Scotchtown Hills Elementary School Performance Plan

SCHOOL PROFILE

School Name:

SCOTCHTOWN HILLS ELEMENTARY

School Year:

2026

Area:

Area-1

Local Education Agency:

Prince Georges County Public Schools

Supervisor Name:

Dalton, Andrew M.

State School No.:

1014

Supervisor Email:

Andrew.Dalton@pgcps.org

School Type:

04. Elementary School

Title I:

Yes

Grades Served:

0PK, 05

Community School:

Yes

Principal Name:

Tracie Prevost

State Identification:

CSI:No, TSI/ATSI:Yes

Principal Email:

tprevost@pgcps.org

School Address:

15950 DORSET Rd, LAUREL,MD - , LAUREL MD 20707

School Vision:

Scotchtown Hills Elementary scholars will be lifelong learners empowered to transfer knowledge and strategies to begin the path to their future.

School Mission:

In collaboration with staff, scholars, parents, and in partnership with other stakeholders in our community, we are creating a safe, inclusive learning environment where scholars are involved in rigorous opportunities that will challenge them academically, develop critical thinking while collaborating with peers during relevant, technology-infused, purpose-driven instruction. Scholars arriving on time, being accountable for their learning, and respectful to adults and peers will continue to be a viable component of our mission.

SMART Goals

A targeted

aspiration that serves as the focal point for collective improvement efforts

Specific; Measurable; Achievable; Realistic; Timebound

Math-

RELA/ELA-During SY25–26, the percentage of students scoring Proficient or higher on the ELA MCAP assessment will increase by 3 percentage points (from 26.6% to 29.6%).

Subgroup performance for SWD and FARMS students will also increase by at least 3 percentage points, narrowing the proficiency gap between these subgroups and the all-student average.

Not Selected-

Problem of Practice

One problem the school has chosen to address that will assist them in moving toward the overarching Smart Goal

When responding to informational text prompts, many students, particularly those receiving special education services (SWD) and students receiving FARMS, copy sentences directly from the text or provide general opinions without connecting claims to evidence and reasoning. This indicates a lack of consistent application of comprehension and evidence-based writing strategies, which limits students' ability to meet grade-level expectations and achieve proficiency on MCAP and other assessments.

Change Idea

A specific, actionable idea or technique that school teams will use to address the SMART Goal

During SY25-26, the percentage of students scoring proficient or higher on the Math MCAP assessment will grow by 3%.

During SY2025–2026, Scotchtown Hills Elementary will implement a schoolwide mathematical reasoning routine ("Think–Write–Explain") to improve student performance on multi-step word problems. The change idea focuses on strengthening students' conceptual understanding, modeling, and communication of reasoning by requiring them to show steps, label units, and explain their thinking on all problem-solving tasks. This approach directly addresses the identified problem of practice: students particularly Students with Disabilities (SWD) and Economically Disadvantaged

students often provide only a numerical answer or short phrase without demonstrating reasoning, leading to persistently low proficiency on MCAP.

Adopt and consistently implement a schoolwide Claim–Evidence–Reasoning (CER) writing framework across all content areas that require written responses.

This includes:

Using one shared CER organizer and sentence-frame bank ("According to…," "This shows…")

Embedding modeled think-alouds for citing and explaining textual evidence

Using a consistent CER rubric row for evidence and reasoning in all informational writing tasks

Target

The AIM set to determine if the implementation of the change idea was successful

*    By January 2026, 80% of teachers will consistently use the "Think–Write–Explain" routine during math instruction.

*    By EOY 2026, 90% of teachers will

incorporate reasoning anchor charts, explicit modeling, and a 4-point reasoning rubric into classroom practice.

By March 2026, 90% of teachers will implement CER routines at least twice per week, evidenced through lesson plans, classroom walkthroughs, or student work samples.

By May 2026, at least 70% of students will score 3 or higher on the reasoning rubric in classroom exit tickets and unit assessments.

By March 2026, the percentage of students scoring Proficient or higher on the ELA MCAP will increase by 3% overall and by 3% for SWD and FARMS subgroups.

SWD proficiency on the MCAP Mathematics assessment will increase from 3.23% to at least 5%.

FARMS proficiency will increase from 13.86% to at least 15%, narrowing the achievement gap with all students.

Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) / Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI)

This section is for state-identified schools only.

Identified Group(s)

Evidence-Based Strategy (EBS)

EBS Target

Economically Disadvantaged:Students with Disabilities

**Mathematics:** Scotchtown Hills Elementary will implement a schoolwide reasoning routine to improve students' conceptual understanding and mathematical reasoning, particularly for Students with Disabilities (SWD) and Economically Disadvantaged students (FARMS). This strategy directly addresses the root cause of students providing only final answers without showing steps, reasoning, or units, which contributes to persistently low proficiency rates on MCAP.

