Carroll school board downplays lower state performance ratings

Earlier this month, Carroll County school board members discussed the county’s Maryland Report Card school performance data, which was released in December and showed that Piney Ridge Elementary School in Eldersburg is now the county’s lone five-star public school.

Half of Carroll County schools – 19 out of 38 – lost a star in the most recent data from the Maryland Report Card school performance rating system, according to data released Dec. 18.

Manchester Valley High School is the only Carroll County school that gained a star, moving from three to four stars.

Piney Ridge Elementary School was the only one of 12 Carroll schools to retain its five-star rating from 2022. No Carroll County school earned fewer than three stars, as was the case in 2022, according to data from the Maryland State Department of Education’s Public Schools Report Card reviewed during a county Board of Education meeting on April 10.

Board member Donna Sivigny observed that the county’s 92% reduction in 5-star schools was influenced by one particular measure, “Academic Progress.” The state changed the way it rated that measure, moving from a formula to a point scale.

Kendra Hart, supervisor of testing and school performance at Carroll County Public Schools, admitted that county staff does not have “a clear understanding” of what the changes mean.

“We’ve been working with [the state department of education] to build our understanding,” Hart said.

This is the fourth year Maryland has used report cards and star ratings. A school’s performance is evaluated using a balance of academic and non-academic factors, such as standardized test scores and student and teacher surveys about school life. The report card also looks at high school graduation rates, growth in middle and elementary schools, the progress of English language learners and Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program scores, among other factors.

Schools are compared using a 100-point accountability system tied to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, a bipartisan 2015 replacement for the No Child Left Behind Act.

Statewide, the number of five-star schools went down 60% in 2023 when compared to 2022. The number of one-star schools similarly dropped 36%, while two-star schools went up 10%, Three-star schools went up 29%, and Four-star schools dropped 1%.

In 2018, Carroll had 17 five-star schools, in 2019 it had nine. Star ratings were not issued by the state in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic.

When the data were released in December, Carey Wright, interim state superintendent of schools, cautioned about comparing the 2023 report to previous years because some metrics that were left out in previous years have returned, such as student absenteeism.

Student absenteeism was previously removed due to the pandemic’s impact on attendance when classes went virtual. Statewide attendance has improved, but the number of students who were chronically absent for 10% or more of the school days is still worse than pre-pandemic. Schools that struggled with attendance likely saw their scores decline, Wright said.

“We cannot make perfect comparisons,” Wright said in a news release. “However, we celebrate those districts and schools that showed success and we will continue to support those that faced challenges.”

Carroll school board president Marsha Herbert said she was proud of schools in Carroll, regardless of the numbers.

“Some parts are subjective, and that gives a false narrative,” Herbert said. “I’m very proud of our schools here in Carroll County.”