Office of Shared Accountability → Schools at a Glance → About Glance → Definitions and Data Sources

Definitions and Data Sources

Term Definition Source(s)
Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate Tests (AP/IB Tests) Advanced Placement (AP) tests are part of a College Board program available to high school students. Scores on these tests can be used by students to earn credit or advanced standing in college. Usually a minimum score of 3 is needed to achieve this goal.  International Baccalaureate (IB) tests are part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme available to students in participating schools.  Scores on these tests can be used by students to earn credit or advanced standing in college.  Usually a minimum score of 4 is needed to achieve this goal. Office of Shared Accountability
Alternative Programs Alternative Programs (AP) provides an instructional program and services to students who have become disengaged with the educational process.  The school is designed to meet the unique needs of each student.  It provides a multi-model approach to instruction which focuses on the Montgomery County Public Schools’ core competencies for the 21st century:  social emotional learning, academic excellence, and critical and creative thinking.  Social Skills and behavior strategy development are infused into the curriculum.  Individual Personalized Learning Plans are developed for each student.  The school services Grades 6 through 12. 

In addition to academic and behavioral interventions, the school offers counseling, social work services, case management, parent outreach, and community partnerships.		 Alternative Education Programs at the Blair G. Ewing Center
Associate Superintendent of School Support and Improvement Responsible for supervising and evaluating principals at the elementary, middle, or high school level. Office of the Deputy Superintendent of School Support and Improvement
Attendance Rate The average daily attendance for a given year is based on the aggregate number of enrolled students who are present in school each day from the first day of school through March 15.  The percentage average daily attendance is calculated by dividing the aggregate number of students in attendance by the aggregate number of students in membership for the same time frame. MSDE Maryland Report Card at http://mdreportcard.org/
Average Class Size—Elementary The regular student enrollment in kindergarten–Grade 5 divided by the number of attendance sections for each school. Office of the Chief Operating Officer
Official Class Size Report—School Year 2017–2018 as of October 31, 2018
Average Class Size—Secondary The regular student enrollment divided by the number of classes, excluding special education, reported for two areas: English (required courses) and all other academic subjects (other English, mathematics, world languages, science, and social studies). Office of the Chief Operating Officer
Official Class Size Report—School Year 2017–2018 as of October 31, 2018
Employee Benefits Employee benefits include payments made by MCPS for the employer portion of social security taxes, retirement contributions, group health, and life insurance.  For the purpose of this document, employee benefits are a calculated estimate based on staff salaries at individual schools.  This total was adjusted for vacancies using a school average of the specific employee grouping (administrative, teachers, other professional, instructional support, other support, building services).  Office of the Chief Operating Officer
Capacity The number of students who can be accommodated in the building, based on an allocation of space for different grades and types of programs. Division of Long-range Planning
Cluster The geographic grouping of schools within a defined attendance area that includes a high school and the elementary and middle schools which send students to that high school. Regulation FAA-RA, Long-Range Educational Facilities Planning
Core Facility Teaching Station The number of classrooms within the school building which does not include portables. Division of Long-range Planning
Downcounty Consortium The Downcounty Consortium (DCC) is comprised of Montgomery Blair, Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy, Northwood, and Wheaton high schools.  Students entering high school participate in a choice process to rank, in order of preference, their choice of high school based on academy program.  School assignments are made using a computerized lottery process that considers base school, sibling link, available space, and socioeconomic status. Division of Consortia Choice and Application Program Services (DCCAPS)
Dropout Rate

 The four-year adjusted cohort dropout rate is defined as the number of students who terminate formal education, for any reason other than death, within the four-year period divided by the number of students who form the adjusted cohort.


The school years are defined as the first day of the school year through the summer to the first day of the following school year. Student activity that occurs during the summer, including summer withdrawals, are included in the prior year’s data.

 
The four–year adjusted cohort dropout rate is calculated by dividing the number of students who terminate formal education for any reason other than death by the sum of the number of first time ninth graders, the number of students who transfer in, and the number of students who transfer out, emigrate, or die during the four-year period.

 MSDE Maryland Report Card at http://mdreportcard.org/
Enrollment The number of students enrolled in school as of September 30, 2017. Disaggregated figures are a percentage of the total enrollment. Office of Shared Accountability
ESOL Enrollment

The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)  enrollment is the percentage of students eligible for ESOL services, as of October 31, 2017, divided by the official total student enrollment as of September 30, 2017.  This percentage may differ from the ESOL percentage reported in the requested FY 2018 Capital Budget, due to different “as of” reporting dates.

