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Self-Study Report

Profile of Organizational Capacity - Introduction

© 2010, Middle States Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools

QUEEN ANNE’S COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

SELF-STUDY REPORT

SECTION 4: THE PROFILE

OF

ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY

FEBRUARY 10, 2012


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THE PROFILE OF ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY

he Profile of Organizational Capacity provides information and data that portray the

school’s capacity to produce the levels of student performance the school and its

community of stakeholders desire and expect. The Profile consists of the results of a

self-assessment of the school’s adherence to the Middle States Standards for Accreditation.

The twelve Standards for Accreditation reflect research-based best practices for quality in

schools. The Standards also represent the organizational “building blocks” that need to be in

place to produce high levels of student performance.

The purpose of the Profile is three-fold:

To gather information that portrays the capacity of the school system, its component

schools, and its community of stakeholders to produce the levels of student

performance they stated in the Mission and Profile of Graduates. The Profile is

developed by completing a self-assessment of the school system's adherence to the

Middle States Standards for Accreditation for School Systems. The twelve Standards for

Accreditation reflect research-based best practices for quality in school systems. The

Standards also represent the organizational “building blocks” that need to be in place to

produce high levels of student performance when controlling for economic, social, and

other factors students bring with them to the school system. The self-assessment leads

to identifying the system's strengths and areas in need of improvement in the areas

addressed by the Standards for Accreditation.

The Profile will also provide those who will be participating in and contributing to the

development of the system's Plan for Growth and Improvement with a good

understanding of the current status of the school system's organizational capacity.

T


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This report of the self-assessment and its supporting documentary evidence serve as the

"stepping off point" for the Visiting Team as it does its duty of determining whether the

evidence seen and heard either confirms or disconfirms the system's self-assessment.

Standards for Accreditation for School Systems

Foundational Standards: Standards addressing best practices in the components of a school

that provide the foundations for quality in the education program, services, and results in

terms of student learning.

Standard 1: Philosophy/Mission

Standard 2: Governance and Leadership

Standard 3: Planning for Growth and Improvement

Standard 4: Finances

Standard 5: Facilities

Standard 6: System Climate and Organization

Operational Standards: Standards addressing best practices in delivering the education

program, services, and activities to the students.

Standard 7: Health and Safety

Standard 8: Educational Program

Standard 9: Assessment and Evidence of Student Learning

Standard 10: Student Services

Standard 11: Student Life and Student Activities

Standard 12: Information Resources and Technology

A. Method(s) Used to Conduct the Self-Assessment of Adherence

to the Standards for Accreditation

A. By Standards Surveys

X YES NO

The self-assessment was conducted

using the surveys provided by the

Middle States Association.

Total Number of Surveys Returned 4968


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The results represent surveys completed

by:

Students 2978

Parents 1506

Faculty and Staff 461

Administrators 18

Governance Members( Board

Members, Executive Team 5

Business/Community

Representatives 0

B. By a Committee

X YES NO The self-assessment was conducted by a committee

for all the Standards.

See next page:

The members of the System-wide Planning Team are:


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District-wide Planning Team:

Name Title Representing Rotation

Schedule Carol Williamson Superintendent Leadership and Governance Standing

Roberta Leaverton Director of Curriculum, Instruction and School

Improvement, Internal Coordinator

Leadership and Governance

Standing

Richard McNeal Internal Coordinator/ Curriculum Supervisor ,

Mathematics, STEM Team

Mathematics Curriculum, STEM Team Standing

Anne Thomas Internal Coordinator Consultant, University of MD Eastern Shore

Partner

3 year s

Diane Larrimore Coordinator of Strategic Planning and Media

Services

Master Plan and Baldrige Liaison Standing

Kathy Draper Curriculum Supervisor , Secondary English/Language

Arts

English/LA- Secondary Curriculum Standing

Elaine O’Neal Curriculum Supervisor, Early Childhood and

Elementary Reading/Language Arts, Gifted &

Talented

Elementary LA Curriculum Standing

Tina Thomas Curriculum Supervisor , Business Education, Career

& Technology Programs, Social Studies(K-12),STEM

Team Member

CTE/Social Studies Curriculum/ STEM Standing

Lloyd Taylor Principal, Sudlersville Elementary School Administration- Elementary 4 years

Theresa Farnell Assistant Principal, Teacher Specialist Sudlersville

Middle

School Administration- Middle

Middle School Teacher Specialists

2 years

Conrad Judy Principal, Queen Anne’s County High School Administration- High 3 years

Carrie Mitten Assistant, Principal, Stevensville Middle School Administration- Middle /Assistant

Principal

3 years

Robin Landgraf Chief Financial Officer Finance/ Central Office 3 years

Ann Apple Teacher Specialist- Kennard Elementary KES, Elementary Teacher Specialists 2 years

Tomi Fabri Special Education Teacher- High

Queen Anne’s County Education Association

(QACEA) Representative

QACHS, Special Education Teachers

Teachers’ Association

4 years

Kelly Ruby Guidance, Kent island High Guidance Counselors 4 years

Madeline Hubbard Specialist, Student Data/Testing Central Office/Data Management 2 years

Jackie Carter Director, Character Counts Program Community/Business Partner 3 years

Kim Umberger Director, Partnering For Youth Program Community Partner/ Parent 3 years

Christine Johnston Parent/ 4-H Parents/ North County 2 years

Linda Austin Parent, Owner Rita’s Ice, Realtor Long and Fosters Parent/Business Partner- Kent Island 3 years

Walter Pauls Retired Educator, Secondary Community Member, Minority Achievement

Task Force

3 years

Student, QACHS ( junior) Students, North County 1 year

Students, KIHS ( junior) Students, Kent Island 1 year

Mrs. Beverly Kelly Parent, Board Member Community Member, Kent Island

Leadership and Governance

3 years

Jean Cupani Retired Educator and Administrator, Early Childhood

and Elementary Education

Community Member, North County 3 years

Betsy Andrews Administrative Assistant, Division of Curriculum and

Instruction

Central Office Standing


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Members of the Work Groups/Standards Sub-Committees

Work Groups Committee to Plan for Institutionalizing the Plan for Growth and Improvement

Name Position Rotation Schedule

Diane Larrimore Chair, Coordinator of Strategic Planning and Media Services

7 years

Sue Miller Specialist, Student Data /Testing 4 years

Lynne Ewing Specialist, ELL, Migrant Programs and Translation Services

3 years

Eric Christopher Teacher , Sudlersville Elementary 3 years

Sean Kenna Principal, Stevensville Middle 4 years

Diane McGowan Supervisor, Special Education 3 years

Plan for Communication and Awareness


Brad Engel Chair, Supervisor Pupil Services 7 years

Shauna Thompson Newspaper Rep 3 years

Kathy Easter Desktop Publisher, Webmaster, Office of Public Information

Standing

Jeff Straight Public Information Officer, Office of Public Information

Standing

Dave Brown Specialist, Student Data/Testing 3 years

Jan Whalen School Webmaster – SMS 3 years

Plan for Periodic Reviews of Plan for Growth and Improvement


Diane Larrimore Chair, Coordinator of Strategic Planning and Media Services

7 years

Bobbie Leaverton Director of Curriculum, Instruction & School Improvement

3 years

Richard McNeal Supervisor, Mathematics (PK-12), STEM Team Member

3 years

Kathryn Draper Supervisor, Secondary

English/Language Arts, New Teacher

Mentoring, Educator Effectiveness

Pilot, Secondary Reading Specialists,

Secondary Professional Development

Schools

3 years

Elaine O’Neal Supervisor, Early Childhood and

Elementary Reading/Language Arts,

Elementary Reading Specialists,

Elementary Professional

Development Schools

3 years

Willie Waits Supervisor, Science & Physical

Education (PK-12), Environmental

Education, Education That is

Multicultural, STEM Team,

3 years

Tina Thomas Supervisor, Business Education,

Career & Technology Programs,

Social Studies (PK-12), STEM Team,

3 years


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Project Lead the Way Brad Engel Supervisor, Student Services, PBIS 3 years

