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The Collington Square School
1409 North Collington Avenue, 21213; 410-396-9198

Charter/zoned school: Charter

Grades served: Prekindergarten through eighth grade

Uniform: Pre-K–grade 5: blue bottoms and collared white shirts; Grades 6–8: khaki bottoms and navy blue shirts with school logo.

Brief school history: The Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP) assumed operation of Collington Square School in 2002 when it joined the New Schools Initiative. Collington Square is a public elementary/middle school located in East Baltimore that serves 466 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade.

The student population is 99.8% African-American and 0.2% Native American. Most of the students come from families living below the poverty line. Collington Square is a school-wide Title I school with 94.6% percent of the students eligible for free/reduced price meals.

From 2003–2005, Collington Square's third-grade reading scores increased by 385%, while the math scores increased by 464%. BCP converted Collington into a charter school in 2005.

School Leadership

Principal: D’Andrea Chapman has served as principal since 2008. She brings over eight years of service to children and is honored to unite her experiences and knowledge with The Collington Square School in continued service. Her experiences include serving in the United States Air Force for over four years in the Communications Security Command. She received her bachelor’s degree in business from Nova Southeastern University and from there taught various grades in California and Virginia. While teaching, she earned a master’s degree in special education from Norfolk State University as well as an Ed.S. degree from George Washington University. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher with an emboldened belief in effective practices, which has prompted her to reflect on her perceptions surrounding the many possibilities for our children.

Vice Principal: Ms. McKinley has been the Assistant Principal at the Collington Square School for over four years. She continues to support teaching and learning at The Collington Square School.

Academics

Curriculum: For pre-K through eighth grade, Collington Square utilizes the Direct Instruction model. Direct Instruction is a comprehensive school reform model that consists of carefully scripted lessons, backed by texts and workbooks. Student responses are both individual and choral and are directed in such a way that no one is left unengaged. The Direct Instruction model offers a comprehensive approach to school reform, which includes professional development, measurable weekly goals, staff support, and evaluation and coordination of resources. Collington Square also utilizes the Core Knowledge program in first through eighth grades. The Core Knowledge movement is an educational reform based on the premise that a grade-by-grade core of common learning is necessary to ensure a sound and fair elementary education.

Supplemental instruction: Students in pre-K though eighth grade receive supplemental instruction daily. Supplements that are offered include art, physical education, library, vocal music, instrumental music, foreign language, computer technology, and drama.

ESOL (English as second language): Collington Square School does not currently offer an ESOL program.

Special education: Collington Square currently employs two SLE instructors as well as a special education resource instructor, and reading and math resource instructors. The duties of the special education team are to provide instructional support to students and teachers as indicated on Individual Education Plans (IEP), monitor special education instructional planning and accommodations, provide consultation services and instructional support to teachers, maintain logs of school-wide third-party billing submissions, monitor case management for related services staff, and update confidential file logs for students serviced.

Test Scores

Test scores are available here

Enrichment Activities

Gifted/talented programs: The Direct Instruction (DI) program places students into homogeneous groups. Gifted and talented students are placed according to where they function in the program to keep the work challenging for them at all times. Students are also placed into accelerated DI programs or fast cycle schedules to help cater to their learning abilities.

Tutoring: Collington Square offers daily after-school tutoring funded by the Baltimore Curriculum Project. Students work either individually or in small groups to reinforce the Direct Instruction program they are currently in during the school day.

After-school clubs: In order to fully address the components of the program, the extended day component (additional hour) is designed to further extend and enrich the curriculum.

Arts and Humanities

• Cultural Enrichment (music, dance, drama, art)
• Music Enrichment (piano, violins, harps, steel drums)
• Foreign Language Enrichment
• Artisan's Guild
• Forensics: Public Speaking and Debate

 Academic Achievement

• Problem Based Learning
• Economics and Banking
• Projects & Presentations
• Chess
• National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)

 Fitness and Lifetime Activities

• Tennis and Golf Instruction
• Individual & Team Sports (Lifetime Wellness)
• Ballroom Dancing

In addition, students participate in the Etiquette and Social Skills character education program. This program helps students to master social graces, which will enable them to display suitable and appropriate behavior for any given occasion or event.

Before/after care: Collington Square offers a free breakfast to all students beginning 40 minutes prior to the morning school bell. Students have the opportunity to attend the Collington Square recreation center free of charge after the school day ends. Collington Square also offers an extended day with enrichment activities currently for students in third though eighth grades, and an academic extended day for students in pre-K through eighth grade.

Teaching Staff and Classroom Management

Class size: The student-to-teacher ratio at the elementary and middle school levels is 16:1.

Teaching staff: Collington Square employs 25 classroom teachers, two special education resource teachers, one reading resource teacher, one math resource teacher, and two librarians. Collington Square also employs one of each of the following: a school clinician, a vocal music and instrumental music teacher, a physical education teacher, an art teacher, a Spanish teacher, a drama and technology teacher, and an art teacher. Collington Square also has an on-site counselor, a school intervention coordinator, a school assistant, and a production coordinator.

Also on staff at Collington Square are a principal, an assistant principal, a secretary, and a secretary assistant. Three curriculum coaches, a Direct Instruction implementation manager, and a technical support specialist are also on staff to help meet students’ special needs, in addition to a part-time speech pathologist, a part-time special education technical assistant, and a part-time special education assistant.

29.6% of the teachers at Collington Square have an Advanced Professional Certificate (APC), and 25.9% have a Standard Professional Certificate (SPC). 7.4% have a Resident Teacher Certificate (RTC), and 22.5% of the teachers have a Conditional Certificate (COND).

Paraprofessionals: Collington Square employs 11 paraprofessionals in preK through second grade to assist classroom teachers and better meet the needs of the students.

Student Population

Number of students: 480

Ethnic breakdown: 99.8% African American; 0.2% Native American

Percentage on free/reduced lunch: 94.6%

Percentage of ESOL (English as second language) students: 0%

Percentage with Individual Education Plans (IEP): 11.6% of elementary students and 9.6% of middle school students receive special services.

More specifics on demographics can be found here.

Parent Involvement

Parent group name: Parent Teacher Organization

Parent group contact: Pry Watson, 410-396-9198

School philosophy on parent involvement: Collington Square School supports a strong, continuing family, school, and community engagement in all aspects of school programs and activities for measurable improvement in student achievement by implementing, monitoring, and sustaining all components of Baltimore City Schools Family and Community engagement policy.

Number of active members: 50

Number of times group meets per year: 35

Description of activities

• Developing workshops and meetings planned for parents to receive information about curriculum, standards, graduation requirements, and assessments
• Developing workshops and meetings planned for parents to support parents in providing “At-Home Learning” linked to academic performance
• Developing workshops and meetings to increase parental involvement in parent/teacher conferences, IEP meetings, and parental volunteering

 Facility Description

The Collington Square School facility moves beyond the ordinary school facility. The building includes a computer lab available to both elementary and middle school students for supplemental instruction. The recently renovated library has state of the art resources. The school auditorium serves as both a stage for the school’s drama students as well as its instrumental performers. The art room is equipped with many devices including a new kiln for ceramics. The newly remodeled science lab offers middle school students the opportunity to learn through exploration. Collington Square has also added a $150,000 outdoor playground built in conjunction with Kaboom and the Baltimore Ravens Football Organization.