Year: 2015

Weekly News Roundup: School Bus Violence, Science Bowl, Literacy Program

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A cellphone video shows a sixth grader at Accokeek Academy being beaten on a school bus by other students (Fox32 and WTOP). The mother of one of the attackers claims that her daughter was acting in self-defense after being bullied, but the family of the alleged victim calls those claims “a complete farce” (Fox 5).

CEO Kevin Maxwell’s proposed $2 billion operating budget includes $43 million for teacher raises, $5 million for professional development and additional money for smaller class sizes, expanded prekindergarten, and math and literacy coaches. (Capital Gazette)

Prince George’s County’s science bowl for middle school and elementary school students is now in its 30th year. The Jeopardy-style competition is filmed in a professional television studio each fall and winter. Forty elementary schools and sixteen middle schools compete for spots in the final match-up which takes place in March. (Washington Post)

Hazel Ware, a fifteen-year-old senior at Flowers High School has been taking college classes since she was 13 years old and is currently enrolled at Prince George’s Community College through the Dual Enrollment program. She also founded the AP crusaders group at her school, a study program for students preparing for AP exams. (ABC7)

As part of PGCPS’s new literacy program, students at some high schools are analyzing articles and writing essays in all of their classes, including science and math. (Washington Post)

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One Parent’s Efforts to Bring Salad Bars to PG Schools

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by Kate McElhenny

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and various corporate sponsors are working together to bring salad bars to school cafeterias across the country in support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative.

Several studies have shown that school children, given access to a salad bar at school, will consume more fruits and vegetables in their day and in a greater variety.

Saira Khan, a PGCPS parent (holding a PhD in nutrition), came across this broad public and private partnership and saw no reason why it could not and should not be implemented in her children’s schools, and in the Prince George’s County School District at large.

After a few weeks of discussing the matter with fellow Parkdale parents, students and teachers, Saira had inspired many of them to meet with a representative of the PGCPS Food Services Department to request sponsorship of this salad bar grant.  The application for this grant can only be submitted by the Food Services Director of a School District.

Despite over four thousand salad bars having already been donated through this program, some as near as the Montgomery County and Anne Arundel County School Districts, the initial meeting did not end with the hoped for sponsorship.  Instead, the enthusiastic group was met with questions and concerns.

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Weekly News Roundup: CEO Proposes $2 Billion Budget, ESSA Signed into Law

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Schools CEO Kevin Maxwell gave his yearly state of the schools address on Thursday, outlining a proposed operating budget of $2 billion, a 9.9% increase in spending over the current year. Among Maxwell’s priorities are reducing class sizes in the early grades, raising teacher salaries, and expanding pre-kindergarten.  (Washington Post)

Find the full version of the CEO’s proposed fiscal year 2017 operating budget on the Department of Budget and Management Services’ webpage.

Three community meetings will be held next week to discuss possible school closings and boundary changes. The three community discussions will be held at Accokeek Academy (Monday, December 14), Northwestern High School (Tuesday, December 15), and Andrew Jackson Academy (Wednesday, December 16). All meetings begin at 6:30 pm.  (PGCPS)

Several families have spoken to the Washington Post about corporal punishment at Dora Kennedy French Immersion School in Greenbelt (Washington Post). In October, we published one parent’s account here.

The PARCC results are in for elementary and high school students. Among PGCPS students in grades 3-8, about 25% of students taking the English Language Arts/Literacy assessment and 15% of students taking the mathematics assessment received a score of 4 or 5. Performance is graded on a five-point scale, with a score of 4 indicating that the student “met expectations” and a score of 5 indicating that expectations were exceeded. Read stories at pgcps.org, the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, and on this blog. Find detailed results for every county and school in Maryland at the Maryland Report Card.

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Prince George’s County PARCC Results Released for Elementary and Middle Schools

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by Genevieve Demos Kelley

classroomThe elementary and middle school test results for the new Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) in English Language Arts/ Literacy (ELA) and mathematics are now available on the Maryland State Department of Education’s Maryland Report Card. According to the PGCPS news release, home reports will be distributed next Monday.

Maryland is one of a shrinking number of states committed to using the new test, which was administered for the first time during the spring of the 2014-2015 school year.

