committee recommended draft (with highlighted edits) …...committee recommended draft (with...

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED DRAFT (with highlighted edits)

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Related Entries: ABA, ABC, ABC-RA, ACA, ACA-RA, AEB, GEG-RA, 1

IFA, IFA-RA, IKA, IKA-RA, IOA, IOA-RA, IOB, 2

IOD, IOD-RA, ISA, ISB-RA, JEA-RA 3

Responsible Office: Chief Academic Officer 4

5

6

Framework and Structure of 7

Early Childhood and Elementary Education 8

9

10

A. PURPOSE 11

12

To affirm the Montgomery County Board of Education’s 13

commitment to producing a challenging and comprehensive 14

educational program for eligible students in early childhood 15

and students in elementary programs that will promotinge the 16

intellectual, social, emotional, and physical growth and 17

development of students children in their early learning 18

years through high quality, developmentally appropriate, 19

challenging, and comprehensive early childhood and elementary 20

programs 21

22

To establish a framework for early childhood and elementary 23

education, in partnership with parents/guardians and 24

collaboration with community stakeholders, including county 25

government, and state and local agencies, that allows each 26

child to establish a solid foundation for learning through 27

high quality early childhood experiences and attain key 28


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educational and developmental milestones in each successive 29

grade as they progress from elementary grades, to prepare 30

them for middle and high school, then . 31

To emphasize, in partnership with parents, families, and 32

community stakeholders, the importance of building a solid 33

foundation for a lifetime of academic and personal 34

achievements. 35

36

To provide early identification and intervention strategies 37

for identified students to promote student success children. 38

39

To set expectations for early childhood and elementary 40

education that includes evidence-based, developmentally 41

appropriate curriculum and instructional practices in a 42

supportive and culturally proficient learning environment, 43

through family and community involvement, staff development, 44

and collaboration with community early childhood education 45

programs and community partners, including community child 46

care centers, family child care homes, and private 47

preschools. 48

49

B. ISSUE 50

51

A strong and growing body of evidence shows that successful 52

programs during the early childhood and elementary school 53

years leads to high levels of school success in later years. 54

The Board is committed to effectively utilizing county, 55

state, and federal resources, along with community partners, 56


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to establish a continuum of essential services needed by young 57

children and their families in order to identify children in 58

need of services and facilitate student development, 59

transition, placement, and program continuity at each stage 60

of a child’s development, from home, child care, or preschool 61

to prekindergarten (pre-K), as appropriate, and from one 62

elementary grade to another. 63

64

The Board collaborates with public and private agencies 65

across Montgomery County to support children in the early 66

years from birth to five years and prepare them for elementary 67

school success In accordance with as set forth in the 68

Montgomery County early childhood initiative, Children’s 69

Agenda,Early Care and Education Strategic Plan. Montgomery 70

County Public Schools (MCPS) collaborates with public and 71

private agencies such as the Collaboration Council for 72

Children, Youth, and Families and its affiliated agencies 73

74

Among these community partners, Montgomery County Public 75

Schools’ (MCPS’) role in the meeting the educational needs of 76

Montgomery County’s diverse young learners is to provide pre-77

K and special education services for younger children early 78

intervention and special education services for children who 79

are not yet of kindergarten age who meet eligibility criteria 80

pursuant to state and federal laws. Head Start and pre-K 81

programs offer high-quality educational experiences to 82

income-eligible children in order to prepare them with the 83

foundational knowledge and skills necessary for school 84


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success in kindergarten and beyond. In addition, Judith P. 85

Hoyer Early Child Care and Family Education Centers, or “Judy 86

Centers,” are state grant- and locally-funded early childhood 87

and family learning centers which provide comprehensive early 88

childhood services for children birth through age five. 89

90

MCPS also provides a variety of screening, early 91

intervention, and special education services to children, 92

from birth to eight years, through home and school-based 93

programs and other area and central programs. Services are 94

provided to children with a wide range of needs, including, 95

but not limited to, speech/language, auditory, vision, 96

orthopedic, and developmental delays. 97

98

The Board affirms the importance of the continuity provided 99

by early childhood education program for students in pre-K 100

and kindergarten through Grade 3, and the important academic 101

milestones for academic readiness that mark the transition 102

from Grade 3 to the upper elementary grades. 103

104

The Young children’s unique developmental stages and 105

characteristics of early childhood and elementary students 106

must guide the implementation of the early childhood and 107

elementary programs for them. Young children’s thinking, 108

learning styles, and view of the world are qualitatively 109

different from older children and adults. 110

111

Although young children share similarities as a group, they 112


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differ remarkably from one another, and appropriate 113

