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State AYP Results Show Middle School Improvement

August 15, 2007
State AYP Results Show Improved Middle School Performance and Continued Strong Performance at the Elementary Level

Ninety-six percent of elementary schools and 71 percent of middle schools in Montgomery County made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) on the 2007 Maryland School Assessments (MSAs), according to Maryland State Department of Education data released Wednesday.

School performance at the middle school level increased significantly, with 27 out of 38 middle schools meeting the testing targets this year compared to only 15 out of 38 middle schools last year. At the elementary level, 124 out of 129 elementary schools met the state performance goal. Ten schools that were on the state’s improvement list last year met AYP this year and will be removed from the state’s list if they meet their targets again in 2008. One school, Shady Grove Middle School, attained that status this year after reaching its performance goals for the second consecutive year.

“We are extremely pleased with the growth in performance at the middle school level this year and the extraordinary performance of our elementary schools,” said Dr. Jerry D. Weast, superintendent of schools. “Our schools have worked hard to help their students not only meet, but exceed, the state’s testing targets as required under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).”

Impressively, none of the 23 elementary schools with the highest poverty levels (Title I) are on the state’s school improvement list.

Of the 16 schools that did not make AYP, the main category where students did not make adequate progress was in special education. In addition, some schools missed the performance goals for students with limited English skills and students receiving Free and Reduced-price Meals System (FARMS) services.

Silver Spring International Middle School, which made AYP in 2006, missed its targets for 2007 and will be placed in Corrective Action.

AYP determinations are based on MSA scores which were released in June. The MSA results show that MCPS students in elementary and middle school achieved their fifth consecutive year of higher test scores. On average, the combined proficiency of students in reading and mathematics indicated that 86 percent of elementary students and 77 percent of middle school students scored at the proficient or advanced level for 2007. Since 2003, the elementary-level results have increased 14.7 percentage points, and the middle school results have risen 12.6 percentage points.

A complete list of the schools not making AYP is at the link below.

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