Category: garrett county schools

“Garrett is the only school system in the state to have no schools identified as schools in need of improvement.”

Garrett ends year within goals set by officials

For the Cumberland Times-News Cumberland Times-News

OAKLAND — The Maryland State Department of Education on Friday released system level results regarding high school as-sessments and adequate yearly progress for the school year 2010-11.

In July, the state released results for Maryland school assessments and adequate yearly progress concerning elementary and middle schools.

Combining MSA and HSA, Garrett County is not a school system in system improvement status, the calculation used by the state to identify for improvement any school system that does not meet annual targets for two consecutive years in the same reported area at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

In order to meet the federal guidelines of No Child Left Behind, students in specified subgroups, including ra-cial/ethnic classifications, students eligible for free or reduced price meals, and students with special needs, must also meet the AYP goals.

Of the 15 schools in Garrett County, 12 schools made AYP for the 2010-11 school year. Dennett Road Elementary School and Northern and Southern middle schools did not meet AYP requirements in one or two subgroups and will be placed on local attention status for the 2011-12 school year.

With the release of the high school data, both Garrett County high schools made AYP status. The high schools made AYP, indicating that a significant number of students scored at the proficient and/or advanced levels in all nine subgroups in the reading and mathematics areas, including graduation rate, the high school assessments and alternate Maryland school assessment.

In 2009-10, Southern High School did not make AYP and was placed on local attention status. However, the school rebounded in 2010-11, showing proficiency in every category.

For the graduating class of 2011, 100 percent of the students met the HSA high school graduation requirement throughout the county by either passing all four subject tests, reaching a combined score of 1,602 on all four tests, or by completing bridge plan projects in the various subjects. Other data concerning high school assessments are as follows:

• 96.8 percent of the students met the HSA algebra requirement by passing the assessment or completing bridge plan projects.

• 96.6 percent of the students met the HSA biology requirement.

• 91.7 percent of the students met the HSA English requirement.

• 92.3 percent of the students met the HSA government requirement.

For high school AYP, 88.9 percent of the students scored at least proficient on the high school assessment in English. This was 9.4 percentage points above the state’s annual measurable objective of 79.5 percent.

In algebra, 87.6 percent of the students met the proficient mark on the high school assessment, which was 13.9 percentage points above the state’s goal of 73.7 percent. The high school cohort graduation rate was 92.8 percent in 2011, up from 88.8 percent in 2010.

In July, MSA reading and math scores at the elementary grade levels improved in 2011 compared to 2010 results. In reading, 90.2 percent of the elementary students scored at least proficient, up by 1.2 percent points from 2010.

In math, elementary students had 88.3 percent of the students at the proficiency level, a gain of 2.5 percentage points from the previous year.

MSA reading and math scores at the middle school level remained the same or dropped in 2011 compared to 2010. In reading, 89.1 percent of the middle school students scored at least proficient, the same as in 2010. In math, middle school students had 84.5 percent of the students at the proficiency level, a drop of less than a percentage point from the previous year.

Garrett is the only school system in the state to have no schools identified as schools in need of improvement.

More here.

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Aug. 4, 2011

Interim school superintendent Sue Waggoner presented an update report on Garrett County schools to the county commissioners on Tuesday. She presented a wide variety of facts and figures pertaining to past and upcoming school years in such areas as pupil services, finance, transportation, food service, and special education.

“Engaging Students to Reach Their Potential” is this year’s theme, Waggoner noted. With that in mind, local teachers, principals, and other personnel have been preparing for the upcoming session, which begins on Aug. 24.

She noted that nearly 6,000 educators from across the state recently participated in a staff development academy at Mountain Ridge High School in Frostburg. More than 60 local Board of Education employees took part in that event, including principals, office personnel, and reading and math teachers.

The BOE will hold an “academy” for new principals on Aug. 9 and 10 and an orientation for new teachers on Aug. 17. Waggoner noted that there are 10 new hires for fiscal year 2012. But a total of 29 positions have been eliminated: 19 at the elementary level, four middle school, five high school, and one central office staff member.

In addition to human resources, Waggoner presented facts in the following areas:

Pupil Services

• Character Education programing has had a positive effect on local schools, according to Waggoner. A local school is recognized annually by the state; the 2011 school was Yough Glades Elementary.

• Total enrollment this year (FY ’12) is expected to be 3,945, which is a loss of 139 students compared to the last school year.

Finance

• With regard to Garrett County per pupil wealth, it is estimated that the county’s assessable real property base will decline by .4 percent for the fiscal year 2013 state aid calculation cycle; however, the state average may contract by 6.20 percent. As a result, Garrett’s wealth could decrease by approximately .33 percent in FY ’13, compared to the state average’s contraction of 4.39 percent.

• The enrollment loss of 139 students, or 3.4 percent, will likely be the highest of any district in the state.

• The above factors could result in a per pupil wealth increase of 3.19 percent for Garrett County and a 4.47 decrease for the state’s average, which could lead to a reduction in state aid of $2,445,608.

• Based upon the estimated data, Garrett County may pass Queen Anne’s and Anne Arundel counties in FY ’13 to become the fifth most wealthy county in the state on a pupil basis. (The county is currently ranked at seventh.)

More here.

Buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland? Call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues!