Last updated: 1-10-2018, 12:30 p.m.

Update (1-10-18): On Jan. 16, Montgomery County Public Schools will host another parent information meeting about planned changes to Rolling Terrace Elementary School. A representative from the MCPS transportation department will attend to provide information and receive input on anticipated bus routes for the 2018-19 school year. Find more meeting details in the printed invitation sent home with students and on the PTA’s home page.

On Dec. 4, staff from the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Office of Curriculum and Instructional Programs hosted meetings at Rolling Terrace Elementary to notify families and teachers of major changes to our school’s programs that affect all current and future students. Families in attendance expressed concerns about the details of MCPS’ plans and the manner in which they were announced. (Several parents have since relayed that they did not attend because MCPS’ vague invitation letter left the impression that the central topic would be changes to future kindergarten classes.)

PTA volunteers are using this webpage to help everyone in our school community learn about the district’s plans, parts of which are still evolving. Many important questions remain unanswered or have been answered by MCPS with a degree of uncertainty. Here’s what we can report at this time.

What was announced at the Dec. 4 parent meetings?

MCPS staff spoke separately with families of children in Rolling Terrace’s traditional classrooms and with those of children in the partial Spanish immersion program. Staff provided a PowerPoint presentation and a one-page summary of the district’s plans. (English and Spanish versions of these materials can now be downloaded from the school’s website.) MCPS staff also addressed many, though not all, attendees’ questions.

In brief, MCPS’ plans, which would be in effect next school year, include:

  • Ending Rolling Terrace’s partial Spanish immersion program and transferring students currently in grades K through 4 to other schools with full immersion programs (aka “total immersion”). Update (12-17-17): According to materials MCPS sent home with students on Dec. 15 and remarks by Chief Academic Officer Dr. Maria Navarro on Dec. 12, MCPS' latest plan for the partial immersion program would have current K through 2 transfer to William Tyler Page Elementary and transition to full immersion while current grade 3 and 4 students would remain at Rolling Terrace and continue in partial immersion. Current K and grade 1 students also would have the option of attending a new two-way language immersion program at Rolling Terrace.
  • Phasing in a schoolwide two-way language immersion program, starting with Rolling Terrace’s 2018-19 kindergarten classes. All Rolling Terrace students entering kindergarten in September 2018 or later would be enrolled in this program. Only children who reside in the school’s local (aka home) zone would be enrolled; the new program would not be part of MCPS’ language immersion lottery. Update (12-17-17): According to materials MCPS sent home with students on Dec. 15 and remarks by Chief Academic Officer Dr. Maria Navarro on Dec. 12, all grade 1 classes at Rolling Terrace also would start the two-way immersion program in school year 2018-19.

What is our PTA doing?

Dozens of Rolling Terrace families have reached out to us about MCPS’ sudden announcement, and many feel shocked and dismayed. As always, our PTA will work to raise and amplify the concerns and questions of Rolling Terrace’s families and teachers with school administrators, district officials and other community leaders. We are already engaged in conversations with these individuals as well as our PTA peers at other schools affected by MCPS’ plans.

It is not known whether to what extent MCPS is willing to reconsider some or all planned changes. Regardless, every Rolling Terrace family needs more information than MCPS has provided on Dec. 4 to decide what’s best for their them. As our school community discusses possible next steps, we will update this page to share the information gathered so far.

Update (12-14-17): In response to the Dec. 4 announcement, our PTA held a community meeting on Dec. 12 at which families and teachers shared their questions, concerns and ideas for moving forward with each other and school and MCPS administrators. MCPS Chief Academic Officer Dr. Maria Navarro attended and described forthcoming revisions to MCPS' original Dec. 4 plan. View slides and other information including survey results that our PTA presented at the meeting.

Have a question not answered below? Please send us questions through this online form, and feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions about this news, too.

What is MCPS’ current plan for Rolling Terrace Elementary?

Update (12-17-17): According to materials MCPS sent home with students on Dec. 15, MCPS' latest plan would:

Update (12-14-17): At the Dec. 12 community meeting organized by our PTA, MCPS Chief Academic Officer Dr. Maria Navarro said that the district was revising its initial plan and no longer expecting to transfer partial immersion students to Burnt Mills Elementary. However, no additional details or written confirmation of MCPS' updated plan have been released by the district. Therefore, limited updates have been added to the previously announced plan below and references to Burnt Mills Elementary remain.

