Worcester Co. Public Schools pass state school report card with flying colors

WORCESTER COUNTY, Md. – For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) released its school report card Thursday.

Worcester Co. Passes With Flying Colors

Through the report card, Maryland schools receive ratings from a low of one star, to a high of five stars. The ratings are determined by academic achievement, academic progress, progress toward English language proficiency, school quality, student success, and graduation rates. Statewide, 75% of Maryland schools earned either three, four, or five stars, according to MSDE.

Worcester County Public Schools (WCPS) passed this year’s iteration with flying colors. 90% of eligible WCPS schools achieved a rating of four or five stars. By comparison, only 48% of all school types in Maryland made the same milestone. WCPS’ concentration of four and five-star schools is the third highest in the state, following Garrett and Queen Anne’s Counties.

Chief Safety and Academic Officer for grades nine through 12, Dr. Annette Wallace, says the 10% of schools not meeting eligibility, was through no fault of their own.

Getting Through COVID-19

Dr. Wallace says the district did everything it could to support students when the COVID-19 pandemic began; a focus on meeting students’ learning needs, amid significant learning loss.

“We’re definitely focusing on the areas of support, specifically where our students need to get caught up. And, certainly, our coordinators have done an excellent job tailoring curriculum and academic supports to our students’ needs,” said Dr. Wallace. “When COVID-19 began, as soon as we could figure out how to safely return our students and staff to school, we feel like that plan was strong. We kept everyone safe. But, we returned quicker, probably, than any other district in the state.”

While Dr. Wallace believes it’s a testament to the hard work of teachers during that time, it’s not just about curriculum. Adding, she thinks the thing that set WCPS apart from other districts, was their focus on caring for children’s’ mental health both during, and at the tail end, of the pandemic.

“Every single one of our staff members has an impact on our kids,” said Dr. Wallace. “So, when we talk about the pandemic, and all of the trauma that all of us have faced, certainly, I don’t think anyone during the pandemic was immune to challenges. But, when we came back, we really looked at the individual needs of every student.”

Dr. Wallace says taking care of those needs is just as important as the specific academic and curricular needs. “I think that a combination of doing [mental health and curriculum] really well, is why we’re seeing the success we are,” she said.

Work Ahead

While Dr. Wallace says WCPS is proud of the accomplishments made in this report card, there is still more work to be done. An issue that the district was already trying to tackle before COVID-19 hit the area, was chronic absenteeism, she says.

“I really think that we would have made even more growth. But, [with] the pandemic and all the illness that’s going around, chronic absenteeism is still against us,” said Dr. Wallace. “It’s created an interesting dynamic. We want students in school, but at the same time, we don’t want them in school when they’re sick.”

WCPS will also continue to strengthen its academics, says Dr. Wallace. “Our graduation rates from a high school level were strong. But, until we’re at 100% across the district, that’s something that we’re going to be working on. And, until our MCAT scores, which is our state testing, are at every student being proficient, we’re not going to rest on our laurels,” she said.

Moving forward, Dr. Wallace says the district will continue with what it calls its “whole child” approach.

“As much as it’s important to get the mathematics learning and the English learning, social studies and science, it’s just as important to find time during the day for students to do arts. That’s because that whole child is very important. We know that strengthening those specials areas strengthens their core subjects,” said Dr. Wallace. “We believe in our students, we believe in our staff, and we believe in research-based decisions that we make. But, I think specifically, the one thing that has been a belief in our school system is that people make the difference.”