Diane McGowan Supervisor, Special Education ( Birth- Age 21)

3 years

Dave Brown Specialist, Student Data /Testing 3 years

Karl Hagelin Coordinator, Information Management

3 years

Committee to Develop the Profile of the School System and Community of Stakeholders, Organizational

Capacity, Student Performance


Bonnie Dixon Co-Chair/ Supervisor, Title I, Family Involvement, New Teacher Induction, Professional Development, World Languages

7 years

Diane Larrimore Co-Chair/ Coordinator of Strategic Planning and Media Services

7 years

Dave Brown Specialist, Student Data /Testing 3 years

Madeline Hubbard Specialist, Student Data /Testing 3 years

Kathy Draper Supervisor, Secondary English/Language Arts, New Teacher Mentoring, Educator Effectiveness Pilot, Secondary Reading Specialists, Secondary Professional Development Schools

3 years

Jackie Wilhelm Principal, Centreville Middle 3 years

Jackie Carter Community , Character Counts Program Coordinator

3 years

Debbie Lawrence Assistant Principal, QACHS 3 years

Committee to Conduct and Prepare a Report of the External Scan


Bobbie Leaverton Chair, Director of Curriculum and Instruction

7 years

Dr. Carol Williamson Superintendent 3 years

Richard McNeal Curriculum Supervisor , Mathematics, STEM Team

3 years

Committee to Plan the Details and Arrangements for the Visiting Team


Bobbie Leaverton Chair, Director of Curriculum and Instruction

7 years

Richard McNeal Curriculum Supervisor , Mathematics, STEM Team

4 years

Anne Thomas Consultant, University of Maryland Eastern Shore Partner, Internal Chair

3 years

Carrie Mitten Assistant Principal, Stevensville Middle

4 years


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Linda Austin Parent/Business Partner( Rita’s Ice & Long & Foster’s Realtors

3 years

Betsy Andrews Administrative Assistant, Division of Curriculum &Instruction

4 years

Julia Alley Assistant Principal, Queen Anne’s County High

3 years

Karl Hagelin Coordinator, Information Management

4 years

Jackie Carter Community Partner, Character Counts

3 years

Kelly Ruby

Counselor, Kent Island High 4 years

Kim Umberger Director, Partners for Success 3 years

Kathy Easter Desktop Publisher, Webmaster, Office of Public Information

4 years

Tomi Fabri Special Education Teacher- High

Queen Anne’s County Education Association (QACEA) Representative

3 years

Jeff Straight Public Information Officer, Office of Public Information

4 years

Tina Thomas Curriculum Supervisor , Business Education, Career & Technology Programs, Social Studies(K-12),STEM Team Member

3 years

Bonnie Dixon Co-Chair/ Supervisor, Title I, Family Involvement, New Teacher Induction, Professional Development, World Languages

4 years

Self- Study Teams

1. Philosophy and Mission, Core Values, Profile of the Graduate

Name Position Rotation Schedule Richard Mc Neal Secondary Curriculum Supervisor ,

Mathematics, STEM Team

7 years

Lawrence Dunn Principal, Bayside, Kent Island Elementary 3 years Geri Thompson Director, Judy Center 3 years Michele Hampton Principal, Kennard Elementary 4 years Kevin Kintop Assistant Principal, Kent Island High Annex 4 years Jean Cupani Community Partner, Retired

Educator/Administrator

3 years

Linda Austin Parent/Business Partner( Rita’s Ice & Long & Foster’s Realtors

3 years

2. Governance and Leadership

Name Position Rotation Schedule Thad Kalmanowicz Chair, Director of Operations 7 years Carol Williamson Superintendent 3 years Dave Dulac Principal, Centreville Elementary 4 years Kevin Kintop Administrator, – Kent Island High Annex 3 years Christine Dunn Administrator, Kent Island High 3 years


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Kaylene Kovach Administrator, Kent Island High 4 years Heather Clark Administrator, Kent Island High 3 years Kristin Hurlock Teacher, Kent Island High 3 years Michelle Carey Principal, Grasonville Elementary 4 years Toni Schelts Support Services 3 years

3. Plan for Growth and Improvement

Name Position Rotation Schedule Dr. Diane Larrimore Chair Coordinator of Strategic

Planning and Media Services

7 years

Bonnie Dixon Supervisor, Title I, Family Involvement, New Teacher Induction, Professional Development, World Languages

3 years

Lynne Ewing Specialist, ELL, Migrant Programs and Translation Services

4 years

Toni Schelts Coordinator of Support & Distributive Services

3 years

Shawn Kenna Principal, Stevensville Middle 4 years Bobbie Leaverton Director of Curriculum, Instruction and

School Improvement

3 years

4. Finances


Robin Landgraf Chair, CFO 7 years

Carol Kamp Principal, Matapeake Elementary 3 years Diane Wright Grant Financial Specialist 4 years Toni Schelts Coordinator of Support & Distributive

Services

3 years

Tina Houston School Based Financial Secretary 2 years Jennifer Bode Financial Secretary 3 years

5. Facilities

Name Position Rotation Schedule Andy Onukwubiri Chair, Supervisor of Design &

Construction/ Construction

7 years

Sid Pinder Supervisor of School Facilities 4 years John Wright Community Member 3 years Toni Schelts Coordinator, Support & Distributive

Services

3 years

Charles Emory Supporting Services 3 years Jackie Wilhelm Principal, Centreville Middle 4 years Conrad Judy Principal, Queen Anne’s County High 3 years

6. System Climate and Organization

Name Position Rotation Schedule Dr. Lloyd Taylor Chair, Principal, Sudlersville Elementary 7 years

Leigh Veditz Principal, Sudlersville Middle 3 years Michelle Hampton Principal, Kennard Middle 4 years Janet Pauls Principal, Church Hill Elementary 3 years Theresa Farnell Assistant Principal/Teacher Specialist,

SMS

4 years


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Brian Kelly Assistant Principal, Centreville Middle 3 years Annette Di’Maggio Parent 3 years Tom Wall Teacher Specialist – Sudlersville

Elementary

4 years

7. Health and Safety

Name Position Rotation Schedule Julia Alley Chair, Assistant Principal, Queen Anne’s

County High 7 years

Rob Watkins Assistant Principal, Kent Island High 3 years John Gallagher Sodexo, Supervisor 3 years Chris Parkinson School Resource Officer, Queen Anne’s

