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Interim Evaluation Report
for the Baltimore County Public Schools/ Towson University
Race to the Top Partnership
Submitted April 30, 2013
Prepared for
Dr. Raymond P. Lorion, Dean
College of Education
Towson University
by
Patricia Rice Doran, Ed.D., Department of Special Education
Jeff Passe, Ph.D., Department of Secondary Education
Marie Heath, M.A.T., Department of Secondary Education
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Introduction
The Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS)-Towson University (TU) Race to the Top
(RTTT) Partnership is funded through the Race to the Top program, a federal initiative
that provides grants to states and school systems for purposes of improving PK-12
education in low-performing schools. This partnership between BCPS and TU was
designed to complement existing school system efforts by providing targeted resources to
address teacher retention, particularly for new teachers, and student achievement.
Partnership efforts have resulted in a series of teacher mentoring and professional
development (PD) activities focused in particular on six high-need schools within BCPS.
This evaluation report summarizes partnership activity under the grant, focusing
particularly on the 2012-2013 academic year (August 2011-present). Prior activity,
including 2011-2012 academic year activity, was addressed in the evaluation report
submitted last year. As an interim report, this document summarizes and describes
activity to date and makes preliminary recommendations for continued progress
throughout this year and for planning purposes for the following year. More complete
case studies of mentoring and support practices at the six sites, as well as more
comprehensive recommendations and a summary of promising practices, will be included
in the year-end evaluation report to be submitted by the evaluation team in August of
2013.
Purpose of the Evaluation
As described in the grant, the purpose of this evaluation is to provide descriptive
feedback and recommendations that can be used to continue the planning and refining
process as the project moves into its final year. The evaluation is focused on the
following questions:
1.
What relationships exist between the BCPS-TU RTTT project activities
and teacher retention outcomes at the six site schools?
2.
What relationships exist between the BCPS-TU RTTT project activities
and student achievement outcomes at the six site schools?
3.
What relationships exist between the BCPS-TU RTTT project activities
and teacher preparation activities at both the TU College of Education and the
Fisher College of Science and Mathematics?
This interim report provides preliminary data with respect to Questions 1 and 2, above.
Question 3 will be addressed in the summer evaluation report.
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Project Overview
Over the life of the project, as described in the 2011-2012 evaluation report, the focus of
the project has shifted based on identified needs at the partner school sites and based on
input from all stakeholders. In some school sites, where there are limited numbers of
new teachers, project staff have extended their efforts to supporting a wider range of staff
members rather than focusing specifically on new teachers. As a result, the project goals
are carried out in ways appropriate to the specific needs of each partner school. In total,
project staff support 126 teachers across six schools. Forty-six of these teachers are
graduates of Towson University’s undergraduate or graduate programs.
The BCPS-TU RTTT partnership project is implemented collaboratively, with input and
decision-making distributed among BCPS and TU personnel as appropriate for specific
grant-related needs. The six participating schools, listed below, have been selected by
BCPS. The project staff have been hired through joint discussion between BCPS and
TU, with half of the staff being BCPS employees and half being TU employees.
Teachers in Residence (TIRs) are BCPS employees who provide support at their
designated school sites, engage in mentoring and other teacher induction activities, and
provide resources and information to TU faculty in order to enrich TU’s teacher
preparation activities in on-campus programs and courses, within the College of
Education (COE) and related academic programs such as mathematics education.
Teacher Educators in Residence (TEIRs) are employed by TU and, in some cases, have
prior experience as TU faculty and/or as BCPS teachers or administrators. Like TIRs,
TEIRs also provide support and serve as mentors at school sites, bringing to that position
their experience as teacher educators. All staff also disseminate new knowledge and
information to their colleagues on the TU faculty. A majority of project staff (seven out
of eleven) have backgrounds as former or current BCPS employees.
The project is currently in its third year, with one full year remaining after the conclusion
of this year. A project timeline is provided below:
Project
Year
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Dates
Activities
JanuaryAugust
2011
August
2011August
2012
August
2012August
2013
Collaborative planning
August
Contacts with school sites; initial placement of staff at school
sites; needs assessment at school sites; beginning of mentoring
and PD activities; evaluation of year’s activities
Continued discussion and adjustments as needed based on
evaluation and stakeholder feedback; continued PD and
mentoring activities; evaluation of year’s activities.
Anticipated: creation and dissemination of case studies
documenting promising practices in use at school sites.
Anticipated: continued discussion, adjustments as needed, and
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2013PD and mentoring. Summative evaluation and dissemination of
August
case study reports. Draft of final report submitted in July 2014,
2014
with final report submitted August 2014.
Table 1. Project Year/ Dates/ Activities
The school sites for the project were selected based on BCPS feedback. The school sites
vary in geographic area, demographics and achievement levels, but each has one or more
identified needs (e.g., high numbers of Title I students; high numbers of new teachers;
socioeconomic needs within the surrounding community; failure to make appropriate
progress in one or more areas).
Participating Schools
Geographic
Location/ Area
Deep Creek Middle School Southeast Baltimore
County
Dundalk Middle School
Southeast Baltimore
County
Colgate Elementary School Southeast Baltimore
County
Edmondson Heights
Southwest Baltimore
Elementary School
County
Hawthorne Elementary
Southeast Baltimore
School
County
Riverview Elementary
Southwest Baltimore
School
County
Table 2. Participating Schools/ Area
Number of Staff Currently
Supported by TEIRs/ TIRs
29
29
16
18
25
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Project staff are assigned to each school based on individual expertise, background and
school needs. (See Table 2 for staff support figures.) Project staff have expertise in areas
including math instruction, social studies and science instruction, writing instruction,
reading instruction and intervention, and administration. The project employs a total of
eleven staff, including seven full-time staff and four part-time staff.
Methods
This evaluation is qualitative and examines qualitative data, including observations of
classes, meetings, and professional development sessions; interviews; and document
review. Quantitative data such as school achievement data was used to provide
background information on school sites and patterns of student achievement and growth.
Like the previous study, this study relies on the framework provided in Katzenmeyer and
Moller’s Awakening the sleeping giant: Helping teachers develop as leaders, a synthesis
of research and best practices relating to teacher development and leadership
(Katzenmeyer and Moller, 2009). This evaluation is also guided by the Maryland
Professional Development Standards (Maryland State Department of Education, 2004),
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which specify process and content expectations for high-quality professional
development in Maryland schools.
Document review included the following: Review of school websites, achievement data,
demographics and school improvement plan; review of specific project newsletters or
correspondence; review of professional development materials; review of activity logs for
project staff, which described PD, mentoring and departmental or school-wide planning
or support activities; and review of evaluations for PD and instructional activities,
including guest lectures in TU undergraduate and graduate courses.
Interviews were conducted with ten of the eleven project staff (scheduling difficulties
precluded meeting with the eleventh staff member within the timeframe for this interim
report) and with five of the six school principals (scheduling difficulties precluded
meeting with the sixth principal within the timeframe for this report).
The evaluation team visited each school site at least once, with several school sites
(Colgate ES, Deep Creek MS, Dundalk MS, Edmondson Heights ES) being visited twice
and one site (Hawthorne ES) visited three times. Visits included meetings with principals
when applicable, meetings with the project staff onsite, observations of classes, brief
meetings or informal conversations with teachers receiving support from project staff,
and observation of PD sessions when feasible.
Project Activities
Across Schools
Across schools, a number of areas of commonality have been observed. First, some
focus areas for professional development are common to some or even all school sites.
These include cultural and socio-economic diversity and their impact on instruction;
student engagement; short- and long-term planning and the use of data in instructional
planning; co-teaching and collaboration. Additionally, while the roles of TEIRs and
TIRs vary somewhat according to the school site and school needs and culture, frequent
communication, particularly informal communication and collaboration, is characteristic
of the project’s implementation at each school site. Finally, the work completed at each
site, while differentiated according to school goals and staff needs, is consistently handson and intensive, with struggling teachers receiving frequent (even daily) support as
needed and professional development sessions planned and delivered using interactive
techniques. Project staff spend most of their time at school sites, which appears to
strengthen their connection with both teachers and administrators.
School Specific
School-specific focus areas, professional development initiatives, and mentoring
activities are briefly described below. Information presented was gathered during the
course of interviews with TIRs and TEIRs, interviews with five of six site school
principals, informal conversations with teachers who currently or previously collaborated
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with TIRs or TEIRs, and one or more site visits which included classroom and
professional development observations as well as interviews and walkthroughs. School
specific data provided here is taken from Maryland statewide reporting for the 2012-2013
school year (the last complete school year for which data was available at the time of this
report’s preparation).
Deep Creek Middle School. In 2012-2013, Deep Creek Middle School had a total of
803 students. Of these, 221 (28%) were of Caucasian background; 480 students (60%)
were of African-American background, 60 (8%) were of Latino background, 10 were
(1%) of Asian background, and 27 (3%) identified as two or more races. The student
mobility rate was 33%. Five hundred seventy-seven (75%) of the school’s students
qualified for free and reduced price meals (FARM), and 116 (15%) were identified as
having special education needs. Last year, Deep Creek MS employed 51 teachers, all of
whom held standard or advanced licensure (in 2011-2012, 4% of classes were taught by
teachers not highly qualified). Last year, Deep Creek Middle School did not meet school
progress expectations for either reading or math. Specific subgroups not making
acceptable progress included African American students (reading and math), students
receiving FARM (reading and math), Caucasian students (reading) and students receiving
special education services (math). (See appendix for more information.)
Deep Creek Middle School is supported by three TEIRs/ TIRs who provide mentoring
and support to a total of 29 teachers. Two of these are retired BCPS principals and one is
a BCPS teacher whose prior assignment was in the classroom. These staff members
work with teachers and administrators in a variety of ways. As a significant number of its
students come from poverty, school leadership has emphasized, in PD activities, both the
effects of poverty on the learning process and the importance of personal relationships
with students. The principal is exploring the feasibility of serving as a food distribution
site for the Maryland Food Bank or involvement in a similar outreach effort in order to
provide direct support to families in need. To complement this focus, project staff have
prepared and presented PD on these topics and have initiated several book clubs in which
teachers gather after school, voluntarily, to discuss a relevant book and apply the research
it presents to their own teaching practice. Such activities provide opportunities for school
staff to become familiar with current research and reflect on its implications for
instruction.
Additionally, two major areas of focus for Deep Creek in school improvement planning
are the special education subgroup of students and the free and reduced price meals
(FARMS) subgroup. In addition to providing PD on the effects of poverty, project staff
have also organized a 12-week PD series, focused on co-teaching and collaboration
strategies, for Deep Creek teachers and Dundalk Middle School teachers to complete
together, allowing for collaboration and interchange between as well as within schools.
While this series is still in progress, anecdotal reports indicate positive feedback from
teachers participating.
TEIRs and TIRs work collaboratively with school leadership at Deep Creek to identify
PD priorities that can be addressed through the project and with the help of project staff.
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In addition to leading structured school-wide and department-wide PD, designing and
facilitating joint PD opportunities with Dundalk Middle School, and facilitating informal
PD opportunities such as the book clubs, TEIRs and TIRs also spend a substantial
amount of time mentoring teachers. As Deep Creek was recently restructured, many of
the school’s teachers have one or two years’ experience (the 2011-2012 staff had 40
teachers new to the building and 19 teachers new to the profession). Mentoring support
focuses on these teachers but is also extended to those who have more experience; for
this more experienced group of teachers, mentoring support sometimes focuses on
helping them fine-tune instruction, try new approaches, or develop leadership skills.
Support provided to new or struggling teachers includes assistance with classroom
management or curriculum, co-teaching, short-term and long-term planning, observations
and walkthroughs with feedback, and frequent conferencing about strengths as well as
challenges.
