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March 3 Bulletin—2/25/08
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Welcome to the new MCPS Bulletin Online. This monthly electronic newsletter is part of our new approach to keeping you up to date with information of interest to you, the employees who make the school system work. Please use the feedback form to tell us what you think. You’ll continue to receive the monthly print Bulletin at your workplace. We hope that both publications keep you well informed.
Aggie Alvez
Director, Department of Communications
The MCPS Class of 2007 set new Advanced Placement examination participation and performance
records and capped an eight-year trend of consistently higher performance for graduates
from all student groups. Sixty percent of 2007 MCPS graduates took at least one AP
exam, and 46 percent of graduates earned at least one AP score of 3 or higher—triple
the national average and more than double the Maryland average.
The College Board recently released nationwide comparisons in AP participation and achievement and ranking
of performance by state in the 2007
College Board Advanced Placement Report to the Nation (PDF).
MCPS students account for 36 percent of the AP exams taken in Maryland earning the mastery score of 3
or higher, propelling Maryland to the number–two spot in the nation. Without MCPS graduates included,
Maryland's ranking would drop from number two to number 13 in the nation.
Particularly noteworthy is that African American males in MCPS took AP exams at a higher rate than the
national average for all students and surpassed the national average for performance for all students
as well. African American graduates in MCPS overall had a success rate on these rigorous tests five times
greater than African American students across the nation.
News release
The Board of Education adopted a $2.1 billion Fiscal Year 2009 Operating Budget on
Feb. 5 that will continue initiatives outlined in the school system's strategic plan.
They include middle school reform, improvements in special education, expansion of
successful programs and staffing support to schools. The increase of 5.6 percent from
the previous fiscal year is the lowest percentage increase in recent years.
The budget includes about $10.2 million in initiatives to improve student achievement. About $5.3 million
is budgeted for middle school reform. An additional 10 middle schools will be selected to participate
in the second phase of middle school reform, joining Earle B. Wood, Benjamin Banneker, Roberto Clemente,
Sligo and Montgomery Village. The funds also will help develop 21 innovative courses in other middle
schools and continue the Middle School Magnet Consortium of Argyle, Parkland and A. Mario Loiederman.
Another $1.5 million will support improvements to special education, and $3.2 million will improve student
achievement through a range of staffing and program expansions.
The MCPS operating budget request has been sent to County Executive Isiah Leggett, who will present
his budget to the Montgomery County Council on March 15. The council will hold a series
of public hearings and workshops before taking final action on the county's operating
budget on May 22.
News
release | Middle school reform | FY 2009 Operating Budget
At its Feb. 5 meeting, the Board of Education appointed Stacy L. Scott, currently president, The
Center for Understanding Equity, as associate superintendent, Office of Shared Accountability.
Board of Education
Congratulations to the 15 MCPS seniors who were selected as candidates for the Presidential Scholars award, one of the highest honors given to high school seniors in the
United States. All 15 were chosen from high school seniors nationwide for academic achievement.
Julie Zhu of Montgomery Blair High School also was named as a candidate for the arts component
of the program. Candidates are:
- Montgomery Blair HS: Dawn Brimmer, William Burton, Benjamin
Lee, Ryan Waldman, Thomas Warner, Julie Zhu (both academic and arts), Christina Zou
- Walter Johnson HS: Katherine Hillenbrand
- Richard Montgomery HS: Julie Chang, Benjamin Lu
- Quince Orchard HS: David Somers, Mabel Xu
- Sherwood HS: Michael Parker
- Walt Whitman HS: Mary Bartlett, Alan Wang
In April, the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars will select up to 121 academic
scholars and 20 arts scholars, who will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Presidential Scholars
A total of 105 MCPS schools have earned certificates of recognition from the Maryland State Department
of Education in the 2007 Maryland School Performance Program. The awards are based on performance
on the 2007 Maryland School Assessment (MSA).
Ten Title I elementary schools each received $5,757.52 for showing significant improvement.
Seventy-three other elementary schools, 11 middle schools, eight high schools and one special school also received recognition based on overall achievement or for improvement
within a subgroup from the 2006 to the 2007 MSA. Subgroups include race/ethnicity, special
education, limited English proficiency and students who are receiving free or reduced-price
meals.
