Office of the Superintendent of Schools
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Rockville, Maryland
August 18, 2003
MEMORANDUM
To:
Members of the Board of Education
From:
Jerry D. Weast, Superintendent of Schools
Subject:
2003 Status of Federally Funded Title I Schools in Need of Improvement
The 10 federally funded Title I elementary schools that have undergone significant improvement
efforts in reading and mathematics over the past two years in response to requirements of the
Maryland State Department of Education’s implementation of the federal No Child Left Behind
Act have made significant progress, with schools achieving passing rates this past year in all but
just 10 of the 180 performance areas. Based on results of the Maryland School Assessments
(MSA) taken last spring, two schools—Broad Acres Elementary and Burnt Mills Elementary—
achieved passing rates in all of the required categories and are poised next year to come off the
list of schools identified for improvement if they continue to improve.
Seven of the remaining eight schools passed 17 of the 18 assessment areas assigned to each
school, and the eighth school passed 14 of the 18 assessments. Consequently, each of these
schools will be required to provide supplemental services for at least two more years, such as
tutoring or mentoring at a parent’s request. The assessment areas in which standards were not
met in these eight schools occurred almost exclusively among small subgroups of students with
limited English proficiency and disabilities.
All of the 10 schools achieved the required passing standards in reading and mathematics for
nearly all of the major subgroups of students—Asian American, African American, Hispanic,
and white, and students participating in the Free and Reduced-Price Meal System (FARMS)—
with the lone exception being the assessment area of reading among Hispanic and FARMS
students at Highland Elementary. In fact, each of the schools (including Highland) achieved the
state’s schoolwide passing standard, a notable achievement given the immense challenges facing
all of these schools.
By definition, the federally funded Title I schools have the highest level of poverty in the school
system, along with significantly high concentrations of racial and ethnic diversity and students
with limited English proficiency. Broad Acres Elementary, for example, had 519 students last
year, with a white student enrollment of less than one percent, a Hispanic student enrollment of
64 percent, an African American student enrollment of 19 percent, an Asian American student
enrollment of 16 percent, and a FARMS rate of 88 percent. The school’s mobility rate—
Members of the Board of Education
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August 18, 2003
meaning the number of students who come and go during the school year—was approximately
27 percent, about the same as the percentage of students participating in the English for Speakers
of Other Languages (ESOL) program. Such challenges at Broad Acres and the other nine
federally funded Title I schools have required exceptional work by the principals, teachers, and
support staff to make incremental gains.
The performance standards being imposed on the schools will continue to rise on a yearly basis
as the state implements its long-range requirements for annual yearly progress in student
achievement. The provisions of federal law are such that each of the 18 specific subgroups
within a school must also achieve the required passing rates in order for a school to meet all of
the necessary performance standards. Moreover, each of the schools must achieve the required
standards for two consecutive years to avoid implementation of required improvement
provisions. All of the schools have been implementing some of these improvement provisions
already, such as the school choice option that allows parents to send their child to another
designated school. For the upcoming school year, parents requested the choice option for 121
students, among the more than 5,000 eligible students enrolled in the 10 schools.
The provision of supplemental services such as tutoring and mentoring will require special
parental notification as the school year begins, and efforts are under way to assist the individual
schools in completing the necessary parental notifications in a timely manner, with concurrent
language translations as necessary.
Based on initial performance data, one Title I school—Wheaton Woods Elementary—appeared
ready to be taken off the school improvement list entirely for the upcoming year because of its
recent success a year ago on the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP).
However, a recalculation of the new test data identified a single performance area in reading
among students with limited English proficiency that did not meet the state standard. As a
consequence, Wheaton Woods will now be required to stay on the school improvement list for
two more years. The school’s earlier accomplishments will no longer be counted toward the goal
of adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years because of this year’s break in annual
progression, a stipulation that seems unduly restrictive and punitive given the overall success of
the school’s improvement efforts.
The focus on the specific progress of different subgroups of students—particularly those with
limited English proficiency—will affect many schools in the school system, not just the Title I
schools, as the state and federal accountability standards move forward. The performance
measures require specific gains each year for individual subgroups of students, in addition to the
overall progress of the school. This is an important consideration for Montgomery County,
given the growing diversity of our enrollment and the fact that our system enrolls nearly half of
all students in Maryland who participate in English language instruction.
The progress made thus far by the heavily impacted Title I schools continues to be impressive.
The ongoing achievements of these schools reflect the continued impact of reform efforts
Members of the Board of Education
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August 18, 2003
implemented over the past several years to improve student performance, build progressively
stronger academic programs, and expand opportunities for incremental success each year,
especially in reading and mathematics. The reforms have targeted more than just the Title I
schools and include 60 elementary schools that are located in the areas of Montgomery County
from Takoma Park to Germantown that encompass the greatest level of poverty and diversity in
language, race, and ethnicity. The attendance areas of these schools, representing less than half
of the county’s total number of elementary schools, have 81 percent of all elementary students in
the federal meal program systemwide, 71 percent of the English language learners, 79 percent of
the Hispanic students, 72 percent of the African American students, 48 percent of the Asian
American students, and 29 percent of the white students.
The lessons being learned through the school improvement efforts in the Title 1 schools will be
important for the entire system, as we continue to move forward. Indeed, the attached table
reflects the significant progress made already by the federally funded Title I schools in the
performance areas disaggregated data by race, ethnicity, special education, limited English
proficiency, and FARMS. More detailed data is expected later this week, when the state releases
the results of last spring's assessments for Grades 3, 5, 8, and 10.
I will continue to keep you informed.
JDW:kmy
Attachment
Copy to:
Executive Staff
Principals
Progress in Reading and Mathematics by Federally Funded Title I Schools
In Achieving Annual Yearly Measures for Student Performance
Montgomery County Public Schools
Subgroups of Students
School
All Students
Asian
African
American
Asian
American
Hispanic
White
Special
Education
Limited
English
Proficient
FARMS
School
Improvement
Status
BROAD ACRES ELEMENTARY
•
AYP in Reading
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
n/a
Passed
Passed
Passed
•
AYP in Math
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
n/a
Passed
Passed
Passed
Year 1
BURNT MILLS ELEMENTARY
•
AYP in Reading
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
•
AYP in Math
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Year 1
GAITHERSBURG ELEMENTARY
•
AYP in Reading
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Not Passed
Passed
•
AYP in Math
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Year 2
HARMONY HILLS ELEMENTARY
•
AYP in Reading
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Not Passed
Passed
Passed
•
AYP in Math
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Year 2
HIGHLAND ELEMENTARY
•
AYP in Reading
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Not Passed
Passed
Passed
Not Passed
Not Passed
•
AYP in Math
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Not Passed
Passed
Year 2
KEMP MILLS ELEMENTARY
•
AYP in Reading
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Not Passed
Passed
•
AYP in Math
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Year 2
ROSEMONT ELEMENTARY
•
AYP in Reading
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
•
AYP in Math
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Not Passed
Passed
Passed
Year 2
SUMMIT HALL ELEMENTARY
•
AYP in Reading
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
•
AYP in Math
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Not Passed
Passed
Passed
Year 2
WELLER ROAD ELEMENTARY
•
AYP in Reading
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Not Passed
Passed
•
AYP in Math
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Year 2
WHEATON WOODS ELEMENTARY
•
AYP in Reading
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Not Passed
Passed
•
AYP in Math
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
* Preliminary results of Annual Yearly Progress calculations based on information provided by the Maryland State Department of Education, pending release of individual school
performance and attendance data by MSDE on August 22, 2003.
Year 2