St. Mary's County Times December 06, 2018 | Page 5

The County Times Thursday, December 6, 2018 Local News 5 St. Mary’s Schools Score Well in New Ranking System By Guy Leonard Staff Writer In the state’s new rating system where schools can earn a rating of one to five stars, St. Mary’s County saw its share of four-and-five-star ratings and only a few with three stars. Superintendent Scott Smith said the new ratings were a good reflec- tion of the system’s performance. “Overall we’re pretty pleased with how well our schools did con- sidering it was a new rating system,” Smith said. “It’s a more balanced way of looking at our schools.” Smith said school staff were still working to understand the data of the three-star schools to better make improvements and have them on their way to being four-and-five-star schools. There were no schools that re- ceived a two-or-one-star rating. Leonardtown High School re- ceived five stars, while Great Mills and Chopticon high schools each earned four stars. Only Esperanza and Margaret Brent middle schools and George Washington Carver and Park Hall elementary schools received three- star ratings. Of the county’s elementary schools, four earned a five-star rat- ing: Lettie Marshall Dent, White Marsh, Oakville and Town Creek. Both Leonardtown and Spring Ridge middle schools earned four stars. The new rating system was de- signed to give parents a concise view of how their child’s school compared with others in their own counties and around the state. But the new rating system takes into account more than testing and academic improvement; it also mea- sures the attendance of students and the depth and breadth of courses they can take at their schools to come up with a star ranking. Opinion surveys taken by both students and faculty are also fac- tored into the school’s overall rating. Academic achievement measured by high stakes testing as well as stu- dent improvement over time makes up 65 percent of a school’s overall rating; the remaining criteria make up 35 percent of the rating metric. “Our goal is to improve every school throughout our State, and prepare every student for a bright future,” said Dr. Karen Salmon, State Superintendent of Schools. “The new Maryland Report Card will help parents, educators, policy- makers, and the general public gain a better understanding about how each school is doing based on our accountability measures. Together we are working toward making sure our schools are the best they can be.” Gov. Larry Hogan said the new rating system will improve transpar- ency of how well schools are doing. “Education is and will always remain our number one priority, and we owe it to Maryland fami- lies to provide them with as much information as possible to make informed decisions about their children’s’ education,” said Hogan. “The new Maryland Report Card will provide parents, teachers, and students with critical information about our schools and enhance transparency and accountability in our education system.” This year’s ratings were based partially on the PARCC assess- ments taken by students; this test will be abandoned by the end of this school year and be replaced by an as-yet unknown assessments. [email protected] ST. MARY’S SCHOOL RATINGS High Schools Leonardtown - 5 stars Great Mills - 4 stars Chopticon - 4 stars Middle Schools Leonardtown - 4 stars Spring Ridge - 4 stars Esperanza - 3 stars Margaret Brent - 3 stars Elementary Schools Lettie Marshall Dent - 5 stars White Marsh - 5 stars Oakville - 5 stars Town Creek - 5 stars Ridge - 4 stars Piney Point - 4 stars Leonardtown - 4 stars Benjamin Banneker - 4 stars Capt. Walter Francis Duke - 4 stars Mechanicsville - 4 stars Hollywood - 4 stars Evergreen - 4 stars Dynard - 4 stars Green Holly - 4 stars Lexington Park - 4 stars Greenview Knolls - 4 stars Chesapeake Charter School - 4 stars George Washington Carver - 3 stars Park Hall - 3 stars S t . C lement ’ S I Sland m uSeum C hrIStmaS d oll & t raIn e xhIbIt Craft Guild Shop OPEN HOUSE Saturday December 8 th 38370 Point Breeze Rd. • Colton’s Point, MD Open Daily 12pm - 4pm Closed Christmas Eve & Christmas Day $3.00 ADULTS, $2.00 SENIORS & MILITARY, $1.50 CHILDREN, 5 & UNDER FREE ENJOY A HOLIDAY EXHIBIT OF ANTIQUE AND COLLECTIBLE DOLLS, TRAINS AND TOYS IN THIS FESTIVE HOLIDAY DISPLAY INSIDE THE MUSEUM. THIS EVENT IS A FUN VISITOR EXPERIENCE WHERE YOU CAN SEE A VERY UNIQUE CHRISTMAS EXHIBIT IN THE MUSEUM SETTING. FOR MORE INFO CALL 301-769-2222 r eadIng l IghtS the W ay - h olIday e xhIbIt at P Iney P oInt m uSeum 10am-5pm 44720 Lighthouse Rd. • Piney Point, MD Open Daily 12pm - 4pm Handmade Gifts for Everyone on Your Holiday List Specials Throughout the Store Meet the Artists Refreshments 26005 Point Lookout Road | Leonardtown, MD 20650 | [phone] Located Next to Maryland Antiques Center Closed Christmas Eve & Christmas Day $7.00 ADULTS, $3.50 SENIORS, MILITARY, & STUDENTS, 5 & UNDER FREE ENJOY A FAMILY-FRIENDLY HOLIDAY EXHIBIT INSIDE THE MUSEUM AND KEEPER’S QUARTERS. THIS YEAR’S THEME IS “READING LIGHTS THE WAY,” WHERE VISITORS CAN VIEW LIGHTHOUSE DIGEST COVER EXHIBIT, FLYING SANTA EXHIBIT, A NUMBER OF EXHIBITS ON CHILDREN’S HOLIDAY STORIES, LIGHTHOUSE LIBRARY BOXES EXHIBIT AND MORE. FOR MORE INFO CALL 301-994-1471 St. Mary’s County Museum Division Connect with us for more info m uSeum S tore Both museum locations Open Daily 12PM-4PM Closed Christmas Eve & Christmas Day Free to shop, without muesum admission. Unique & locally- made gifts!