Here are some key points from the data:

Fewer PGCPS Students Passed AP Exams in 2015

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by Genevieve Demos Kelley

Earlier this year, we ran a story noting the six-year upward trend in Advanced Placement (AP) exam participation among students in Prince George’s County Schools. Between 2008 and 2014, participation in the AP program grew, while passing rates held steady. (Scores of three or higher, out of a possible five points, are considered passing.)

But according to numbers released on the 2015 Maryland Report Card, both the number of exams taken and the overall passing rate have declined slightly this year. Mathematics exams saw the biggest drop with a passing rate of 15.8% and 109 out of 692 exams receiving a passing score in 2015, compared with last year’s passing rate  of 19.1%, with 161 successful exams out of a total of 841 exams taken.

2008 2014 2015
AP Subject Description Exams with Scores 3-5/ Exams Taken
(%Exams w/ Scores 3-5)		 Exams with Scores 3-5/ Exams Taken
(%Exams w/ Scores 3-5)		 Exams with Scores 3-5/ Exams Taken
(%Exams w/ Scores 3-5)
All Subjects 2150/7829 (27.5%) 2606/9660 (27%) 2443/9452 (25.8%)
All Fine Arts 55/120 (45.8%) 130/267 (48.7%) 95/267 (35.6%)
All English Language Arts 593/2313 (25.6%) 623/2737 (22.8%) 625/2684 (23.3%)
All Foreign Language 191/301 (63.5%) 227/308  (73.7%) 183/251 (72.9%)
All Mathematics 180/753 (23.9%) 161/841  (19.1%) 109/692 (15.8%)
All Science 682/2341 (29.1%) 775/2791 (27.8%) 778/2616 (29.7%)
All Social Studies 449/2001 (22.4%) 690/2716 (25.4%) 618/2880 (21.5%)

Source: Maryland Report Card

These numbers don’t look good, but it’s not all bad news. Let’s take a closer look at the data and put the numbers in context:

Weekly News Roundup: No Child Left Behind Rewrite Passes House

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Three community meetings to discuss boundary changes, school reassignment, and consolidation have been announced. Schools to be discussed include Accokeek Academy, Buck Lodge MS, Calverton ES, Forestville HS, Fort Washington Forest ES, G. James Gholson MS, Martin L. King Jr. MS, Potomac Landing ES, Princeton ES, Skyline ES, Suitland ES, Suitland HS, William Beanes ES. Reassigning sixth graders to middle schools will also be discussed. For dates and locations, see the flyer.

Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. High School won the Maryland 4A state football championship on Friday, defeating Howard High School 55-6 (Sentinel). Watch highlights of the game at Fox 5.

Side by Side, a faith-based nonprofit organization in Laurel, works with parents at five elementary schools to help parents learn how to help their children succeed in school. (Baltimore Sun)

A suspicious backpack with what looked like wires sticking out of it was found at Bladensburg High School after a bomb threat was called in to the school. An inspection showed that the backpack was harmless. (NBC 4)

Derrick Leon David (D-Mitchellville) and Danielle M. Glaros (D-Riverdale Park) were elected by the Prince George’s County Council as the new chair and vice chair, respectively. According to Davis, the council is “committed to creating a more business-friendly county.” (Washington Post)

A bipartisan rewrite of 2002’s much-criticized No Child Left Behind law, bill S. 1177,  easily passed the House on Wednesday and has moved on to the Senate for a vote early next week. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA,) would give the federal government a smaller role in overseeing and guiding public education. The new legislation retains the requirement for annual testing in math and English and in grades 3 – 8 and once in high school. However, states would be able to make their own decisions about how to evaluate teachers and schools. (Washington Post)

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Journey to Kindergarten, Part 1

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This will be the first part of a series documenting the steps one family is taking to prepare for their son’s entrance into kindergarten next year.

by Gail Z.buses

My oldest son recently turned five years old, which means that we’ll be parents of a kindergarten student next school year. While some parents living in Prince George’s County choose private school for their children, my husband and I have decided that our kids will at least start out in public school. Despite the overall negative reviews Prince George’s County Public Schools tend to receive, we’ve heard good things about our area school. We’re thankful for that because we think it’s a good idea to at least give PGCPS a try.