County High

3 years

Kristen Tyler Teacher, Queen Anne’s County High 3 years Matt Evans Pupil Services Worker 3 years Margaret Kaufman Queen Anne County Health Department 3 years Sharon Rhodes Parent/Nurse, Queen Anne’s County High 3 years

8. Educational Program

Name Position Rotation Schedule Bonnie Dixon Chair, Supervisor, Title I, Family

Involvement, New Teacher Induction, Professional Development, World Languages

7 years

Geri Thompson Director, Judy Center 3 years Michelle Carey Principal, Grasonville Elementary/Parent 3 years Dina Clark Teacher Specialist, Centreville Middle 3 years Conrad Judy Principal, Queen Anne’s County High 3 years Carrie Mitten Assistant Principal, Stevensville

Middle/Parent

3 years

9. Evidence of System Effectiveness

Name Position Rotation Schedule Dave Brown Chair, Specialist, Student Data /Testing 7 years

Tracy Kenna Academic Dean, Queen Anne’s County High/Parent

4 years

Kaylene Kovach Assistant Principal, Kent Island High 3 years Terri Gloyd Math Specialist 4 years Pam Edwards Reading Specialist 3 years Lynne Ewing Specialist, Migrant and ELL Programs,

translation Services

4 years

Ann Apple Teacher Specialist, Elementary 3 years Kelly Ruby School Counselor, Kent Island High 3 years Linda Austin Parent, Business Partner, Rita’s Ice, Long &

Foster Realtors

3 years

10. Student Services

Name Position Rotation Schedule Brad Engel Chair, Supervisor Pupil Services 7 years

John Shrecongost Principal, Kent Island High 3 years


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Diane McGowan Supervisor, Special Education 4 years Jenn Casey School Counselor – Queen Anne’s County

High

3 years

Donna Clough Secretary, Operations 3 years Matt Evans Pupil Personnel Worker 3 years John Gallagher Manager, Food Services (Sodexho) 4 years Margaret Kaufman Community Partner, Health Department -

Nurse

3 years

Sharon Rhodes School Nurse Queen Anne’s County High, Parent

4 years

Walter Pauls Community Partner, Minority Achievement Task Force, retired Educator

3 years

Toni Schelts Coordinator, Support & Distributive Services

4 years

Susan Morris School Psychologist 3 years

11. Student Life Activities

12. Information Resources Technology

Name Position Rotation Schedule Dr. Diane Larrimore Co- Chair, Coordinator 7 years

Karl Hagelin Co-Chair Coordinator of Technology 7 years

Sean Kenna Principal, STMS 3 years

Tina Thomas Supervisor/Parent 2 years Dave Brown Specialist, Student Data/Testing 4 years Susan Miller Specialist, Student Data/Testing 3 years Jeff Straight Public Information Officer 3 years Madeline Hubbard Specialist, Student Data/Testing 4 years Debbie Scott Media Specialist 2 years Christina Schindler Parent/ Assistive Technology Specialist 3 years

Name Position Rotation Willie Waits Chair, Supervisor 7 years

Dave Cooper Athletic Director of Coaches 3 years Kim Umberger Partnering For Youth 2 years

John Schrecongost Principal – KIHS 4 years

Kaylene Kovach Academic Dean - KIHS 3 years Amber Wright Teacher-Dance - KIHS 2 years

Barbara Sutherland Sponsor: National Honor Society -KIHS 4 years

Stephanie Zeiler Teacher/Coach -QACHS 3 years Devon Comegys Teacher/SGA Sponsor -QACHS 2 years

Arlene Reading Teacher Specialist – MES 4 years

Kathy Carter Teacher – Kennard Elem. 3 years Anne Robinett Teacher – Kennard Elem. 2 years

Stephanie Wishart Teacher – CHES 4 years

Cathy Crew Teacher – CHES 3 years Celia Mathrews Teacher – CES 2 years

Allison Kern Teacher – CES, Teacher of Year 2012 4 years

Kelly Embert Teacher –SES 3 years Terri Gloyd Teacher - SES 2 years


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**NOTE: Committee size and composition may vary depending upon the school’s size, the topic to be

addressed, etc. If needed, add lines to the above chart.

If the school system used a single committee to conduct the self-assessment, explain below how all of the

school system’s community of stakeholders were given opportunities to provide input into the self-

assessment.

To encourage broad stakeholder involvement in the self-assessment and planning process,

QACPS designed the planning team structure to include a district-wide team to manage the

process and a number of supporting work groups and standards subcommittees. Membership

on these teams is diverse as noted in the charts in this section. Each school also has an

established school improvement team with diverse membership and subcommittees.


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Summary of the Results of Our Self-Assessment

I: Race to the Top/Master Plan Goal Progress

A. Educational Reform Goals- Race to the Top Scope of Work

An examination of future trends toward globalization and exponential changes in

technology, communication have sparked a national debate about whether American

public education is adequately preparing students with the 21st century knowledge skills

and appreciations to be successful in the world in which they will likely live and work. As

a federal agenda for sweeping education reform unfolded at the national level in the form

of the Race to the Top initiative, the state of Maryland applied for and received one of the

highly competitive federal grants to accelerate implementation of the reform initiatives

within our state. As a partner with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) in

this effort, Queen Anne’s County Public Schools signed a partnership agreement with

MSDE and developed a local Race to the Top Scope of Work plan that describes our efforts

over the period of 2010-2014 to support the State transition to the national Common Core

Standards and Curriculum, the State’s ambitious new goals for student achievement,

increasing the use of data and technology and supporting educator effectiveness.

Within the Queen Anne’s County Public Schools’ (QACPS) Race to the Top (RTTT) Scope

of Work (SOW) 2010-2014, the district affirmed its belief that all students can achieve high

standards in education and that QACPS has the ability to provide students with the tools

they need to meet their post secondary academic and/or career goals. Our assertion is

consistent with the Maryland State Board of Education’s overall premise of creating a

world-class school system that prepares students for college and career successes in the 21st

Century.

The QACPS RTTT Initiative was developed to provide a framework of goals and action

plans, spread over the four year grant timeline that are progressive and built to accomplish

the district’s main project of creating effective leaders and teachers. As research

consistently demonstrates prepared and effective teachers translates into higher academic

achievement for all students.


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QACPS’ district goals were formulated and aligned with the State’s overall RTTT

initiative’s organizational structure- Section A: School Success Factors, Sections B:

Standards and Assessments, C: Data Systems to Support Instruction, D: Great Teachers and

Leaders, and E: Turning Around Lowest Performing Schools. The district did not apply for

the optional Section F: General. It is the belief of QACPS that by implementing the action

plans and meeting the goals of each section the district will be better able to assess

strengths and clarify our weaknesses in the overall educational process. The knowledge

we obtain is critical to QACPS when determining and incorporating the best instructional

programs and strategies that will provide all students a quality educational experience. The

following paragraphs identify the alignment of the QACPS RTTT with the State’s Initiative.

The narratives also offer a brief summary of what has been accomplished in year one and

what has been planned for year two.

–Year One –

Although Queen Anne’s County Public Schools (QACPS) did not receive funding for its

Race to the Top (RTTT) grant until May, the district was able to complete most of the

activities that were scheduled for the first year. Those few activities that were not

completed were easily assimilated into year two goals and activities. The first part of year

one could be summarized in one word, planning. QACPS solicited from district schools,

and received names of individuals who would sit on State committee’s within a plethora of

areas;

CTE-STEM program development committees

State level formative assessment revision committees for all levels and content area

State committees for all levels and content areas that addressed the gap between

MCCSS and the Maryland State Curriculum (MSC)

the State Educator Effectiveness Academy

the State’s MD online curriculum Toolkit Committee to evaluate electronic

resources.

At the local level, the district also created a number of committee’s to meet all local RTTT

goals and initiatives. Examples of these committees were:

local planning teams for each grade and curricular area developed a transition plan

that would implement the knowledge learned from the State-sponsored Academy

through grade level specific professional development.


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district level technology committee to evaluate software programs such as

Performance Matters that would link educator professional development to student

achievement and collaborative data driven decision-making processes

teacher and administrator evaluation committees responsible for aligning the local

evaluation process with the State’s framework.

In year one, aligned local programs that were operational and successful, were aligned

with State standards and the RTTT Initiative,

Aspiring Leadership Academy for individuals who wish to become effective school

and district leaders

PBIS programs conducted across all schools, assisting QACPS reach students in the

district’s lowest performing schools

Mentoring and Teacher Induction Programs, an integral part of our support system

for new and novice teachers

Middle and High School STEM academies (expanded to rising 5th graders in 2011)

have been conducted each summer since the first Academy was held five years ago.

–Year 2 –

QACPS believes that year two will become the implementation year for a number of the

processes and programs that were developed in year one. However, as mentioned

previously, due to the lateness in receiving funds from MSDE, a few activities that were

started late in Year One have not been completed and will be continue through year two.

The following summary of actions for year two is categorized by RTTT required sections

and correlated with specific MSDE RTTT indicators.

Section B: Standards and Assessments

As stated in the 2010 Race to the Top (RTTT) Scope of Work, QACPS believes the

Maryland Common Core State Standards (MCCSS) are the basis for ensuring all

students are providing a rigorous educational program leading to graduation from

high school and college, career-ready. In year one, QACPS began its journey

towards developing and adopting MCCSS by hosting and participating in the

Educator Effectiveness Academy in June 2011. Throughout the rest of the summer,

content and STEM supervisors met and planned with participating principals and

school representatives in order to begin developing highly effective transition plans.

In year two, these strategic blueprints serve as the district’s framework for the

delivery of professional development to all educational stakeholders. QACPS

Section B “Standards and Assessments” goals and action plan correlates with the


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required Section (B) (1) Enhanced Standards and High-Quality Assessment, (B) (2)

Developing and Implementing Common, High Quality Assessments, and (B) (3) (i)

(ii), (iii) Supporting the Transition to Enhanced Standards and High-Quality

Assessments of the State’s RTTT plan.

In year two teacher and content specialists will conduct professional development

defined through grade level transition plans. One of the critical components of the

transition is the creation of curricular documents that all instructors can utilize

throughout their daily instruction. Therefore, QACPS will continue to provide the

opportunity for representatives from each grade level and content areas to

participate in State activities that center upon creation of the Online Curriculum

Toolkit, unit writing opportunities, and revision of State assessments.

During the first year of the RTTT grant, QACPS provided the State with information

regarding the district’s technology infrastructure. This year, QACPS will expand its

participation in this endeavor through its commitment to support the State’s

comprehensive assessment system. QACPS will continue offering professional

development opportunities for QACPS teachers and leaders that focus on the

effective implementation of computer technology applications that enhance student

achievement.

Finally, during the past four years QACPS has also been committed to providing

STEM opportunities for high and middle school students through a summer STEM

Academy. The district is committed to conducting these academies through SY

2001-2012. This year, the district will also look to expand partnerships with higher

education facilities and other companies similar to the teacher mentoring programs

currently being offered by NASA and Northrop Grumman.

Section C: Data Systems To Support Instruction

Queen Anne’s County Public Schools (QACPS) believes the key to bringing about

break through achievement for high needs students lies in teams of teachers

routinely engaging in a laser-focused data-driven collaborative instructional process.

Section C of the QACPS Race to the Top (RTTT) Scope of Work is dedicated to the

use of technology and data to effectively and efficiently improve instructional

decision-making that leads to high student achievement, closing achievement gaps,

and improving teacher practice. QACPS year two RTTT goals and activities listed

within Section C’s action plan correlates with the required Section (C) (1) Statewide

Longitudinal data System; (C) (2) Accessing and Using State Data; and (C) (3) Using


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Data to Improve Instruction; (i) use of local Instructional Improvement Systems,

(ii)professional development on the use of data, and (iii) availability and

accessibility to researchers.

Beginning in year one QACPS evaluated different vendors’ programs that are

critical for the district to not only assess classroom instruction according to set

benchmarks, but also provide real-time professional development that would assist

teachers become trained on effective research-based instructional strategies. The

selected vendor, in year two, is scheduled to work with QACPS to provide

professional development. Training for leadership teams is geared towards

demonstrating not only the utilization of the software program but also the

development of an effective instruction improvement process. The process created

by the leadership teams will assist them diagnose teacher weaknesses, then create a

training program and identify resources, specific to the needs of that individual

educator.

During year one, the district was able to purchase IPADs. During year two

professional development will be conducted with administrators so that they can

begin linking teacher observations with modification of instruction that may

effectively meet student needs.

Additionally, during year two, QACPS will cooperate with the State efforts to

establish a mechanism to enable district software to interface with MSDE’s

Instructional Improvement System (IIS). The district continues to send staff to

MSDE-sponsored meetings to identify the resources that the new State-developed

IIS will provide.

Finally, once MSDE releases its State Technology Plan, QACPS will in year two,

align our technology plan with the State’s plan.

Section D: Great Teachers and Leaders

Section D “Great Teachers and Leaders” of the QACPS Race to the Top (RTTT)

Scope of Work addresses Queen Anne’s County Public Schools (QACPS) dedication

towards improving teacher and principal effectiveness and providing timely

guidance for novice teachers from high-quality professional mentors. QACPS’

Section D goals and actions are correlated with MSDE’s (D) (1) “High Quality

Pathways” and (D) (2) (i), (ii), (iii) (iv, a&b) “Improving Teacher and Principal

Effectiveness Based on Performance.”


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In year one, of the RTTT initiative QACPS aligned and revised induction/mentoring

programs and teacher principal evaluations as directed through the RTTT Section D

requirement. During year two of the initiative QACPS will continue to:

Focus on implementation of programs and processes designed during year

one;

Revise existing programs; and

Participate in State organized committees that relate to effective teachers and

leaders

Once approved and adopted by the State Board of Education, QACPS will

incorporate the statewide student growth measure into this district’s educator

evaluation system and processes. During the first year, QACPS began aligning its

principal evaluations with the State framework by holding local committee

meetings. In year two, the district continues to revise the principal evaluation

system; with the pilot scheduled to be conducted in Spring of 2012.

In year two, a committee has been formed to also align current teacher observation

and evaluation forms with the MSDE assessment framework. The district believes

the revised forms will be piloted during the spring of 2012.

The teacher mentoring/induction program, is an area that QACPS has been deeply

committed to during the last several years. Over the last decade the program has

evolved into a very efficient process that supports novice teachers, new to the

county. In year one, the program was revised to align with COMAR regulations. In

year two, mentors will be provided further training by attending Educator

Instructional Improvement and Induction Academies.

Finally, one of the other areas that QACPS recognizes is critical for developing

effective teachers and leaders is the building capacity with the district. Therefore, in

year two aspiring teachers and new administrators will be provided opportunities to

attend leadership training programs.

Section E: Turning Around Lowest Performing Schools

Queen Anne’s County Public Schools’ (QACPS) vision, mission, and core values are

based on a commitment to ensure that all children receive a rigorous academic

program in a learning environment that is safe, respectful, and caring. Additionally,


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all students will leave school prepared to be successful in a diverse and changing

world. The QACPS also recognizes the importance of a close partnership among

school staff, students, parents, and community members in order to promote and

increase student achievement. Therefore, Section E is a critical component in

QACPS’ arsenal of overall RTTT strategies. The local goals and their activities have

been designed to create a school culture and climate that promotes all students to

experience success during their academic careers.

The Maryland RTTT (E) (2) requires Maryland school systems to align their Section

E local goals and action plan activities so that these indicators correlate with the

States RTTTs plan that addresses struggling schools and students. Fortunately, in

QACPS we have only five schools within the district which the Leadership Team has

identified as needing to receive additional targeted assistance.

Therefore, in year two of the initiative, QACPS will address goal 1 (Provide support

to our lowest performing schools). QACPS will focus local professional

development opportunities that include research-based elements of highly effective

schools, based on the needs of each targeted school. Additionally, in year two of

the RTTT initiative, through collaboration of content supervisors with school-based

administration, action plans that address meeting individual student needs will be

developed. Finally, at one of our high schools a co-teaching initiative is being

implemented that will assist teachers learn how to utilize a co-teaching model that

provides effective instruction.

B. Student Achievement Goals:

1. High Student Achievement – All students will achieve a high level of proficiency

on national, state, and county-developed measures.

2. Teacher Retention and Recruitment – We will recruit and retain a diverse, highly

qualified, and effective teaching staff.

3. Communication – We will enhance two–way communication between the school

system and the community.

4. Safe Schools – Schools will be safe, disciplined and drug-free.

5. Family and Community Involvement – Schools will foster family and

community partnerships that enhance student success.


Self-Study Report



QACPS Goal 1 (ESEA and Local Goal): High Student Achievement - All students will

achieve a high level of proficiency on national, state, and county-developed measures.

Maryland School Assessments(MSA)

Maryland School Assessment (MSA) – Reading

Successes:

Elementary

During the 2010-2011 school year, our successes with student achievement were

evidenced by all elementary schools meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in

Reading. Not only did we make AYP but at the elementary grade level students were

above 94% in reading. This placed us2nd in the state in elementary reading. Broken

down by grade bands QACPS was 1st in the state in 3rd and 4th grades and 4th in 5th grade

reading. Additionally, student subgroups of FARMs, LEP, and Special Education made

gains. There was also an increase in students scoring advanced in grades 3, 4, & 5.

Although subgroup data scores increased, in comparison with aggregate scores, there is

still a 10% gap.

In QACPS, we believe student success in reading is the direct result of the hard work

professional staff members perform on a daily basis. Additionally, a variety of timely

professional development opportunities and scheduling has worked in concert to

accomplish the overall goal of increased student achievement. The genesis for building

a successful program began with the five year collaborative partnership developed

between QACPS and MSDE that has assisted our reading specialists, classroom and

special education teachers study and apply explicit teaching of MSC reading skills. This

process also includes collaborative lesson design. Moreover, QACPS schedules general

and special education teachers to co-teach and share common planning time each week.

QACPS also devotes days within our school calendar towards teacher analysis of

student work. This allows classroom teachers the critical time needed to develop and

revise individual student learning plans. Finally, walk-throughs, data binders that

note student progress, quarterly benchmark assessments that are aligned with the

Reading MSC, and the new Maryland Core Curriculum State Standards (MCCSS), and

07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11

Elementary 92% 90% 94% 95%

Middle 88% 87% 90% 92%

GOAL: 95%

MSA READING – PERCENT PROFICIENT OR HIGHER


Self-Study Report



opportunities for reteaching are all practices that have assisted Queen Anne’s County

Public Schools (QACPS) to become one of the top state school systems in elementary

reading.

Middle

In the aggregate, all of our Middle Schools met AYP in Reading. Only the student

population of Special Education did not meet AYP in one of our middle schools.

However, QACPS increased the aggregate score by approximately 2 points, from 90% in

(2010) to 91.8% (2011). Additionally, in reading Special Education students increased by

4%, ELL increased by 3.5%, and FARMs by 4%. At grade 6, QACPS scored 1st in the

state with a 93.3% proficiency. 8th graders in QACPS also scored 4th in the state in

reading with a 92.2% proficiency, which is a 5.6 increase over last year’s reading scores.

We contribute these successes to many of the same processes and programs that are

present at the elementary level. Professional development was conducted in research-

based interventions such as Corrective Reading, University of Kansas strategies, Wilson

Visualizing and Verbalizing, LiPs, and SOAR to Success. Flexible student grouping was

also implemented in all middle schools for reteaching, practice, and extension.

Challenges:

Elementary

This past school year, QACPS recorded high levels of student achievement at the

aggregate level. For many student population groups this was evidenced by a decrease

in achievement gaps. However, there is still a gap between student group results

compared to the aggregate. At the elementary level, in order to assist struggling

members of student population groups, QACPS plans to concentrate (SY 2011-2012) on

individual students who are identified as at risk. After examining current successful

intervention programs, QACPS will utilize those intervention strategies that have

proved successful with specific student populations. Additionally, QACPS will begin a

new intervention program, Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) which is scheduled to be

piloted at all of the district elementary schools.

During SY 2011-2012, not only will QACPS continue its professional development

collaboration with MSDE through the Race to the Top (RTTT) initiative, but will finance

through local Title I, Title IIA, or special education funding other professional

development opportunities for instructors. Moreover, the district leadership team from

the Central Office will team with staff from individual schools to continue walk-

throughs that focus on the effectiveness of instructional strategies schools have been

implementing. Finally, tutors, funded through the ELL grant will also target students


Self-Study Report



who are struggling with reading and our Title I schools will continue to implement a

summer school program to maintain and increase reading levels for identified students.

Middle

The aggregate and subgroups at middle school are all making progress, but we still

experienced an achievement gap. The gap between African American students and the

aggregate is 19.2 points and between Special Education and the aggregate is 12.5 points;

for LEP, the gap is 11.4 points and for FARMS only 5.7 points. In almost every category,

females outperformed males.

Even though gaps still exist between the aggregate and various student populations,

middle school students identified within these groups are still making steady progress.

Therefore, QACPS will continue to utilize the most successful major initiatives: data-

driven instruction, examination of student work, collaborative lesson design, explicit

instruction using the reading alignment model, research-based interventions, and job-

embedded professional development. In all district middle schools identified at risk

students who require additional support are assigned to research-based interventions in

addition to the regular class. Moreover, three of four middle schools have scheduled

separate reading and language arts classes daily in 2011-2012; thus both the critical

skills of reading and writing will have attention daily. Our top performing middle

school has been employing this schedule for four years and as other schools have

observed their achievement, they have decided to adopt the model.

