The Impetus
Five years ago, Halstead Academy, a pre-k-5 elementary
school, was nearing restructuring status as the lowest
perform ing school in Baltimore County, Maryland. At the
time, teachers worked in isolation, 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 perform ing satisfactorily on standardized
tests. But school leaders were concerned about a
culture of complacency. Growth was sluggish and achievem
ent gaps were persistent. To break through average performance
and help every student make progress, school
leaders needed to support teachers in personalizing learning
to m eet individual student needs.