Program Statistics
Garden Oaks is a diverse neighborhood directly north of the Heights. The area enjoys strong property values, plenty of new construction, several retail venues and dozens of community churches. Garden Oaks students come from within the neighborhood and the immediate surrounding areas. During the 2005-2006 school year, 75% of the school's population qualified for the free and reduced lunch program and 38% are Limited English Proficiency (LEP). In the Montessori program 39% of the students qualify for the free and reduced lunch program and 20% qualify as LEP. As of the 2008-2009 school year there were 147 children in the GOES Montessori program.
Academics
The Garden Oaks Montessori program is a proud and established element of the school. Its success is evidenced by the high demand for enrollment, scores of involved parents, and flourishing students.
All Friends of Montessori programs, including Garden Oaks, are evaluated every two years by the Houston Montessori Center, an independent agency specializing in continuing education and evaluation. These evaluations ensure that our program provides the Montessori Essential Elements and adheres to American Montessori Society standards. They also allow us to compare our student achievement with the school's general population and the district as a whole.
Student Outcomes
Students in the Montessori Program at Garden Oaks Elementary have consistently scored at or above grade level standards on state and district mandated exams (see following graphs). In addition to the testing and accountability system in place in today's public school systems, other measures of student success exist. The following abilities of children in Montessori programs, as observed by the consultants as well as the majority of parents surveyed, are evidence of the success of the program at Garden Oaks.
Children are able to independently choose own work, seek help or locate resources to do the work, often without the teacher, and restore the work so another child will find it ready.
Children are competent and capable of self-correcting work, observing and reflecting on the work of others, and perceive themselves to be successful at managing their work with purpose.
Children accept "ground rules" of the group in dealings with others. Children can socially function in a responsible manner within the authority of a group situation.
Children gain and apply the academic skills essential to learning and knowing.
The success of the Garden Oaks Montessori program exists because these outcomes, over time, continue to be witnessed by parents, school administration, and students themselves.
In addition, our high scores on the 2009 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test adds to the evidence of success of our program:
- 3rd grade: Math 93%, Reading 100%
- 4th grade: Math 78%, Reading 70%, Writing 90%
- 5th grade: Math 92%, Reading 91%, Science 75%
