Haverford teachers and principals urge end to elementary ELA tracking; board hears plan to 'unlevel' fourth and fifth grades

Teachers and elementary principals in the Haverford Township School District presented an information item to the school board on unleveling — ending ability-based grouping — for fourth- and fifth-grade English language arts (ELA), describing classroom experience with heterogeneous grouping, curriculum supports and next steps for family communication.

The presentation, delivered by a group of elementary principals and classroom teachers, framed unleveling as a move to reduce early tracking and to use the district’s Wit & Wisdom ELA curriculum together with MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports) and “Win Time” intervention blocks. "Students deserve the opportunity to gain knowledge and perspective from peers at all levels," said Hannah Carroll, a third-grade teacher at Chestnutwalt Elementary School. Carroll added: "We are deciding when a student is 9 years old... what track they should be on for the rest of elementary school and sometimes beyond."

The teachers and principals said they saw an opportunity to revisit leveling after the district’s COVID-era cohorting, which temporarily produced more mixed‑ability instruction. Grace Giordano, a fourth-grade ELA teacher at Linwood Elementary School, said research and classroom observation show leveling can contribute to fixed mindsets and that heterogeneous groups, when paired with differentiation, can benefit all students. "Research shows that mixed ability grouping increases the need for effective differentiation, which can be challenging for teachers and may lead to uneven support for students. But I can address that," Giordano said, describing scaffolds such as graphic organizers, sentence stems and small-group supports.

Presenters described the district’s existing tools for differentiation and supports for enrichment students: the Wit & Wisdom curriculum (year one of district implementation), Win Time 45‑minute intervention/enrichment blocks, coaching and professional development, and embedded curriculum scaffolds. Julie Parkinson, a fifth-grade special education teacher at Linwood, described using sentence frames and small-group work so "all students worked simultaneously at their own level," and Ellen Donovan, a teacher at Manoa Elementary, highlighted flexible grouping and peer learning as intentional classroom strategies under the curriculum.

Board members asked about implementation details, measurement and communication. The presenters said quantitative success measures would include curriculum‑based assessments and standards‑based report cards as well as MAP and PBAS growth data; qualitative measures would include student confidence, self‑advocacy and classroom culture. Principal Jabari (no last name provided in the record) described success metrics as "more students reading complex text, writing, thinking at grade level—based off curriculum assessments."

On family communication and special-education concerns, district staff said they will send a districtwide note to families of fourth- and fifth‑grade students summarizing the presentation, research and next steps. The communication will identify who families should contact with questions about how unleveling might affect an individual student’s IEP or GIEP and remind families they may request a meeting to discuss services. "If you have a question about how this might impact your child's IEP or GIEP, who to contact," staff said they would include that guidance in the planned FAQ and outreach.

Presenters and board members also discussed whether to consider unleveling for elementary math; presenters said the group chose to focus on ELA first but that a proposal for third‑grade math could come to the board in spring. No formal motion or vote was taken during the information item.

The presentation included testimony from the district’s gifted‑support teacher, Sarah Shaman of Chatham Park, who said seminar teachers and continued use of Win Time would support flexible grouping and enrichment. Board members asked that the district track outcomes for both high‑achieving and other learners — for example via MAP data and periodic reporting — to ensure the approach supports growth across student groups.

The item concluded as an information presentation; the board did not take formal action. Presenters thanked the board for the opportunity and described next steps that include district communications to families, continued professional development, and potential consideration of unleveling math at the elementary level in a future board meeting.