Downtown Montessori meets benchmarks; committee asks school to strengthen board and engagement

The Charter School Review Committee voted Nov. 3 to accept Evidence Changerecommendation that Downtown Montessori (DMA) continue regular academic monitoring after the 2024-25 school year, and urged strengthened board engagement and governance practices.

Evidence Change presented DMAdata showing the school began 2024-25 with 218 students and ended with 215. Attendance exceeded the goal at 94.4%, and parent-teacher conference attendance met the 100% target. The school met or partially met all contract compliance expectations; at the time of the report one teacher had a license application pending and one long-term substitute was teaching without the required license.

DMA scored strongly on the scorecards: K-5 scored 83.1% and grades 6-8 scored 87%, for a weighted school score of 83.7%. Evidence Change recommended the school use Forward Exam data to drive targeted professional development, create an emergency succession plan, grow enrollment toward a 315 target and revitalize the board via inclusive recruitment and parent advisory input.

Committee members welcomed newly introduced leader Mary (new to Downtown Montessori) and commended school efforts to engage parents and to translate Montessori practices into broader assessment contexts. The committee asked DMA to continue strengthening parent and board engagement to ensure diverse perspectives are included in governance.

After discussion, the committee moved and approved Evidence Changerecommendation to continue monitoring. The committee requested follow-up on board development and succession planning in future reports.