ELLINGTON MAGNET P.S. 140 | 2026–2027 Instructional Framework

Ellington Magnet Mission

Success for Every Student: Committed to providing high-quality programs, opportunities, and services supporting rigorous academics, respectful social interaction, and career/college readiness for all students.

School Vision

To support a diverse learning community through a broad, challenging, and engaging curriculum and strong educational partnerships that empower students to become productive global citizens.

26–27 Principal Priority

Increase student achievement, engagement, and independence through rigorous grade-level instruction, purposeful academic language, responsive systems of support, and strengthened partnerships ensuring success for every student.

26–27 Instructional Focus

Implement clear learning targets, explicit modeling, responsive small-groups, and structured discourse—providing routines to SEE IT → SAY IT → USE IT → WRITE IT across content areas.

Supporting Instructional Practices

01 Academic Vocabulary

Elevate language through a consistent SEE IT → SAY IT → USE IT → WRITE IT routine moving students toward independent academic usage.

02 Discourse & Engagement

Provide structured opportunities for students to discuss, collaborate, explain, justify, and actively communicate their thinking.

03 Explicit Instruction

Deepen modeling and instruction using clear learning and language targets, teacher modeling, guided practice, and checks for understanding.

04 Small-Group Instruction

Utilize assessment and progress monitoring data to deliver targeted scaffolds, extensions, and multiple entry points to grade-level learning.

05 Student Independence

Intentionally transition students from supported practice toward independent application, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

06 Evidence & Impact

Examine student discourse, written responses, assessment data, and classroom artifacts to inform decisions and track growth.

Ellington Magnet Mission

The mission of the Ellington Magnet School, Success for Every Student, requires that our school community support an educational system that has as its focus the best interests of each individual student. Ellington Magnet is committed to providing an array of programs, opportunities and services that will support all students as they endeavor to meet the challenges of excelling in a rigorous academic curriculum, communicating in an environment of respectful social interaction and developing their interests and talents. To provide students with the knowledge, skills, and support to become college and/or career ready and productive global citizens.

Instructional Focus

In alignment with the Chancellor’s Instructional Principles and District 28 Foci and Priorities If we continue to unpack and utilize the Next Generation Learning Standards and 5 Magnet Pillars (Diversity, Innovative Curriculum, Professional Development, Academic Excellence, High-Quality Instructional Systems, and Family and Community Partnerships) to collaboratively design rigorous, relevant, coherent units of study, then:

Students will engage in rigorous, grade-level learning through explicit instruction, responsive small-group work, and active academic discourse, using precise academic vocabulary to explain, justify, and communicate their thinking across all content areas.
Teachers will use clear learning and language targets, explicit instruction and modeling, and data-driven small-group practices to provide multiple entry points, monitor student understanding, and maintain high expectations for every learner.
Families will engage in curriculum events, workshops, and school-wide initiatives that strengthen their understanding of instructional expectations and empower them as active partners in their child's academic and social-emotional growth.

25-26SY Spring Priorities

Deepening precision in the Explicit Instruction model with strong modeling, guided practice, and purposeful academic discourse.
Strengthening small-group instruction through targeted progress monitoring cycles in Reading and Math.
Increasing measurable student outcomes through consistent use of data-driven instructional adjustments.
Embedding reading strategies across content areas with visible student application.
Ensuring alignment between curriculum expectations, student artifacts, and assessment practices.
Monitoring implementation fidelity through leadership artifact review.

Elevate explicit instruction through academic vocabulary, purposeful discourse, and increased student ownership of learning.

Use progress-monitoring and student evidence to provide responsive small-group instruction and targeted supports while maintaining grade-level rigor.

Strengthen schoolwide instructional coherence through consistent practices, professional learning, and family partnerships that support student success.

26-27SY Priorities

Elevating academic vocabulary and language across all content areas through a consistent SEE IT → SAY IT → USE IT → WRITE IT approach, ensuring students engage with, apply, and independently use precise academic language to explain, justify, and communicate their thinking.
Strengthening purposeful academic discourse and active student engagement through structured opportunities for students to discuss, collaborate, explain reasoning, and demonstrate understanding using content-specific and transferable academic language.
Deepening explicit instruction and modeling through clear learning and language targets, teacher think-alouds, guided practice, checks for understanding, and intentional modeling of the language students need to access rigorous grade-level content.
Strengthening responsive small-group instruction across Tiers 1–3 by using progress-monitoring and assessment data to provide targeted scaffolds, extensions, and multiple entry points while maintaining access to grade-level content.
Increasing student ownership and independence by moving students from supported practice toward independently applying strategies, academic language, critical thinking, and problem-solving across content areas.
Using student evidence to drive instructional decisions and measure impact, including student discourse, written responses, assessment data, and classroom artifacts to determine whether instructional practices are resulting in measurable student growth.

Vision

To support a diverse learning community that meets the needs of all students by offering a broad, challenging, and engaging curriculum and by enhancing educational partnerships. To provide students with the knowledge, skills, and support to become college and/or career ready and productive global citizens.