As mentioned in the elementary section, in 2011-12, the calendar once again provides

for partial day “data” days during which teachers have allocated time to examine data

on student performance and to examine student work. Additionally, some schools will

utilize the Student Achievement Monitor (SAM) meetings with leadership team,

classroom teachers, and special educators to discuss and monitor student performance

with a focus on African-American students, especially the males. Other schools will be

focusing on building shared responsibility between co-teachers. Finally, in 2011-2012

QACPS plans to sharpen our focus on differentiation and flexible grouping and will

deploy the reading specialists at the school level to provide the direction.

Maryland School Assessment (MSA) – Mathematics

Progress:

Although in Mathematics two elementary schools did not make AYP for Special Education,

the aggregate for all elementary schools did make AYP. Overall, the district demonstrated


Self-Study Report



MSA MATH – MIDDLE SCHOOLGrade level Scores – past two years

Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8

2009 - 2010 87% 87% 76%

2010 - 2011 93% 80% 82%

Increase (Decrease) 6% (7%) 6%

93.3% overall proficient score. This placed QACPS 1st in the state in overall elementary

Mathematics. Broken out by grade band QACPS is 2nd in the state in 3rd grade and 1st in the

state in 4th and 5th grades. Additionally, the gap between the student populations of

FARMs, Special Education and African American continues to close. Of most significance

were elementary students with a 504 Plan. Students with a 504 plan showed significant

growth in grades 3 through 5.

Middle School MSA Math Results 2011

At the middle school level two middle schools did not make AYP in mathematics in special

education, and two were in Safe Harbor for Special Education. However, the overall aggregate

for all middle schools made AYP. Overall, the district demonstrated an increase of 1.9% for

the aggregate from 2010 (83.1% to 85%). This past year, Special Education students increased

2.4%, and FARMs students increased 2.9%. Additionally students with a 504 Plan scored a

94.6% proficiency rating. Finally, three of four Middle Schools showed a 5% growth in grades

6 and 8.

Successful practices are contributed to Math Specialists meeting with classroom teachers to

discuss the summative assessment data and benchmark data for students. Students who are

identified for interventions are added to progress charts to be monitored on a regular basis.

Additionally, QACPS is using Ruby Payne training to provide support strategies and insights

for teachers to assist our FARMs subgroup population improve their level of achievement in

Mathematics.

Challenges:

In the elementary program although growth has been noted over the past three years in

Special Education, FARMs, and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students, at risk students

continue to fall below the aggregate. QACPS will continue its efforts again this year (2011-


Self-Study Report



2012) on the primary grades especially those students identified with special needs, in order to

accelerate the learning of all students to be more successful in the intermediate grades. At the

middle grades QACPS will continue to adjust intervention efforts to provide what is needed to

meet the individual student needs.

Both educational levels will continue to receive job-embedded professional development

through district Math Specialists. Areas that will be addressed during the 2011-2012 school

year are collaborative lesson planning and effective instructional strategies that will meet the

needs of all students; emphasis on a concrete-pictorial-abstract instructional approach,

problem structures, and problem-solving strategies; technology training and resources to assist

teachers in providing appropriate materials for students with diverse needs; and the

integration of a Universal Design structure and resources within the co-teaching and co-

planning models.

Maryland School Assessment (MSA) – Science

MSA Science Results 2011

Progress:

At the elementary level QACPS was 2nd in the state and 16 % above the state average of 66.8%

for MSA Science. Special Education students increased 16.6% from last year’s proficiency

score of 46.1%. The district’s LEP population also recorded a 4.4% increase from last year’s

proficiency score of 40%. QACPS middle school MSA Science proficiency scores placed us 1st

in the state and 14.3% above the state average. The aggregate score rose from 83.8% in 2010 to

89.01%, a 5.3% increase. Looking at Student populations, Special Education students increased

in proficiency 2.5% in 2011 and FARMs scores increased 16.7 %. Moreover, the district’s LEP

(10%) and African American (26%) student populations’ proficiency scores increased. All four

county middle schools increased their proficient scores in Science.

Challenges:

07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11

Elementary 79% 75% 83% 83%

Middle 80% 83% 84% 89%

GOAL: 95%

MSA SCIENCE – PERCENT PROFICIENT OR HIGHER


Self-Study Report



Although QACPS was 2nd in the state for aggregate scores, FARMs students experienced

decreases at the elementary level. However, elementary Special Education saw a 16.6%

increase in proficiency. This was thought to be because there was a greater emphasis last year

to implement Special Education strategies in science. This year, QACPS will also use the

strategies that were used with Special Education to assist at risk students from other student

populations. QACPS continues to explore ways to provide alternative scheduling

opportunities for students so that they can receive critically needed tutoring in Math and

Reading skills without missing science instruction. It is also a priority to provide professional

development to elementary teachers, using local funding, in science content. Professional

development will also encompass how to differentiate instruction so that it reaches our needier

students.

At the middle school level QACPS saw growth at the proficient level in all student population

groups. Therefore, QACPS will continue to modify the assessments/benchmarks in science in

order to align them to the MSA Science test. By aligning with MSA Science pre-assessments

teachers will be able to more effectively monitor student progress. During school based

content meetings, teachers will have the opportunity to learn how to incorporate the Maryland

Common Core State Standards (MCCSS) Transition plan for STEM, Math and ELA into the

existing county curriculum.

Social Studies

Progress:

QACPS has made a genuine effort to ensure that the Social Studies Curriculum is aligned with

the Maryland State Curriculum at the elementary, middle and high school levels. The district

has written curriculum documents that are aligned with state documents, supports teachers in

delivering it and monitors implementation and results. Curriculum alignment is the first and

arguably the most important step in increasing student achievement relative to the state

curriculum frameworks and state criteria.

To ensure alignment at the middle school level QACPS was able to purchase new textbooks

with local funding in grades 6-7 which are more in-line with the state curriculum and the

writing of pacing guides and curriculum guides that align the content standards into a teacher

friendly document. QACPS has long had a tradition of preparing benchmark assessments for

each content and grade level. During the summer of 2010, teachers worked together with

funding from Title IIA, to create benchmark assessments at the middle and high school levels.

These benchmarks measure the content standards that are outlined in the State Curriculum

and the district level pacing guides.


Self-Study Report



In QACPS Professional Development in any curriculum alignment is a necessary and essential

part to ensure that teacher involvement is crucial. Without teacher’s collaboration, alignment

efforts can be a fruitless exercise. Within the area of Social Studies instructors have been

involved in curriculum development and alignment, and professional development offerings

have been offered to address their concerns (e.g., how to combine individual teaching styles

with effective delivery of the curriculum).An aligned curriculum provides the perfect

professional development opportunity for teachers to plan together, work together to create

assessments and share ideas.

Challenges:

QACPS has found providing a rigorous and challenging Social Studies curriculum can be

difficult when Social Studies is not part of a state or national assessment. Performance on

standardized tests provides an alignment to the curriculum that is measureable and concrete

to everyone what should and has been taught. However, in Maryland, Social Studies teachers

do not have an assessment tool to determine if students have met centralized learning goals

established through the Maryland State Curriculum. Therefore, the challenge for classroom

teachers is to meet the needs of students without a standardized assessment that can provide

critical information about the growth of students and if they have met the expectations of the

State. In order, to assist teachers meet the standards of the Maryland State Curriculum,

QACPS is working towards providing Social Studies teachers opportunities to collaborate

when planning instructional pedagogy that can assist students meet local and State standards.

