Sufficient growth in reading and mathematics scores for the vast majority of Maryland elementary and middle schools has resulted in their meeting federally mandated progress targets for 2007.
Once again, nearly 80 percent of Maryland schools met the targets, known as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), according to data being released today by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE).
For 19 schools that had a history of struggles, this year’s data brought even better news. Their latest scores, combined with strong results from last year, allow them to exit the State’s rigorous School Improvement status.
The federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires that states identify schools not achieving Adequate Yearly Progress for two years in a row and place them into a School Improvement status to help them improve student performance. Those schools slated to leave the improvement process saw their scores rise to federally approved targets for both 2006 and 2007 in all race/ethnicity and special services categories (such as special education or English language learners) and achieved AYP, according to MSDE data.
The new data is contained in information being made available today on the MSDE report card website (www.mdreportcard.org). Preliminary data for high schools, such as graduation rates and some High School Assessment scores, will be released later this month, with final high school and school system data available in the fall. Also being released later this month will be teacher quality data. This will indicate how many classes are being taught by teachers who have reached the qualification levels required by NCLB.
“Scores of our schools are making the grade even as performance goals move up another notch,” said State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick. “It is clear that our students, parents, teachers, and administrators are taking these tests seriously. This process gets tougher every year, but it pays big dividends for Maryland.”
Maryland has a long history of school improvement through accountability and assessment. Achievement in grades 3, 5 and 8 has been assessed in Maryland since 1991, while grades 4, 6, and 7 have been included in the accountability program for the past two years.
Maryland School Assessment (MSA) results released earlier this summer found test scores rising across-the-board. Today’s release of school-level AYP data found parallel improvement for most systems.
Under the federal NCLB initiative, schools must show progress in both reading and mathematics across all grade levels and in all race/ethnicity and special services categories—special education, limited English proficient, and economically disadvantaged students. If a school is unable to make progress in all areas, including attendance, for two consecutive years, it is identified for School Improvement status and faces a variety of consequences designed to bring about improvements. In some instances, parents are able to transfer their children out of underperforming schools or take advantage of tutoring services.
Maryland had 167 schools identified for School Improvement status last school year. That number rose slightly, to 176, with the release of the 2007 results. The schools now in School Improvement represent just 15.6 percent of Maryland elementary and middle schools.
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