When discussing the unveiling of a new statewide accountability system with members of the local media, Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS) Superintendent Dr. Jack Smith sounded like he was paraphrasing William Shakespeare’s often-quoted line from “Julius Caesar.” Smith said, “I don’t come to attack or praise this system.” The accountability system is the School Progress Index (SPI) and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) unveiled the evaluation method Dec. 17.
According to a MSDE press release, “the new school accountability system was made possible by the flexibility Maryland officials received this year from some of the U.S. Department of Education’s No Child Left Behind mandates.”
Maryland education officials decided to transition from the previous system of determining “Adequate Yearly Progress” to the SPI. Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Lillian M. Lowery stated the SPI is a better yardstick for school improvement.
“Instead of performance we’re talking about progress,” said CCPS Supervisor of Accountability and Instructional Technology Catherine Page. “These are very complex calculations.”
According to the MSDE press release, the SPI for kindergarten through eighth grade is calculated through three indicators—achievement (Maryland School Assessment [MSA] scores in math, reading and science); growth (student improvement on math and reading MSAs) and gap reduction (cutting the achievement gap between the low and high performing student subgroups at the school level in state assessments).
Calculating the high school SPI differs most significantly in that “college and career readiness” rather than growth is used as an indicator of progress.
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