Greenbelt Middle at risk for state takeover

Failure to meet AYP could mean new administration, programs

The Maryland Department of Education annually assesses the reading and math skills of students in grades 3 through 8 with its Maryland School Assessments. Schools and student subgroups – such as special education students and races – are expected to meet Adequate Yearly Progress – up until the 2013-2014 school year, when 100 percent proficiency will be expected.

Greenbelt Elementary and Berwyn Heights Elementary have met proficiency levels in math and reading scores since 2003.

Schools that perform poorly on those tests for two consecutive years are placed on a School Improvement watch list in which certain statutes must be met before the school is allowed to exit the list.

Springhill Lake Elementary has improved its status for the second year in a row, enabling it to exit School Improvement status.

Greenbelt Middle is in danger of a state takeover including having its teachers replaced or reopening as a charter school. If the school still has not met AYP goals by the fifth year, then all of the aforementioned penalties must be implemented, according to the state's Department of Education.

Greenbelt Middle School principal Judy Austin said her school is making some progress.

According to the 2008 Maryland Report Card compiled by Maryland's Department of Education, Greenbelt Middle had the highest middle school gain in mathematics in the county but did not meet requirements for its reading assessments.

The school's annual measurable objective for reading for 2008 was 71.1 percent, but the school's scores only reached 63.7 percent.

"We emphasized how important it was," Austin said. "We are very excited that we will have an all-out campaign that every child will read 25 books this year."

She said there will be a three-book minimum each month for every student.

Other measures Austin will implement include after-school tutoring sessions in math and reading two days a week, greater in-classroom attention to students targeted as needing extra help and incentive-based activities such as field trips and school assemblies with motivational speakers.

Austin said she is hopeful the new initiatives will increase the school's scores.

Springhill Lake Elementary Principal Linda Sherwood said her school was able to make AYP by focusing on individual student progress, extended learning opportunities and professional development for teachers.

She said her staff was able to analyze data and contact parents of students whose academic performances were suffering, as well as offer specialized academic attention early in the school year.

"We didn't wait to tell parents until progress report time," said Sherwood.

Sherwood said she hopes to continue to analyze subgroup data to learn which students need extra guidance in the classroom. She said in following this model, her school was able to identify that its female students were performing better than male students.

"We need to look at why these subgroups are performing better than others," said Sherwood.

E-mail Gay Ojugbana at gojugbana@gazette.net.