An analysis of Maryland’s current “college readiness” metrics meant to determine whether high school students are properly prepared for college may be improperly assessing a large percentage of students, according to a new report analyzing the state’s interim College and Career Readiness standards.

In fact, as much as 35% to 53% may be inaccurately assessed as either ready for college or not ready for college, the American Institutes for Research’s report to the Maryland State Department of Education found.

The College and Career Readiness (CCR) standard is a central goal for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, an education overhaul passed by the 2021 Maryland General Assembly, in order to determine if students are properly prepared to take on a 2-year or 4-year postsecondary education, and then ultimately enter the workforce.

In 2022, the Maryland Board of Education set up interim CCR standards to lay the groundwork for more-permanent standards down the line. Students are currently evaluated as “college ready” if they surpass benchmarks in 10th grade English and benchmarks in one of the following math courses: algebra 1, algebra 2, or geometry. Students can also earn a score of 520 on the SAT math test to prove college readiness under the interim standards.

The Blueprint also required MSDE to contract with a public or private entity to help evaluate the interim standards and offer suggestions for how they could be improved.

And there appears to be room for improvement, according to the American Institutes for Research (AIR), which is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit research facility that was tasked with conducting the analysis. The final report was released on Sept. 14 and the Board of Education discussed the findings at a meeting this week.

“AIR completed a multifaceted, best-in-class investigation into the predictors of postsecondary success and the alignment of high school standards to postsecondary expectations,” State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury, said in a written statement in mid-September. “The study is full of crucial insights into ensuring that Maryland sets a CCR standard that is aligned with national research and ensures equitable access for all students.”

In the coming months, education officials and leaders will be using the study in order to create and approve a new CCR standard.

“To assess the quality of different high school measures of CCR, we examined how well the interim CCR standard and alternative definitions of the standard predicted students’ progress toward postsecondary success, particularly college course credits earned in a student’s first semester in college,” the report said.

One of the caveats for the analysis is that it was conducted on students in graduating classes from 2017 to 2021, and the results “may not apply to future student cohorts,” according to the report. The analysis also did not look at the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) because the assessment was too new at the time of the study.

That said, one of the main takeaways from the report is that the current interim CCR standards often misclassifies students on their readiness.

For example, the analysis says that only 35% of the students in the study were “correctly classified” as ready for college under the interim CCR standards, based on whether a student earned math credit in their first year of post-secondary education. But 5% we’re “misclassified” as ready, as they struggled to earn a math credit in their first year.

Meanwhile, the analysis shows that the current interim standards correctly classified 28% of students as not college ready, but misidentified 32% of students as “not college ready,” when in fact they were able to earn a math credit in their first year.

“So they did not meet CCR standard, but they demonstrated they could earn math credit when they enter college,” Jordan Rickles, the principal researcher for the study, explained to the Board of Education Tuesday. “So this is the big source of error when it comes to the validity of our standard. For almost a third of students, the standards say they’re not college ready, but we have evidence that when they really go off to college, they really can do well in these first year courses.”

The AIR analysis says that the interim standard has an accuracy rate between 47% and 65%, depending on subject matter measured.

To further complicate the analysis, the interim standards were even less accurate for certain demographics, such as for Black students, Hispanic students, current English learners, students with disabilities, and students eligible for free and reduced price meal services. For these populations, the  interim CCR standard had average accuracy rates that were less than 60%, the report says.

The analysis looks at potential alternatives for how the state can identify which students are ready for college and which ones could use some additional help. The board will also be looking at the college readiness standards of other states to help inform their future decisions.

The analysis puts forward that it may be more accurate to analyze college readiness through a high school Grade Point Average threshold or the interim CCR standards, meaning that a student could meet either benchmark in order to be deemed college ready.

If the board were to take up that alternate college readiness metric, then the accuracy rate is expected to increase to about 75%, meaning that three in four students would be accurately evaluated as college ready or not.

The analysis suggests that a high school GPA threshold between 2.83 and 2.98 would be a strong indicator of a student’s college readiness, but the AIR recommends rounding up to a 3.0.

The report also advises the department to revise CCR standards to assess more accurately and equitably. That includes providing students with two options to meet CCR standards, either based on state assessments or through a GPA of at least 3.0. If the department takes this route, the MSDE would need to work with local education agencies to better standardize  and align grading practices across Maryland.

AIR also recommended that the department help students strengthen college readiness by providing additional counseling and other wrap-around services in middle and fhigh school that cultivate skills and knowledge critical for college success. Such skills include critical thinking, self-direction, and other skills that are not part of formal high school standards.

By Danielle J. Brown

A bequest of $3,000,000 from Carol Ruth Lofstedt’s Revocable Trust to the Talbot County Public Schools Education Foundation established through Mid-Shore Community Foundation will benefit the educators and students of Talbot County Public Schools (TCPS).  This bequest is made in memory of Dr. Joyce Arline Goodwin, Ph.D., Ms. Lofstedt’s long-time partner.  The gift will be used to “assist teachers who are in need of additional funds for classroom supplies, teaching tools, classroom equipment, and program curriculum” and to “support and encourage innovative teaching and creative learning” as directed in Ms. Lofstedt’s Trust. 

