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Educational Horizons Charter School

Tag: Brevard Public Schools

  • Montessori at a Glance

    Montessori at a Glance

    Students at the Center; Structure at the Forefront.

    Montessori education constitutes a major shift in how we think about what learning looks like, and how learning environments should be organized to support optimal development. This shift, which matches what neuroscience tells us about how the human mind works, comes down to two major concepts: student-centered activity and structure to support that activity.

    The table below offers more detail on how that shift takes place within a Montessori classroom.

    Conventional ClassroomMontessori Environment
    Textbooks, pencil, paper, and worksheetsHands on materials, developed to enable discovery, self-correction, and independence;
    Specially developed reference materials
    Intellectual and social development is
    disconnected    		Working and learning matched to the social development of the child
    Narrow, unit-driven curriculumUnified, time-tested curriculum
    Individual SubjectsIntegrated subjects and learning based on developmental psychology
    Block time, period lessonsUninterrupted work periods
    Single-graded classroomsMixed age classrooms
    Students passive, quiet, at desksStudents active, talking with periods of spontaneous quiet, freedom to move
    Students fit mold of schoolSchool meets needs of students
    Students leave for special helpSpecial help comes to students
    Standardized, norm-referenced assessmentProcess-focused assessment, skills checklist, mastery benchmarks

    Montessori education constitutes a major shift in how we think about what learning looks like, and how learning environments should be organized to support optimal development.

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  • Essential Elements of Successful Montessori Schools in the Public School Sector

    Essential Elements of Successful Montessori Schools in the Public School Sector

    Montessori Teachers

    • Employ Montessori teachers who have Montessori credentials for the levels they teach.
    • Maintain an active and open recruitment for Montessori credentialed teachers.
    • Budget for future Montessori teacher education for non Montessori-credentialed teachers.
    • Provide professional Montessori in-service by experienced credentialed Montessori educators.
    • Contract for on-going internal and periodic external Montessori consultation and/or professional support as a follow up to Montessori teacher education.
    • Employ one paraprofessional per classroom, each having received Montessori orientation for that role.

    Administration

    • Employ an experienced Montessori teacher to serve as curriculum coordinator.
    • Employ a building principal/educational leader who has knowledge of Montessori principles and curriculum through Montessori coursework, Montessori
    • Administrator Credential and/or annual conference exposure.
    • Maintain commitment to the core Montessori curriculum and instruction even with changes in administrative staff.
    • Sustain the support of the central administration through high profile communications about program development.
    • Recognize that the best implementation process is to begin with the 2.5-6 age group and add one age at a time for a gradual progression.

    Recruitment/Parent Education

    • Provide Montessori parent education programs that promote understanding of Montessori principles and curriculum.
    • Develop an admission process that informs parents about the nature of Montessori and seeks the necessary commitment to the program.

    Curriculum/Environment

    • Offer a full complement of Montessori materials purchased from Montessori dealers.
    • Develop a classroom design that is compatible with Montessori “prepared environment” principles.
    • Create uninterrupted daily work periods of 90 minutes to 3-hours, considering the 3-hour work cycle as ideal.
    • Integrate specialty programs (music, art, physical education, etc.) around the uninterrupted work periods.
    • Apply the appropriate multi-age groupings: 2.5-6, 6-9, 9-12, 12-15, 15-18 necessary for the diversity, flexibility, and reduced competition integral to Montessori.

    Assessment

    • Use a process of reporting student progress that is compatible with Montessori and includes parent conferences and authentic assessment tools such as observation, portfolio, performance assessment with rubric, etc.
    • Implement state mandated assessments in such a way that the character of the Montessori program is not compromised.

    Professional Development

    • Budget for continuing education through Montessori workshops and conferences.
    • Maintain membership with one or more of the professional Montessori organizations and seek Montessori accreditation to assure consistent quality.

    This document was drafted and endorsed in the late 1990s by several Montessori organizations* wishing to help guide the growth of public school Montessori. It has been presented at a number of Montessori conferences since then and used by various school districts preparing to offer a Montessori option.

    *The American Montessori Society, the Association Montessori Internationale, the North American Montessori Teachers’ Association, Montessori Educational Programs International, and the Southwestern Montessori Training Center.

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  • Charter School Students Excel Across the Board

    Charter School Students Excel Across the Board

    New report compares performance of charter school students with traditional public school students

    TALLAHASSEE – A new report from the Florida Department of Education shows that students who attend charter schools outpace their traditional public school counterparts on state assessments. Required by state law, the report, Student Achievement in Florida’s Charter Schools: A Comparison with Achievement in Traditional Public Schools, is a statewide analysis of student achievement in charter schools versus the achievement of comparable students in traditional public schools.

    “This report clearly demonstrates that charter schools are a viable option for parents,” said Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson. “Charter schools offer a wide range of educational environments to meet the needs of students and their families.”

    Using data from the 2010-11 school year, the report makes 168 comparisons covering three measurements: FCAT proficiency percentages, achievement gaps, and learning gains.

    Each of these measurement areas are further broken down to offer a more detailed view of student achievement.

    • The FCAT proficiency section of the report contains 54 separate comparisons of student achievement using both overall rates of proficiency by grade groupings and comparisons of subgroup performance. In 50 of the 54 comparisons, charter school students outperformed traditional public school students.
    • The achievement gap section contains both longitudinal and current data to analyze the gap between white students and African American students, and white students and Hispanic students in reading, math and science. The achievement gap was smaller for charter school students in 16 of the 18 comparisons.
    • The learning gains section of the report makes 96 comparisons of learning gains made by charter school students and traditional public school students. Charter school students had higher average learning gains in 79 of the 96 comparisons.

    Charter schools are independent public schools with the autonomy and flexibility to provide expanded learning opportunities to meet students’ individual educational needs. Charter schools are overseen by a governing board while being held accountable to state standards for academic performance and financial solvency.

    Student Achievement in Florida’s Charter Schools:     A Comparison with Achievement in Traditional Public Schools can be found here:

    https://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/pdf/Charter_Student_Achievement_2011.pdf

    For more information about Florida’s charter schools and other educational options, visit https://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/