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HSA: No impact in So. Md.
Pass rate varies in remainder of Maryland counties
Friday, June 26, 2009
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With the curtain closed on this school year, administrators at the state's largest school systems are still trying to assess the impact of the High School Assessments on their graduation numbers.
Beginning with this year's senior class, each student had to pass four HSAs in English, biology, algebra and government to graduate from high school.
Those who failed an HSA at least twice could complete a project related to the test in order to earn the diploma. In rare instances, such as a death in the immediate family, administrators could grant waivers to students who could not take an HSA.
The graduation numbers vary around the state.
In Charles County, no seniors failed to graduate because of the requirement, according to school system spokeswoman Katie O'Malley-Simpson.
In St. Mary's County, according to school officials no seniors failed to graduate because of the requirement as well, though three were granted state waivers of the requirement because they either transferred into the system partway through the school year or, in one case, were promoted to the senior class from the junior class during the school year.
According to Cathy Page, supervisor of system performance, 100 percent of Calvert County seniors met HSA requirements.
In Montgomery County, which has the state's largest school system, 100 students failed to pass the HSAs, which were given throughout the year. An estimated 10,425 seniors graduated this year, up from 10,197 graduates last year, according to school system information.
Last week, however, Montgomery schools spokesman Stephen R. Simon said the system would not have final graduation numbers until the end of the month.
The situation is different in Prince George's County, home to the state's second-largest school system.
Earlier this month, administrators from the majority-black school system reported that 436 seniors have not satisfied all graduation requirements. That number includes students who may still need to satisfy credit requirements, finish community service hours or pass an HSA, said schools spokeswoman Lynn McCawley.
A total of 571 students did not graduate from Prince George's schools the year before. All told, the Prince George's system graduated 7,879 students this year, down from 9,122 students last year, McCawley said.
For the past two years, school administrators throughout the state and some lawmakers had predicted that a number of black and Hispanic students would not pass the HSAs and would fail to graduate.
The Baltimore County and Baltimore city school systems are still finalizing their graduation numbers and won't have complete data until July 1, officials of both school systems said this week.
In Anne Arundel, every diploma-bound senior passed the HSAs, and 188 seniors failed to graduate, said county spokeswoman Maneka S. Monk. A total of 4,790 seniors graduated this year, down from 5,179 graduates the year before.
Chuck Yocum, Anne Arundel's specialist in student demographics, attributed the drop in the number of graduates to the "natural decline" in enrollment in the high schools.
The number of high school seniors is expected to decline for the next several years, while the number of elementary school students will increase, Yocum said.
A total of 3,635 Howard County seniors graduated this year, down from 3,734 students the year before, said Patti Caplan, a county schools spokeswoman, who added that all Howard County seniors passed the HSAs.
