Ten years ago Jerry Weast took over what was widely recognized to be the finest school system in the state. Today, a decade into Jerry’s plan to "Raise the Bar and Close the Gap", Montgomery County Public Schools has slid to second tier status (2nd quartile) among the 24 school systems in the State of Maryland. You wouldn’t get that impression reading the school system's press releases. But the facts, in the form of results on the Maryland School Assessment (MSA), tell the accurate and unbiased story.
The 2008-2009 school year results were released today. Overall MCPS ranked 8th out of the 24 school systems state wide. In Mathematics, MCPS ranked 10th , while Reading was 5th. Although MCPS leads the state in per pupil education spending, its educational results appear out of sync with that investment.
Take a look at the results for yourself. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that so many of our county teachers and administrators have chosen to raise their own children in Frederick and Howard County. Those folks in the know about quality schools are voting with their feet.
2009 Rank of School Systems on MSA
2009 Rank of School Systems on MSA
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You leave out an important fact. Ten years ago the racial makeup of Montgomery County was different. Today more black families are moving into the eastern part of the county and into Germantown. Their presence brings down the test scores.
ReplyDeleteWe also have a large Hispanic presence which also affects the test scores.
Look at the rankings. The counties at the bottom are heavily black, PG and Baltimore City. The counties at the top are heavily white and have very few Hispanic students.
This may sound racist but it is a fact of life.
OK, Anonymous, I'll bite...what's the solution, then? Would love to hear your comments!
ReplyDeleteDifferent anonymous then this first guy, but...
ReplyDeleteOne thing which is routinely left out while discussing the MSA is how many students also rank in the advanced category. I think that is a key element in seeing how well each school is teaching the top of the student population. Also, race is not a reason for failure. Look at how well a few elementary schools in Bowie faired. Heather Hills, Tulip Grove and Whitehall all scored 95+ for math and reading, and all three of those schools are majority African American. I think the administration in some schools in Bowie and find out how they can pull that off, and pull it off consistently.
I am not impressed with MCPS; grades are over-inflated and the system teaches to the test. My children are in two differenet schools and neither school is outstanding. Also, MCPS excels at making data look good. I am anonymous because I am a teacher at MCPS and do not want to be harassed for expressing my opinion. All we do is generate numbers in the form of spreadsheets to satisfy the pressure for the "right" data.
ReplyDelete