BALTIMORE, MD—The 2022 Maryland School Report Card is being released on Thursday, March 9, 2023, providing information on schools throughout the State. Maryland schools receive ratings from a low of one star to a high of five stars. Schools earn stars based on the percentage of points earned on four indicators at the elementary and middle school levels: Academic Achievement, Academic Progress, Progress Toward English Language Proficiency, and School Quality and Student Success; and five indicators at the high school level: Academic Achievement, Academic Progress, Progress Toward English Language Proficiency, Graduation Rate, and School Quality and Student Success. A presentation of the Statewide results was provided to the Maryland State Board of Education on February 28th highlighting that more than 75% of Maryland schools earned 3, 4, or 5 stars.

The 2022 Maryland School Report Card provides a comprehensive picture of school performance and is a return to the reporting after a two year pause due to the pandemic. Compared to 2018-2019, the last year school ratings were calculated, more than half (63%) of schools had the same rating in 2022. More than a quarter of schools earned a lower star rating than in 2019, while 11% of schools received a higher star rating. In addition to the star ratings, each school will have information on meeting targets and improvements as compared to their prior school report card.

Maryland requested and was approved by the U.S. Department of Education for one-year adjustments to its accountability system due to the pandemic. The one-year changes include an adjustment to the calculation of the growth measure for English language arts and mathematics for elementary and middle schools. For all elementary, middle, and high schools a change was made to the points schools can earn for the chronic absenteeism measure. The annual targets for schools were also adjusted to account for the pause in reporting results.

All local education agencies (LEA) across the state have at least one school with a 4 or 5 star rating, the two highest ratings in the accountability system. More than half of LEAs have schools that have improved from 3 stars to 4 or 5 stars since the last time the Maryland School Report Card was released in 2019. Although many schools in the state have demonstrated resiliency with these positive results, more than half of LEAs also have schools with a 1 or 2 star rated school.

“The data collected from the 2022 Report Card is the starting point for us to shape local education agency policy and work toward implementing evidence-based, best-in-class work to drive student outcomes. That work is more urgent now than ever,” says State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury. “This broad collection of information will help our LEAs monitor and support students based on their individual needs, especially the needs of students in historically underserved communities. It will also help MSDE better understand the needs of our LEAs, so we can effectively deliver on the promise of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and provide every Maryland child with the excellent education they deserve.”

The Maryland School Report Card includes the results of a statewide school survey, which was taken by students in grades 5 through 11 and educators. A composite score provides results based on input about safety, community, environment, and relationships, all of which are important factors in supporting a positive learning environment for all students. The report card also includes detailed information about the performance of student groups.

“We value academic achievement, and we value the learning environments of our students,” says Maryland State Board of Education President Clarence C. Crawford. “We want to ensure that each student feels supported and feels they have the tools to be successful in the classroom and beyond. The pandemic presented many challenges, many priorities shifted, and our educators at our LEAs stepped up. They created a safe and welcoming space in the classroom and the results of the 2022 Maryland School Report Card reflect that.”

The Maryland Report Card website provides information on a wide variety of measures including enrollment, attendance, performance reporting on state assessments, performance on college readiness assessments, and postsecondary enrollment in colleges. The information is presented online in a searchable and user-friendly format and resources are also available on the website to help parents and educators understand the information and navigate the site.

The 2022 Maryland School Report Card is available at MDReportcard.org.

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