Calvert school board, administrators discuss state test scores

When you look at the numbers it’s as much a cause for concern as it is for celebration.

According to the Maryland Department of Education, the results from the comprehensive assessment program for the 2023-2024 school year showed modest increases statewide in English language arts and mathematics scores.

In Calvert County, the public school system’s rank is fifth in the state in math proficiency. Just under 33% of students in all grades have tested as proficient in math.

Howard County tops the state with 41% of students deemed proficient. Perhaps the most encouraging stat is that Calvert students taking algebra are scoring ahead of the state average.

“We’re continuously analyzing our our data to provide the best instruction,” Joe Sutton, supervisor of secondary math, told the Calvert school board during its Sept. 26 work session. “We’re encouraged and excited about the growth in the algebra level and are investigating other levels to determine where within the grade levels we are able to make growth so that we can replicate these results across the district.”

“We will continue to work to increase the number of students scoring at the distinguished level,” Julie Morrison, elementary math supervisor, added.

Board member Lisa Grenis said the latest data was “encouraging,” but added, “Our scores represent a serious learning deficit.”

Noting that “67.2% of students are not proficient in math,” Grenis said the results “show little or no improvement” over the data from the previous school year.

She said, “How do you explain these low scores?”

Grenis asked Superintendent Andraé Townsel if he had a theory for the lack of significant improvement.

“It’s difficult to grow by leaps and bounds,” Townsel said, adding that “we’ve recently modified our policies.”

The superintendent added that it is hoped the modifications such as banning cellphones in classrooms will result in students who are more engaged in learning.

“Reaching proficiency is getting more and more challenging,” Sutton said, adding it was important to “seek out context and avoid knee-jerk reactions.”

Sutton said a closer look at the data shows “there are many students on the cusp of proficiency.”

Grenis suggested conducting a teacher survey.

“I think gathering feedback is always good,” Sutton said. The supervisor then offered to work along with Grenis, a retired teacher, to develop the survey so that the desired questions are asked.

“Thanks for getting us into the top five,” board member Dawn Balinski said, adding her concerns and frustrations that the data still shows noticeable achievement gaps among certain minority groups.

Board member Inez Claggett requested data of math class sizes throughout the state to determine if the student-to-teacher ratio might be “impacting why some counties do so much better. I’m always interested in class size.”

In English and language arts, Calvert was fourth in the state with 62.6% of students deemed proficient. Worcester County tops the state with over 69% overall proficiency.

According to its website, the primary purpose of the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program “is to provide high-quality assessments to measure students’ progress toward college and career readiness.”

Townsel offers apology to bus ridersOn Oct. 3, Townsel sent out a letter to the Calvert school community expressing “my sincere apologies to the students and parents affected” by an Oct. 1 incident involving a school bus.

As the superintendent noted in his missive, “12 children were left waiting in the rain after being mistakenly dropped off.”

Townsel said the incident “highlights a need for improved communication and oversight within our transportation system. I want to assure you that we are conducting a thorough review to understand how this occurred and to implement measures that will prevent it from happening again. We are committed to excellence in all aspects of our school district, including transportation.”

Calvert County Public Schools’ transportation department trains and evaluates all bus drivers and bus assistants. Bus contractors hire the drivers and substitute drivers.