 Division of ESOL/Bilingual Programs
FARMS Enrollment

The Free and Reduced-price Meals System (FARMS)  enrollment is the percentage of students eligible for FARMS services as of October 31, 2017, divided by the official total student enrollment as of September 30, 2017.  This percentage may differ from the FARMS percentage reported in the requested FY 2018 Capital Budget due to “as of” reporting dates.

 Division of Food & Nutrition Services
Feeder School A school that sends its students to another school for the next grade level (e.g., a middle school that feeds a high school by sending its eighth graders to the high school for ninth grade).  Most schools “feed” 100 percent of their students to the same school.  Those in which the population goes on to more than one school are shown in the profiles of each school. Division of Long-range Planning
Future Capacity Any projected change in a school’s capacity based on the latest capital improvements program requested by the Montgomery County Board of Education and funded by the County Council.  This capacity would be in place within the coming six-year capital programming period. Division of Long-range Planning
Grade 12 Documented Decisions The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) collects pregraduation plans data using the High School Graduate Follow-up Questionnaire. All graduating seniors indicate their postgraduation decisions within 30 days of anticipated graduation. MSDE Maryland Report Card at http://mdreportcard.org/
Graduation Rate

The four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate is the number of students who graduate in four years with a regular high school diploma divided by the number of students who form the adjusted cohort for the graduating class. For any given cohort, students who are entering Grade 9 for the first time form a cohort that is subsequently “adjusted” by adding any students who transfer into the cohort later during the next three years and subtracting any students who transfer out, emigrate to another country, or die during that same period. 

 

The four-year graduation rate is calculated by dividing the number of students who graduate within four years, including the summer following their fourth year of high school, with a regular high school diploma by the number of students who form the adjusted cohort for that graduating class. Students who drop out of high school remain in the adjusted cohort—that is, the denominator of the cohort graduation rate calculation.

 MSDE Maryland Report Card at http://mdreportcard.org/
Highly Qualified Teachers “Highly qualified” is a specific term defined by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB).  The law outlines a list of minimum requirements both in content knowledge and teaching skills to meet the “highly qualified” status.  The law requires teachers to have a bachelor’s degree and full state certification and to demonstrate content knowledge in the subjects they teach.  Under NCLB, states decide what is necessary for certification and for determining subject-matter competency. Rules surrounding the requirements for highly qualified teachers continue to be developed and refined. MSDE Maryland Report Card at http://mdreportcard.org/
Honors/AP/IB/
College-Level Enrollment		 Honors/Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and college-level courses provide rigorous and challenging studies for students who are capable of or motivated to pursue rigorous and challenging instruction.  These courses are detailed in the MCPS High School Course Bulletin.  The Honors/AP/IB, and college-level enrollment rate is the number of students enrolled in at least one Honors/AP/IB, or college-level course, divided by the total number of students. MCPS High School Course Bulletin
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) refers to the mandate in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004), which states that children with disabilities are to be educated to the maximum extent appropriate with nondisabled peers. MCPS reports LRE settings based on the percent of time a student is educated inside the general education setting.


LRE A = Inside General Education Settings 80% or More.

 

LRE B = Inside General Education Settings 40 – 79%.

 
LRE C = Inside General Education Settings Less Than 40%.

 Office of Special Education and Student Services
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Subgroup The Limited English Proficient (LEP) subgroup includes students who are eligible for ESOL services, students who have refused ESOL services, and students who have tested as English language proficient on the state mandated English Language Proficiency Assessment within the past two school years. MSDE Maryland Report Card

Division of ESOL/Bilingual Programs
Middle School Magnet Consortium The Middle School Magnet Consortium (MSMC) is comprised of Argyle, A. Mario Loiederman, and Parkland middle schools.  MSMC students entering middle school participate in a choice process to rank, in order of preference, their choice of middle school based on magnet program.  Rising Grade 6 and 7 students from outside the consortium also may enter the lottery process.  School assignments are made by using a computerized lottery process that considers sibling link, available space, and socioeconomic status. Division of Consortia Choice and Application Program Services (DCCAPS)
Mobility Rate

The student mobility rate is calculated by dividing the sum of entrants and withdrawals by the average daily membership.


Entrants: The number and percentage of students entering (transferring in or re-entering) school during the September to June school year after the first day of school.  A student moving from one school to another within the same school district as a result of promotion is not considered to be an entrant for mobility purposes unless the student entered school after the first day.


Withdrawals: The number and percentage of students withdrawing (transfers and terminations) for any reason during the September to June school year after the first day of school.