programming will be flexible enough to accommodate each one. 114

Family background, language, culture, gender, personality, 115

learning styles, interests, and abilities contribute to a 116

child’s individuality. Most children pass through the same 117

sequence of developmental stages, but the pace of development 118

varies from child to child. Moreover, development often does 119

not proceed evenly. The cognitive, physical, social, and 120

emotional levels of maturity may vary within the individual 121

child. 122

123

Montgomery County is a diverse community with an equally 124

diverse early childhood and elementary school population that 125

presents a variety of educational needs. To address some of 126

these needs, prekindergarten programs are provided to 127

families who meet eligibility criteria, pursuant to state and 128

federal laws. 129

130

The following elements are necessary for establishing and 131

maintaining a rigorous instructional program that meets the 132

needs of early childhood and elementary students: 133

To ensure success for every student in MCPS, an early 134

childhood and elementary school program must include a 135

comprehensive curriculum and related assessments; a rigorous, 136

differentiated instructional program; opportunities for 137

purposeful play; highly qualifiedcertified and committed 138

staff and leadership that is appropriately certified, 139

licensed or credentialed; a collaborative yet flexible 140


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organizational structure; and, afully engaged parental 141

parents/guardians and stakeholder community stakeholders. 142

143

C. POSITION 144

145

1. Early Childhood Program and School Culture 146

147

Each MCPS elementary school will To develop a culture 148

that promotes children’s physical, intellectual, 149

linguistic, emotional and social development; personal 150

integrity; self-confidence; social responsibility; 151

mutual respect among all students; as well as 152

motivation, and an eagerness to learn and excel, as 153

schools will do the followsing: 154

155

a) Provide an inviting, stimulating, and supportive 156

environment that eEncourages the natural curiosity 157

and creativity of all young learners students to 158

actively explore, discover, and construct knowledge 159

through intellectually challenging experiences, 160

and interactions with an inviting, stimulating, and 161

supportive learning environment that – 162

163

(1) encourages active engagement in learning 164

through self-selection of materials and self-165

direction as appropriate actively engage in 166

learning and pursue intellectual challenges., 167

168


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(2) encourages constructive risk-taking and use 169

mistakes as instructional tools, and 170

171

(3) provides young children with a continuum of 172

time in which to learn. 173

174

b) Maintain a well-managed, safe, and nurturing 175

environment that encourages positive relationships 176

among students children and between adults and 177

students children. 178

179

c) Provide daily activities for purposeful play and 180

gross motor physical development, through age-181

appropriate classroom and play spaces. 182

183

d) Use the outdoors and other opportunities outside 184

the classroom as important environments for 185

learning, on the playground, neighborhood walks, 186

and field trips. 187

188

e) Recognize that parents/guardians are their child’s 189

first teachers, and welcome and acknowledge the 190

unique contributions of parents/guardians and 191

families to the child’s growth and development. 192

193

cf) In alignment with Board Policy ACA, 194

Nondiscrimination, Equity, and Cultural 195

Proficiency, foster mutual understanding, respect, 196


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and cultural competence among students and staff 197

without regard to an individual’s actual or 198

perceived personal characteristics as defined in 199

Policy ACA. 200

201

dg) Provide a system of standards and expectations that 202

promote personal responsibility, integrity, and 203

citizenship. 204

205

h) View discipline as a developmental process, in 206

alignment with Board Policy JGA, Student 207

Discipline, respond to inappropriate student 208

behavior in a timely and age-appropriate way that 209

supports personal growth and learning opportunities 210

for students, and administer school discipline in 211

a way that keeps students within their regular 212

school program to the greatest extent possible. 213

214

i) Promote readiness, smooth transitions and progress 215

of children from one grade level to another by 216

encouraging teachers and other staff members to 217

share pertinent information about each child’s 218

needs, learning styles, and attainment of 219

developmental milestones. 220

221

ej) Facilitate communication in the languages spoken in 222

the community, whenever feasible. 223

224


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fk) Engage parents in meaningful ways that Assist 225

