Calvert Schools Emerging As Stars

"I think in many ways it's an emerging county," State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick said of Calvert and its rising test scores. (By Christopher T. Assaf -- Baltimore Sun Via Associated Press)

When shopping for a house or a school, parents tend to pay more attention to SAT scores or AP participation than to the pass rates on state tests. They tend not to regard proficiency on the state test as a particularly ambitious goal. Some education scholars agree, saying that many states, including Maryland, have built their state tests on academic standards that are too low.

Calvert's composite SAT score last year, 1518 of a possible 2400, was more than 100 points below the scores in Howard, Montgomery and Fairfax counties, which have many of the region's top-regarded high schools. None of Calvert's four high schools ranked among Maryland's top 30 on the 2008 Challenge Index, created by Washington Post reporter Jay Mathews to measure participation in college-level AP and International Baccalaureate tests.

However, on Maryland's High School Assessments, which the state uses to establish minimum end-of-course standards in four subjects, Calvert had a composite pass rate of nearly 86 percent in 2007. That was second best in the state, just behind Howard. Among 13 Washington area school systems, Calvert has the second-highest graduation rate, 86 percent, just behind Loudoun, according to a 2008 report by the trade newspaper Education Week.

Ted Haynie, Calvert's director of system performance, said focusing on state test scores is not enough. The school system is working to increase the rigor of its curriculum, especially in high schools.

Haynie said SAT scores and AP test participation are more difficult to quickly improve because high school "is just such a difficult culture to change." Plus, he said, the county is focusing on improving HSA scores because they affect all students, not just those continuing on to college.

School officials note that teachers have encouraged more students to take AP classes and tests. The number of students taking at least one college-level test has more than doubled since 2004.

"As we try to increase the rigor, there is a transition time," Haynie said. "While we are enjoying good, overall aggregate success, there are still kids who are not performing well. It's all relative. There are always things to improve."