September 2017 Edition: MSDE Education Bulletin

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September 2017

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MSDE Home - Newsroom - School Improvement 

Image Back to School Tour Woodbridge ES group photo
Governor Larry Hogan and State Superintendent Dr. Salmon are welcomed by Woodbridge Elementary School in Baltimore County as part of their Opening Day of School Tour!

Welcome Back Maryland Students, Teachers, Staff and Parents!

Last Tuesday, September 5 marked the First Day of School for many Maryland students, educators and their families and MSDE is focused on helping to make this school year our best yet! 

Governor Larry Hogan and Dr. Karen Salmon, State Superintendent of Schools, kicked off the year with an Opening Day of School Tour, visiting Woodbridge Elementary School and Arbutus Elementary School, located in Baltimore County. Dr. Salmon then extended the tour on to Anne Arundel County, visiting Monarch Academy Annapolis Public Contract School and Annapolis Elementary School.

The Governor and State Superintendent welcomed students, staff, educators and parents to the 2017-2018 School Year and spoke with the excited crowd about the year to come, as well as toured classrooms and participated in school warm ups and activities.

Click the links below to see a Welcome Back message from State Superintendent Dr. Salmon and a recap from the Opening Day of School Tour! Have a wonderful School Year!

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Image Frederick County Public Schools Youth Apprenticeship
Mentors, Leaders and Apprentices of Frederick County Public School's Maryland Youth Apprenticeship "Earn and Learn" Program!

CTE News

FCPS Apprenticeship Program!

Last year, Frederick County Public Schools were selected along with Washington County Public Schools to pilot the Maryland Youth Apprenticeship "Earn and Learn" Program. During the first year, eight Frederick County Public School students successfully completed the program requirements! The program requirements included working a minimum of 450 hours with a mentor to learn valuable skills and earn industry credentials as well as earn high school credit.

The “Earn and Learn” Program is a partnership between the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, the Maryland State Department of Education, the Department of Commerce, FCPS, community educational and business partners, and employers. Over the past year, this program has garnered significant attention throughout the state and beyond. 

This summer, representatives from New America- Educational Policy Program visited Walt Scowden, Youth Mentor & Manager of Biomedical Engineering at Frederick Memorial Hospital and former Youth Apprentice, now employee, Justin Elliott to learn more about program implementation. Justin Elliott, is an FCPS graduate who completed the Maryland Youth Apprenticeship Pilot with Frederick Memorial Hospital and has now been offered a full time position! 

The "Earn and Learn" Program has clearly provided students, like Justin, a solid and smooth transition into life after graduation! Congratulations "Earn and Learn" Students!  

Image Maryland State Board of Education

State Board Actions

August 22, 2017

The following actions were taken at the August 22, 2017 meeting of the Maryland State Board of Education (State Board):

  • The State Board unanimously approved submission of the revised Maryland ESSA Consolidated State Plan. 
  • The State Board approved the 2018 State Board Meeting Dates. 
  • The State Board approved continuation of Maryland’s Alternative Assessment – Alternate Achievement Standards (AA-AAS) program including the adoption of the Core Content Connectors and the Essential Elements. 
  •  The State Board approved the recommendation to place Friendship Academy of Engineering and Technology on probationary status on the list of persistently dangerous schools.

The following Regulatory Actions were rendered on August 22, 2017: 

  •  COMAR 13A.06.07.01-.10 Student Transportation- granted permission to publish the proposed amendments.
  • Granted permission to adopt amendments to COMAR 13A.02.01.04 Length of School Year, to reduce from 5 to 3 the number of days by which school systems must extend their calendars in order to obtain a waiver of the 180-day school year requirement, when necessary.
  • COMAR 13A.06.01.02 and .03 Programs for Food and Nutrition- approved the adoption of the amendments to COMAR 13A.06.01.02 and .03, Programs for Food and Nutrition.
  • COMAR 13A.12.02.21 Hearing Impaired- adopted the proposed amendments to COMAR 13A.12.02.2. 

Meeting materials, Opinions, and Orders can be found at: 

www.marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Pages/default.aspx

The next meeting of the Maryland State Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, September 19, 2017, at the Nancy S. Grasmick State Education Building, 200 West Baltimore Street, 7th Floor Board Room, Baltimore, Maryland 21201.

Appropriate accommodations for individuals with disabilities will be provided upon request. Eight business days notice prior to the event is required. Please contact Charlene Necessary at (410) 767-0467 or TTY at (410) 333-6442 so arrangements can be made. 

Maryland capital done with the Maryland flag design behind it.

IN THIS ISSUE

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PARCC Assessment Data, Available Now!

System and school-level results for the third year of the PARCC assessments are now available on MSDE's Report Card website: 

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Scholarship Offers for Maryland Grads Set A New Record

Maryland’s graduating class of 2017 received more than $1.327 billion in college scholarship offers, according to the results of a new Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) survey. This amount surpasses the class of 2015’s record total, which fell just short of $1.32 billion.

For more information, click the link below! 

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Image Maryland Teacher with Jamaican students

Teach the Teachers: MSDE Heads to Jamaica!

In Jamaican Patois, there is a saying “one-one cocoa full de basket”meaning: little by, little we make a difference. 

For two weeks in July, a team of volunteer educators from Maryland local school systems and MSDE, Division of Special Education/Early Intervening Services, provided services and professional development to Jamaican teachers as volunteers with Great Shape! Inc. Teach the Teachers (TtT)

This year the TtT team consisted of 30 volunteers from the United States and Canada collaborating with 120 Jamaican teachers and supporting 30 children. To learn more about Great Shape! Inc and TtT click the link below! 

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Finalists Named for the 2017-2018 Maryland Teacher of the Year!

Dr. Karen Salmon, State Superintendent of Schools, this week announced the names of seven finalists for 2017-2018 Maryland Teacher of the Year.


This year's finalists are: Joshua Carroll, Anne Arundel County; Justin Holbrook, Baltimore City; Dr. Thomas McHugh, Carroll County; Heather Roth, Garrett County; Amy E. Mangold, Harford County; Dr. Maddy Halbach, Howard County; Katie Fox, Talbot County.

 

Congratulations to all our Maryland Teacher of the Year Finalists!