Additionally, QACPS has been able to offer professional development opportunities for

teachers to enhance their understanding in using best social studies practices in geography,

economics and analyzing documents. It is the intent of QACPS to continue to address

challenges in curriculum in a collaborative manner as we continue to align curriculum and as

we move towards the Common Core Standards.

High School Assessments(HSA)

2011 HSA Results – All Student Levels

Percent of students proficient or advanced

All Students

Queen Anne's Maryland

2010-2011

Queen Anne’s

Rank Within

State 2009-

2010

2010-

2011

Algebra 91.7% 91.7% 83.6% 6th

Biology 89.0% 92.0% 81.3% 4th

English 82.8% 87.1% 81.7% 8th


Self-Study Report



High School Assessments (HSA) – English

Progress

When examining data for both schools, we note that both high schools increased performance

of the aggregate, African American, FARMS, and Special Education populations from 2010 to

2011. County data indicates that 87.1% of the aggregate, 56.7% of Special Education, 71.4% of

African American students, and 74.5% of FARMS students scored proficient; this represents

growth in all areas from 2010 to 2011.

Challenges

The greatest challenge for QACPS related to the English HSA is that one of our two high

schools has not met AYP in the area of Special Education for the second year. Though the

school increased from 21.2% proficient to 44.4% proficient for Special Education students in

English, the subgroup did not meet AYP in the area of graduation rate, so the progress in

English did not count. The other high school met AYP in all categories in English.

This year, a key piece for improvement will be the ongoing monitoring of all students in

subgroups. Since many of the subgroups are small and some students cross subgroups, the

school will be closely examining the progress of each individual student. The targeted school

traditionally has a greater number of African American, Special Education, and FARMS

students than does the other school. As a system, we are studying the student achievement

data of the schools which feed the targeted high school and are identifying methods of

reversing the trend. In fact, one of the feeder middle schools failed to meet AYP in reading in

the area of Special Education, so the system will be developing a plan for improvement at that

school.

High School Assessments (HSA)-Algebra

Progress

As students registered for high school algebra courses, teachers provided recommendations

for students to be enrolled in the semester HSA algebra sections or in the yearlong sections

that provided more support. These recommendations were usually based on the students’

MSA scores in middle school, current academic performance in 8th grade pre-algebra as well as

any special needs a student may have had. The process has helped produce an overall

improvement in first time test-takers for the aggregate and most subgroups. This past year


Self-Study Report



QAC was 6th in the state in Algebra. There was less than a 10% gap between the Aggregate

91.7%, Farms (83.2%), and African American students (83.8%).

Challenges

However, there are still many challenges amongst our student populations. Special education

students were at least 37.6% below the aggregate. This school year QAC will utilize targeted

interventions for those students considered at risk. Identified students will be monitored

closely through communication with parents, special education case managers, and support

personnel. Technology programs which effectively support the Algebra program will also be

reviewed for use with students who require additional assistance.

High School Assessments (HSA)-Biology

Progress:

Comparing the 2010 – 2011 data with the previous year’s administration, it is evident by the

scores that professional development addressing strategies to address the needs of the

subgroups in Biology has been tremendously successful. The aggregate proficient scores

increased from 89.0% proficient in 2010 to 92.0% proficient in 2011 (3%). The African American

proficient scores increased from 50.0% proficient in 2010 to 75.8% proficient in 2011 (25.8%).

The FARMS proficient scores increased from 77.3% proficient in 2010 to 78.6% proficient in

2011 (3.6%). The special education proficient scores increased from 50.9% proficient in 2010 to

66.7% proficient in 2011 (15.8%). Male FARMS proficient scores increased from 73.3%

proficient in 2010 to 83.9% proficient in 2011 (10.6%). Male special education proficient scores

increased from 59.5% proficient in 2010 to 75.7% proficient in 2011 (16.2%). Female special

education proficient scores increased from 31.3% proficient in 2010 to 50% proficient in 2011

(18.7%).

Challenges:

Even with all of these successes, QACPS did encounter some challenges in the area of HSA

Biology. Female FARMS proficient scores decreased from 81.4% proficient in 2010 to 75.7%

proficient in 2011 (5.7%). In the previous year (2009 – 2010), the focus had been minority and

FARMS students. This year, overall science professional development will focus on strategies

that will assist students from all subgroups. The QACPS goal is to have less than a 10%

achievement gap between the aggregate and any subgroup for Biology HSA.

Schools Making Adequate Yearly Process (AYP)

Progress:


Self-Study Report



In the aggregate, in each school all grade levels performed above the established AMOs in

Reading, Math and Attendance/Graduation rate. Furthermore, in each school, the subgroups

of American Indian, Asian, white, two or more races, Hispanic and FARMs all met AYP

requirements. Nine of our fourteen schools made AYP. Of the five schools that failed to make

AYP only one has been designated as “in need of improvement”.

Challenges:

As the AMO continues to rise we are continuing to focus on the needs of all our student

populations in order to drop our achievement gap. The Special Education subgroup continues

to be a challenge. All school improvement teams will continue to carefully monitor the

progress of all students in order to make certain that the students who are struggling receive

instructional interventions and accommodations based upon their individual needs.

In all five schools that failed to meet AYP the determining subgroup was the special education

group. Additionally three of our schools that met AYP requirements did so through safe

harbor. In each of these three cases, the problematic subgroup was again, special education. A

system-wide effort will be made to address this group’s specific needs.

AYP- Five schools in Queen Anne’s County (35.7%) did not make AYP Statewide —

44.8% of MSA taking schools failed to make AYP in 2010-2011

School Subject Subgroup

Sudlersville Middle Reading Special Ed

Math Special Ed

Sudlersville Elementary Math Special Ed

Centreville Elementary Math African American

Math Special Ed

Matapeake Middle School Math Special Ed

Queen Anne’s County High

School

Reading Special Ed

Math Special Ed


Self-Study Report



Addressing Cross Cutting Themes and Specific Student Groups

Educational Technology

Progress:

Internet Content filtering was de-centralized and provided at each school location to increase

access to the Internet. QACPS also evaluated it Internet Content Filtering Categories. The

district replaced computers in classrooms bringing the ratio of computers to students closer to

the State Technology Plan’s goal of one high performance computer per educator for

administrative and instructional use by 2012. Educational workshops were offered

throughout the district. Examples of workshops conducted by the Educational Technology

personnel were:

A two hour evening workshop for teachers at an elementary school, in order to provide

instruction on the use of document cameras and E-Beams

A six hour workshop was held 21st Century Classroom technology Resources for district

staff

Workshops for Science, Social Studies and Career and Technology teachers on

instructional technology devices.

The district also installed physical education teachers with an online tool for monitoring

fitness of PreK-12 students. Additional programs installed were Read180 reading intervention

program at both high schools and updates to the Accelerated Reader in two elementary

schools. Finally, the Blackboard Connect system was implemented.