children to make the transition from home, family 226

child care or child care centers, and preschool 227

into the MCPS elementary program; support the each 228

child’s development and academic achievement; and 229

facilitate the critical partnership of families and 230

schools in emphasize the necessity of long-range 231

educational planning for and attaining the long-232

range educational goals for each student. 233

234

gl) Work to ensure that school programs and activities 235

reflect the diversity of the school population and 236

provide equitable access to all academic programs 237

and school activities. 238

239

2. Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment 240

241

MCPS’s approach to curriculum, instruction, and 242

assessment will meet the unique needs of each young 243

learner while setting high expectations ensure a high 244

level of challenge for all students. and meet the unique 245

needs of the young learner. Teachers welcome and plan 246

for students’ wide range of abilities, developmental 247

levels, interests, backgrounds, learning styles and 248

experiences, and provide manageable challenges to 249

promote early successes that promote early successes 250

that foster self-esteem. 251

252


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a) Student achievement depends on the implementation 253

and provision of a consistent curriculum that 254

addresses the needs of the whole child. The early 255

childhood/and elementary school approach to 256

curriculum will be consistent with Board Policy 257

IFA, Curriculum, and MCPS Regulation IFA-RA, 258

Curriculum, and will include the following: 259

260

(1) The written curriculum, as presented in the 261

curriculum framework and in the curriculum 262

guides. 263

264

(2) The taught curriculum, including 265

reading/language arts, math, social studies, 266

science, art, music, and physical education, 267

as implemented by teachers with students. 268

269

(3) The learned curriculum, as demonstrated by 270

assessments of student performance. 271

272

(4) The ongoing professional development needed to 273

ensure consistent implementation, monitoring, 274

and supervision. 275

276

(5) The monitoring of curriculum implementation by 277

teachers, administrators, and central 278

services staff. 279

280


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b) Instructional practices will incorporate a variety 281

of methods, strategies, and resources, such as 282

technology, that encourage students to be active 283

and engaged learners. Such practices will align 284

with relevant Board policies and MCPS regulations, 285

including, but not limited to, Board policies IKA, 286

Grading and Reporting; IOA, Gifted and Talented 287

Education; IOD, Education of English Language 288

Learners; and IOB, Education of Students with 289

Disabilities; and MCPS Regulation IHB-RA, School 290

Academic Grouping Practices. 291

292

(1) Technology will be integrated into the 293

curriculum as well as instruction and 294

assessment to build or strengthen students’ 295

interest and skills in the use of technology. 296

297

(21) Programmatic and instructional decisions will 298

be based on the analysis of student 299

performance data in relation to established 300

standards. 301

302

(32) Differentiated instructional practices will 303

include acceleration, supports for improving 304

student performance, enrichment, and other 305

strategies as needed to help students to meet 306

their academic potential. Such practices will 307

address learning styles as well as physical, 308


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social, and emotional differences among 309

students. 310

311

(43) In both the planning and implementation of 312

instruction, early childhood and elementary 313

schools programs will utilize the unique 314

skills of staff members in all general 315

education, special education, education of 316

English for Speakers of Other Llanguages 317

learners (ESOL), special education, and other 318

staff membersdisciplines and supports 319

integral to the comprehensive educational 320

program. 321

322

(54) Instructional practices should – 323

324

(a) adapt materials and equipment, when 325

necessary to meet the developmental needs 326

of a student child, 327

328

(b) emphasize the use of hands-on activities, 329

children’s life experiences, concrete 330

materials, and manipulatives, 331

332

(c) give children choices and the opportunity 333

to initiate activities, 334

335

(d) recognize play (both planned and 336


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spontaneous) as a valuable means for 337

children to learn and develop, 338

339

(e) assure that opportunities are provided 340

that help children develop initiative, 341

responsibility, confidence, and 342

independence, 343

344

(f) provide leadership opportunities for 345

students children, and and promote 346

interaction and oral language 347

development between and among students. 348

349

(g) create a language-rich environment that 350

builds literacy and infuses all learning 351

tasks and activities with opportunities 352

for students children to understand and 353

use language with adults and peers. 354

355

c) Assessment 356

357

As explained in Board Policy IKA, Grading and 358

Reporting, sets forth assessment practices are as 359

an important essential aspect of the instructional 360

cycle. 361

362

(1) Teachers use pre-assessments, formative 363

assessments, and summative assessments to 364

communicate achievement to parents/guardians 365


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and students; plan and deliver instruction to 366

