CHANGE MY LOCATION
Local
California News
Multimedia News
Pupils top state scores
SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY
Related Topics: Harford County
Harford County (Map, News) - Harford County elementary and middle school students continued to outperform state averages on the Maryland School Assessment in 2007, making modest gains over last year’s reading and math scores at almost every grade level.
The results of the test, which were released publicly Thursday, showed that 83.2 percent of Harford County Public School students scored “proficient” or higher on the reading portion, and 75.9 percent were proficient on the math section.
Statewide, test-takers made significant gains over last year, improving to a 76.2 percent passing rate for reading and 71.8 percent for math.
Harford students beat the state averages in every subject and grade, including a 9.7-point advantage in eighth-grade reading.
The MSA is a reading and math test given yearly to third- through eighth-graders. The data is used to measure a school’s progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Carolyn Wood, the supervisor of accountability for county public schools, said in a statement that the progress shown by the county’s test results is “generally in line with expectations.”
Students at Bel Air Middle School achieved many of the county’s top scores, boasting a 92.8 percent passing rate on the eighth-grade reading portion.
“I am so proud of my staff and my kids. They do a wonderful job,” Principal Nancy Reynolds said, attributing the school’s success to “very intentional and high-quality instruction.”
At Jarrettsville Elementary School, 100 percent of fourth-graders passed both the reading and math sections of the exam — one of just a few schools in the state to achieve that distinction.
Rounding out the bottom of the list were William Paca/Old Post Elementary School and Edgewood Middle School, where just 29.4 percent of eighth-graders achieved a passing grade on the math section of the test.
jdavisson@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
1:48 PM MST on Fri., Jun. 15, 2007 re: "Pupils top state scores"
Report as inappropriate
Harco Examiner Reader said:
Any idea where we can find the actual scores?
121 agree | 95 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree