Most Harford high school students test proficient, but three schools need improvement, state says

Statewide data released late last week show students across the board at most of Harford County's 11 high schools tested proficient for reading and math in the latest annual Maryland High School Assessment, or HSA.

Most of the local schools are likewise meeting the statewide targets for graduation rates.

While a few troubling exceptions are noted in the latest statewide data, the Harford school system's performance on the HSA, in general, ran well above average, with several schools chalking up test performances far above statewide averages as well.

According to the Maryland Report Card, a website that tracks local system and individual school performance in the HSA, most Harford high schools met or exceeded annual measurable objectives, or AMO, both for all students and, with a few exceptions, for 10 subgroups identified in the federal No Child Left Behind Act, such as students from lower income families eligible for free and reduced meals, or FaRMS, certain ethnic minority students, students who speak a first language other than English or special education students.

The majority of the local schools are also meeting what is called adequate yearly progress, or AYP, because the aforementioned objectives or targets go up from one year to the next.

In the 2010-11 school year, 79.5 percent of all students taking the HSA in reading were expected to score at proficient level, while 73.7 percent were expected to score proficient in math.

As a whole, 88.7 of Harford students tested proficient in reading and 85.1 percent tested proficient in mathematics, exceeding both the state targets and the actual statewide averages of 85.4 percent proficient in reading and 81 percent proficient in mathematics.

Individual schools

Among individual schools, Patterson Mill had better than 95 percent of its students test proficient in mathematics and 90.1 percent test proficient in reading. All subgroups tested also met adequate yearly progress.

At Harford Tech, 90.1 percent of all students tested reading proficient and 94.3 percent tested proficient in math. All subgroups tested also met adequate yearly progress.

Students at both Bel Air and C. Milton Wright tested greater than 95 proficient in mathematics. At Bel Air, 90.8 percent tested proficient in reading. At C. Milton Wright, 89.3 percent tested proficient in reading. All subgroups tested at those two schools likewise met adequate yearly progress.

At Fallston, test results for all students were 90.2 percent proficient in reading and greater than 95 percent of proficient in math. Fallston, however, did not meet AYP goals for special education reading proficiency, which came in at 36.8 percent.

Havre de Grace met AYP across the board, posting 83.9 percent reading proficiency and 78.1 percent mathematics proficiency among all students tested.

Among all students tested at North Harford, 87 percent scored proficient in reading and 87.9 percent in mathematics. North Harford failed to meet AYP in the special education subgroup, which tested 42.3 percent proficient in reading and 50 percent proficient in math.

Edgewood, which has had problems with both testing results and graduation rates in the past, showed considerable improvement last year, as AYP was met for both reading proficiency at 74.2 percent and mathematics proficiency at 86 percent, according to the Maryland Report Card website that tracks school performance under the No Child Left Behind Act.

Trouble spots

The 2010-11 HSA test results also produced some alarms locally, as Aberdeen and Joppatowne fell short of certain state performance targets set up under the controversial federal law.

Also struggling is the Center for Educational Opportunity, an alternative high school in Aberdeen for students who, for a variety of reasons, have trouble adjusting to regular class situations.

The most recent high school performance data from the Maryland State Department of Education show that although Harford County Public Schools as a whole has not been identified as a system in improvement, Aberdeen and Joppatowne high schools and the CEO were classified as Schools in Need of Improvement.

According to the Maryland Report Card, none of the three schools is meeting its annual measurable objectives, or AMO, in some of the subgroups identified in the No Child Left Behind Act.

The CEO and Aberdeen have been on the School in Need of Improvement list since 2004; however, Joppatowne was just added in this latest report.

But those proficiency levels and progress targets can be tricky to negotiate, especially when it comes to judging an entire school, as opposed to certain subgroups. In addition, AMO is what amounts to a moving target, increasing annually until it meets 100 percent, as required by the federal law. This school year, the target is scheduled to increase to 86.3 percent proficient in reading (from 79.5 percent last year) and to 82.4 percent in math (from 73.7 percent).

At Aberdeen, 82.1 percent of all students tested proficient in reading and 90.9 percent proficient in mathematics, both relatively good numbers that were likely helped in part by the school's position as the county's math and science magnet with its Science and Mathematics Academy.

The state, however, said Aberdeen failed to meet the AYP for special education students in reading proficiency. They tested at a 43.6 percent proficient rate.

At Joppatowne, AYP was not met in reading proficiency for three subgroups, Black/African American students at 61.4 percent proficient, FaRMS students at 63.4 percent and special education students at 44.8 percent.

