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At the third annual State School System Address on Tuesday night, Prince George's County Superintendent William Hite Jr. focused on county schools' academic gains, such as increased standardized test scores and a larger enrollment in advanced placement classes, but stressed there is still room for improvement.

"I am of the belief that smart is something you can become — It is not something you are," Hite said during his speech at Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro.

Hite highlighted five categories — student achievement, effective teaching, customer service, education reform and performance management — that county schools should improve on this school year.

This was Hite's first State of the School System Address since his appointment in April, but his remarks echoed last year's speech by then-Superintendent John E. Deasy, who noted that achievement is not at the level it could be, but students are on the right track.

While county schools made significant gains on state assessments for both middle and high school students from 2008 to 2009, Hite said the school system's work won't be done until scores rise to show nearly 100 percent of students passing the annual tests.

Nearly 80 percent of high school seniors passed the High School Assessments in 2009, a nearly 15 percentage point increase from last year, and 69.5 percent of elementary and middle school students passed both reading and math assessments.

Hite encouraged teachers to continue focusing on state assessment curriculum to hopefully move additional county schools out of school improvement status, which is enforced for schools that repeatedly fail to meet their target of success, Adequate Yearly Progress, on the annual assessment tests.

Hite commended schools that exited school improvement status this year, including Friendly High School in Fort Washington, Forestville Military Academy, Parkdale High School in Riverdale, Columbia Park Elementary School in Landover and William W. Hall Elementary and Walker Mill Middle schools, both in Capitol Heights.

However, Hite said there are still additional schools in the county that need to improve. Lincoln Public Charter School in Temple Hills and Eugene Burroughs Middle School in Accokeek entered school improvement this year for failing to meet AYP for the second consecutive year.

Prince George's County Board of Education Chairwoman Verjeana Jacobs (At-large) said upcoming boundary changes will give students better access to strong academic programs by closing under-enrolled schools.

"Just stick with us," Jacobs said to parents.

Hite reminded parents that phase two of the boundary changes, which will focus on consolidating schools in the central part of the county — including Bowie, Upper Marlboro and Hyattsville — begins this week with the first meeting to be held 6 p.m. today at Northwestern High School in Hyattsville.

Hite said he hopes the school system can also aid education reform by reaching out to children at an earlier age.

This year, 420 seats were added to pre-kindergarten program across the county, which Hite said he hopes to make accessible to more residents in the next few years. Pre-kindergarten is not offered at all elementary schools.

"We need to commit to more time," he said. "Because preparation for graduation begins when a child enters our building."

Hite emphasized that students cannot make improvements alone and asked teachers and staff members to reach out to parents and guardians.

Hite said faculty members sometimes ignore requests and concerns from the community, a remark that garnered a round of applause from the audience.

"We take this for granted by not returning phones calls, not answering e-mails," he said. "And this, ladies and gentlemen, needs to change."

The school system hopes to implement a tool this year to measure parent satisfaction, such as an oversight panel or parent survey, Hite said, adding that the school system won't know if it is improving unless it measures satisfaction.

E-mail Megan McKeever at mmckeever@gazette.net.