Last week, the Maryland Department of Education released its 2021–22 report cards for public school across the state, with many local schools scoring lower than previous years.
This marked the first time where school report cards were updated since the 2018-19 academic year. Public schools receive a rating between one and five stars
These stars are based on four indicators at elementary and middle school levels that include academic achievement and progress, English language proficiency, school quality and student success.
“While the Maryland School Report Card provides valuable insight about school performance, it provides a very limited snapshot of the progress of our more than 111,00 students and the work our schools are doing to rebound from the significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” BCPS Superintendent Darryl L. Williams said in a statement.
Two schools in the Dundalk area received a one star rating, where no local schools in the community had earned such rating years prior to now.
Dundalk Middle School and General John Stricker Middle School specifically received one star ratings in latest release of report cards. Schools receive one star when a school has less than 30% of total earned points percent.
Out of 96.5 possible points to earned, Dundalk Middle School collected 27.5 points that equals out to only 28.4 percent of total earned points percent.
Scores can be brought down by a variety of factors, like low test scores, poor student performance, high rates of absences and poor academic growth.
According to the latest state school report cards, less than 5 percent of students at Dundalk Middle School were found to be proficient in math and 9.2 percent were proficient in English.
General John Stricker Middle School had 96.5 possible points to be earned, but only totaled 28.6 points hat equals out to only 29.5 percent of total earned points percent.
According to state school report cards, less than 5 percent of students at John Stricker tested proficient in math and 12.3 percent of students were proficient in English.
Almost half of students at both schools were found to be chronically absent from class, according to state school report cards.
Five schools throughout Dundalk received two star ratings include Dundalk Elementary School, Dundalk High School, Holabird Middle School, Logan Elementary School and Sandy Plains Elementary Schools. Dundalk Elementary, Logan Elementary and Sandy Plains Elementary have dropped in the latest report card, as the three named schools were once three star rated in 2018.
All three schools had seen drops in math proficiency, as well as school attendance over a three-year span.
In the latest report card released by Maryland, only 7.6 percent of students at Dundalk Elementary tested proficient at math, compared to 13.6 percent of students proficient in math in 2019.
About 9 percent of Logan Elementary students were found to be math-proficient, and only 7.4 percent of students at Sandy Plains tested proficient in the same subject in 2022.
Compare those numbers in 2018, as over 26 percent of students in Logan Elementary and almost 14 percent of Sandy Plans students were proficient in math
In 2022, 52.1 percent of Dundalk Elementary students were considered chronically absent from school, whereas only 28.4 percent of students were chronically absent in 2019. About 53 percent of students at both Logan Elementary and Sandy Plains were found to be chronically absent in 2022.
Local schools in the Dundalk area that earned a three star rating that includes Battle Grove Elementary, Bear Creek Elementary, Berkshire Elementary, Grange Elementary, Patapsco High School and Sparrows Point Middle School. Battle Grove Elementary improved from their 2018 two star rating to improve to three stars in the latest school report card, whereas Grange Elementary fell from their four star rating in 2018 to now.
Only three schools received a four star rating in the latest school report card which include Charlesmont Elementary, Chesapeake Terrace and Sparrows Point High School. No school in the Dundalk area earned a rating of five stars.
“The data collected from the 2022 Report Card is the starting point for us to shape local education agency policy and work toward implementing evidence-based, best-in-class work to drive student outcomes,” said State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury.
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