Thousands
of Maryland students next week will begin using the new Partnership for
Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) tests, as the testing
window for the Performance Based Assessment opens on March 2.
 The new
PARCC tests, aligned to Maryland’s College and Career Ready Standards adopted
in 2010, cover Reading/English Language Arts and Mathematics in grades three
through eight, plus Algebra and English 10 at the high school level.
“Our aim
is not to teach students what to think, but how to think,” said State
Superintendent of Schools Lillian M. Lowery.
“We’re setting the bar high for all Maryland students, and they deserve
it.”
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Maryland
schools have been preparing for the new assessments for more than a year. In 2014, virtually all Maryland schools
piloted the new exams, while other students still took the old Maryland School
Assessment (MSA) tests. This is the
first full year of PARCC implementation, with nearly 75 percent of schools opting to
take the online version of the new assessments.
The new
standards increase rigor and complexity, building for students a foundation for
success in the rapidly changing 21st century economy.
The
PARCC assessments were built to measure a full continuum of student abilities,
including the performance of high- and low-performing students. The new assessments will test writing skills
at every grade level, as well as critical thinking and problem solving skills
in an in-depth manner.
As
computer-based assessments, PARCC will allow for timely snapshots of student
knowledge that provide parents and students with richer information about
performance, and give educators the opportunity to adjust instruction to better
support learning.
More
information on PARCC is available here.
Maryland
teachers and principals find a major component of the new Statewide educator
evaluation system to be a manageable process that provides support to teachers
and principals.
Maryland’s
Educator Evaluation System gauges student growth through Student Learning
Objectives (SLOs) and other evidence of student growth available in each local
school system. A new survey has found
that the SLO process is improving for both teachers and principals.
SLOs are
measurable instructional goals established for a specific group of students
over a set period of time. MSDE staff
surveyed educators this winter to learn how the SLO system was performing. With nearly 10,000 responses, the results are
positive:
- Two-thirds of survey respondents said
they understand what a quality SLO looks like.
- Nearly 70 percent (68.8 percent) of
respondents said they are receiving help to make the SLO process more
manageable.
- Almost three in four respondents
(74.6 percent) said they knew where to go for help with the SLO process.
- More than 60 percent of respondents
indicated that the SLO process led to “meaningful conversations” about
improving instruction.
The survey
builds upon other positive data about Maryland’s Educator Evaluation System.
Maryland
last fall released the first full report on teacher evaluations, completed in
the 2013-14 school year, which found that 97.2 percent of teachers were rated
either “highly effective” or “effective” in the State’s three-tiered rating
system. Likewise, 97.5 percent of principals
were rated either “effective” or “highly effective.”
The data
found that 40.8 percent of teachers were rated “highly effective,” the top tier
of the three-part rating system.
Likewise, 48.3 percent of principals were rated “highly effective,”
under the evaluation system.
School systems
are currently in the second year of implementing new evaluation systems, and
MSDE will continue to monitor progress in that implementation. State assessment data will become available
for consideration as part of the student growth calculation in 2016-17.
 State Superintendent of Schools Lillian M. Lowery
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The Maryland State Board of
Education this week congratulated Anne Arundel’s Belle Grove Elementary,
recently named a National Title I Distinguished School for the 2014-2015 school
year.
The honor is absolutely warranted. Belle Grove is committed to promoting a
positive learning environment for all students, and its success speaks volumes. The school has strengthened student
achievement through data analysis, improved professional development, and
increased community involvement. Belle
Grove serves 265 students in grades PreK to 5.
Eighty-seven percent of the diverse student body is eligible for free-
or reduced-price meals.
The school, located in the Old
Brooklyn Park community, was honored by the National Association of State Title
I Directors at the National Title I Conference in Salt Lake City earlier this
month.
* * *
Three Maryland schools this month
received Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education (EGATE) awards, which
recognize top elementary, middle, and high school programs. These three schools deserve our
congratulations.
The schools are Cross Country
Elementary and Roland Park Elementary in Baltimore City, along with Greenbelt
Elementary School in Prince George’s County.
The awards program, currently in its
fifth year, celebrates gifted and talented programs aligned with the Maryland
criteria. Thirty-three schools from 10
different systems have been honored over the life of the program, and each
represents a top-performing school.
* * *
MSDE this month
became the first State in the nation to sponsor an “Edcamp,” a professional
learning event at which educators designed the agenda to suit their particular
needs. It was exciting to be surrounded by all that creativity and energy.
Developers of the
Edcamp program described it as an “unconference,” which reverse-engineers the
typical education gathering. Unlike
traditional conferences, with schedules dictated months in advance, EdcampMD’s
agenda was developed as a group activity at the outset of the day. Instead of a presenter standing in front of
the room lecturing participants, attendees participated in discussions and
hands-on learning sessions.
Educators learning from
each other: what could be a better scenario?
Lowery, Duncan - Parents Town Hall
February 4, 2015
Maryland Schools Superintendent Lillian Lowery welcomes
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan to Annapolis. The visit to Bates
Middle School is billed as a Parent Town Hall. Here are the highlights
from the visit February 4, 2015
Windows Media Version QuickTime Version MP4 Version
Board News
January 27, 2015
Board News January features Maryland's ever improving
graduation rate, and a discussion on how to make it even better. Also,
the state formulates plans to apply for an extension of the ESEA waiver,
and make adjustments for snow days.
Windows Media Version QuickTime Version MP4 Version
Frederick County Teacher Wins $25,000 Milken Award
January 28, 2015
The Milken Family Foundation surprises Frederick County
Teacher Margaret Hawk with a $25,000 check -- and a 2014-15 Milken
National Educator Award. See the surprise announcement as it happens at
Yellow Springs Elementary.
Windows Media Version QuickTime Version MP4 Version
 MSDE Video Highlights
March 2 - PARCC Performance Based
Assessment Testing Window Opens
March 9 - Blue Ribbon Schools Dinner,
Annapolis
March 24 - Maryland State Board of Education meeting,
Baltimore
Maryland’s Teacher-Principal Evaluations Reviewed WBAL-TV
Maryland Students, Educators Get Ready for New Test Associated Press
Widespread Misconceptions about the Common Core Washington Post
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