Viers Mill Elementary School—recently named a National Title I Distinguished School—was
the only Title I school to be recognized for both overall achievement and for improvement
within subgroups.
Schools
receiving recognition (PDF)
Rockville High School's principal, staff and students will receive a community award
for outstanding work on preventing underage alcohol use by the Drawing the Line on Under
21 Alcohol Use (DTL) program. In the 15 years the awards have been presented, this is
the first time DTL—a public–private partnership dedicated to preventing underage alcohol
use—has recognized a single school's comprehensive program.
Awards will be given to Rockville Principal Debra Munk, Student Assistance Team Leader
Thomas Rea, The Rampage newspaper (advisor Peter Daddone and eight students
who wrote articles related to substance abuse and assistance), and the Rockville High
School PTSA. DTL representatives will present these awards and others to community individuals
and middle and high school student groups at a March 17 awards event set for 8:30 a.m.
at Carver Educational Services Center.
Safe and Drug Free Schools
Rockville High School
Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge William J. Rowan III ruled in favor of MCPS Feb.
1 in a challenge brought by opponents to revised health education lessons taught in eighth
and tenth grades.
The Montgomery County Board of Education approved the lessons for implementation in
middle and high schools on June 12, 2007. The opponents asked the State Board of Education
to prevent implementation, and the State Board rejected their request. The Montgomery
County Circuit Court Case was an appeal of the State Board's decision.
The eighth and tenth grade lessons include two 45-minute sessions in each grade on
respecting differences in human sexuality. The purpose of the curriculum is to promote
tolerance, empathy and respect for all people regardless of sexual orientation. The
curriculum also defines terms related to sexual orientation. In addition, the tenth
grade curriculum includes one 45-minute lesson and one video detailing the correct usage
of a condom.
"We hope that we can put this litigation behind us now once and for all and move
forward with our primary mission—educating our children," Superintendent
Jerry D. Weast said. “We have successfully implemented this curriculum in our middle
and high schools and it has been well-received by our parents, students and staff, with
97 percent of tenth graders and 95 percent of eighth graders choosing to participate
in the lessons."
Are you having interpersonal conflicts in the workplace? Get help with confidential
mediation through the Dispute Resolution Program, created through a partnership of
MCPS, all three employee associations and the Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery
County.
Get started: Call the Dispute Resolution Program at the confidential
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) phone line, 240-314-1041. EAP staff will listen to
your concerns and forward information to the Conflict Resolution Center, which will
contact individuals involved. Mediation will be set up if both parties agree.
Learn more: Call EAP, 240-314-1041.
Mediation
and dispute resolution
Encourage your high school students to apply for the Superintendent's
Leadership Program. The yearlong honors
internship targets top academic students in the humanities and combines coursework with
real-world experiences. The program looks for students who have demonstrated leadership,
maturity and the ability to learn outside the classroom.
The application deadline for the 2008–2009 school year is March 15. Students must submit an application,
two letters of recommendation, a transcript and answers to essay questions. Refer questions
to
Kim Jones.
MCPS blood drive
A blood drive will be held Monday, March 3, 8 a.m.–2 p.m., in the Carver
Educational Services Center auditorium. To schedule a donation, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.
Auto, computer sale
Students in the Montgomery County Students Automotive Trades
and Information Technology foundations will hold a sale of student-refurbished
cars and computers on Saturday, Feb. 23 (snow date March 1), 9–11 a.m., at Damascus
High School. The vehicles have been reconditioned by students enrolled in the auto
trades program, and computers have been reconditioned by students in the information
technologies program. For auto information, contact Mike
Snyder at 301-962-4810, or visit www.autocareers.org.
For computer information, contact John
Brewer at 301-929-6975 or visit www.itfcareers.org.
Schiffman Technology
Scholarship
Encourage your
students to apply for
the Schiffman Technology Scholarship, which awards $5,000 to a high-achieving MCPS
senior who needs financial assistance to prepare for a technology-related career at
any college or university. Application materials have been sent to high school resource
counselors. Applications are due by April 17 and should be mailed to Sandra Shmookler,
MCPS Educational Foundation, 850 Hungerford Drive, Room 149, Rockville, MD 20850.
