Students from MontCo, Pr. George’s account for 62 percent of total
Prince George’s accounted for 211 student waivers, the most in Maryland and about 40 percent of the state’s total. Montgomery issued 117, or about 22 percent of the total, according to new data released by the state’s education department.
The waivers are used to nudge seniors across the graduation stage even if they haven’t passed the four required exams — biology, English, algebra and government. Students who obtained a waiver likely moved to the school system late in the year, had English-language difficulties or sat out long periods of the school year because of illness, for example.
The neighboring counties of Frederick, Howard and Calvert handed out three waivers total, while Anne Arundel County, which includes Annapolis, added 38.
“Prince George’s does have a very, very high mobility rate,” said school board member Heather Iliff, explaining that students move in and out of the district frequently. As in Montgomery, many of the more transient students come from schools in the District where standards differ and are often lower than Maryland schools.
“And I do know that [Superintendent William Hite] and his team went after waivers aggressively for students who were eligible, so as not to punish them,” Iliff said.
In both districts, black and Hispanic students used the waivers at higher rates than their white and Asian peers, signaling an achievement gap that has long troubled both systems and shows little sign of disappearing. Nearly 4 percent of Hispanic students used them in both counties.
Hispanic students had the counties’ lowest graduation rates overall: 77 percent in Montgomery and 75 percent in Prince George’s.
Another alternative means of graduating, if not by passing the exams, was to complete a long-term “bridge” project in troubling subject areas. The projects, which often involve teacher assistance, are used by students with learning disabilities or gaps in their knowledge.
About 13 percent of Prince George’s students graduated using the bridge option, compared with 6 percent of Maryland students overall and 3 percent in Montgomery.
“In a lot of ways, our county was at a different starting point, and we had further to bring the students in order to pass the requirements,” Iliff said. “Some predicted we’d have massive reductions in our number of graduates, and that wasn’t the case — our students and teachers were willing to take the extra steps needed.”
