Anne Arundel elementary schools again performed well on meeting adequate yearly progress on the annual Maryland School Assessment, but several middle schools failed to make the grade.
Seventy-four of the 76 elementary schools met the yearly goals based on targets established under the federal No Child Left Behind legislation, according to Maryland Department of Education data released Wednesday. Last year, 75 schools met the mark.
“I am very pleased with the work that is being done in our elementary schools,” school system Superintendent Kevin Maxwell said in a statement. “The ability of our schools to meet these ever-rising targets is a testament to the work our students, parents, teachers and administrators do every day.”
Proficiency is measured through AYP, a set of annual goals students must reach in reading, math and other academic indicators. The No Child Left Behind Act requires all students to be proficient by 2014.
Eight middle schools, two elementary schools and two special schools failed to meet the goal. Maxwell said the foundation for improvement was already laid at a middle school summit in October.
“I am confident that the reforms we have enacted and those that are forthcoming will result in substantial increases in student achievement at all our middle schools,” he said.
Some reforms include a reorganization of the school system in vertical teams, integrating science and social studies into a yearlong curriculum held every other day instead of by semester, and new benchmark data software to assess school information more quickly, school system spokesman Bob Mosier said.
“And hopefully the elementary success will filter up to the middle schools,” Mosier said.
Corkran Middle School Principal Deborah Montgomery, whose school this year was removed from the Local Monitoring category, was pleased with the progress.
“Each school is unique so it?s just a matter of working hard and trying new programs,” she said.
AT A GLANCE:
These Anne Arundel County schools did not make adequate yearly progress based on their performance in reading and math on the 2007 Maryland School Assessment, the school?s participation rate in the assessment and their attendance rate.
» North Glen Elementary
» Tracey?s Elementary
» Annapolis Middle School
» Arundel Middle School
» Bates Middle School
» Brooklyn Park Middle School
» Meade Middle School
» Old Mill Middle North
» Southern Middle School
» George Fox Middle School
» KIPP Harbor Academy
» J. Albert Adams