 MSDE Maryland Report Card at http://mdreportcard.org/
Northeast Consortium The Northeast Consortium (NEC) is comprised of James Hubert Blake, Paint Branch, and Springbrook high schools.  NEC students entering high school participate in a choice process to rank, in order of preference, their choice of high school based on signature program.  School assignments are made by using a computerized lottery process that considers base school, sibling link, available space, and socioeconomic status. Division of Consortia Choice and Application Program Services (DCCAPS)
Race/Ethnic Subgroups & Composition

The U.S. Department of Education required the state education departments to collect and report information on race and ethnicity that is in accordance with federal standards by the 2010–2011 school year.  The federal standards require a two-part question on race and ethnicity in data collection and result in the following racial/ethnic subgroups for reporting data.  Subgroup abbreviations also are shown.

 

  • AM – American Indian or Alaskan Native
  • AS – Asian
  • BL – Black or African American
  • HI – Hispanic/Latino
  • PI – Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
  • WH – White
  • MU – Two or more (multiple) races

 

Racial/ethnic composition percentages are reported in Schools at a Glance for students, professional staff, and supporting services staff.  The student composition percentages are reported for the students enrolled as of September 30, 2017.

Maryland State Department of Education

 

Office of Shared Accountability

 
Receiving School A school that receives students from another school after promotion (e.g., a high school that receives middle school students promoted from Grade 8 to Grade 9). Receiving schools are shown as part of each school’s profile. Office of Shared Accountability
Salaries: Professional and Supporting Services The actual annual salaries of staff at the school as of October 31, 2017.  This total does not include future step increments, General Wage Adjustments (GWA), or longevities is adjusted for vacancies using a school average of the specific employee grouping (administrative, teachers, other professional, instructional support, other support, building services).  Office of the Chief Operating Officer/Department of Management, Budget, and Planning
SAT The SAT is a college entrance exam accepted by several hundred colleges across the United States as part of the admissions process. In 2016-2017 school year, the College Board redesigned the SAT with the goal of measuring essential skills for college and career as well as relating the test content to everyday learning in classrooms. The new SAT consists of two sections: Evidenced-based Reading and Writing (ERW) and Math. Each section score ranges from 200 to 800 and the total score of the two sections ranges from 400 to 1600. Given that the scale of the SAT has changed, the College Board does not recommend comparing the performance between the redesigned SAT and the pre-2016 SAT. Office of Shared Accountability
School Hours The regular school day with a designated starting time and ending time as defined by the local school system. Office of the Deputy Superintendent of Schools
Special School A separate MCPS school/center providing services for children with moderate to severe special education needs. Student needs cannot be met in comprehensive schools. The special schools included are:  Stephen Knolls School, Longview School, John L. Gildner Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents (RICA), Rock Terrace School, and Carl Sandburg Learning Center. Office of Special Education and Student Services
Special Education (SPED) Enrollment

The Special Education (SPED) enrollment is the percentage of students eligible for special education services, as of October 1, 2017, divided by the official total student enrollment as of September 30, 2017.  This percentage may differ from the SPED percentage reported in the requested FY 2017 Capital Budget, due to different “as of” reporting dates.

 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 Regulations
Student/ Instructional Staff Ratio

The Student/Instructional Staff Ratio is calculated by dividing the weighted enrollment as of September 30, 2017, by the number of instructional staff.  Weighted enrollment includes full-day kindergarten enrollment plus 1/2 times pre-K enrollment plus enrollment in Grades 1–12.  Instructional staff is determined as all school-based instructional Full-time Equivalent positions (includes staff under the Teachers, Other Professional, and Instructional Support categories).

 Office of Shared Accountability

Staffing allocations are from the Office of the Chief Operating Officer
Support Art, Music, or Resource The number of full-size classrooms at an elementary school designated for support purposes (not regular classrooms) such as Art, Music, or Resource. Sometimes they are used for other uses such as Reading Initiative or Computer Lab. Division of Long-range Planning
Suspension Rate The unduplicated count of the number of students suspended divided by the June 30 total enrollment. Office of Shared Accountability
University System of Maryland Entrance Requirements MSDE calculates the percentage of students meeting the University System of Maryland entrance requirements.  Requirements for admission to the University System of Maryland are set by the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland and, at a minimum, include a cumulative grade point equivalent to a C or better, accumulated course credits in English (4 credits), social studies (3 credits), biological and physical sciences (3 credits), mathematics (4 credits), world languages or advanced technology (2 credits), and a high school diploma. MSDE Maryland Report Card at http://mdreportcard.org/

University System of Maryland