The plan has two main parts:

1. Over a six-year five-year period, Rolling Terrace would transition to a schoolwide two-way language immersion program, with English and Spanish as the partner languages. All kindergarten and grade 1 students in school year 2018-19 would enter this program; no non-immersion kindergarten or grade 1 classrooms would be offered. For school year 2018-19, grades 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 would continue as traditional classrooms with instruction in English. Each subsequent year, classrooms in the next highest grade level would convert to two-way immersion, so that by school year 2023-24 2022-23, grades K through 5 would have completed the transition.

Each two-way immersion classroom would have a roughly equal number of native Spanish-speaking children and native English-speaking children, and instruction would be provided by two teachers, one who speaks in Spanish, the other in English. Click here to learn more about MCPS’ two-way immersion programs and three schools that began the transition in school year 2017-18.

2. The partial Spanish immersion program at Rolling Terrace would end in stagesJune 2018. Families of participating children would have a few options for school year 2018-19, depending on a student’s grade level. Regardless of grade, parents also may enter their child(ren) in the lottery for MCPS language immersion programs. Lottery forms will become available by Feb. 1, 2018, and must be submitted by May 4, 2018.

A child entering grade 4 or 5 in 2018 may attend...

  • a full Spanish immersion classroom at Burnt Mills Elementary
  • a partial Spanish immersion classroom at Rolling Terrace Elementary
  • a non-immersion classroom at Rolling Terrace Elementary

  • if residing outside of the Rolling Terrace local (home) zone, a non-immersion classroom in the student’s assigned local school

    Update (12-14-17): MCPS Chief Academic Officer Dr. Maria Navarro said on Dec. 12 that the district's plan is being revised and next year's grade 4 and 5 Rolling Terrace immersion program students would not be transferred to Burnt Mills Elementary. However, no additional details or written confirmation of MCPS' updated plan have been provided.

A child entering grade 1, 2 or 3 in 2018 may attend...

  • a full Spanish immersion classroom at William Tyler Page Elementary
  • a non-immersion classroom at Rolling Terrace Elementary

  • if residing outside of the Rolling Terrace local (home) zone, a non-immersion classroom in the student’s assigned local school

    MCPS staff have stated that if Burnt Mills Elementary has seats available in grade 1, 2 or 3 immersion classrooms, a younger sibling of a grade 4 or 5 immersion student may attend Burnt Mills, too. Our PTA is seeking additional clarity on this point from MCPS and details on how and when parents would be notified of available spaces and the opportunity to accept them. Update (12-8-2017): In correspondence with our PTA leadership, MCPS staff said the district typically does not know if immersion classroom seats will become available until the end of the school year or later. MCPS will attempt to gain this information earlier, but staff do not expect it will be known before February 2018.

A child entering grade 1 in 2018 may attend...

  • a two-way language immersion classroom at Rolling Terrace Elementary
  • a full Spanish immersion classroom at William Tyler Page Elementary
  • if residing outside of the Rolling Terrace local (home) zone, a non-immersion classroom in the student’s assigned local school

A child entering kindergarten in 2018 may attend...

  • a two-way language immersion classroom at Rolling Terrace Elementary
  • a full Spanish immersion classroom at William Tyler Page Elementary
  • if residing outside of the Rolling Terrace local (home) zone, a non-immersion classroom in the student’s assigned local school
  • a full Spanish immersion classroom at Burnt Mills Elementary, provided an older sibling in grade 4 or 5 is attending, too
  • if residing in the Rolling Terrace local (home) zone, a two-way language immersion classroom at Rolling Terrace Elementary

Why is MCPS planning these changes?

The explanation from MCPS staff at the Dec. 4 meeting was that these changes are part of the district’s response to the Choice Study, which evaluated MCPS’ special academic programs including language immersion and provided recommendations to the county school board in 2016. Broadly speaking, MCPS’ response aims to enroll more students in language immersion programs, increase participation from student populations that have been underserved historically and expand the amount of time that students are instructed in the immersion language. MCPS is pursuing these goals, in part, by ending partial language immersion programs at Rolling Terrace and other schools and creating more full immersion classrooms and two-way immersion schools.