Both Ms. Lofstedt, who passed away in January 2022 at the age of 88, and Dr. Goodwin who passed away in 2018, were passionate about education and loved children.  “Carol and Joyce were lifelong educators who taught most of their years in the New York City public schools and Bronx Community College in Bronx, New York,” explained JoRhea Nagel Wright, Esq., Trustee of the Lofstedt Trust. “During Joyce’s career as a public school teacher, Carol witnessed first-hand how classroom needs and teacher supplies were frequently underfunded and how often Joyce and her teaching colleagues spent their own money trying to improve their classrooms and offer creative learning experiences for their students.”

 

Ms. Lofstedt earned a BS/RN from Skidmore College, and an MA in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing/Education from New York University.  After graduating from Skidmore College, Carol worked with Parkinson’s patients as a head nurse/assistant supervisor on a surgical unit. She left the hospital to pursue her Master’s degree with a desire to help better meet the emotional needs of her patients. Following graduation from NYU in 1962, she remained there to teach psychiatric mental health nursing to graduate students. She then taught associate degree students and headed the Psychiatric Nursing program at Bronx Community College in Bronx, NY, from 1964 until her retirement in 1991. During that period, Carol was granted a sabbatical and wrote a psychiatric nursing workbook to accompany a psychiatric nursing textbook.

Dr. Goodwin was born in Brooklyn, NY, and spent most of her life in New York State.  She earned a bachelor’s degree in Education and a master’s degree in Teaching at Hunter College, and a Ph.D. in education from New York University. Joyce dedicated her life to teaching and reaching out to special needs children. She especially loved middle school-age children and enjoyed sharing stories about the humorous side of teaching, and the achievements, antics, and accomplishments of her students. Having spent most of her career in the New York City public school system, she retired from the Ardsley Public Schools. Joyce and Carol relocated to Talbot County in 2005.

“Carol loved Talbot County and wanted to provide a significant gift to Talbot County Public Schools in honor of Joyce’s legacy which would have a meaningful impact on students and teachers and allow them to focus on creatively educating their students without concern for underfunded classroom needs and lack of school supplies,” Mrs. Wright added. 

The TCPS Education Foundation’s mission is “to support public education by raising and distributing funds to fulfill needs and opportunities inspired by TCPS educators and students”.  Founded in 2016, the foundation has awarded nearly $200,000 in grants for classroom materials, field trips, fine arts and after-school programs that are not covered in the public budget.  They have also funded scholarships, and mental health services for students, and raised more than $100,000 to support connectivity for students during and after the pandemic.  Most recently, the Foundation partnered with Easton High Support our Sports and Band, and the Grayce B. Kerr Fund to provide new uniforms for the Easton High Marching Band for the first time since the mid to late 1990’s.

“We are deeply grateful for this transformative gift,” said Debbie Gardner, Director of Communications for TCPS and Administrator of the Education Foundation. “Ms. Lofstedt’s generosity will profoundly impact students and teachers both now and in the future,” added Buck Duncan, President of Mid-Shore Community Foundation. The past and current members of the Education Foundation Board have worked diligently to build an organization that can and will fulfill Ms. Lofstedt’s vision.”  

“This gift could not have come at a better time,” explains David Short, CPA and Foundation Board Chair.  “We are in the process of completing a new strategic plan.  In our stakeholder interviews, it was clear that teachers and students need additional support, sometimes for even the most basic of supplies.  Thus, the spirit of this gift speaks directly to the needs of our schools.  Not only will we work to get these funds into the classroom, but we hope that this gift encourages others to join in and support us, so that we can continue to fund the needs of teachers and classrooms in Talbot County at a higher level into the future. On behalf of the Talbot County Public Schools Education Foundation Board, I share my appreciation for this bequest, which will make an enormous impact in Talbot County classrooms.”

The Education Foundation invites the community to join them in celebrating public education and supporting our teachers at their annual fundraising event, Mission Possible, which will take place on November 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the Oxford Community Center. The Talbot County Public Schools Education Foundation Funds are component funds of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, a public foundation designated as a 501(c)(3) charity. Gifts to the Funds are fully tax-deductible as allowable by law (EIN: 52-1782373). To learn more or to make a donation visit www.tcpsef.org.

 

Today, the Maryland State Board of Education and Maryland State Department of Education announced the names of the seven finalists who will compete to be named the 2023-2024 Maryland Teacher of the Year. The finalists were selected by a panel of judges from key Maryland education organizations representing principals, teachers, school boards, teacher unions, parents, and higher education.

Mrs. Andrea Schulte, Visual Arts teacher at Kent Island High School, was named as a Maryland State Teacher of the Year Finalist! The 2023-2024 Maryland Teacher of the Year will be announced during a gala reception and dinner at Martin’s West in Baltimore on October 13, 2023. The winner will receive cash awards, national traveling opportunities, and participate in several national meetings and conferences. The press release from MSDE can be found here.