Montview Elementary School, Aurora, Colorado At Montview Elementary School, teachers see themselves as lifelong learners with an individual and collective responsibility to improve student achievement. A strong, coherent professional development plan enables them to accomplish this goal. Because Montview engages in site-based decision making, teachers are integral to all planning and decisions. The school's goal is to ensure success for all children by expanding teachers' understanding of how children learn. When Montview began its restructuring efforts five years ago, the school decided to focus on improving student literacy.
Teachers polish their skills through weekly coaching sessions with a teacher leader.
Montview's professional development efforts help the school to meet the learning needs of a diverse and highly transient student population that includes a high concentration of low-income families. Between 1995 and 1997, student scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills increased in reading, language and math. The Riverside Integrated Language Arts Performance Assessment also showed increases for all students and a virtual elimination of performance gaps between Caucasian students and both Hispanic and African-American students. Teachers report growth in their abilities to assess student progress in reading and writing, to diagnose, to plan, and to support students' learning needs more effectively. The goal of the Lewisville Independent School District is to provide a learning environment that allows all students to reach their full educational potential.