SCHOOL PROFILE

School Name:

THOMAS JOHNSON MIDDLE

School Year:

2026

Area:

Area-2

Local Education Agency:

Prince Georges County Public Schools

Supervisor Name:

Tasker-Mitchell, Ava Shree

State School No.:

2009

Supervisor Email:

Ava.Taskermitchell@pgcps.org

School Type:

02. Middle School

Title I:

Yes

Grades Served:

06, 08

Community School:

Yes

Principal Name:

Jeffrey Holmes

State Identification:

CSI:No, TSI/ATSI:Yes

Principal Email:

Jeffrey.Holmes@pgcps.org

School Address:

5401 Barker Pl, Lanham,MD - , Lanham MD 20706

School Vision:

Thomas Johnson Middle School exemplifies academic excellence, models civic engagement, fosters a unified community, engages in purposeful communication, and values cultural diversity.

School Mission:

Thomas Johnson Middle School cultivates safe spaces for innovation, tolerance, shared advocacy, accountability, care, respect, and high expectations, while ensuring the realization that school is a place of fun, acceptance, love, and opportunities that advance our families and community.

SMART Goals

A targeted

aspiration that serves as the focal point for collective improvement efforts

Specific; Measurable; Achievable; Realistic; Timebound

Math- By June 2026, 5% of students in Jaguar Nation -TJMS will increase their proficiency on the Math MCAP by one performance level.

RELA/ELA-By June 2026, 5% of students in Jaguar Nation -TJMS will increase their proficiency on the RELA MCAP by one performance level.

Attendance-By the end of the 2025–2026 school year, the chronic absenteeism rate among students with disabilities will decrease by at least 10 percentage points from the 2024–2025 baseline, thereby narrowing the gap between students with disabilities and the overall school population.

Problem of Practice

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

Students' learning activities that provide opportunities for students to demonstrate modeling and reasoning focused on analyses and application of mathematical concepts are not adequately implemented in the classroom.

Students' learning activities that provide opportunities for students to demonstrate reasoning focused on argumentative writing are not adequately implemented in the classroom.

Despite ongoing schoolwide attendance initiatives, students with disabilities continue to experience disproportionately higher rates of chronic absenteeism compared to their peers. This suggests that current strategies are not adequately addressing the unique barriers these students face; such as accessibility of supports, family engagement, individualized interventions, and coordinated monitoring; resulting in missed instructional time and widening achievement gaps.

Change Idea

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

Math teachers will collaboratively plan, model, and implement lessons that integrate high-leverage practices - Explicit Instruction (HLP

RELA teachers will collaboratively plan, model, and implement lessons that integrate high-leverage practices - EXplicit Instruction and

To improve outcomes, we will implement a multi-tiered attendance support system for students with disabilities. This includes using

16) and the Use of Visual Representations (HLP 19) - to support students who experience challenges with abstract modeling and reasoning in mathematics.

Claim-Evidence-Reasoning - to provide students opportunities to develop skills in argumentative writing and demonstrate reasoning, consequently avoiding excessive use of recall questions, lack of student discourse, and imbalance of teacher talk vs student talk.

dashboards to flag absences early, establishing a dedicated review team, and recognizing improved attendance. Teachers will embed attendance goals in IEPs, create inclusive classrooms, and use engagement strategies that encourage daily participation. At the same time, we will strengthen family partnerships through positive communication, address root causes, and connect families to resources. Together, these actions will reduce barriers, increase consistency, and improve attendance.

Target

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

_**Evidence Based Strategy 1:**_ _**Explicit Instruction**_

Learning Walks and/or Classroom Observations

* At least 90% of math lessons will include posted and stated lesson objectives aligned to standards, with explicit modeling of problem-solving steps.

* At least 80% of math lessons will show evidence of the I Do - We Do - You Do model (modeling, guided practice, independent practice).

* At least 80% of math teachers will use 3 to 5 purposeful checks for understanding during each lesson, with immediate feedback provided to students.

Collaborative Planning

* At least 25% of the collaborative planning time must be dedicated to sharing best practices in implementing explicit instruction.

