BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Carroll County’s school system outshined all others in the Baltimore region on state reading and math tests this year.

Only Carroll had all of its elementary and middle schools meet federal testing benchmarks, according to state data released this week.

“As a system, we need to be extremely happy,” said Gregory Bricca, school research and accountability director.

Last year, Robert Moton Elementary School in Westminster, five middle schools and Carroll Springs, a special education school, failed to meet goals for reading and math set forth under the No Child Left Behind Act.

The five middle schools that improved their proficiency in reading and math were East Middle School in Westminster, Westminster Middle School, North Carroll Middle School, Oklahoma Road Middle School in Eldersburg and Sykesville Middle School. To boost test scores and improve student achievement, the school system took action in several areas, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Lorraine Fulton said.

Teachers of the same courses met regularly to discuss specific students’ test results and trade ideas on how to help struggling pupils master their reading and math skills, she said.

Elementary, middle and high school principals worked collaboratively to figure out how to improve students’ transitions between grade levels.

The system also hired a consultant from the Maryland State Department of Education to teach principals how to best evaluate teachers during “walk-throughs” of classes, Fulton said.

Each year, the federal testing expectations grow tougher, with the aim of having all of the nation’s public schools meet the targets by 2014.

“First, you celebrate the success, but then you have to come to grips with what’s next and where we need to improve,” Fulton said.

kvolkmann@baltimoreexaminer.com