Dundalk Middle School. In 2012-2013, Dundalk Middle School had a total of 463
students. Of these, 211 (46%) were of Caucasian background; 196 (42%) were of
African-American background; 26 (6%) were Latino; 23 (5%) identified with two or
more races. Twenty-one percent (98 students) of the students received special education
services, and 77 percent (357 students) qualified for free and reduced price meals. The
student mobility rate was 30 percent. In 2012-2013, the school employed 32 teachers, 94
percent of whom were highly qualified in their subject areas. Last year, Dundalk Middle
School made adequate yearly progress math and attendance for the entire school and for
all subgroups. Dundalk Middle School did not make adequate yearly progress in reading
for the entire school and for the following subgroups: Caucasian/ White students and
students receiving free and reduced priced meals. (See appendix for more information.)
Dundalk Middle School incorporates the TIRs and TIERs as part of a school wide plan to
focus on Culturally Responsive Instruction and effective models of co-teaching. School
leadership hopes to combine these strategies with the mentoring of new and seasoned
teachers in order to increase student achievement. The TIR and TIER alternate one week
at Dundalk Middle and another week at Deep Creek Middle School. The TIR is a former
math teacher from Dundalk who was hired in October to become the TIR for Dundalk
Middle and Deep Creek Middle. The TIER is a retired BCPS principal who worked at
Towson University before accepting the TIER position.
The TIR and TIER at Dundalk plan regular and ongoing professional development to
support the school wide goals of CRI and co-teaching. The PD sessions occur during
both regularly scheduled county professional development days and during voluntary
after school sessions. In addition, the TIR and TIER mentor teachers in co-teaching and
in other pedagogical areas. These areas include: lesson structure and pacing, student
centered learning, and management.
The administration and the TIR/TIER work together closely, but often informally. The
TIR and TIER both sit on the School Improvement Committee and incorporate the school
improvement goals into their PD planning. Most communication between the
administration and the TIR and TIER occur in passing meetings around the school
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building. Occasionally they will communicate via email or schedule meetings on an as
needed basis. Overall, the TIR and TIER appear to be integrated into the community of
the school and are working with the administration toward specific school improvement
goals.
Colgate Elementary School. In 2012-2013, Colgate Elementary School had a total of
330 students. Of these, 197 (60%) were of Caucasian background; 34 (10%) were of
African-American background; and 59 (18%) were Latino. Ten students (3%) were
classified as being of Asian descent, and 24 (7%) identified as two or more races. Thirtythree students (10%) received special education services, and two hundred eighty-one
(84%) qualified for free and reduced price meals. The student mobility rate is
26%. Fifty-four (16%) of the students are second-language learners. In 2012-2013, the
school employed 19 teachers, all of whom held standard or advanced licensure, with all
classes taught by highly qualified teachers. Last year, Colgate Elementary School met
progress targets in all subgroup areas, for both reading and mathematics. (See appendix
for more information.)
Colgate Elementary serves a high-mobility, high-poverty community. The nature of the
community population has led Colgate’s administration and staff to focus some PD and
community outreach efforts on awareness of poverty and on family support; the school
coordinates several direct support efforts to families.
Colgate is supported by one TIR who splits her time evenly between Colgate and
Hawthorne and by one TEIR who works part-time and is dedicated to Colgate. The TIR
at Colgate works with 14 teachers, focusing on mathematics. Because that subject area is
cited as a concern, her services are in high demand by teachers. She co-plans, co-teaches,
leads professional development and especially, assists teacher grade level teams in
interpreting student data to improve instruction. She consults regularly with the principal
and assistant principal on trends and patterns that she has noted. The TEIR at Colgate
works primarily in science but supports additional teachers as needed.
Colgate’s school achievement data has been consistently improving over the past four to
five years, with students proficient in all grades and subgroups in both math and reading
for the most recent testing year (2011-2012). Accordingly, Colgate’s leadership sees the
program as not only supporting continued improvement of instruction but also, in the
program’s final year, supporting leadership and innovation at the school. This has been
the topic of continued discussion with project staff and leadership, particularly with
respect to possible collaboration on technology-based innovations to support instruction.
Colgate’s principal expressed optimism about the program’s recent acquisition of iPads,
which can be used in PD activities and in modeling effective instructional applications.
