Twenty-two of Maryland’s 24 school systems will begin classes this month, as the 2005-2006 school year gets underway.  Only Somerset and Worcester counties on the Eastern Shore are set to begin classes after Labor Day.

Prince George’s County will start classes on Aug. 22, the earliest opening of any system.  Statewide, more than 870,000 students will stream into classes this fall, with nearly 80,000 teachers and other instructional staff scheduled to be on hand to help students make the grade.

Among the headlines for the new school year:

• More than 6,000 new teachers were needed for the upcoming year.  Several school systems still have numerous openings as the opening day of classes approaches.
• The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires that all teachers be “highly qualified” by the end of this school year.
• This year’s freshman class is the first group of students who must pass the state’s High School Assessments in order to graduate.
• The first wave of public charter schools in Maryland will open this fall.

Schools begin a few weeks after an independent report determined Maryland’s response to the tough standards of the federal No Child Left Behind Act was one of the nation’s strongest.  The MGT of America/Council of Chief State School Officers report commended Maryland in 58 separate areas.

“Maryland schools are leading the nation in so many ways,” noted State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick.  “The key for continued success is active support from parents and our communities at large as our students, teachers, and administrators begin the new year.”

School systems throughout the state are focusing on continuing the progress made over the past two years, as Maryland School Assessment scores in both reading and mathematics rose in all 24 school systems. 

The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires that all students be proficient in reading and mathematics by the year 2014.  Although Maryland students showed great improvement between 2004 and 2005, the bar rises on an annual basis.  Each year, those academic performance goals become more difficult to reach.

• Teacher Shortages Remain

Personnel offices in Maryland school systems are still busy, even with classes ready to begin in a few days.  Maryland classrooms are scheduled to welcome more than 6,000 new teachers this fall, and several hundred positions remained unfilled as of early this week.  Many of these were in fields facing chronic shortages, such as special education, high school science, speech, and mathematics.

The Maryland State Board of Education during this month’s meeting, Aug. 30-31, will look at teacher shortages as it reviews MSDE’s annual teacher staffing report.

• The Drive for Highly Qualified Teachers

Hiring difficulties this fall are complicated by a provision in the federal No Child Left Behind Act requiring all teachers be “highly qualified” by the end of the 2005-2006 school year.  MSDE data says that approximately 75.3 percent of classes last year were taught by “highly qualified” teachers, a big jump from 2003-2004 when just 66.9 percent of classes featured a highly qualified teacher, but well short of the goal.

“Highly qualified" is a specific term defined by No Child Left Behind. The law outlines a list of minimum requirements both in content knowledge and teaching skills to meet the "highly qualified" status. The law requires teachers to have a bachelor's degree and full state certification, and to demonstrate content knowledge in the subjects they teach. Under NCLB states decide what is necessary for certification and for determining subject-matter competency.

• High School Assessment

The Maryland State Board of Education last year took the important step of strengthening the high school diploma. This year’s ninth grade class (the class of 2009) is the first group of students required to pass end-of-course assessments in algebra, biology, English 2, and government before being allowed to graduate with a Maryland diploma.

A number of students already started taking – and passing – assessments last year.  Middle school students taking high school-level courses, such as algebra, took tests last spring near the end of their courses.  Students will have as many as three opportunities each year to pass the test, and those who need additional assistance to make the grade will be provided with on-line tools.

• The First Wave of Charter Schools

Seven completely new charter schools will open in Maryland this fall, and seven Baltimore City alternative schools have converted to charter status.  Combined with the state’s one pre-existing school – Monocacy Valley Montessori Charter School in Frederick – Maryland will have 15 charter schools in operation.  Those schools will be serving more than 3,400 students. 

The rapid growth of charter schools has taken place over a very brief period of time.  Maryland’s charter school law was signed in May 2003, and a few months later the state received a three-year, $13 million federal grant to help launch new schools.

• Also this fall…

• Kindergarten Entry Date Changes—Maryland has been slowly adjusting the cut-off birth date for entry to kindergarten, moving to age 5 by Sept. 30 this year from Jan. 1 a few years ago. 

• Maryland Parent Advisory Committee to Release Report—After nearly two years of work, Maryland Parent Advisory Committee (M-PAC) later this month will release to the State Board its recommendations to help improve and assess parent involvement in State classrooms.

• African American Museum Now Open—The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture opened its doors this summer.  This school year will find scores of students from throughout the State traveling to the museum and using an innovative new curriculum illuminating African American history developed by MSDE in collaboration with museum educators.

School Start Dates

Most Maryland schools than ever are opening their doors before Labor Day.  Prince George’s County kicks off the school year on Aug. 22, followed by:

• Aug. 23 – Calvert and Dorchester counties
• Aug. 24 – Talbot and Washington counties
• Aug. 25 – Caroline, Cecil, Frederick, and Garrett counties
• Aug. 29 – Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Charles, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, and St. Mary’s counties, and Baltimore City
• Aug. 30 – Allegany, Queen Anne’s and Wicomico counties (note: Queen Anne’s grades 1-9 report on Aug. 29; Wicomico grades 1-6 and grade 9 report Aug. 29)
• Sept. 6 – Somerset and Worcester counties