Five years ago, Halstead Academy, a pre-k-5 elementary school, was nearing restructuring status as the lowest performing school in Baltimore County, Maryland. At The time, teachers worked in isolation, in instructional rigor varied, and students were disengaged from learning. School leaders knew that teacher mindsets had to change.
Several miles away, Chase Elementary, also a pre-K-5 elementary school, was performing satissactorily on standardized tests. But school leaders were concerned about a culture of
complacency. Growth was stuggish and achievement gaps were persistent. To break through average performance and help every student make progress, school leaders needed to support teachers in personalizing learning to meet individual student needs.