Results from the 2010 administration of the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) show that many Wicomico students and schools continue to meet the annual targets for higher performance, but some schools and subgroups struggled to make progress.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Fredericksen told the Wicomico County Board of Education Tuesday that this year’s MSA results show that most schools are moving toward the goal of having 100 percent of students scoring proficient or advanced by 2014.
He was delighted to announce that Salisbury Middle School has exited the School Improvement Process. With a great deal of hard work by students and staff, the school achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for two consecutive years and is no longer in School Improvement with the state.
Wicomico made gains overall in the percent proficient/advanced for Math MSA in grades 3, 5, 6 and 8, with a significant increase in Math MSA proficient scores in grade 6. The African-American subgroup made gains on the Math MSA in grades 3, 6 and 8, with a significant increase in grade 6.
The percent of students receiving Special Education services who scored at the proficient/advanced level for the Reading MSA increased in grades 4 and 6, and for the Math MSA in grades 6 and 7. The FARMS (Free and Reduced Meals) subgroup made Math MSA gains in grades 3, 5, 6 and 8, with significant increases in grades 3 and 6.
As part of the ongoing effort to ensure that schools help students improve their performance on MSA and that schools meet AYP, Central Office supervisors have been assigned responsibility for specific elementary and middle schools. The supervisors will work closely with the administrators and teachers at those schools to support progress.
“In general, we are making good progress on the MSA,” Dr. Fredericksen said. “As we continue to move toward the 2014 deadline of having all students score at the proficient or advanced level, we are going to work every day to meet that challenge.”
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Motivation is always an important tool for a successful work performance. The new principal at SMS works along with teachers and staff to get the job done. She shows professional respect and works side by side with her personnel. In other words, the work environment there is much amicable then ever before.
ReplyDeleteWhat a joke. Nice cover up on behalf of Dr. Freddy considering his contract is up for renewal. If the public isn't satisfied with the Superintendents performance then they need to contact the WCBOE members and members of the Wicomico County Council ASAP!
ReplyDeleteI can see tracking Special Ed and African Americans. But why does the Board of Ed care who lives on farms?
ReplyDeleteHere is a letter from a concerned parent about Dr. Fredericksen's lack of transparency and screw up with the Magenet Program. Fredericksen needs to go!!
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As many of you are aware, Magnet invitation letters went out on July 9th. Unfortunately, they demonstrated that Dr. Fredericksen, Susan Jones, Dr. Handy and/or Daryl Jones decided to make dramatic changes to the qualifying criteria without allowing the HPL task force to complete it’s recommendations and, equally importantly, without providing integrity of communication with the Wicomico County School Board. The process once again highlights a lack of transparency that parents have had grave concerns with.
These changes to the selection pool resulted in 69 letters of invitation to magnet and about 40 more invited to a subject, i.e. reading/science/social studies or math/science/social studies. The selection process fails to identify many truly high performing learners. There are students who qualify to be tested for TAD based on their Gates-MacGinities results, but who are NOT eligible for full magnet and some who were not invited at all. The “matrix” used to identify the pool of students eligible raises more questions than it answers. In many cases children with one poor test score only (only a test developed by our county central office and not a nationally normed test) and outstanding results otherwise were not invited – exactly what many parents have had issue with in previous years and what was expressly stated by Dr. Fredericksen and Dr. Handy as their goal to eliminate.
Please be aware that HPL task force members from all points of view have expressed that none of these decisions were requested by the HPL Task Force committee. No other educational model uncovered and acknowledged by the HPL committee supports the model initiated by Dr. Fredericksen.
Several School Board members have expressed concern over these decisions and parental input is critically needed before Tuesday, July 27th. Would you please take a few minutes to email Board of Education members (email links available at http://www.wcboe.org/boe/biographies.php). We need to collectively request that this flawed selection process and logistical issues be corrected before the upcoming school year begins. Parents believe that every child deserves to have their needs met. These sweeping changes without respectful transition will impact every child, particularly in an environment where recent AYP scores were so very disappointing.
Please do it now – timing is very important. A quick note expressing your concern about the process, lack of integrity in Dr. Fredericksens’ decision making, loss of rigor in instruction and a specific request to correct flaws before the new school year is important. Please ask the Board of Education to function in one of their appointed roles – as oversight to the actions of the Central Office and Superintendent. The Board of Education is compromised of members who care about the students of Wicomico County.
Fredericksen has screwed up the Magnet Program again. Here is a letter from a concerned parent.
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ReplyDeleteLOL...its not tracking who lives on a farm... Its tracking the FARMS(FREE AND REDUCED MEALS) program. FARMS is acronym, not a literal meaning..
AGAIN FARMERS KIDS DO NOT GET FREE MEALS IT IS BASED ON INCOME LEVELS
I dont know about Wicomico County , but in Somerset County the schools serve breakfast,snacks AND lunch for free to whoever shows up all summer long when school is out.They arrive in carloads 3 times a day for free food.Who is paying for all that? And when did it become the responsibility of the board of ed to feed kids when school is not even in session.I had my child,it is up to me to feed that child.
ReplyDeleteBluto, you know who is paying for that...we are!!
ReplyDeleteWhy are todays kids some of the stupidest on the planet? No knowledge of history, poor reading and writing skills, and no critical thinking skills, just to name a few-- A FEW -- of their deficiencies? Because their entire school day is DEDICATED to teaching them to answer the questions on the MSA. They look good, the teachers look good and the Govenor gets to brag about our sterling educational system...Then, when they graduate (because its almost impossible to fail now), they can't write a resume, fill out a job application, or speak coherently in an interview, like, you know, I be sayin', wow man, just gimme a job, I be doin' real good. just ask ANY local employer --- any one of them.
ReplyDeletePlease contact all Board of Ed. members and ask them not to renew Freddy's contract. And while you are at it please don't forget to contact all Wicomico County Council members as well.
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