The Schools Report Card, released by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) yesterday, shows Dorchester County Public Schools is rebounding from the effects of the pandemic. District improvement was noted in 10 out of 13 areas scored by MSDE:
Elementary Academic Achievement
Elementary Academic Progress
Elementary School Quality and Student Success
Middle School Academic Achievement
Middle School Academic Progress
High School Academic Achievement
High School Graduation Rate
High School Progress in Achieving English Language Proficiency
Readiness for Post-Secondary Success
High School School Quality and Student Success
Ten out of 11 schools retained their previous star rating with three schools less than one percentage point from gaining another star: Mace’s Lane Middle School at .4 of a point, Sandy Hill Elementary at .5 of a point, and North Dorchester Middle at .7 of a point. Cambridge-South Dorchester High was 2.7 percentage points short of becoming a three-star school and Hurlock Elementary was 2.5 percentage points away from its fourth star. Notable gains were achieved by Hurlock Elementary School with an increase of 11.31 points, and Sandy Hill Elementary School with an increase of 10.22 points, both out of a possible 100 in the overall scoring criteria.
“The improvements noted, along with so many schools coming close to earning another star, make us optimistic that we’re heading in the right direction,” said Superintendent of Schools Dave Bromwell. “However, our academic achievement is still below the state level, and it’s important that we continue our efforts to improve instruction and learning, as well as work with families to end chronic absenteeism.”
Report cards for all Maryland schools and districts are available at https://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/, along with resources to help understand and analyze them. The tools include a user guide and a one-page summary of calculations for elementary, middle, and high schools.