meet learning goals; provide prompt 367

appropriate interventions; provide timely 368

feedback to students on their performance; and 369

offer additional opportunities for students to 370

learn and demonstrate learning. 371

372

(2) A comprehensive assessment program, which is 373

aligned with county, state, and national 374

standards, includes the following: 375

376

(a) Representation of a student’s 377

performance on a variety of measures over 378

time. 379

380

(b) An opportunity for students to 381

demonstrate proficiency through a 382

variety of methods. 383

384

(c) Meaningful feedback on student 385

achievement to students and 386

parents/guardians. 387

388

(d) Clear and timely communication to 389

parents/guardians and students as to the 390

grading criteria. 391

392

(e) Consistency within and among schools. 393


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394

(3) Reteaching and reassessment enhances student 395

learning and provides focused instruction to 396

meet individual student needs. 397

398

3. Organizational Structure 399

400

a) The organizational structure of a high-achieving 401

early childhood andor elementary school program – 402

403

(1) effectively utilizes county, state, and 404

federal resources to establish a continuum of 405

essential services to provide the continuity 406

needed by young children and their families, 407

in close communication and collaboration with 408

community child care providers, partner 409

agencies, and other community service 410

providers, 411

412

(2) will optimizes time for learning, and 413

414

415

(3) identifies children in need of services and 416

Organizational structures should facilitates 417

student transition, placement, and program 418

continuity at each level. each stage of a 419

child’s development, from home, child care, or 420

preschool to pre-K, as appropriate, and from 421


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one elementary grade to another. opportunities 422

to build positive relationships among 423

students, staff, parents and community 424

members. 425

426

b) Effective, flexible, and collaborative 427

organizational structures shall include – the 428

following: 429

430

(1) a) public understanding of the importance 431

and availability of quality early childhood 432

programs and services and effective outreach 433

to families of students eligible for early 434

intervention services and programming, 435

436

(1)(2) Oopportunities for MCPS teachers to 437

collaborate across grade-level teams and 438

subject areas, and communicate among special 439

education and general education program 440

staff., 441

442

(2)(3) b)oOpportunities for staff to meet with 443

parents/guardians to discuss student 444

progress., 445

446

i.(4) c)eEffective identification, intervention and 447

enrichment programs., 448

449


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ii.(5) d)aAdequate time for instruction in all 450

curricular areas., 451

452

iii.(6) e)Aa comprehensive education program that 453

prepares students to attain key educational 454

and developmental milestones in each 455

successive grade as they progress from the 456

elementary grades progress through elementary 457

schoolthrough middle and high school. 458

459

c) Class sizes and student-adult ratios are assigned 460

to the elementary classes with full recognition of 461

the importance of young children’s need to have 462

easy and frequent access to an adult for – 463

464

(1) supporting cognitive or emotional 465

development, 466

467

(2) promoting adult-to-child and child-to-child 468

interaction, 469

470

(3) individual and small group learning 471

experiences, and 472

473

(4) differentiated support for highest needs 474

schools. 475

476

4. Leadership and PlanningProfessional Development 477


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478

The MCPS professional growth systems include regular and 479

systematic opportunities for all aAdministrators, 480

teachers, and support services staff to increase their 481

knowledge, skills, and capacity to continuously improve 482

the teaching and learning process. At the program and 483

school level, there must be processes in place for – the 484

following: 485

486

a) Mmonitoring and communicating the program, school 487

or classroom’s vision, mission, goals, and action 488

plans., 489

490

b) Wworking with stakeholders to help create a vision 491

and implement strategies that will support a high-492

performing organization focused on continuous 493

improvement., 494

495

c) Iidentifying potential leaders to participate in 496

professional growth opportunities designed to 497

enhance the teaching and learning process.,and 498

499

d) Bbuilding internal capacities that strengthen the 500

program and school staff’s ability to meet its 501

vision, goals, and action plans and to establish 502

high expectations for all learners. 503

504

505


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5. Parent/guardian and Community Engagement and 506

