In Assessment Test, Montgomery Schools Score Ahead of the Curve
Thursday, October 5, 2006; Page GZ08
The Maryland State Department of Education, released scores from the High School Assessment exams in English last month. The test -- one of four that high school students are required to take -- counts toward determining whether schools have made their achievement targets under No Child Left Behind.
Montgomery County schools outpaced the state average in the number of students passing the exam -- 60.1 percent for Maryland vs. 69 percent for Montgomery. The percentage of students passing fell slightly from last year's 69.5 percent, but school system officials say they expect to see major gains next year when students who take the test are required to pass it to graduate.
In Depth
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Starting with the Class of 2009, students must pass exams in biology, government, algebra and English -- or earn a minimum score on each totaling a passing mark -- to earn a diploma.
System officials argue it's difficult to interpret the 2006 English results because students who took the exam last spring knew they didn't need to pass it to graduate. Still, you have to figure at least some of those kids took the exam seriously (particularly because their principals could find themselves in hot water should there be dramatic drops in scores).
According to the results, less than half of African American students -- 46.6 percent -- earned passing scores, and about half of the system's Hispanic students passed.
The group most in need of help are special-education students. Only 24.7 percent posted passing scores. That's significantly higher than the 15.8 percent who posted passing scores statewide but still cause for worry.
The plight of special-education students in the No Child Left Behind era is clearly on the minds of all folks, but particularly the Montgomery County Council. Last week, the education committee had a work session to review data about academic progress in the school system. Special-education students make up about 12 percent of the Montgomery County public school population.
Raising Funds for Graduation
Is Grandma worth $38?
That's the question folks at Sherwood High School are asking themselves now that the school has won permission from system bigwigs to move their gradation ceremony from DAR Constitution Hall to the Comcast Center.
Parents say DAR Constitution Hall was perfectly fine for graduation, but it had one major drawback -- its size. Because DAR could accommodate only about 3,700 people and Sherwood's graduating classes are so large -- more than 500 students -- school administrators had to limit the tickets each graduate could have.
Of course this meant that many seniors had to make some tough decisions when it came to who would be allowed to attend ceremonies.
The upside of the proposed change: a bigger venue. Comcast can accommodate more than 17,000 for a basketball game; that should be more than enough room for everyone to see their favorite graduate pick up a diploma. But the downside is its price tag. DAR costs about $3,400 to rent; Comcast will cost about $25,000.
Sherwood parents are already chipping in. A stipend provided by the school system, as well as an increase in senior fees, will help offset some of the cost. Mary Nowotny, the Sherwood parent who is leading the effort to raise the funds, said she's confident the cash can be raised, but she added that if a good-hearted community member with extra cash were to write a check, she wouldn't say no.
Nowotny said the amount may seem daunting but ultimately it breaks down to about $38 per senior. Thus the tongue-in-cheek slogan, "Is Grandma worth $38?"
Hoping to Head Back to Jericho
Sherwood isn't the only Montgomery County high school looking for a graduation venue. Parents at Montgomery Blair -- the largest high school in the county -- were hoping to persuade the school system to allow them to resume holding graduation ceremonies at the Jericho City of Praise in nearby Prince George's County.
Blair had held ceremonies there for three years. Two other schools, Richard Montgomery and Sherwood, also had graduation ceremonies at the church, which had plenty of space and parking. But last year, the school system told the schools they could not use the church after some parents raised concerns about the religious nature of the venue.
Blair parents made another appeal this year but the school system said no dice. Now the parents are pondering their next move. They have retained a lawyer to help them explore their options but aren't eager to get into a court battle. And just in case, they have reserved a spot at the Show Place Arena.