After all, I taught in those schools as an elementary school teacher for three years and saw many students excel — from students who simply completed their assignments on time and received good grades, to those who were admitted into the Talented and Gifted (TAG) program, to those who went on to magnet programs in middle school. PGCPS does have opportunities for those who work hard and take advantage of them.

As we count down the months until August 2016, my husband and I are in prep mode. We are constantly gathering information–whether from the PGCPS website or friends–so that we are armed with all the information we need to ensure that our son has a strong start in school.

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Weekly News Roundup: International Schools, New Family Resource Center

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Prince George’s County Public Schools has opened two new immigrant-only high schools, or “International Schools” this year, one in Largo and another in Langley Park. These schools are designed to meet the needs of students learning English as a second language. In Maryland, only slightly more than half of English language learners graduate on time, compared with 87% for all students. Similar schools in New York have had success in improving graduation rates among students learing English. (Baltimore Sun) See also this Sentinel article from August.

Reporters from ABC’s “7 on Your Side” team found that confidential documents containing sensitive information about several PGCPS students were posted online on a Weebly website. (ABC7)

Local official at last week’s City of Bowie Education Committee forum discussed overcrowding at Bowie High School and acknolwedged that a new high school probably won’t be built any time soon. (Capital Gazette)

Governor Hogan announced on Monday that Maryland will partner with the private sector to launch a  P-Tech program in the state. The P-Tech (Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools) model trains kids for technology programs in a six-year program that blends high school, college, and work experience. Gov. Hogan’s goal is to open two P-Tech schools in Baltimore and two in rural areas of the state. (Washington Post)

Redskins players handed out turkeys and other traditional Thanksgiving food items at Suitland High School to 200 families in need. Schools CEO Kevin Maxwell and County Council Member Karen R. Toles attended the event. (Washington Post)

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Slight Decline in Prince George’s SAT Scores for 2015

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by Genevieve Demos Kelley

The 2015 SAT scores for Prince George’s County high schools are now available on the Maryland Report Card. Though the school system’s average math subscore was three points higher this year than last year, 2015 saw a slight decline in both the mean composite SAT score and the number of test takers.

The table below shows the average reading, math, and writing subscores and the average composite SAT scores for 2015 college bound seniors in each of the county’s public high schools, as well as the average scores for PGCPS and the state of Maryland. Next to each score, the change from the previous year, 2014, is displayed in either red or green. For example, in Bladensburg High School, the average reading SAT score was 371 in 2015, 31 points lower than it was in 2014. The average math score was 384, two points higher than in 2014.

sat2015v2

Mean SAT scores for college-bound seniors, as reported by the MSDE on the 2015 Maryland Report Card; changes (+/-) from 2014.

To find SAT scores for your school, for every year from 2008 to 2015, go to the Maryland Report Card and hover over the “School” tab. Choose “Prince George’s County” from the pull-down menu, then find your school. Click to open the SAT pdf file, found under the “Graphs and Tables” heading.

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Weekly News Roundup: Salary Disparities, Cricket Leagues, Proposed Legislation

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A report from the Washington Area Boards of Education (WABE) shows large disparities in average teacher salary between school districts in the Washington area. The average teacher salary in Prince George’s County is $9,300 less than it is in Montgomery County. Virginia’s Prince William County has the lowest average teacher salary in the region, and Arlington County is the highest-paying suburban district in the region (Washington Post). To read the entire WABE report, which includes other information such as cost per pupil, total enrollment, and funding sources, go here.

The Prince George’s County delegation is proposing more than two dozen bills in the upcoming legislative session. Among them are a pilot program that would move schools toward a restorative justice discipline model, as an alternative to suspensions, a bill to establish an inspector general over Prince George’s County Public Schools, and a proposal to require CEO Maxwell to report regularly to the general assembly about the school system’s finances (Washington Post).

Delegate Alonzo Washington provides more details about his proposal to establish an Office of the Inspector General in PGCPS and his proposal to move toward a restorative justice model of discipline in his November 18th newsletter.

Andre Brown, a former High Point High School teacher who was convicted in September of sexually abusing a student, was sentenced on Thursday to ten years in prison. (NBC 4)

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