Malcolm C. Hursey Montessori is committed to developing the world-class skills and life and career characteristics outlined in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. We fulfill this commitment by advancing our mission: to cultivate meaningful relationships among students, staff, families, and the community; to create a child-centered, hands-on, and intentionally prepared environment where all students excel and grow into responsible global citizens; to foster collaborative learning within a professional learning community; and to establish a positive school climate rooted in respect for self and others, grace, courtesy, and a passion for lifelong learning.
As a Charleston County School District (CCSD) partial magnet Montessori school of choice, we serve students from both our local attendance zone in North Charleston and the greater Charleston area. The foundation of Montessori education is the belief that children learn best in enriched, supportive environments where exploration, discovery, collaboration, and creative thinking are encouraged. Core values such as integrity, self-direction, global awareness, and interpersonal skills are emphasized, all under the guidance of trained and compassionate educators.
This academic year, SC Ready Math achievement data for elementary and middle school students revealed both progress and areas for continued focus. We successfully met our Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) goal of improving the overall percentage of students scoring "Meets or Exceeds Expectations" on the SC Ready Math assessment, increasing from 32.5% to 35.5%. While this is a positive trend, we are striving for continued improvement.
To support this effort, we partnered with the Superintendent’s Office and a local franchise of Mathnasium to provide targeted math tutoring for our lowest-performing students. This support extended into the summer of 2024–25, through the Expanded Learning Kaleidoscope summer camp, in an effort to mitigate summer learning loss and prepare students for the 2025–26 school year.
Disaggregated data from SC Ready Math indicated a decrease in performance among our PIP (Poverty Index Proxy) students, from 25% to 18.5% meeting or exceeding expectations. However, our Multilingual Learners (ML) improved significantly from 18% to 25%, and our Students with Disabilities (SWD) increased from 7% to 12.5%. To address the decline among PIP students, we will continue to support their academic and social-emotional needs by maintaining two school counselors and closely monitoring attendance. Attendance interventions will be guided by CCSD Department of Student Services protocols and include collaboration among teachers, guardians, students, and our Student Data Specialist. Our goal is to identify and remove barriers to attendance and offer wraparound services as needed.
To continue supporting the gains made by our SWD and ML students, we are working to ensure an adequate number of special education teaching assistants are available to support our SpEd staff and students. We are also enhancing collaboration with our ML teachers by sharing MTSS data and findings and inviting them to relevant on-campus meetings.
We are dedicated to helping classroom teachers feel confident in implementing the new Eureka Math curriculum. Students in grades K–6 will also benefit from digital content practice through i-Ready, which allows for continuous progress monitoring between standardized assessments such as NWEA and SC Ready.
A key focus during our Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings is the effective integration of our ELA and math curricula with state standards and Montessori instructional practices. Educators receive feedback on how to supplement lessons using Montessori materials and individualized work that responds to student needs as identified through classroom assessments and digital data. Administrators and instructional coaches provide ongoing guidance based on their classroom observations and deep knowledge of MTSS data.
We measure the effectiveness of our efforts through a variety of data sources, including curriculum-based assessments, PowerTeacher reports, Interim Projections and Growth Reports, IEP Progress Reports for SWD students, RTI documentation, and EPA/ILAP reports for ML students. Additionally, we continuously evaluate our school climate using Panorama survey results, the Classroom Walkthrough Tool, and analysis of discipline referrals.
With our sustained commitment to academic excellence in ELA and Math, and an intentional focus on school climate, Malcolm C. Hursey Montessori is well-positioned to continue fostering student success.
Timothy G. Schavel, Ed.D. Principal
Robert Fludd, SIC Chairman
