School Testing Results Show Gains

Anne Arundel County students excelled in this year’s state tests, which measure performance gains.

Elementary and middle school students are tested each year in four categories for the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) tests.

In the 2011-2012 school year, Anne Arundel County students exceeded the state’s average by at least 4.4 points, placing local schools alongside the best in the state, according to a statement issued by Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) Tuesday.

In elementary schools, 93.8 percent of students across the county scored "proficient" in math, an increase of 1.8 percent over last year. In middle school, 86.5 percent of students passed the reading assessment, a decrease of 0.9, while 82 percent of students passed the math assessment, an increase of 3.6 over last year, according to the department.

Superintendent Kevin Maxwell said the results indicated progress at county schools, but also laid the groundwork for improvement.

“I am very proud of the progress we continue to make, and confident about our ability to do the work that lies ahead,” he said.

Instead of being measured against other schools and having to make progress towards goals set by the federal No Child Left Behind law, schools are now measured against their own targets, broken down into 10 different student groups.

Under this new measuring system, two Broadneck-area schools did not meet their targets this year.

failed in special education and failed in the area of black or African-American students and in students on free and reduced-price meals, according to data from AACPS.

For a per school, per grade level breakdown of testing results, check The Capital's article on this year's MSA scores.

The full results of the testing data are available in a PDF attached to this article.