Edmondson Heights Elementary School. Edmondson Heights Elementary School had
a total of 452 students in 2012-2013. Of these, 22 (5%) were of Caucasian background;
372 (82%) were of African-American background; and 42 (9%) were Latino. There were
fewer than ten students in the categories of Asian, Pacific Islander, American Indian, or
Alaskan native backgrounds, and fewer than ten who identified as having two or more
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races. Seventy-one (15%) received special education services, and 368 (77%) percent
qualify for free and reduced price meals. The student mobility rate was 28%. Six percent
of students (30 total) were second-language learners. In 2012-2013, the school employed
23 teachers, with all classes taught by highly qualified teachers. Last year, Edmondson
Heights Elementary School met progress targets in all subgroup areas, in both
mathematics and reading.
Edmondson Heights is a "priority school" in the BCPS system, which qualifies it for
multiple assistance programs. The school is challenged by a combination of a student
body from low-income homes, a large number of special education placements, and a
number of inexperienced teachers.
The principal has targeted writing and mathematics, focusing on grades three and five. As
such, she has assigned the TIR to support fifth grade and the TEIR to third. The TIR and
TEIR provide professional development sessions, co-planning, co- teaching, and
observation/ coaching of struggling teachers. The TEIR has been specifically tasked with
helping a new teacher learn to manage small group activities. The TIR, a former veteran
principal, has been a strong resource for the newly assigned principal, and has been
especially useful in mentoring new or struggling teachers.
While the principal and project staff do not have regularly scheduled meetings, there is
frequent and supportive communication, most often via email or informal face-to-face
consultation. The TEIR, a former teacher, works every other week at the school,
switching off with her second school assignment. The TIR is present up to two and a half
days each week. Both the TIR and TEIR serve as coaches to the teachers and are not
formally involved in teacher evaluation, though they are asked for general progress
reports from time to time.
Hawthorne Elementary School. In 2012-2013, Hawthorne Elementary School had a
total of 549 students. Of these, 210 (38%) were of Caucasian background; the remaining
students were of minority background, including 257 students (47%) of AfricanAmerican background, 39 (7%) of Latino background, and 35 (6%) who identified as two
or more races. The student mobility rate was 34%. Four hundred sixty-six (82%) of the
school’s students qualified for free and reduced price meals, and 78 (14%) were
identified as having special education needs. Last year, Hawthorne ES employed 27
teachers, all of whom held standard or advanced licensure (in 2011-2012, all classes were
taught by highly qualified teachers). Last year, Hawthorne Elementary met school
progress expectations in both reading and math, with all subgroups making acceptable
progress in both areas.
At Hawthorne Elementary, staff are supported by one BCPS mentor teacher with
expertise in reading (not funded through this program) and three staff members, including
one TIR with expertise in math (who divides her time between Hawthorne and Colgate)
and one TEIR with expertise in content-area instruction (who is employed part-time and
dedicated only to Hawthorne). Project staff support a total of 25 teachers. Hawthorne
also has a one-day-per-week math specialist who is not an official TIR or TEIR, but is
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paid by the partnership program to provide additional math support. She specializes in
mathematics, with a focus only on Grade K. She moves from classroom to classroom,
leading small groups, but also modeling, observing, and taking notes on the teachers'
performance. She meets with certain designated (struggling) teachers to debrief after each
day's visit. Much of her work has evolved beyond mathematics to address classroom
management issues. She meets periodically with the principal and two assistant
principals.
School priorities include student engagement and active learning, writing instruction (in
preparation for the shift to Common Core curriculum and assessment). Project activities
at Hawthorne include co-planning and creating instructional resources as a result of
planning; co-teaching and modeling demonstration lessons; informally observing and
offering feedback (about instruction and behavior); review of lesson plans on a daily or
weekly basis, analyzing data and making informed decisions based on data analysis; data
analysis; facilitating grade level meetings; and organizing book clubs and presenting PD
to staff. Specific support provided to new or struggling teachers can include any of the
above or topics such as classroom setup and organization. Project staff and teachers both
commented on the growth they have seen (or experienced) through this program. One of
Hawthorne’s faculty members, who had worked with project staff throughout the year,
last year received the Teacher of the Year Award from the Maryland Council on the
Teaching of Mathematics (NCTM), one of the nation’s leading professional organizations
in math.
