Please provide the Board with refresher materials about the Lavinia Group Project, the schools that started the pilot, the plans for the project ahead, and those schools that will be joining the project in the future.

Question#: 11

ANSWER:

The Lavinia Group provides professional development to teachers and school leaders at selected schools in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). The Lavinia Group’s goal is to close the opportunity gap by helping the schools they support deliver effective literacy and math instruction through use of their professional development, teaching methodology, and culturally relevant curricula. MCPS began its partnership
with the Lavinia Group during the 2020–2021 school year as a pilot program supporting East Silver Spring Elementary School to improve student achievement in reading across three grade levels. The Lavinia Group also provided a pilot summer school curriculum at the school as part of their Raising Interest in Science and Engineering Summer Program.

During the 2021–2022 school year, The Lavinia Group expanded programming at East Silver Spring Elementary School to support teaching across Grades K–5 in literacy and Grades 2–5 in mathematics. They expanded the partnership to include literacy coaching in eight additional elementary schools: Burtonsville; Cannon Road; Rachel Carson; Glenallan; Judith A. Resnik; Rosemont; and Sligo Creek. The Lavinia Group also launched a pilot partnership with a learning center at Watkins Mill Elementary School.

The Office of Curriculum and Instructional Programs collaborates with the Lavinia Group Project team members to ensure their support to the pilot schools aligns with the vision and goals of MCPS. 

The Lavinia Group uses Running Record data to monitor student growth. A running record is a method of assessing a student’s reading level that is specific to the Reading Recovery approach to remedial reading instruction. Exactly how a running record is constructed varies according to the specific purpose for which it will be used and the program for which it is used. However, there are similarities across methods. First, a student reads a selected book or passage aloud. The teacher or tutor has a copy of the words from the text, typed on a different piece of paper, or uses a blank sheet and consults the text later. As the student reads, the adult makes a mark for each correctly-read word. If the student makes a mistake, the adult might circle the word, note the type of error, or note what incorrect word was said. After the student is finished reading,
the adult calculates the percentage of words read correctly and how often the child self-corrected an error. The adult also will conduct a miscue analysis either during the reading session, or after it is completed. Oral reading accuracy scores in a running record may vary tremendously, according to which passage students read or the teacher’s knowledge. MCPS will review the results of the Measures of Academic Progress-Reading Fluency, a standardized assessment to compare the growth of students in participating schools to non-participating schools before a determination is made about future expansion.