Update (12-18-17): On Dec. 15, MCPS sent home with students a “Spanish Immersion Transition Family Fact Sheet” that stated: “The [partial immersion] program is being moved from Rolling Terrace Elementary School so that attention can be focused on the significant instructional needs of the Rolling Terrace community.”

What led MCPS to pick Rolling Terrace for a schoolwide two-way language immersion program?

According to MCPS materials and responses to families’ questions at the Dec. 4 meeting, our school was selected based on factors including increased student enrollment, increased numbers of bilingual students who speak Spanish and the continued community interest in language instruction.

Will Rolling Terrace offer other instructional programs for future students whose families do not wish to participate in the two-way immersion program?

As we understand it, no, Rolling Terrace will not offer alternative or non-immersion programs for students who enter kindergarten or grade 1 in September 2018 or later. After the phase-in period, the two-way language immersion program will be the only instructional program for students attending the school.

How and when would families of partial Spanish immersion students choose a school for school year 2018-19?

Update (1-10-18): The Jan. 8, 2018 MCPS letter sent home with Rolling Terrace students stated that families with grade K, 1 or 2 children in the partial Spanish immersion program will soon receive a Notice of Intent form by postal mail. The form also will be available at the Jan. 16 parent meeting at Rolling Terrace Elementary. Families are asked to return the completed form by January 26, 2018. In addition, families with grade 3 or 4 children in the partial Spanish immersion will receive a survey from MCPS by postal mail. According to MCPS, the survey responses will be used “to gauge the level of interest in the [full Spanish immersion] programs at Burnt Mills and Rock Creek Forest elementary schools."

MCPS plans to mail a Notice of Intent form to parents of children in the partial immersion program in December 2017. Parents will be asked to return the completed form in February 2018, indicating whether they accept or decline a seat for their child in the immersion program at Burnt MillsRolling Terrace or William Tyler Page elementary school. MCPS has not yet provided exact dates or deadlines for these steps.

Update (12-18-17): On Dec. 15, MCPS sent home with students a “Spanish Immersion Transition Family Fact Sheet” that said parents “will have until January to notify the school system” of their intentions for next year. Our PTA is seeking to clarify with MCPS the precise deadline for parents to complete the Notice of Intent form.

Why is MCPS planning to end the partial Spanish immersion program in June 2018 instead of phasing it out over several years?

Families at the Dec. 4 meeting raised this question several times, and MCPS staff replied that they had considered a phase-out strategy but ultimately decided that it would be too complex for Rolling Terrace to simultaneously run the partial Spanish immersion, two-way immersion and traditional English instruction programs.

Update (12-14-17): In her remarks to our PTA's Dec. 12 community meeting, MCPS Chief Academic Officer Dr. Maria Navarro said that forthcoming revisions to the district's plan would allow for current grade 3 and 4 immersion students to continue in the program at Rolling Terrace until they complete grade 5.

What are MCPS’ plans for teachers in Rolling Terrace’s partial immersion program?

According to MCPS’ Dec. 4 presentation, current immersion teachers for grades 1, 2 and 3 will be reassigned to the full immersion program at Page Elementary. Teachers for grades 4 and 5 will be reassigned to the full immersion program at Burnt Mills Elementary. Immersion teachers for kindergarten “will work with Dr. Marcus to determine their interest in staying at Rolling Terrace ES for the Two-Way Immersion program in 2018-2019.”

Update (12-14-17): MCPS Chief Academic Officer Dr. Maria Navarro said on Dec. 12 that the district's plan is being revised and current grade 3 and 4 Rolling Terrace immersion students would continue at Rolling Terrace through grade 5. Our assumption is that Rolling Terrace's grade 4 and 5 partial immersion teachers also would remain at Rolling Terrace.

Will younger siblings of current Rolling Terrace immersion students receive enrollment priority (aka “sibling link” preference) for immersion programs at Burnt Mills and Page Elementary schools?