Communication 507

508

Consistent with Board Policy ABA, Community Involvement; 509

Policy ABC, Parent and Family Involvement; and MCPS 510

Regulation ABC-RA, Parent and Family Involvement, 511

parents/guardians and community members are critical 512

partners in the social and intellectual development of 513

students children. The interrelatedness of the roles of 514

family and school requires a partnership involving 515

communication and shared decision-making. This 516

partnership promotes the following:– 517

518

a) communication and outreach that assist families and 519

children in the transition of children from home, 520

child care, family day care, or preschool, as 521

appropriate, into and through the MCPS elementary 522

program, 523

524

b) Oopportunities for families to increase their 525

children’s ability to succeed in school and in 526

life., 527

528

b) Ffrequent two-way communication between families 529

and schools to provide information and solicit 530

feedback regarding an individual child’s progress, 531

as well as local school and systemwide policies, 532

regulations, programs and practices., 533


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534

c) Ccollaboration with stakeholders within the 535

community such as local businesses, community 536

organizations, institutions of higher education, 537

and other agencies such as libraries to support 538

early academic achievement., and 539

540

d) Vvaried opportunities for families and community 541

members to be involved in student early childhood 542

and school programs, projects, activities, and 543

events with children. 544

545

6. Human Resources and Professional Development 546

547

MCPS recruits, employs, and retains It is critical that 548

early childhood and elementary school staff members who 549

possess the knowledge, skills, and content expertise 550

required to meet the needs of all studentsyoung 551

children. Practices to recruit, attract, and retain 552

highly qualified teachers must be implemented to address 553

academic performance and the individual needs of 554

schools. Such needs may include, but are not limited to, 555

Free and Reduced-Price Meals System participation, 556

mobility, students with disabilities, and English 557

language learners. 558

559

a) Staff members are – 560

561


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(1) knowledgeable about the developmental 562

characteristics of young children, 563

564

(2) committed to the concept that all children can 565

learn and succeed, and 566

567

(3) skilled at developing positive relationships 568

with students and parents/guardians and 569

engaging them in the learning process. 570

571

b) Staff members communicate high expectations for all 572

students. 573

574

c) In alignment with Board Policy ACA, 575

Nondiscrimination, Equity, and Cultural 576

Proficiency, MCPS will take positive steps to 577

eliminate structural and institutional barriers to 578

recruiting, hiring, retaining, and promoting a 579

diverse workforce. 580

581

d) Staff selection considers the individual needs of 582

each program and school. 583

At each early childhood and elementary school, staff 584

will do the following: 585

a) Be highly qualified in core academic subjects and 586

able to balance content with instructional methods. 587

b) Communicate high expectations for all students. 588

c) Create opportunities for professional learning 589


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communities to improve teaching and learning. 590

d) Be knowledgeable about the developmental 591

characteristics of early childhood and elementary 592

students, with an emphasis on literacy, and 593

committed to the concept that all students can 594

learn and succeed. 595

e) Develop relationships with students that will 596

engage them in the learning process. 597

f) Reflect, to the extent possible, the diversity of 598

the MCPS student population. 599

600

e) e) Ongoing Providing professional development for 601

program and school staff and administrators – 602

603

(1) to deepens their knowledge of early childhood 604

development, curricular content, skills, 605

theappropriate uses of technology, 606

differentiation and the delivery and 607

differentiation of instruction., and 608

609

(2) f) Providing professional development for 610

school staff on provides effective strategies 611

for communicating with and engaging all 612

parents/guardians to promote increased 613

student achievement of children. 614

615

D. DESIRED OUTCOMES 616

617


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A hHigh-quality, comprehensive early childhood and elementary 618

programs and a comprehensive elementary school program that 619

allow each student child to establish a solid foundation 620

through challenging early childhood and elementary 621

experiences and to attain key educational and developmental 622

milestones in each successive grade as they progress from 623

elementary grades, through middle and high school, then onto 624

a lifetime of academic and personal achievements 625

thoroughly prepares all students to succeed in middle and 626

high school. 627

628

E. REVIEW 629

630

This policy will be reviewed in accordance with the Board of 631

Education policy review process. 632

633

634

Policy History: Adopted by Resolution No. 345-88, June 27, 1988; 635

amended by Resolution No. 284-07, May 21, 2007; technical 636

amendments by Resolution No. 319-17, June 26, 2017; amended . 637

638

Note. Prior to Resolution No. 345-88, this topic was governed by 639

the following: K-8 Policy, adopted by Resolution No. 161-80, 640

February 12, 1980; amended by Resolution No. 912b-83, November 8, 641

1983; reformatted in accordance with Resolution No. 333-86, June 642

12, 1986, and Resolution No. 458-86, August 12, 1986; rescinded by 643

Resolution No. 345-88, June 27, 1988. Tenets of Board policy IEF, 644

Early Childhood Education, were incorporated by Resolution No. 645


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______ amendments to this policy, and was rescinded upon adoption 646

of amended Board Policy IEA on _________________. 647

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