As staffing changes, the purpose of the project has evolved somewhat, based on the
number and needs of new teachers in each building. Mentors have found their role
changing, working with experienced teachers in some buildings and new teachers in
others. Teachers at Hawthorne have reported positive impact from working with staff,
including increased ability to differentiate for diverse learners; new strategies for
engagement and active learning; stronger skill sets in data analysis or long-term planning.
Communication among school leadership and project staff is strong if generally informal.
Hawthorne has recently been designated a BCPS Laboratory School, which means that
additional support and innovations, supplementing those available through this program,
are being implemented through the county at this site with the goal of making the school
a demonstration or model site within the county for best practices in literacy.
Riverview Elementary School. In 2012-2013, Riverview Elementary School had a total
of 448 students. Of these, 148 (33%) were of Caucasian background; 186 (42%) were of
African-American background; and 61 (14%) were Latino. Fifty students (11%)
identified as being of two or more races. Twelve percent (57 students) receive special
education services, and 90 percent (413 students) qualified for free and reduced price
meals. Eight percent (36) of the students were second language learners. The student
mobility rate was 31%. In 2012-2013, the school employed 18 teachers, all of whom
held standard or advanced teaching licensure. All classes were taught by highly qualified
teachers. Last year, Riverview Elementary School met reading progress targets for all
subgroups and met math progress targets in all areas except for Caucasian/ White
students and overall progress.
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Riverview Elementary School has been addressing the challenges that may arise in
teaching students who are experiencing poverty (classroom management, low test scores,
teacher skills and perceptions). While the school is emphasizing language arts, especially
writing skills, much of the school-wide PD thrust is on improving teachers' general
instructional skills.
Because of the needs of the population, there are many resources available to the school,
including mentors, Title I funding, and a variety of community partners. The principal
uses the TEIR and TIR as "point persons," with one working closely with the second
grade team, and the other with the third grade team. (Other school leaders work with each
of the other grades.) They all compose a leadership team, which meets regularly over
lunch with the principal.
The TIR and TEIR perform a variety of tasks based on the needs of the teachers at their
grade levels. Activities include co-planning, co-teaching, data collection, demonstrations,
coaching, conducting large-group professional development sessions and even leading a
book club. The TIR, formerly a veteran principal, spends some time each week at the
school, dividing her time between school assignments (three days per week, or more if
needed) and university work (generally two days per week). The TEIR, on the other
hand, spends one week at one school and the second week at her other school. They each
work closely with teachers at their assigned grade level to provide curriculum and
instructional support. Much of their work involves serving as an assistant to the teacher,
working with individuals or small groups, demonstrating various instructional strategies
while taking notes that will be used to provide feedback to the teachers.
Findings
Meetings with school administration and teachers were consistently marked by praise
both for the underlying concept of the project, which is designed to bring resources to
those schools with significant needs, and for the specific types of support provided by
TEIRs and TIRs. Teachers described positive changes in their instructional and
assessment practices, including some of the following: more rigorous formative
assessment and stronger data analysis skills resulting from mentoring by project staff;
increased abilities to engage students; decreased reliance on undifferentiated worksheets
and increased use of differentiated, student-specific materials and lessons; stronger
performance on evaluations, an outcome which reflects both improved instruction and
increased chances for retention; greater confidence and self-efficacy; and improved skills
in the areas of organization, classroom management and long-term planning.
In many schools, it appeared that successful PD and mentoring activities existed within a
context of proactive communication among project leadership, project staff, and school
principals. At the middle school sites, for example, project staff members collaboratively
lead professional development on topics developed in conjunction with school leadership,
and participation is open to the entire staff for a number of these activities. Project staff
and school leadership frequently communicated about the nature and type of support to
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be given to struggling teachers; school improvement priorities and planning; and ongoing
professional development. The nature and frequency of such communications varies
among school sites. In addition, strong communication exists among the project staff and
the project manager; project staff keep records of their PD and mentoring activities at
each school and share these records with project leadership regularly.
