How well are the county’s high school consortia working to raise student achievement?
I believe that the consortia high schools are all working to support MCPS initiatives to get more kids into honors and AP courses, more SAT preparation and participation, etc. Unfortunately, MCPS does not report data in a fashion that would allow an easy analysis of whether students in the Northeast and Down County Consortia are achieving measurable gains as a result of being part of this special program of schools. Nevertheless, I believe the choice process has resulted in greater student engagement in a school he or she wants to attend. The nature of the program also compels principals to work closely together which is beneficial to students. The choice process also stimulates comparisons, so it can’t help but raise everyone’s awareness of areas MCPS needs to continue to work on. Q. There is a strong focus on improving the county’s middle school curriculum. How well is the middle school reform working to raise student achievement? As we are only in the first stage of the pilot, there
