School Assessments Show St. Mary’s Public Schools Improving Ahead of State Average

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) released St. Mary’s County Public Schools’ student performance results for three of the four 2006 High School Assessments (HSA) on Monday, August 21, 2006.  Scores for the English II HSA will be released in October. On all three tests, Algebra/Data Analysis, Biology, and Government, student scores showed dramatic increases and combined pass rates that exceed the state average. Beginning with the graduating class of 2009 (students who entered grade 9 in the fall of 2005), students are required to earn a satisfactory score on the HSA in order to earn a Maryland High School Diploma.

“I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to see our students rising to this challenge, finding success, and being supported by our teachers” said Dr. Michael J. Martirano, superintendent of schools.  “It takes an entire school system working with real focus to see increases in student achievement like this across the board.  Test scores on the HSA, MSA, and  local assessments are up across the district.”

SMCPS HSA SCORES COMPARISON