MSDE BULLETIN
Vol. 15, No. 7 – April 23, 2004
STATE TO PROPOSE CHANGES IN ADEQUATE
YEARLY PROGRESS CALCULATION
The Maryland State Board of Education this week approved plans to seek more flexibility in the way schools and systems calculate the subgroup progress under the No Child Left Behind provisions.
State officials are proposing to the U.S. Department of Education two new changes to its accountability program calculation used to determine Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP):
- One special services assignment per student for the AYP calculation. Any student receiving special services (Economically Disadvantaged, Limited English Proficient, and Special Education) cannot be included in AYP calculations for more than one subgroup. MSDE officials found that some students were being counted up to three times.
- School system and state minimum amount for a subgroup must be at least 15 percent of total student population. While a minimum group size of five remains appropriate for schools, applying the same figure to LEAs and the state is problematic because of the large size variations among Maryland school systems. By adjusting the minimum group size to 15 percent of a school system, no system is disproportionately vulnerable to failure to meet AYP.
Deputy State Superintendent Ronald A. Peiffer said the adjustments fine-tuned Maryland’s strong system of accountability, and did not dilute the system.
State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick added that the U.S. Department of Education has become increasingly receptive to such changes. Departmental officials “are recognizing that one size does not fit all,” she explained. “We are received well by the federal government because we are viewed as a state that is not whining.”
The changes would have a dramatic effect in Maryland, but a number of schools and systems still would be in danger of not making AYP.
Under the current system, 535 schools did not make AYP last year, based on the 2003 results. Moreover, all 24 school systems and the state failed to make AYP in at least one category.
By plugging in the proposed changes and using the 2003 results, 371 schools would have failed to make AYP, as well as eight school systems and the state.
baltimore city public schools
plan for additional job reductions
Baltimore City School CEO Bonnie Copeland and CFO Rose Piedmont outlined an austere fiscal 2005 budget plan for the city schools in an appearance before the State Board this week.
Under the new budget, the city school system would reduce its $58 million budget deficit by $35 million and create a $10 million contingency fund. Copeland said the budget focuses on fiscal responsibility, meeting the requirements of the corrective action plan placed on it by the State Board.
The new budget would cut some teaching positions and would increase class size in order to reduce the deficit.
City school officials also said they were attempting to improve system use of school facilities. David Lever, executive director of the Interagency Committee on School Construction, said that BaltimoreCity has made some strides in this area, but there remain a number of incidents where facilities are used inefficiently. This creates a “significant budget drain,” he noted.
PROFESSOR PROVIDES LESSON ON STATE’S ROLE IN BROWN v. BOARD OF EDUCATION
Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark Supreme Court case that ended “separate but equal” education in the public schools, may have come out of Topeka, KS, but the State Board this week learned that much of its legal foundation was built in Maryland.
Larry S. Gibson, a legal historian and professor at the University of Maryland School of Law, provided a glimpse at the court cases the led up to the Brown decision, many of them with ties to Maryland.
“It is important for Marylanders to appreciate the central role that our state played,” Gibson noted.
Most importantly, Maryland was the birthplace of Thurgood Marshall, chief counsel for the National Association for the
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PROFESSOR PROVIDES LESSON ON STATE’S ROLE IN BROWN v. BOARD (Cont.)
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), who argued Brown before the Supreme Court. In addition, Marshall’s earlier work as a Baltimore-based attorney involved a variety of desegregation and civil rights cases, such as a successful case that integrated the University of Maryland’s School of Law.
May 17 marks the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Brown case. Its importance will be celebrated in Maryland and throughout the nation.
PHOENIX PROJECT LINKS WITH UMBC’S SHRIVERCENTER IN NEW PARTNERSHIP
Representatives from the ShriverCenter at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) met with the State Board this week to announce a new partnership that will involve undergraduate students providing technical expertise to MSDE’s Phoenix Project.
The Phoenix Project has been an MSDE program for more than a decade, donating refurbished computers to schools and educational programs at no charge. The link with UMBC and its technically savvy student body seems like the perfect fit, according to those involved in the program.
“The relationship with Dr. Grasmick and the Department has been extraordinary,” said John Martello, president of the UMBC Training Centers, who said that more than 300 student volunteers would be involved in the program each year.
The Phoenix Project’s success was emphasized by Carroll County Superintendent Charles Ecker, and members of his staff, who gave the State Board a presentation on how the system uses donated computers to teach science concepts.
BOARD HONORS TOP ENVIRONMENTAL TEACHERS, WRITING STUDENTS
The State Board took time out to honor both teachers and students during its two-day meeting this week.
Robert Foor-Hogue, a high school teacher at SouthCarrollHigh School in CarrollCounty, was celebrated for being named the 2004 Teacher of the Year by the Chesapeake Bay Trust for his commitment to education that supports bay restoration efforts. Also honored were finalists Allegany High teacher Alan Hammond, Hollywood Elementary teacher Mary Roderick, Linton Springs Elementary teacher Pam Sherfey, and HarfordChristianAcademy teacher Ada Stambaugh.
Board members also praised16 high school juniors from across
the state who were recipients of the 2003 National Council for Teachers of English Achievement Awards in Writing.
Students honored were Juliana Avery from Colonel Zadok Magruder High School, Lisa Benson from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, Rachel Cylus from Owings Mills High School, Erin Dowd from Annapolis High School, Erin Frey from South River High School, James Fritz from Mt. Hebron High School, Jennifer German from Howard High School, Jennifer Gillenwater from Towson High School, John Moberg from Howard High School, April Penn from North County High School, Sarah Pfeifer from Mt. Hebron High School, Claire Pringle from Towson High School, Nicolas Stone from Montgomery Blair High School, Katie Unger from Quince Orchard High School, Lauren Veverka from Roland Park Country School, and Zarchary Werner from Walt Whitman High School.
GOVERNOR JOINS DR. GRASMICK IN CELEBRATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARY MONTH
April is School Library Media Month, and Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., joined State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick to launch the celebration earlier this month.
The Governor and the State Superintendent attended a kick-off event on April 2 at JonesElementary School, a national Blue Ribbon school in AnneArundelCounty. Gov. Ehrlich presented an official proclamation in recognition of School Library Media Month to Linda Williams, director of Library Media Services.
Maryland has 973 certified library media specialists, 122 non-certified media specialists, and 168 individuals working toward State certification. School library media specialists provide essential services for students and teachers in promoting reading for personal and academic success.
The State Board recognized School Library Media Month during its meeting this month.