Schools get game plans in place

Hope to make 100 percent AYP in 2010

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

The tests are given to students in grades 3 through 8 in the areas of math and reading as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, with a goal of all students achieving adequate yearly progress, or AYP, by 2014.

All 13 Calvert County elementary schools have met AYP in state testing, but two of the six middle schools, Calvert Middle School and Southern Middle School, did not.

"As a whole, the school system is very pleased," said Calvert County school system spokeswoman Gail Bennett, who echoed earlier statements that additional support, including help with data analysis and instruction, will be brought in to Calvert and Southern middle schools.

"The higher your achievement is, the more difficult it is to make progress," said Bennett, who continued that while having 100 percent of the schools achieving AYP is "always our goal," it is "realistic to think it's going to bounce up and down a little."

Southern Middle School Principal Sylvia Lawson said that her school is already looking at methods of improvement for next year, as Southern Middle did not make AYP in the area of special education math.

"The county has been very proactive … we've already set a date to discuss different strategies and programs that we will implement in math and reading," Lawson said.

"I know there have been tremendous advancements here at Southern Middle School but I know we can't be satisfied until all students are performing at proficient levels academically," she said, citing improved areas as being special education reading and scores of minority students and students who receive free and reduced meals.

Calvert Middle School Principal Bruce Hutchison said that his school already has a number of interventions coming into place in the coming school year.

"We, of course, will be getting a good deal of support from the board of education to help us move forward … we will take this as a team approach with teachers and students," Hutchison said of Calvert Middle, which did not make AYP in the areas of special education reading and math and in reading in the subcategory of students who are receiving free and reduced meals.

Calvert Elementary School and Northern Middle School were the two schools that rose in each subject per grade level this year, and while both principals were pleased, they said that the work is far from over.

"What we're trying to do is have each student reach their maximum potential … We're going to keep working hard and we're already planning for next year," said Calvert Elementary School Principal Laurie Haynie. "Test scores are just one part of the puzzle and we want every student working hard every single day."

Northern Middle School Principal Karen Burnett said that while she was thrilled with her school's progress, she still couldn't put her finger on how it happened.

"All the schools work so hard and one of the hardest things to figure out is what we [as a county] do to make a significant difference," said Burnett, who continued that one thing Calvert County seems to be getting right is, "looking at our data and knowing what to do with it.

" … It really is knowing who your learners are … and then figuring out how to best support them so you're very specific in knowing how to guide them," she said.

While MSAs were looked at on a school-by-school basis, subgroups were also looked at through the county as a whole, and Bennett said that the school board was particularly pleased by the progress made by the African-American and free and reduced meals subgroups. Both of these subgroups rose in both reading and math in elementary and middle schools in the county as a whole.

She did, however, say that while the overall trend with the special education subgroup is a positive one, the fact that numbers did fall in each category from 2008, "is a concern and something we're looking at very closely."

lbuck@somdnews.com