With respect to the guiding questions for this evaluation, the following conclusions are
presented. As described above (p. 2), the scope of this evaluation is qualitative only and
addresses Questions 1 and 2.
Question 1: What relationships exist between the BCPS-TU RTTT project activities
and teacher retention outcomes at the six site schools?
At this interim phase of Year 3 of the project, reports from staff, administration and
teachers indicate a positive impact on teacher morale as a result of project activities.
Each of the participating schools has a varied profile in terms of teacher turnover and
teacher experience, ranging from schools that have recently undergone restructuring and
rehiring of staff to schools with very low turnover. It is therefore impossible to draw
consistent conclusions about teacher retention across all school sites; however, it is
possible to identify positive trends in mentor interactions with teachers and in school
climate, which have both been shown in the past to contribute to teacher retention.
Several teachers, in informal interviews, described their own self-evaluation and efficacy
as having been improved through mentoring by project staff. One first-year teacher
described the evolution of her problem-solving process and the ready availability of
support: “I know if I get frustrated then I need help…I can walk out in the hall and find
an answer for almost anything.” As the program has evolved to support veteran as well
as new teachers, mentors in some schools work with both populations. One veteran
teacher described the presence of mentoring support: “I reach out to [my mentor] a
lot…no matter how far in you are, there’s always something that stumps you.” One
mentor described the importance of mentoring veteran, as well as new teachers: “Veteran
teachers are in a different place than new teachers” but the presence of mentoring support
can impact retention even after several years in the profession. Additionally, project staff
have, in multiple schools, coordinated efforts to support teachers, including “lunch
bunch” groups, book clubs, one-on-one conversations, and morale-building activities
such as social events. Finally, teachers and project staff alike, in all schools, spoke to the
way in which day-to-day mentoring had not only improved their instruction but also
prepared them to be more successful in formal and informal observations, as they had
gained practice in implementing effective instructional activities.
Question 2: What relationships exist between the BCPS-TU RTTT project activities
and student achievement outcomes at the six site schools?
At this interim phase of Year 3 of the project, reports from staff, administration and
teachers also indicate a positive impact on student engagement and learning.
Improvement in instructional practices has included the following at various sites: new
efforts at co-teaching; increased efforts to engage students; use of multiple modalities in
order to engage all learners; improved staff awareness and strategies for supporting
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students who come from poverty; stronger staff relationships with students; and renewed
emphasis on rigorous writing instruction, aligned with the shift to the Maryland Common
Core Standards.
In addition, teachers working with project staff also have reported improved student
learning outcomes in their classrooms. These have been reflected, at some schools, in
improved short-cycle data and in improved teacher abilities to respond to needs indicated
in short-cycle data. Classroom observations have provided evaluators the opportunity to
observe teachers utilizing effective practices during instruction. Teacher feedback has
indicated that teachers themselves see their instructional practices, and related student
learning outcomes, as being strengthened through the program. One teacher, speaking of
her increased ability to implement gradual release, stated: “It’s nice to be able to release
some of the class some times, and pull others and work with them” to provide support.
Another teacher described her mentor as a “lifesaver.” Several teachers stated that their
mentors’ willingness to co-teach, modeling effective strategies within their own
classrooms, improved their instruction. In multiple schools, mentors create or provide
materials and resources that support instruction. Feedback from school leadership
corroborates that support from TIRs/ TEIRs has improved instruction.
Recommendations
Based on the information collected, the following recommendations are made:
Recommendation 1: Continue to address scheduling concerns in order to provide
for consistency at school sites. As project staff members often are assigned to more
than one school, teachers and principals have indicated it is sometimes challenging to
keep track of schedules and to engage in real-time collaboration given scheduling
constraints. The project has shown responsiveness to this concern through implementing
various models of staffing and scheduling, based on school needs. These range from
using part-time staff (dedicated to one school only) in some schools, to having school
staff alternate weeks at school sites in order to provide a consistent and predictable staff
presence. As BCPS’ mentor program undergoes changes next year, it is likely that the
presence and consistency of project staff in schools will continue to be important. To
create a greater sense of continuity for the school community being served by the grant,
project leadership may wish to consider greater use of scheduling models that do not
divide staff time between two schools.