_**Evidence-Based Strategy 1:**_ _**Explicit Instruction**_

Learning Walks and/or Classroom Observations

* At least 90% of RELA teachers will post and state clear daily objectives aligned to grade-level standards (reading, writing, vocabulary, or language).

* In at least 80% of observed lessons, teachers will explicitly model comprehension or writing strategies (e.g., think-alouds, exemplar texts, annotated passages).

* Teachers will consistently use the _I Do - We Do - You Do_ structure in 80% of lessons, scaffolding students through reading and writing tasks before independent practice.

* Teachers will implement 3-5 purposeful checks for understanding in each lesson and provide immediate corrective feedback.

Collaborative Planning

* 100% of flagged SWD have documented interventions within one week.

* Weekly meetings result in completed interventions for at least 90% of SWD identified as chronically absent.

* 80% or more of walkthroughs show evidence of inclusive practices (warm welcomes, structured routines, scaffolds) that support daily attendance.

* 90% of families of SWD receive at least one positive outreach per quarter.

* Parent workshops maintain at least 50% family participation, with feedback indicating increased awareness of attendance importance.

_**Evidence Based Strategy 2:**_ _**Use of Visual Representations**_

Learning Walks and/or Classroom Observations

* At least 3 math teachers will intentionally use at least one appropriate visual representation (e.g., number line, graph, array, bar model, algebra tiles) in every lesson where it supports conceptual understanding.

* In 80% of observed lessons, identified teachers will explicitly connect the visual model to symbolic/math notation (e.g., equation - diagram - real-world context).

* Identified teachers will provide at least 2 opportunities per lesson for students to create, interpret, or explain mathematical visuals (drawings, graphs, tables, or digital models).

Collaborative Planning

* 90% of teacher lesson plans will show planned use of visual representations in unit plans, not just as "add-ons."

* At least 25% of the collaborative planning time must be dedicated to sharing best practices in implementing explicit instruction.

_**Evidence-Based Strategy 2:**_ _**Claim - Evidence - Reasoning (CER)**_

Learning Walks and/or Classroom Observations

* At least 3 RELA teachers (Okoya, Campbell, Newman) will model the CER process at least once in each unit, using think-alouds and exemplar responses.

* In 80% of observed lessons, teachers will highlight the difference between weak vs. strong claims, relevant vs. irrelevant evidence, and surface-level vs. deep reasoning.

* Teachers will provide sentence starters, graphic organizers, or exemplars to scaffold CER writing.

* At least 80% of observed lessons will include opportunities for students to revise/improve CER responses based on feedback.

Common Formative Assessment:

* At least 3 RELA teachers will provide questions that require reasoning (both closed-ended and open-ended) on the weekly and/or bi-weekly discourse/assessments.

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* The attendance gap between SWD and the overall school population narrows each quarter.

* 80% of SWDs demonstrate improved daily attendance (missing fewer than 10% of school days).

*  Student surveys show a 10% increase in

SWD reporting that they feel supported, welcomed, and motivated to attend school regularly.

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

Students with Disabilities

iReady Math and Read 180 during the Academic Resource class

**Overall Goal:** By June 2026, 10% of students with disabilities in Jaguar Nation - TJMS will increase their proficiency on the Math and RELA MCAP by one performance level.

**Problems of Practice:** Analysis of state and local assessment data reveals that students with disabilities consistently underperform in mathematics, particularly on items requiring modeling and reasoning skills. Likewise, argumentative writing continues to present significant and persistent challenges, limiting students' ability to demonstrate proficiency in written communication.

**Goal:** By the winter diagnostic assessment, all students will demonstrate measurable growth in i-Ready Math and Read 180, with each student increasing their overall scale score by a minimum of 5 points from the fall baseline.

[iReady Math Baseline Data](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ 1T7nBNvWOamMuJCHSn5xlKWA-v41BDi7Jz-LXk2EaoCg/edit?usp=sharing)

[Read 180 Baseline Data](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-vA2QvOAglCMr6s8UShT_TMXwPfAIv2r?usp=

sharing)