Md. Schools Improve on Test Scores

The number of Maryland elementary and middle schools targeted for academic improvement because of consistently low test scores declined this year to 169 from 176, the first time the number of failing schools has fallen since the enactment of the federal No Child Left Behind law six years ago.

State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick said yesterday that she was pleased with the reduced number of schools on a watch list of institutions in need of improvement. In all, 25 elementary and middle schools were added to the remedial list this year after failing to make "adequate yearly progress" on the Maryland School Assessments tests, which measure academic achievement. Thirty-two schools, including 10 in Montgomery County and 14 in Prince George's County, were taken off the list after showing adequate improvement for two consecutive years.

The improvement was particularly notable in light of the steadily rising hurdles educators must jump to demonstrate adequate progress, Grasmick said. For example, 72.1 percent of the students in a given Maryland elementary school must show proficiency in reading to meet the state's standard, compared with 67.2 percent last year. The schools must meet achievement targets for all students, including racial minorities, poor students, special-needs students and students with limited English skills. A school fails to make the grade if it fails any area.

Under No Child Left Behind, the bar rises each year. Schools must achieve full proficiency in math and reading by 2014, a goal some critics say is impossible to meet.

Maryland's performance on the reading and math tests has improved, but in past years the results have not kept pace with the rising standard. If a school fails to meet the standard for two consecutive years, it is placed on the state's "school improvement" watch list, which allows parents at high-poverty schools to transfer children to a better-performing campus. Each additional year a school fails to meet the guidelines brings a school closer to restructuring, which can mean replacing staff members or management.

This year, the state's improvement on the test outpaced the rising standard in many areas. Grasmick said superintendents, principals and teachers were adapting to the increasing demands by carrying out interventions for at-risk students, creating stronger early childhood programs, hiring more highly qualified teachers and improving instruction for students learning English.

Spokesmen for Montgomery and Prince George's counties, Maryland's two largest school systems, said they had reduced the number of schools on the improvement list to 56 this year from 73 last year. Six more Montgomery schools could exit the list if they continue to meet standards next year, and 11 Prince George's schools are also poised to come off the list.

Montgomery had 10 elementary and middle schools that remained on the list this year, down from 17 schools last year. Prince George's, which along with Baltimore is one of two school systems in "corrective action" for low achievement on state tests, peeled 14 elementary schools off the improvement list, the most of any county, while adding four elementary and middle schools.

Superintendent John E. Deasy has credited his district's improvement to aggressive efforts to get teachers with the best credentials into schools with high levels of poverty, as well as targeting subgroups that need the most help. His strategy appears to have paid off: This year, Prince George's elementary and middle school students improved their performance in every test, grade level and subgroup.

"We're really excited," said Ron L. Watson, the vice chairman of the Prince George's school board. "We really want to keep the momentum going."

In Montgomery, the gains were particularly strong among middle schools, where the number of schools failing to make the state standard fell to five this year from 11 last year. Middle schools have been a particular focus of educators nationwide, because test scores tend to fall in the middle grades, leading to higher dropout and truancy rates in high school.

"It really indicates that the various initiatives we have are working," said Steve Simon, a spokesman for Montgomery schools. "It's a challenge. We have a lot of different needs to meet, and I think we're encouraged that we're seeing this kind of success. There's still work to do. There always is."