Laurel Woods and Waverly elementary schools have been identified as Elementary School Model schools for the 2015-16 school year.
The Elementary School Model, announced last year by the Howard County Public School System, features full day pre-kindergarten, daily Spanish language instruction, Telehealth services, student strengths development through Gallup research and a departmentalized schedule. The model was fully implemented in five schools this year with some aspects of the program in place at Ducketts Lane Elementary School.
Laurel Woods was prepared to implement the Elementary School Model last year, according to Principal Sue Brown.
Yet after the Howard County Public School System announced the five pilot schools in May and Laurel Woods was not included, Brown was "pretty sure" that Laurel Woods would be in the next wave.
Teachers at Laurel Woods Elementary School have been asking for a departmentalized class schedule for quite awhile, Brown added.
This type of scheduling allows teachers to focus on teaching two subject areas instead of four, which educators say leads to more in-depth lesson plans for students.
"I've noticed nothing but positives, everyone is excited [about the change]," said Jason Fischer, a third-grade teacher at Laurel Woods. "It lessens the burden in terms of overall what you have to do, and you can really just focus."
Running Brook, Bryant Woods, Phelps Luck, Stevens Forest, and Talbott Springs elementary schools implemented the program this year with Ducketts Lane incorporating aspects of the model into its school instruction.
These schools — each a Title I school, except Ducketts Lane — were chosen to first implement the model as they have a high percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced price meals.
"The goal for year one has been to implement the model with fidelity," school system spokeswoman Rebecca Amani-Dove said in an email. "While it is too soon to measure the model against factors associated with student achievement and school culture, we have been pleased with implementation of the model thus far."
At Talbott Springs, the implementation of the model was challenging at first, particularly class scheduling, but the departmentalization aspect and professional development opportunities for staff have been outstanding, according to Principal Nancy Thompson.
"Overall, we love what's going on. We're very happy, we're very pleased with the model for several reasons," she said.
Talbott Springs did not have any type of foreign language instruction prior to the elementary school model, which Thompson said was met with some opposition from students who were hesitant to take the new course.
Through conversations with students and parents at PTA events about the benefits of learning a second language, everybody is "fully on board" at the midpoint of the school year, according to Thompson.
Thompson acknowledged that she isn't sure when she will know the full impact of the model's implementation, but every data point they've gathered thus far, whether it be test scores or teachers meeting their student learning objectives, is promising.
"All the trend data we've seen, every point of data that we have, has shown growth," she said.
Laurel Woods, also a Title I school, and Waverly will begin implementing all aspects, except Telehealth, of the elementary school model next school year. The school system's Telehealth services connect ill students with a pediatrician at the University of Maryland's Children's Hospital through online video conferencing technology.
At Laurel Woods, students had already been receiving weekly foreign language instruction, in both Spanish and Chinese. But through the model, students will now receive daily Spanish instruction, a change that represents a switch from a program meant to expose children to a new language to a program that will help them master one, Brown said.
Brown is particularly excited about the Gallup and strengths development aspect of the model, which measures student engagement in school. She hopes this measure can help students identify their strengths, have staff focus on those strengths and build confidence in students to meet future challenges.
"I think it's really going to be powerful for our kids because a lot of our kids come from really challenging situations, where life isn't so easy and it's not always so pretty," she said.
Any further expansion of the program is dependent upon the program's success and school system budget, according to Amani-Dove.
Concerns around the model
The Elementary School Model is not without its critics.
In a letter Feb. 4 to Superintendent Renee Foose and Board of Education members, the Howard County Parents for School Music asked for the expansion of the model to be halted until "the excellent foundation in music and art can be reestablished."
Members of the group contend that by offering music once a week for 45 minutes, instead of twice a week for 30 minutes each session, students are not receiving the same opportunities they were before.
Hinrich Kaiser, a supporter of the group, believes the implementation of the elementary model was "undoubtedly" rushed without review or assessment of the pilot's first year.
"It's an experiment on the backs of our children," he said.
Howard County Education Association President Paul Lemle also cautioned about expanding the program so quickly.
"The elementary model should not be expanded until we have solid data that shows it improves outcomes for kids, particularly African American and Hispanic ones," Lemle said.
Kaiser, an advisory council member with the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra, also worries that the decrease in music instruction in grade school will impact students as they move to middle and high school.
"We in Howard County have one of the best music programs in the state, if not in the nation, and I don't see that that's going to survive this new system," he said.