Moreno Carrasco, principal of Richard Montgomery High School, was appointed
a member of the P-20 Leadership Council of Maryland by Gov. Martin O'Malley. The council
is a partnership between the state government, educators and the business community.
Dick Lipsky, supervisor of Instructional TV, and Arla Bowers,
instructional specialist for visual literacy, presented "Teaching Inferencing Skills
through Moving Image Education (MIE)" at the National Council for Teachers of English
(NCTE) annual conference in New York.
Maxine Coven, Head Start teacher at Georgian Forest Elementary School,
and Sandy Peyser, retired MCPS Head Start teacher, presented “Asking
the Right Questions: A Dialogue with Children about Stories” at the National Association
for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference in Chicago.
At the Maryland State Conference on Gifted and Talented Education, Niki Hazel,
principal at East Silver Spring Elementary School, and Carol Sheldon Hylton,
instructional specialist, Division of Title I Programs, presented "Building Bridges
for High Expectations Between Home and School." Mary Cay Ricci,
Division of Accelerated and Enriched Instruction, and Hylton presented "Preparing
our Students for the Conceptual Age—Nurturing Creativity and Empathy in the Elementary
Classroom."
Three dietary department staff members from John L. Gildner Regional Institute for Children
and Adolescents (JLG-RICA) attended the Maryland School Nutrition Association Convention
in Ocean City, Md. The three-day event included seminars, trainings and a variety of
contests and entertainment. Two cooks from JLG-RICA's dietary department, Kirstian
Carter and Priscilla Warren, represented the facility in the
association's bake-off contest. Carter won two first place ribbons in the Cakes and Before
and After categories for Lemon Poke Cake and Sugarfree Lemon Poke Cake. Warren won third
place in the Quick Bread category for Pumpkin Bread.
Five MCPS schools recently received the Governor's Citation for Superior Maintenance
for FY 2007. They include Jackson Road, East Silver
Spring, William
Tyler Page, Rock Creek Valley and Stone Mill elementary
schools. The awards ceremony took place at the State House in Annapolis.
Rosemary Hills Elementary School joined the Super Bowl frenzy by having second
grade students participate in Touchdown for Reading. For every 100 minutes read, each second
grader advanced 10 yards with his or her football on the school's football field bulletin
board. Prizes were awarded for touchdowns. The reading promotion is part of the school's media
program and was created and overseen by the media team, Carolyn Goldstein and Theresa Soma.
Brown Station Elementary School held its second annual Family Fitness Night
in January. Understanding the importance of health and fitness, the school joined forces with
the American Heart Association. Chairperson Dawn Zimmerman, PE teacher, and co-chair
Michele Thompson, resource teacher, hosted Jump Rope for Heart, which is sponsored by the
American Heart Association. Brown Station raised $3,041.03 toward the cause.
UMCP master's
University
of Maryland, College Park, human development master's degree.
Interest meeting:
- March 11, 4:15–5:30 p.m. Northwest High School, Room 232. 301-353-8556
Towson master's
Towson University Elementary
Education master's degree (grades 1–8, gifted education focus).
Interest meetings:
- March
12, 4–5 p.m., Edison Center, Room 2206
12501 Dalewood Drive, Silver Spring
- March 13, 4–5
p.m., Upcounty Regional Services Center, 3rd Floor, Room 3383
12900 Middlebrook
Road, Germantown
University Partnerships
Irene Williams, who retired in July 2006 after teaching at MCPS for
28 years, died Dec. 17. She had worked at Page, Strathmore and Bel Pre elementary schools
and at Parkland and Argyle middle schools.
- Feb. 1–29: African American Heritage Month
- Feb. 19: New Educator Orientation, Smith Center (snow date 2/25)
- Feb. 25: Board of Education meeting, 6 p.m., CESC
- Feb. 27: Early Release Day K–12
- Feb. 29: Payday
- March: Women's History Month
- March 11: Board of Education meeting, 10 a.m., CESC
- March 14: Payday
- March 21, 24: Holiday—Easter (schools and offices closed)
- March 25–28 : Spring Break (no school for students and teachers)
- March 28: Payday
Calendar Central
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