As a whole, 68.6 percent of Joppatowne's students tested proficient in reading and 85 percent tested proficient in mathematics, the former below the statewide target and the latter well above.

The Center for Educational Opportunity did not meet AYP proficiency in reading or mathematics with 45.5 percent of FaRMS students considered proficient in reading and 59.4 percent of all students proficient. In mathematics proficiency, the CEO did not meet AYP for Black/African American students at 28.6 percent proficient or with FaRMS students at 52.4 percent proficient.

Overall, 51.5 percent of CEO students were considered mathematics proficient.

The CEO has a much smaller enrollment than other Harford high schools. According to state figures, 112 students were enrolled in 2010-11.

Graduation rates

Joppatowne and the CEO did not meet AYP with their graduation rates, either.

Joppatowne had a 67.4 percent graduation rate and the CEO a 9.7 percent rate. The statewide graduation target in 2010-11 was 81.5 percent. The target will not change this school year.

The rest of Harford's high schools met graduation AYP goals, including Edgewood, which, for the first time in several years, was not listed on the School Improvement list because it met AYP in graduation rate for two consecutive years, according to a school system press release issued Friday.

Edgewood's 2011 graduation rate was 78.8 percent, as it showed progress.

"We are proud of each and every one of our students for their hard-work and dedication; and, in particular, we would like to commend the students, faculty, staff and parents of Edgewood High School on the accomplishment of achieving AYP again this year," Harford Superintendent Robert Tomback said in the release.

Aberdeen also met its graduation target at 82.2 percent.

Fallston and Harford Tech had the highest 2011 graduation rates in the county, both greater than 95 percent.

Bel Air, C. Milton Wright and Patterson Mill were not far behind with rates at 92.7 percent, 93.2 percent and 94.1 percent, respectively.

North Harford had a graduation rate of 86.2 percent, and Havre de Grace's graduation rate was 82.2 percent.

Overall, Harford County's 2011 graduation rate of 85.7 percent, according to the school system news release, well above the statewide average of 82 percent.

Some changes

Last school year marked a new calculation system for graduation rates called the "cohort" system which includes all students who entered ninth grade together in the graduation rate at the end of four years, according to the Maryland Report Card.

The state also made changes in how the data on the Maryland Report Card is disseminated, suppressing some results posted in previous years to comply with federal regulations. No longer are high school test results posted in categories of proficient and advanced. In 2011, both were lumped into a single category.

When they identify subgroups smaller than 5 percent, it's possible people can identify the students involved, according to Maryland State Department of Education spokesman Bill Reinhard, which is illegal.

Now, instead of giving exact percentages, the information is presented as greater than 95 percent or less than 5 percent when the situation warrants, he explained.

Individual performance

The 2011 Maryland Report Card also released data for 2011 future graduation status for 10th, 11th and 12th graders in each school in Harford County who took the HSA tests in 2010-11.

Throughout the county last year, 95 percent of 12th grade students met the requirement levied by the Maryland High School Assessments by passing the tests, and the remaining 5 percent passed either by the Bridge Plan Program or receiving a waiver, according to the school system. Passing the HSAs is one of the requirements for graduation.

Six high schools in the county had 95 percent of 12th grade students meet the requirement by passing the test, including Bel Air, Fallston, C. Milton, Harford Tech, North Harford and Patterson Mill. Bel Air was the only school to have 95 percent of students pass the tests in 10th through 12th grades.

The remaining schools still met the requirements for 12th grade students, but with the Bridge Plan and waivers in addition to the tests.

The Maryland Report Card also had HSA results from last year's juniors and sophomores, broken down by school including:

Aberdeen: 86.5 percent of juniors, 81.1 percent of sophomores;

C. Milton Wright: greater than 95 percent of juniors, 94.4 percent of sophomores;

Edgewood: 83.2 percent of juniors, 79.8 percent of sophomores;

Fallston: greater than 95 percent of juniors, 94.2 percent of sophomores;

Harford Tech: 94.2 percent of juniors, 92 percent of sophomores;

Havre de Grace: 89.5 percent of juniors, 86.9 percent of sophomores.

Joppatowne: 79.5 percent of juniors, 83.2 percent of sophomores

North Harford: greater than 95 percent of juniors, 90.5 percent of sophomores

Patterson Mill: greater than 95 percent of juniors, 94.9 percent of sophomores

CEO: 75 percent of juniors, 51.7 percent of sophomores