Most Maryland schools didn’t improve their rating from the state department of education this year, according to data presented at a board meeting Tuesday.
The state rating system gives each school one-to-five stars based on cumulative points collected from a number of factors, like standardized test scores, graduation rates and English proficiency for multilingual students.
Over three-quarters of Maryland schools didn’t see any movement from last year’s score. But 70% of those that received only one star last year moved up in the rankings.
State Superintendent Carey Wright said the current system may not accurately capture the progress happening on the ground level.
“One of the things that we're trying to do is to get our accountability system to be more sensitive to that kind of growth,” she said. “It's got to be done student-by-student. It cannot be done by student group.”
Baltimore City and County schools improved in chronic absenteeism, with 65% and 14% of schools respectively earning the lowest score — compared to 75% and 33% of schools last year. And the city saw 18% of its schools gain one star this year, outpacing the 16% state figure.
“Our star rating increases are good news for our community, as they reflect the hard work and positive outcomes that are occurring daily in schools across the district,” said city schools CEO Sonja Santelises in an emailed statement. “We still have work ahead but this news is encouraging. Our students and staff are putting in the work needed to grow, and it shows.”
Statewide, Black and multilingual students continue to lag across performance indicators compared to their white, English-speaking peers.
In February, Wright created a 30-person taskforce to review and revise the state’s rating system and the current standardized tests, known as the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP).
The group presented recommendations at Tuesday’s meeting, calling for a new measure of student progress, and an expanded definition of post-secondary success that awards points for students in advanced courses and career and technical education (CTE).
“Typically, when you see schools rated high, like three or four stars on a five star system, you're going to see proficiency levels that are commensurate with that, and we're not seeing that yet,” Wright said of the current system. “There’s a little bit of a disconnect.”
The state’s contract with MCAP expires in 2026. Members of the Assessment and Accountability Task Force urged state leaders to consider accessibility for students with disabilities and comprehensive but timely content.
Wright said she and her team are still digging into this year’s data. In January, she hopes to present more information on the small group of schools which gained two stars in their rating from last year, and those that stayed the same.
“We've got them in a lump right now, so it's hard to say what specifically happened,” she said.
