerequisite. Applicant must complete Kagan Cooperative Learning or Kagan Cooperative Learning, PreK–2 (Little Ones), Days 1–4, at least 6 months prior.
  2. School Prerequisite The Applicant’s school must have completed the following required training by Kagan within the past 2 years:
    1. Full-faculty Kagan Cooperative Learning training (Day 1 minimum)
    2. Engagement Support Session (1 day minimum)
    3. Kagan Coaching session (1day minimum)

For booking info and discounts, contact the Kagan Partnership team by email, by phone 1.800.451.8495, or submit an inquiry.

Workshop

The Applicant will attend the 2-Day Kagan Coaching Workshop.

Certification

There are two options to complete certification:

Route 1: Shadow Coaching
The Applicant’s school or district may schedule a Shadow Coaching session with Kagan where the Applicant coaches multiple teachers and is shadowed by a Kagan Coaching Assessor. The Shadow Coaching session may be used for Certification for up to 3 coaches on the same visit, each coaching a minimum of 3 classes each.

Route 2: Video Submission (If route 1 is not an option)
The Applicant will submit three videos of themselves:

  1. Coaching a teacher on 1 pair structure
  2. Coaching a different teacher on 1 team structure
  3. Leading an Engagement Support Session (ESS) with two or more teachers.

The videos must be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo as non-public, and the links must be emailed to the Coaching Program Coordinator. A Kagan Coaching Assessor will watch the videos and provide detailed feedback.

Assessment, Certification, or Retake

After reviewing the videos or completing a Shadow Coaching session, the Kagan Coaching Assessor will provide detailed feedback for each Applicant. The Assessor will either: a) Certify the Applicant, or b) inform the Applicant what competencies are still needed for certification and provide a retake opportunity within a 3-month window. Only one retake opportunity is permitted.

Host School Identification

Kagan Coaching Certification entitles an individual to coach at a single building during active certification. At the time of application, Applicant must identify a host school.

Certification Duration

Kagan Coaching Certification lasts for 3 years. After 3 years, the Applicant must repeat the process to get re-certified.

Certification Cost

The cost for Kagan Coaching Certification is $999 which includes the workshop, workshop materials, coaching materials, the assessment, and certification. Coaching Shadowing is an optional separate cost.

Application Elements

The Applicant must submit the following elements with their application:

Workshop participants conversing in a circle
  1. Improvement Plan. Applicant submits the page(s) out of the school improvement plan and highlights where Kagan Cooperative Learning is noted as a strategy. Optional: Additional pages regarding support, resources and timelines may also be submitted. Please submit only the applicable pages, not the entire School Improvement document.
  2. Administrator Letter. Administrator letter of commitment to the applicant and agreement to pay the coaching program fees, if the applicant is accepted into the program.
  3. Everyone Answers! Structures. Written description of how the applicant has replaced Calling on One with either Kagan Cooperative Learning Everyone Answers! Pair Structures and/or Everyone Answers! Team Structures. This description should include an explanation of the process of how the applicant replaced the habit of calling on volunteers with the habit of calling on everyone, including the successes and the challenges the applicant faced, as well as examples of questions/tasks they generally use for the Everyone Answers! structures.
  4. Additional Kagan Structures. Written description of five additional Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures that are implemented regularly by the applicant. This description should clearly explain how these five structures are used routinely by the applicant, as well as why each of them is a “top five” Kagan Cooperative Learning Structure for the applicant. Please include content and grade level(s) in which the structures are implemented, as well as student work samples if appropriate.
  5. Sample Lesson Plan. One page sample lesson plan reflecting the use of Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures within a lesson. This lesson plan should include the questions the teacher asks students and/or the tasks the teacher assigns students, indicating Everyone Answers! Pair or Team structures, and at least one of the applicant’s “top five structures” explained in the second step above, as well as additional structures that are not included in the “top five” description.

Application

Complete and submit this application. If approved, you may register for the Kagan Coaching Workshop and will be enrolled in the Kagan Coaching Certification Program.

Download Kagan Coaching Certification Application

Application deadline is May 31, 2026. No late applications will be accepted.