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BCPS presents school improvement gains and tools for multilingual learners and students with disabilities
Summary
BCPS' School Improvement and Support team reported year-over-year gains at targeted elementary schools, citing tools such as SDI classroom profiles and scaffolding matrices; presenters showed math and ELA proficiency increases and WIDA growth statistics for multilingual learners.
The Baltimore County Public Schools' School Improvement and Support (SSI) team presented progress on targeted elementary schools and the tools used to support multilingual learners and students with disabilities.
Presenters highlighted pockets of notable progress: Wellwood International School posted a 14.43 percentage-point increase in math proficiency (second-highest increase among BCPS elementary schools cited in the presentation), Charlesmont and other schools showed measurable gains, and the SSI elementary cohort saw an overall ELA proficiency increase of 5.7 percentage points (from 30% to 35.7%). For multilingual learners, several SSI schools recorded proficiency gains and the percentage of multilingual learners meeting expected WIDA growth rose from 65% to 68%. The presentation also reported that SSI elementary schools had a 19.5% exit rate from WIDA services, above a cited state average of 15%.
The SSI team described the practical tools driving instruction: an SDI (Specifically Designed Instruction) classroom profile that consolidates each student's goals, strengths and supports onto a one-page snapshot for teachers; a scaffolding matrix tied to WIDA scores that provides grade-level scaffolds and hyperlinks to ready-to-use resources; targeted professional development and ongoing learning walks; and structured post-observation debriefs to identify next steps. Presenters said the district is using this combination of data analysis, in-class modeling and follow-up walkthroughs to replicate successful strategies across schools.
Board members asked how gains translate into sustained proficiency and whether students were barely meeting proficiency or demonstrating stronger achievement. SSI staff said growth patterns vary across students: some achieved strong proficiency gains, while others were "on the cusp" and could move substantially with small instructional changes. Staff emphasized the use of actionable classroom tools, shared resources and professional development to scale practices beyond SSI schools.
What happens next: SSI staff said they will continue learning walks, mid-year and end-of-year site visits, replicate "pockets of promise" practices across more schools and report progress to the board.
Provenance: Presentation and data cited during the school improvement item span SEG 1834–2340 in the transcript.
