The Montgomery County Board of Education met on Monday, October 27, 2014, at the Carver Educational Services Center, 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. Among other items, the Board held a discussion on the Montgomery County regulation on before- and after-school child-care programs, recognized the recipient of the 2014 Mark Mann Excellence and Harmony Award, and discussed the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Test for Schools Pilot (OECD). The agenda for the meeting, with links to related materials, can be viewed on the Board of Education website. You can also watch the video of the meeting by clicking here.

Montgomery County Regulation on Before- and After School Child-Care Programs

The Board of Education reviewed and discussed a draft county regulation and related guidelines regarding before- and after- school child-care programs at MCPS.  On January 8, 2013, the Board approved a resolution delegating authority for the administration of before- and after-school child-care programs to the Interagency Coordinating Board and Community Use of Public Facilities. A work group comprising staff representatives from the Office of the Montgomery County Executive, the Montgomery County Council, Montgomery County Public Schools, Community Use of Public Facilities, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, and representatives of the child-care provider community developed draft regulations and procedures. In October 2013, the Board tentatively approved the county’s draft before- and after-school child-care regulation. The workgroup finalized the draft regulation and developed administrative procedures to accompany the regulation. The regulation was sent out for public comment in September 2014. The Board generally supported the proposed regulation and guidelines, but offered comments and proposed revisions. The Board requested that the composition of the child-care provider selection committee include parents and that principals have the discretion to determine the size of the committee and if it includes parents that currently use the school-based child-care. The Board also asked that the county get feedback from the parent community, including the Montgomery County Council of Parent Teacher Associations (MCCPTA).

Read the revised regulations

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Test for Schools Pilot (OECD)

The Board received a presentation from MCPS staff and held a discussion on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Test for Schools (OECD) pilot. OECD is an international organization that promotes policies that are intended to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. Since 2000, countries around the world have participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), made available by OECD. PISA is administered every three years to assess a worldwide sample of students in mathematics, science and reading. In 2012, 65 countries and other entities, including the United States, participated in PISA, comparing schools and education systems internationally and evaluating the quality, equity and efficiency of their schools. The OECD Test for Schools, based on the PISA, measures students’ ability to retrieve and creatively apply knowledge and skills essential for young people to reach a higher bar for success in the 21st century, including mastery of rigorous academic content and the acquisition of critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills.

In 2013-2014 MCPS joined school districts around the world to administer the OECD Test for Schools. Ten MCPS high schools volunteered to pilot the OECD Test for Schools. The 10 schools were: James Hubert Blake, Winston Churchill, Damascus, Walter Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Col. Zadok Magruder, Northwest, Rockville, Walt Whitman, and Thomas S. Wootton high schools. Approximately 75 students from each school were selected to participate in the three-hour test in April 2014.  A majority of MCPS students performed at the baseline or above, with approximately 86 percent for reading, 79 percent for mathematics, and 92 percent for science. Overall, more students fell below the baseline level for mathematics (21 percent) than for reading (14 percent) and science (8 percent). A large percentage of students demonstrated advanced knowledge and skills on the test. MCPS will not implement the OECD Test for Schools in the 2014–2015 school year. The district will use this year to engage in a knowledge-building process with school-level teams to take advantage of the information provided through the initial administration of the test.

Read the Memo

Mark Mann Excellence and Harmony Award

The Board approved a resolution honoring Dr. Patricia Kelly, principal of Westover Elementary School, as the winner of the 2014 Mark Mann Excellence and Harmony Award. This award is given annually to an administrator who has demonstrated an exceptional ability to encourage academic excellence, positive human relations and strong community outreach. 

Facilities and School Construction

The Board approved the following item related to school construction projects and facilities:

-Awarded contracts for the Clarksburg/Damascus Middle School project

Future Meetings

The Board will meet on Tuesday, November 11, 2014, for its next regular business meeting. The Board will also hold a work session on amendments to the Fiscal Years 2015-2020 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) on November 6, 2014 and will hold public hearings on the CIP on November 12, 2014 and November 13, 2014.  Please check the Board of Education meeting calendar for further information. 

About the Board of Education

The Montgomery County Board of Education is the official educational policymaking body in the county. The Board is responsible for the direction and operation of the public school system. The Board consists of seven county residents elected by voters for a four-year term and a student elected by secondary school students for a one-year term. Board members are elected countywide but run at-large or from the Board district in which they reside.

Montgomery County Board of Education: Mr. Philip Kauffman, president; Mrs. Patricia O’Neill, vice president. Members: Mr. Christopher Barclay, Ms. Shirley Brandman, Dr. Judy Docca, Mr. Michael Durso, Mrs. Rebecca Smondrowski, and Ms. Dahlia Huh, student member. Dr. Joshua P. Starr, superintendent and secretary-treasurer. Office of the Board: 301-279-3617.