The evidence-based strategy includes the following components:

*    Adoption of a structured "Think–Write–Explain" routine for all multi-step word problems, incorporating the 3-Reads (Plan/Model/Solve/Label Units) Check process.

*    Use of a 4-point reasoning and unit-labeling rubric on exit tickets and formative assessments to promote accountability for showing steps and reasoning.

*    Explicit modeling and think-alouds by teachers, with scripted co-teaching roles and embedded IEP accommodations (e.g., chunking, manipulatives, visual supports).

**Math:** By the end of the 2025–2026 school year, students with disabilities and FARMS students will demonstrate a minimum 3–5% increase in performance on constructed response items requiring reasoning and explanation, as measured by unit assessments and MCAP.

Short-cycle progress will be monitored through:

*    Process Measures:

*    At least 80% of classrooms will consistently post and use the reasoning routine anchor chart during instruction.

*    Walkthrough data will show an increase in teacher modeling and student use of structured reasoning language during problem solving.

*    Student Work Measures:

*    A minimum of 70% of weekly exit tickets will show students scoring 3 or higher on the reasoning rubric by the end of Quarter 2.

*    Student work samples will demonstrate improved use of steps, units, and explanations in solving multi-step word problems.

*    Outcome Measures:

*    SWD proficiency in mathematics will

*    Targeted small-group interventions based on item analysis data to address specific gaps in reasoning, operation selection, and unit labeling.

*    Integration of real-world problem contexts weekly to improve relevance and engagement, particularly for FARMS students.

This approach aligns with ESSA Level II evidence, as research supports the effectiveness of structured reasoning routines and explicit modeling for improving problem-solving and conceptual understanding among elementary students.

**ELA:** Scotchtown Hills Elementary will implement a schoolwide Claim–Evidence–Reasoning (CER) writing framework to improve students' ability to read informational texts closely and construct written responses supported by multiple pieces of evidence. This strategy addresses the root cause of students particularly Students with Disabilities (SWD) and FARMS students copying sentences directly from texts or providing opinions without

connecting claims to evidence and reasoning, which contributes to persistently low proficiency levels in ELA.

Key components of this strategy include:

*    Adoption of a standard CER organizer and use of sentence frames (e.g., "According to the text…," "This shows that…") to guide students in citing and explaining evidence.

*    Daily modeled think-alouds demonstrating

the progression from notes ¿ claim ¿ cite ¿ explain, explicitly teaching how to link evidence to reasoning.

*    Requiring students to cite at least one piece

increase from 3.23% to at least 5%, and FARMS proficiency will rise from 13.86% to at least 15%, narrowing the achievement gap compared to all students.

This evidence-based strategy is designed to address the core problem of practice identified in the School Improvement Plan and is feasible within the school's current resources, staffing, and support structures.

**ELA:** By the end of the 2025–2026 school year, students with disabilities and FARMS students will demonstrate a 3–5% increase in the Evidence and Reasoning components of ELA assessments, as measured by interim writing tasks, unit assessments, and MCAP results.

Progress will be monitored using the following measures:

*    Process Measures:

*    At least 80% of classrooms will consistently display and use the CER graphic organizer during writing instruction.

*    Lesson plans and walkthrough data will document frequent use of modeled think-alouds and evidence-based writing routines.

*    Student Work Measures:

*    At least 70% of student short responses will include both cited evidence and reasoning by the end of Quarter 2.

*    CER rubric scores on Evidence and Reasoning rows will increase by at least 1 level for SWD and FARMS students within 6–8 weeks.

*    Outcome Measures:

*    SWD proficiency in ELA will increase from 22.58% to at least 25%, and FARMS

of evidence and provide a reasoning sentence in written responses at least twice per week.

*    Incorporation of co-taught small groups focused on comprehension strategies using grade-level text with scaffolds (e.g., pre-teaching vocabulary, chunking texts, text-to-speech tools).

*    Use of assistive technology (text-to-speech and word prediction) to support students with disabilities in accessing and responding to text. (Benchmark/MISA/MCAP)

This approach aligns with ESSA Level II evidence. Research demonstrates that explicit instruction in evidence-based writing strategies like CER improves comprehension and written expression, particularly for students with disabilities and multilingual learners.

proficiency will rise from 26.38% to at least 30%, narrowing the achievement gap compared to all students.

This strategy directly addresses the identified problem of practice and is feasible within current staffing, resources, and instructional time. It strengthens students' comprehension and writing skills, leading to measurable gains in evidence-based writing performance.