Maryland's new state superintendent, Carrie Wright, positioned her tenure as one built on integrity and transparency during her inaugural press conference Monday. One of her first actions was to create a task force to study the Maryland Report Card, the state's accountability system for measuring school performance.
The report card considers multiple factors and rates individual schools on a five-star rating. Measurements include graduation rates, statewide test scores, attendance, and school life surveys from students and teachers.
Wright was appointed last week on a four-year contract to lead the Maryland Department of Education and its 24 local school districts, having served in an interim role since October.
She found that while 76% of Maryland schools earn a rating of 3 out of 5 stars or higher on the Maryland Report Cart, students who perform proficiently in math are skeptical about the disconnect between only 23% and 47% of students achieving proficiency in English language arts. Uniform testing across the state.
“That’s not true,” Wright said of Maryland’s report card performance. “I mean, it's impossible for him to have three-quarters of the school rated as excellent and not have students that are doing nearly as well.”
The Center for Assessment, a national education nonprofit that helps design accountability models, is chairing a task force comprised of superintendents, principals, local assessment officials, and representatives from higher education institutions. . Wright said the task force got off to a “fast-track” start Thursday and plans to meet twice a month. It plans to submit recommendations to improve or change the state's accountability model before the next Maryland General Assembly session.
Wright is credited with turning around Mississippi's education system, which consistently ranked last in national rankings. Mississippi students living in poverty outperformed demographically similar students under Wright's nine years of leadership. She said recognition and accountability are key elements in her work at Mississippi State.
Wright describes how in Maryland, a state with “tremendous wealth” of resources, the state's math and literacy test scores have continued to decline over a decade, seemingly with little attention. He said he plans to investigate whether there are any.
“The only way we can improve is by being honest about where we are and then being honest about the strategies we need to put in place,” she said.
Maryland State Board of Education Vice President Wright Michaels and Vice President Josh Michaels said the agency plans to update the Maryland Report Card's complex website to make it easier for the public to understand. Told.
Wright said state education officials have updated the grading system three times in the past three years and that his office is looking into “legitimate concerns.” The task force will take a closer look at what is being done by classroom and district leaders to improve proficiency and growth.
“I honestly don’t think our accountability system is holding anyone accountable,” Wright said.
Last year, eight Republican lawmakers accused former Maryland Superintendent Mohamed Chaudhry of covering up a large number of failing schools. The Maryland State Education Inspector General said there is no evidence that the department did anything improper to alter data on the website to properly comply with federal privacy laws.
Wright's task force is looking at ways to protect student privacy while presenting more specific data from a statewide test called the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program.
A spokesperson for the Maryland Education Association did not respond to a request for comment.
