Academics
Lower School
Serving Kindergarten through Grade 4, our Lower School is at the Falls Road Campus, located at 11810 Falls Road in Potomac, Maryland.
Love for Learning
An Essential Foundation
Here begins the work of learning how to learn! These are formative years, a time when attitudes about school and self begin to take shape. We prioritize hands-on and engaged instruction within small groups where learning celebrates the strengths of each student, while embedding academic support where needed. McLean’s program ensures academic achievement while building a strong understanding of self-advocacy.
McLean’s teachers, coordinator of learning services, speech-language pathologist, math specialist, reading specialist, occupational therapist, and counselors work together seamlessly, focusing on each individual child to identify strengths and challenges while providing embedded support for dyslexia, ADHD, executive functioning challenges, and academic based anxiety.
We are committed to maintaining an inclusive, respectful, and caring school environment whereby all children feel welcomed, safe, and supported.
Lower School At-A-Glance
Kindergarten At-A-Glance
Lower School Highlights
Smaller Classes
Our 5:1 student-teacher ratio enables co-teaching teams to truly know each student—how they learn, what motivates them, and where they need support or challenge.
Fewer students means fewer distractions and more time spent learning.
When students feel known and understood, they are more comfortable asking questions, taking risks, and engaging in learning.
Academic Foundation & Intervention
Highly skilled and dedicated teachers and specialists strategically lead small, flexible groups tailored to students’ learning strengths and needs in reading, writing, and math.
These groups provide targeted intervention to support academic progress, along with enrichment and acceleration.
The Right Instruction
Our approach to teaching is grounded in research and evidence-based practices in reading, writing, and math.
Every student has a McLean Learning Profile that captures strengths, challenges, and accommodations when appropriate.
Our teaching strategies are proven to promote academic progress.
Focus on the Whole Child
Interactive and engaging Art, Music, STEM, and PE courses spark exploration, fuel innovation, and nurture creativity.
Beyond the classroom, field trips, service learning, programming with older students, clubs, and after-school activities extend learning, deepen friendships, and give students even more ways to discover their passions.
Culture of Inclusivity
A Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Belonging curriculum embedded into homeroom time, along with Identity story hours that highlight and celebrate different cultures and identities.
Our character curriculum celebrates acts of kindness, effort, and responsibility on a daily basis.
Social-Emotional Learning
Strong Social Emotional Learning curriculum, with two full-time counselors proactively pushing into classrooms to teach the skills and language needed to support problem-solving and communication skills.
Counselors are also at recess every day to support peer relationships/conflict resolution.
Q and A
Lower School Support
- Differentiation in each group to meet students’ learning profiles
- Fluidity in small groups so that students are appropriately supported and challenged as progress is made
- Focus on meeting each student at their present level and moving them forward
- Integrated support from Learning Services team
- Expertly trained teachers with the skills to reach all types of learners
- Interactive, meaningful, creative, and engaging lessons
- Multi-sensory, multimodal approaches
- Flexibility in the curriculum to incorporate students’ interests and match learning strengths and challenges
- Consistent attention to the Lower School Pledge program: Be Safe, Be Kind, Be Responsible
- Integrated social-emotional (SEL) lessons into the curriculum to cover topics related to social problem-solving, conflict resolution, and perspective-taking
- Weekly division-wide goals reinforce safety, kindness, and responsibility
- Cumulative Pledge Points awarded throughout the day as positive reinforcement
- Collaboration between the counselors and the classroom teachers work to support and nurture each child
- Counselor support at recess to support peer relationships/conflict resolution
- Embedded classroom academic support
- Work with students in peer groups
- Support students during the school day (fee-based services) and collaborate seamlessly with teachers to observe and share ideas
- Collaboration between Learning Services team and teachers for a comprehensive approach
- Weekly team meetings with teachers and Learning Services team to share insights, observations, and to develop strategies
| Traditional Learning Specialist Model | McLean’s Learning Services Model |
|---|---|
| Pulls students out of the classroom 1:1 | Works with students in peer groups |
| Only works with students with disabilities | Works collaboratively with teachers to support all students |
| Serves as the “expert” of LD on the team | Collaborates with highly skilled teachers, Specialists, and families in a partnership |
| Focuses on remediation and catching a student up to grade-level | McLean Learning Profiles, including teacher insights, are shared with teachers and Learning Services team from grade to grade and division to division |
| Sole person collecting information about a student’s needs and documenting support in a file | McLean Learning Profiles, including teacher insights are shared with teachers and Learning Services team from grade to grade and division to division |
- Increased students’ self-esteem
- Encouragement for students to advocate, collaborate, and learn from each other
- Increased students’ self-awareness of their own learning profiles
- Sets the tone for celebrating diversity of learning strengths and building the classroom and school community
- Helps generalize skills rather than learning in isolation
- Increased collaboration between teachers and Learning Services team
- Seamless connections with cross-curricular topics/skills being taught in the classroom
- Increased self-esteem and self-discovery as students explore their interests
- Opportunities for self-expression
- Kinesthetic experiences
- Whole-group collaboration
The Occupational Therapist (OT) provides fee-for-service individualized therapy for students who need OT services. The OTs also serve as consultants to classroom teachers in meeting students’ sensory-motor and fine-motor needs. All new students in Kindergarten through grade 4 are screened for OT needs.
Our Speech-Language Pathologist provides fee-for-service on an individual basis to students needing individual intervention. The Speech-Language Pathologist also serves as a consultant to the classroom teachers. All new students in Kindergarten through grade 4 are screened for speech and language needs.
VOICES OF McLEAN
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