District recommends Move This World after yearlong character-education pilots

Wicomico County Public Schools counselors recommended the district adopt Move This World, a digital, video-based character-education program, after a yearlong pilot that compared it with a teachable curriculum for pre-K–5 called Change Makers.

Counseling supervisors Amy Rose (secondary) and Samantha Pilcher (elementary) told the board that Move This World scored higher on ease of use and staff-reported student engagement. Staff said Move This World requires less preparation (about 74 percent of staff reported 15 minutes or less prep time), offers short 5–8 minute videos that can be used in morning meetings or flex time, supports tier-2 small-group work, and provides family-access materials; the district estimated a full-district license at about $116,000 annually for pre-K through grade 12.

Why it matters: School leaders said character education supports student regulation and may contribute to better classroom engagement and fewer behavioral incidents if implemented consistently across the district.

Pilot results presented by counselors included: - Staff ease-of-use: about 64 percent rated Move This World a 7 or above on an ease-of-use scale versus about 42.8 percent for Change Makers. - Prep time: about 74 percent of staff said Move This World took 15 minutes or less to prepare; 33 percent said the same for Change Makers. - Student feedback: the district collected about 361 elementary student responses; children used picture/emoji responses to indicate feelings about lessons.

Presenters described how Move This World can be used at multiple grade levels: short videos for elementary morning meetings, brief calming clips for de-escalation, and 5–8 minute lessons that secondary schools can use during flex time or through student-led facilitation. Counselors said principals can view program usage data to check implementation and that the district plans ambassador and administrative accountability supports to encourage consistent use.

Board members questioned low parent response to the pilot (14 parent responses) and asked for links to sample videos; staff said full program links and logins would be provided to the board and recommended that the board move the proposal forward to the May business meeting for approval.

Speakers - Amy Rose, Supervisor of Secondary School Counseling - Samantha Pilcher, Supervisor of Elementary School Counseling - Doctor Stauffer, Superintendent (referenced) - Missus Hazel, Board member (commenter) - Mister Palmer, Board member (questioner)

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Discussion vs. decision - Discussion: Comparative pilot results, staff and student feedback, prep time and implementation logistics, parent engagement levels and accountability measures. - Direction: Staff recommended Move This World and will provide video links to board members; the board agreed to move the item to a May business meeting for formal consideration. - Formal action: None recorded in the work session transcript.

Clarifying details [{"category":"pilot_scope","detail":"pilot sites and scale","value":"Move This World piloted in 6 elementary schools and all secondary schools","units":"schools","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Amy Rose"},{"category":"program_cost","detail":"annual districtwide license cost for Move This World","value":116000,"units":"USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Amy Rose"},{"category":"student_responses","detail":"elementary student survey responses collected during pilot","value":361,"units":"students","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Samantha Pilcher"},{"category":"parent_responses","detail":"parent survey responses to pilot","value":14,"units":"responses","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Mister Palmer"},{"category":"prep_time_staff","detail":"staff reporting Move This World prep time <=15 minutes","value":74,"units":"percent","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Amy Rose"}]

Proper_names [{"name":"Move This World","type":"program"},{"name":"Change Makers","type":"program"},{"name":"Wicomico County Public Schools","type":"agency"}]

Community_relevance {"geographies":["Wicomico County, MD"],"funding_sources":["district operating funds (decision pending)"],"impact_groups":["all students pre-K–12","teachers and counselors","parents"]}

Meeting_context {"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":5,"duration_minutes":48,"items_count":1},"implementation_risk":"low","history":[{"date":"2024-2025","note":"Yearlong pilot comparing two character-education curricula"}]}

Searchable_tags ["character education","Move This World","Change Makers","school climate"]

Provenance {"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"s_3197.51","local_start":0,"local_end":56,"evidence_excerpt":"Good morning. Morning. Doctor Stauffer, chairman Malone, vice chairman Platts, members of the board of ed. My name is Amy Rose. I'm the supervisor of secondary school counseling.","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"s_4621.575","local_start":0,"local_end":60,"evidence_excerpt":"So if you're all in agreement, we'll move it forward, and we'll get the videos from all of you.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]},