Montessori Method

Montessori is a method of education that is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning, and collaborative work. In Montessori classrooms, children make choices in their learning, while the classroom and the teacher offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process. Children work in groups and individually to discover and explore knowledge of the world and to develop their maximum potential. Students use materials created by Maria Montessori and classroom teachers.

The Montessori program at Grissom will follow the Montessori philosophy and method of education. The Montessori program is a fully inclusive curriculum and will cover all areas of learning. Each classroom will have a full line of specific Montessori materials that teach all objectives in the curriculum. Teachers in Montessori classrooms undergo a rigorous training program and are the key to the success of a Montessori classroom.

Montessori is rich in academics and cultural subjects. Students are given tools to solve problems and lead others.

• Students and teachers working on the floor and at tables using flexible seating.
• Multi-age groups working in the same classroom.
• Students working on different lessons based on ability and need.

We started Montessori expansion planning with a broad look at schools across our district that are experiencing a steady decline in neighborhood enrollment and are currently under-enrolled as compared to available classroom space. We also looked at schools where fewer than 65% of the students that live in the school boundary are choosing the neighborhood school as their “school of choice”. Grissom Elementary meets these criteria.

We examined the location of middle school options, such as personalized learning programs and extended learning options that could potentially meet the needs of students that would exit a Montessori program at the conclusion of 5^th grade and transition to a traditional secondary school.

The Montessori model has been in place at Emerson for two years, and we are at the mid-year point of year three. 

Through informal teacher forums, Montessori trained teachers report a high level of satisfaction with their teaching experience, support for their development, and a belief that their students’ Montessori experience will increase student academic achievement, especially during the early childhood years.

Parent requests for seats in the Montessori program at Emerson this year exceeded available seats, and indicates that families in our district want access to the program and believe that it is a viable investment for Tulsa Public Schools in shaping our future.   

Per available national research studies, the impact of the Montessori model, if implemented with fidelity, has the potential to equalize the achievement of students across all socio-economic levels in the early childhood years, (Pre-K-2), positioning students for higher levels of achievement in grades 3-5.

The success of a Montessori program model is dependent on attracting a pre-K and kindergarten enrollment that will support school growth long-term. Our goal for a Montessori expansion is that the school enrollment represents a balance of 50% enrollment from the neighborhood and 50% from transfer requests in the initial implementation.  Over time, we will strive for a higher percentage of students from within the school’s attendance boundary to populate the early childhood cohort, expecting that families will remain at the school long-term, increasing neighborhood enrollment and ultimately total school enrollment.  

Based on enrollment tracking at Emerson, students that enter a Montessori program at the pre-K level, are likely to remain in the school for the following year. 

The program model is funded through multiple funding sources: 

• Teachers are allocated through the district staffing plan.
• Some teacher allocations are exchanged for teacher assistants, as class sizes are typically larger than in traditional classrooms, 24-28 students.  Each class is staffed with a Montessori trained teacher and teacher assistant
• Teacher assistants not earned by allocation exchanges are funded by site Title I funds
• Montessori curriculum, materials, and equipment are non-consumable, and funded through a Bond project budget dedicated to Montessori programming
• Site Title I funds support intervention programs, such as guided reading, and intervention teachers, and other support roles such as Academic Engagement Teachers, etc.
• District funds support teacher training costs and related stipends

Successful Montessori instruction is dependent on having two Montessori trained professionals in each classroom, as the model requires that a teacher and assistant work together to support the delivery of individual student lessons and related student work.  Upper elementary classrooms may share a teacher assistant.

Yes, the design of classrooms changes dramatically as a classroom becomes a Montessori learning environment. Classroom designs will not require changes to building structures at Grissom. Changes in furniture and room arrangement will be supported through bond funds.  Some classroom spaces may be designated as shared space for multi-age classrooms.  Grissom Elementary’s recent building renovation provides updated early childhood classroom space that will easily accommodate the Montessori program. 

Teachers in the first Montessori cohort of pre-K and kindergarten students at Grissom will begin intensive training in July 2021 to prepare them for the “launch” of Montessori programming in SY2122. The year of continued training (SY2122) will include face-to-face and virtual training days throughout the school year on district PD days, some Saturdays, and some days that will be scheduled with substitute teacher coverage.  

Full Montessori Early Childhood certification can be achieved in 18 months. This includes 6 weeks of training in the summer of 2021, a full year of teaching in a Montessori classroom with additional training days, and a 2-week summer residency in the summer of 2022. 

Teachers that choose to formally enter Montessori training are compensated per a monthly stipend that is commensurate with the number of hours that are expected to engage in off-contract learning work. 

A 54-month commitment through yearly extra duty stipend contracts are required of all teachers entering formal Montessori training. This commitment, renewed yearly, outlines the stipend amount that teachers will receive during training, and includes a commitment to teach for 36 months, or three years in Tulsa Public Schools beyond the attainment of  Montessori teacher certification. Stipends end when the teacher completes Montessori certification. Teachers that leave Tulsa Public Schools by choice during the 54-month period are expected to reimburse TPS for a portion of the cost of their Montessori training on a prorated basis, outlined in the extra-duty stipend agreement. Exceptions are considered for life changes that prevent a teacher from fulfilling the agreement, or if a teacher is recommended for exit from the program by the principal of Montessori teacher development. 

Diane Beckham, a certified Montessori teacher and administrator will support the development of teachers that begin Montessori training at Grissom Elementary, as well as teachers that may continue to teach in another Tulsa Public Schools school during SY2122 in preparation for joining the expansion site in coming years.  Ms. Beckham will share responsibilities with the school leader at Grissom in support  of teacher development. Ms. Beckham will provide long-term support to the teachers through their training, and will coach the school leader in his/her development as a Montessori principal through the duration of the development of the program at Grissom as well at Emerson Elementary. 

We have provided the staff a hypothetical scenario for school build-out for Grissom. By starting with pre-K and kindergarten, it will take six years for Grissom to become a Montessori school, pre-K through 5^th grade, adding one grade each year through build-out. 

Families that reside in the Grissom attendance boundary and want a different option for Kindergarten students in SY2122, along with the siblings of those students, will be offered priority seats at a nearby school for enrollment in a traditional program.  They can also select other options for transfers to schools through District Enrollment.  

Enrollment in pre-K programs remains open for school selection through district enrollment. 

Pre-K and kindergarten students that enter Grissom in SY2122 will be included in the first Montessori cohort in 4 multi-age Montessori classrooms.  This cohort of students will have a Montessori education through grade 5, expanding the program by one grade level each year. 

Students that will attend Grissom in grades 1-5 in SY2122 will continue their learning in the traditional program model in place at Grissom through grade 5. 

Teachers will experience a “phase out” process of traditional teaching positions as the Montessori program starts in SY2122 and expands one grade level at a time each year for six years. 

The “phase out” of traditional teaching positions will be managed through teacher attrition, retirements, transfers, and the district rebalance process if necessary, as the Montessori program cohort expands by a grade level each year. 

This is a question we are exploring. We are examining Montessori secondary models across the nation.  Available research studies indicate that students that exit an elementary Montessori program are successful in traditional secondary school options. We are exploring the extension of the Montessori education principles through the personalized learning programs at Central JH and HS, and Memorial JH and HS, as well as through interest-based programs.