Recommendation 2: Continue to engage in long-term as well as short-term planning
with school and BCPS personnel. In BCPS, as in every school system, multiple factors
have combined to influence a variety of changes to staffing, instruction and evaluation.
These include the shift to the Common Core curriculum, the pilot and full-scale
implementation of the PARCC assessment system, and continued fiscal adjustments
based on economic factors. All of these factors, combined with internal factors such as
changes to BCPS’ mentor program anticipated in 2013-2014, give increased importance
to planning for the project’s final year of activity. Through engaging in long-term (for
2013-2014) planning as well as shorter-term planning for this year, project staff members
14
and BCPS can continue dialogue about how this project can best support teacher
retention and achievement in its final year. In addition, long-term planning can begin to
address the question of how the project’s impact will benefit schools even beyond its
conclusion, perhaps through improved instruction, school and community dynamics, and
teacher retention.
Recommendation 3: Engage in continued discussion within the project as to the
nature of TIR/ TEIR roles. Within their non-evaluative capacity, project staff members
provide a variety of supports to teachers in targeted schools. As the project enters its
final year, project leadership and staff should consider advantages and disadvantages of
expanding the scope of their roles or activities in each school site.
Conclusion
In this third year of the project (the second full year of school-based activities), the
project continues to provide services that both schools and teachers perceive as valuable.
Examined within a framework of current research on teacher development and
leadership, as well as the statewide Professional Development Standards, project
activities have included one-on-one mentoring and support to identified teachers, wholestaff and small-group professional development, facilitation of optional teacher
enrichment activities such as book groups, and collaborative planning for priorities and
initiatives across schools. As the prior evaluation report noted, this project continues to
show potential as a model for school system-university partnerships and as an
implementation of best practices. School staff report positive impressions with respect to
the project’s effects on both teacher morale and retention and student learning and
achievement. As project leadership and staff continue to plan for this year and next,
continued discussion of relevant issues with BCPS staff will ensure a productive final
year of school-based activities.
15
Appendix
Demographic Data for Target Schools
Total
Population
African
American
Population
Latino
Population
Caucasian
Population
Asian OR
Pacific
Islander
(categories
collapsed)
Population of
Students
Identifying as
Two or More
Races
Percent
Receiving
SPED
Services
Percent
Receiving
FARMs
Number of
Teachers
Percent
Classes
Taught by
Highly
Qualified
Teachers
Colgate
ES
Edmonson
Heights ES
330
452
549
448
803
463
34
372
257
186
480
196
59
45
39
61
60
26
197
22
210
148
221
211
Fewer than
10 10
Hawthorne Riverview
ES
ES
Deep
Creek
MS
Fewer than
10
Fewer
than 10
Dundalk
MS
Fewer
10 than 10
Fewer than
24 10
35
50
27
23
10
15
14
12
15
21
84
77
82
90
75
77
19
23
27
18
51
32
100
100
100
100
96
94
16
Student Populations at Targeted Schools, 2012-2013
(Graphic compiled based on data from MDRepordCard.org)
17
Summary of 2012 MSA Scores for Colgate Elementary, Edmonson Heights
Elementary, Riverview Elementary, and Hawthorne Elementary
(All graphics reproduced from MDReportCard.org)
18
19
Summary of 2012 MSA Scores for Dundalk Middle and Deep Creek Middle
(Reproduced from MDReportCard.org)
20
21
References
Katzenmeyer, M. and Moller, G. (2009). Awakening the sleeping giant: Helping
teachers develop as leaders, 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) (2012). Maryland professional
development standards. Baltimore, MD: MSDE. Retrieved Feb. 23, 2013 from
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/NR/rdonlyres/DF957230-EC07-4FEEB904-7FEB176BD978/14209/MDPDStandardsfronttoback1.pdf.
School Improvement in Maryland (MSDE) (2013). MSA Scores. Baltimore, MD:
MSDE. Retrieved April 12, 2013 from http://mdk12.org/data/index.aspx?Nav=1.2