Yes. MCPS’ materials, including those sent home with students on Dec. 15, state that younger siblings will receive preference “entering the immersion program for the 2018-19 school year may either attend with their sibling at William Tyler Page ES or Burnt Mills ES provided space is available in the grade level.” At Page Elementary, MCPS states that a total of 52 seats are available for kindergarten students next year. Children residing in Page Elementary’s local zone may receive enrollment priority for up to 26 of these seats. MCPS staff at the Dec. 4 meeting also said that the “sibling link” would remain in effect for former Rolling Terrace immersion families beyond school year 2018-19. We are seeking additional clarity on this point from MCPS.

Will these elementary school changes affect my child’s middle school choices?

No. MCPS’ Dec. 4 presentation stated that as is currently the case, students who wish to continue Spanish immersion in middle school will attend the program at Silver Spring International Middle School. Families also have the option to send a child to their assigned local middle school and to apply to other special programs at MCPS middle schools.

MCPS staff also noted that parents of Rolling Terrace partial immersion students currently in grade 5 should receive a Notice of Intent letter in the mail this month, requesting that they communicate to MCPS their intentions for middle school enrollment.

What bus options would be available for Spanish immersion students who transfer to Burnt Mills Elementary or Page Elementary?

At the Dec. 4 meeting, MCPS staff said they are still working with the district’s transportation department to determine next year’s bus routes for these schools. They promised to provide this information before parents have to submit the Notice of Intent form for school year 2018-19, but an exact date for delivery of this information has not been given.

Update (1-10-18): The Jan. 8, 2018, MCPS letter sent home with students stated that a representative from the district's transportation department will attend the Tuesday, Jan. 16, parent meeting at Rolling Terrace to discuss anticipated bus routes and hear input from families.

How can I learn more about Burnt Mills Elementary and/or Page Elementary?

Each school’s principal attended the Dec. 4 Rolling Terrace parent meeting and said that parents can call their offices (phone numbers below) to request information and schedule appointments to visit. In addition, you can visit each school’s website by clicking its linked name below. Each school’s site includes a “PTA” link where you can learn about the PTAs at these schools.

At the Dec. 4 meeting at Rolling Terrace, attendees were informed of parent information meetings that Burnt Mills and Page elementary schools would host for families who may transfer from Rolling Terrace next year. However, the meeting at Burnt Mills Elementary was subsequently cancelled.

Update (1-10-18): According to Page Elementary’s website, the school will host informational meetings for families interested in Page's full Spanish immersion program on Feb. 23, Mar. 20 and Apr. 16, 2018. Please visit the school’s online calendar or call the school office for details.

  • Burnt Mills Elementary
    CANCELLED: Meeting for potential Rolling Terrace transfer families
    When: Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017 at 6:30pm
     Where: Burnt Mills Elementary School, 11211 Childs St., Silver Spring, MD 20901
    More info: Call the school office at (301) 649-8192.

Update (12-14-17): MCPS Chief Academic Officer Dr. Maria Navarro announced at the Dec. 12 community meeting that the Burnt Mills Elementary meeting for parents was being cancelled due to the revisions to MCPS' plan for Rolling Terrace's partial immersion program students.

  • William Tyler Page Elementary
    Meeting for potential Rolling Terrace transfer families
    When: Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017 at 7:00pm
    Where: William Tyler Page Elementary School, 13400 Tamarack Rd., Silver Spring, MD 20904
    More info: Call the school office at (301) 989-5672.

What language immersion programs do Burnt Mills Elementary and Page Elementary currently have?

Burnt Mills Elementary currently has a Spanish immersion program for grades K through 5. The program is in the middle of a phased-in transition from partial to full immersion; this year full immersion is provided in grades K through 3. To accommodate Rolling Terrace transfer students in school year 2018-19, two additional immersion classrooms--one for grade 4 and one for grade 5--would be added, and all classrooms in the program would transition to full immersion. Page Elementary would launch a full Spanish immersion program in school year 2018-19, with classrooms for grades K through 3. Over the following two school years, grade 4 and 5 immersion classrooms would be added.

What steps would MCPS take to help current partial immersion students successfully transition to full immersion classrooms?

MCPS staff have said that the district recognizes the need for additional support to help students transition from partial to full immersion. Staff at the Dec. 4 meeting said they will work with Rolling Terrace teachers this year to increase use of Spanish “to the greatest extent possible.” Also, the district is hoping to collaborate with other county agencies and organizations in the community to deliver after-school and/or summer camp programs tailored to Rolling Terrace students who are making this transition.