Monday, April 30, 2012
A news story published this weekend in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution implied possible cheating on standardized tests at Highland Elementary School in Wheaton.
Indirect allegations that Highland Elementary School improved its test scores by cheating have provoked strong reactions in Montgomery County. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an investigative story yesterday calling into question the Wheaton school's National Blue Ribbon status. Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr defended Highland and denounced what he saw as allegations that the school must have tampered with test scores. Furthermore, he said in a statement Monday morning that the story perpetuated racial and socioeconomic stereotypes. And he offered up a more succinct criticism on Twitter: "Alan Judd and @AJC assume that when black, brown and poor kids achievement improves it must be cheating rather …
39.051184
-77.062907
Highland Elementary School
3100 Medway St, Silver Spring, MD
/articles/speak-out-does-highland-elementary-school-investigation-perpetuate-stereotypes
1235995
/locations/6906745
The Montgomery County Public Schools superintendent repudiated an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that investigated cheating at National Blue Ribbon Schools.
Do statistically improbable gains in standardized testing scores indicate that a school is cheating in some way? The Atlanta Journal-Constitution turned the spotlight on Wheaton’s Highland Elementary School this weekend in a story about National Blue Ribbon Schools, “Cheating our children: Suspect scores put award’s integrity in question.” Highland Elementary School was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2009, the government’s highest educational honor. But just four years earlier, the state of Maryland had threatened to take away county control of the school because of poor scores. Although the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article never directly accused Highland of tampering with results, it cast doubt on whether the school honestly …
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
MCPS superintendent responds to question about high school dropout rates at student town hall.
One student at the Wheaton High School student town hall meeting Wednesday morning asked MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr about the Montgomery County dropout rate. Starr responded that the county's dropout rate is "good," explaining that on a comparison basis, fewer African American and Latino kids dropped out of the Montgomery County Public School system than in school systems in other parts of the country. He was careful to say though that MCPS does not want to see any student drop out, and he supports the Maryland Legislature in raising the dropout minimum age from 16 to 18. Wheaton High School has a 4.6 percent dropout rate, according to a report released in March, and an average of 70 students per year dropped out from FY06 to FY10. …
39.062057
-77.067247
Wheaton High School
12601 Dalewood Dr, Silver Spring, MD
/articles/speak-out-how-can-montgomery-county-reduce-dropouts
1235783
/locations/6778211
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Request will go to the county executive in March.
The Montgomery County Board of Education voted to approve a $2.13 billion fiscal 2013 budget request Tuesday, asking for a 2 percent increase from 2012. The extra $41 million is the smallest request in more than decade, Superintendent Joshua Starr said, and will mostly go toward handling enrollment growth, covering employee benefits and purchasing materials. The fiscal 2013 request includes about $8 million for employee raises, which Starr said is needed after staff has forgone cost-of-living and step increases for the past few years. MCPS is asking for $1.39 billion of the total from Montgomery County, matching 2012's per-student spending of $9,759 per pupil. That number falls in line with Maryland's Maintenance of Effort law, which …
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
While no seats are left, you can join the discussion online.
There are no seats left for Superintendent Joshua Starr's book club event Tuesday night, but you can still tune in on TV or online. Starr will discuss Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink, and the author will join him to answer questions. The event starts at 7 p.m. at the Carver Educational Services Center, and it will be broadcast on MCPS TV and available for streaming on McpsBookClub.org. The Barnes & Noble in Bethesda will also host a watch party in its café, and you can RSVP to the event by e-mailing Crm2750@bn.com. During the discussion, Starr will answer questions from members of the audience and from viewers at home using e-mail and Twitter, tweeting as @MCPS. In Drive, Pink argues that the key to …
Friday, January 27, 2012
Schools would put $230K to other uses.
Superintendent Joshua Starr wants to stop administering the TerraNova 2 test to second graders next year, planning to use the money saved to fund other school programs. The proposed cut is part of Starr's proposed amendments to his fiscal year 2013 budget request, and he will present the additions to the Board of Education on Feb. 14. Montgomery County Public Schools already administers three assessments per year to all students from kindergarten to second grade, and eliminating TerraNova 2 will allow MCPS to put the $230,000 saved each year on programs like pre-kindergarten education and staff engagement, Starr said. “While the TerraNova does provide some useful information, I believe we can assess student progress with existing tools and…
Thursday, December 29, 2011
The superintendent has chosen Drive, by Daniel Pink.
Superintendent Joshua Starr will host his second book club on Jan. 31, discussing Drive by Daniel Pink. The discussion starts at 7 p.m. at the Carver Educational Services Center, and it will be broadcast on MCPS TV. During the event, Starr will answer questions from members of the audience and from viewers at home using e-mail and Twitter, where he tweets under @mcpssuper. In the book, Pink argues that the key to motivating people is not simply rewarding success but instead engendering a sense of autonomy and purpose. This is the second of three book club events planned for the school year, and Starr has said that the discussions give him a chance to reach out to the schools' community, students and staff. "The book clubs will provide a …
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Superintendent is asking for $41.4 million more than last year.
Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr is asking for $2.128 billion in school funding for fiscal year 2013, a 2 percent increase over the previous year. Starr outlined his budget request before hundreds of people Wednesday night at a presentation at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, saying the increase in funds is necessary to handle MCPS's growing enrollment. The requested 2 percent is the smallest increase an MCPS superintendent has asked for in 12 years, Starr said, and most of that $41.4 million would go toward handling enrollment growth, covering employee benefits and purchasing materials. Starr said he intends to focus on professional development, interventions for struggling students and community …
Friday, November 25, 2011
The superintendent is reading and discussing books to share his educational philosophy.
Superintendent Joshua Starr will host his first book club event Nov. 29, when he'll discuss Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck. The discussion starts at 7 p.m. at the Carver Educational Services Center, and it will be broadcast on MCPS TV. Dweck will join the discussion via Skype, and Starr will answer questions from members of the audience and from viewers at home using e-mail and Twitter. This is the first of three book club events planned for the school year, and Starr has said that the discussions give him a chance to reach out to the schools' community, students and staff. "The book clubs will provide a less formal way for us to have a conversation about education and will provide an opportunity for me to share …
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
School will start on Aug. 27.
The Board of Education voted this morning to approve a school calendar for next year, with fall classes slated to start Aug. 27. Superintendent Joshua Starr said in his recommendation to the Board that his staff responded to input from parents and teachers by trying to schedule days off on Mondays and Fridays when possible. Spring break is set for March 25-29. You can view the full calendar on MCPS's website.
V. Wood
9:40 pm on Wednesday, May 2, 2012
My daughter is nearly 40 and was a graduate of Highland Elementary, Sligo Middle School and Einstein High, as well as receiving her BS from UMD and her master's degree from George Washington U. Each of her county schools was a school with no majority and the Highland community we lived in then was nothing like today. Then we had drug dealers on the streetcorners and running thru our backyard when… more ›