Challenges:

Over the past few years, the school system has not been able to afford to replace equipment on

the 4 or 5 year replacement cycles that are detailed in the county’s Technology Plan. Queen

Anne’s County Public Schools will continue to look for new or creative ways to fund a

shrinking technology budget in order to meet these goals. The States Technology plan

establishes staffing targets for technology support personnel.. QACPS currently falls short on

these target numbers. The district currently has 1 technical support person per 1000

computers. Maryland’s technology plan also sets a target for one technology infusion

specialist for 100 instructional and administrative staff member. We currently do not have any

single staff member with the full time designation of technology specialist.


Self-Study Report



Education That is Multicultural

Progress:

All Schools have fully implemented:

Curriculum in all areas that reflect varied cultural and socio-economic groups

Practices and programs that promote values, attitudes and behaviors which promote

cultural sensitivity; and

Lessons that reflect a diversity of learning styles

All schools reported full implementation of curriculum that provided opportunities for

students to demonstrate attitudes and actions that value heritage, diversity and cultural

differences. Highly effective and certified teachers were assigned to low-achieving schools

and all schools monitored and addressed disproportionate referrals and placement of students

in special education programs. All schools used disaggregated data through our data

warehouse Performance Matters, to assess inequities and to make adjustments to assure

equity. All schools provided outreach through night meetings with parents, business leaders

and our newsletters, guidance and advisement programs. Staff development was on-going

and included staff in each school, addressing MSDE Professional Competencies. The

experience and prior staff development of each faculty dictated the needs for staff

development. All schools reported providing staff development to explore attitudes and

identify strategies appropriate for Education That Is Multicultural. Professional development

was continued to be provide on Ruby Payne’s A Framework for Understanding Poverty. The

Superintendent meets bi-monthly with Ministerial Association. That group has identified

problems that need clarification. The Superintendent has provided requested information to

that group. All aspects of instruction are accessible to every student. Supports are given as

needed. Technology is accessible to all students and all instructional activities promote an

understanding of and respect for a variety of ways of communicating, both verbal and non-

verbal.

Challenges:

QACPS believes the ETMA mission statement needs to be integrated into the operation of the

school and regularly communicated to staff, students, parents, and the community. Because of

limited number of Professional Development with MCCSS it has been difficult for the school

to focus on MTMA. Additionally, at this time QACPS does not mandate ETM course for

employees or newly hired teachers. Finally, this year QACPS will work on developing

strategies that need to be put in place to encourage more parental involvement from the

diverse population in school based activities.


Self-Study Report



Addressing Specific Student Groups

Limited English Proficient Students

Progress:

Over the past few years one of the student populations that has shown the greatest increase is

students with Limited English Proficiency skills (LEPS). Therefore, QACPS has assigned

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) instructors within each district school that

has LEPS students enrolled.. These instructors’ schedules were tailored to meet the specific

needs of each student at that school. Instructors worked cooperatively within the classes to

support content area instruction as well as combined pull-out with the inclusion to target

specific skills with the ELL. In 2011, the district had a total of 123 test-takers. 69 ELL met

AMAO I, (60%), and 22 ELL met AMAO II, (17.89%). Both groups met state targets. Progress

is also evident in the fact that the ELL of QACPS have met the State targets consistently for

AMAO I during the six years of LAS Links testing and only marginally missed AMAO II once

in six years.

Challenges:

The challenges most evident were assisting new LEP students who had very little knowledge

of English vocabulary and the art of applying the language as a concept towards HAS exams.

This was essentially double learning. To assist these students, ESOL instruction at the high

school has undergone a makeover with specific ESOL classes for language acquisition. There

will also continue to be detailed analysis of LAS Links scores with appropriate instruction in

each of an ELL’s “weaker domain” and on-going instruction based using the LAS Links

Instructional Guidance binders. With the state joining the WIDA Consortium, instruction and

assessment will now center on this consortium’s materials. Professional development will be

on-going throughout the 2011-2012 school year to ensure WIDA’s standards are implemented.

Career and Technology Education

Progress:

Queen Anne’s County Public Schools has demonstrated a commitment to continuous

improvement through our participation in numerous Maryland State Department of

Education initiatives focusing on school reform. Specifically to improve CTE programs and

services, Queen Anne’s County uses Advisory Committees and a School Improvement

Process that includes parents, students, and business representatives, special population’s


Self-Study Report



representatives, career and technology teachers, postsecondary representatives and academic

teachers. Through this process we have analyzed various databases to evaluate progress and

to identify needs to implement reform. Some of the actions we have been taking to implement

reform have been:

utilizing Career Cluster Advisory members to review, revise and improve current

programs based on standards and measures; including industry recognized

certifications for CTE programs

partnering with industry specific groups through traditional craft committees to assist

in developing reviews of performances

collaborating with a variety of business/community/education organizations that

provide feedback on programs that impact CTE achievement of various sub-groups.

instituting a continuous K-12 Career Development Committee to review the CD Plan

for Queen Anne’s County.

reviewing programs each year through the Program of Study Committee to make sure

we have postsecondary and career options available to all students.

Challenges:

Although the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 did not specifically address level of skill and

competence of CTE teachers, every effort has been made to provide staff development to

ensure teachers are competent and have the expertise necessary to deliver a quality CTE

program. QACPS used local funding to support Industry Certification; however, with more

programs competing for these dollars, we have found it increasingly difficult to cover our

programs.

Early Learning

Progress:

QACPS has maintained the percentage of students fully ready for kindergarten with 83% of all

kindergartners fully ready. This reflects a 19% increase since the 2001-2002 administration of

MMSR. Mathematical Thinking continued to show an incremental growth with a 22% increase

since the 2001-2002 administration. Social Studies, Physical Development and the Arts had

almost a 20% increase from 2001-2002 with 81% fully ready in Scientific Thinking. Language

Literacy continues to be an area of concern with only 67% of students fully ready. Although

Language Literacy continues to be an area of concern with only 67% of students fully ready,

the district still reflected an overall 26% increase since the 2001-2002 administration. This

year the district will be implementing the MCCSS in kindergarten.


Self-Study Report



Challenges:

Language Literacy continues to be an area of concern with only 67% of students fully ready,

even though the district still is reflecting an overall 26% increase since the 2001-2002

administration. To ensure the progress of the students who were not ready in the area of

Language Literacy, QACPS will continue to implement guided reading and flexible grouping

strategies. Intervention programs appropriate for the Kindergarten level, such as Fundations

and KinderCorner, will continue to be utilized. In addition to Language Literacy, this year

Mathematical Thinking scores demonstrated a slight decrease in student scores. Although the

EveryDay Mathematics program will continue to be utilized the core curriculum in

Kindergarten, this school year the district will revisit other research-based math programs.

Gifted and Talented

Progress:

QACPS’ two overall goals for gifted and talented are to increase participation in gifted and

talented programs and to provide those targeted students with opportunities to be challenged

in their areas of giftedness. QAC has made progress in both of these areas. This past year the

focus of the district has shifted from overall participation to the participation of under-

represented populations in order to explore creative ways to enhance our program offerings

for all identified students and ensure that they are meeting with success. This year 23% of our

identified elementary students were from an under-represented population; this is an increase

from last year’s 15.7%. Additionally, last year 100% of our Gifted and Talented students in

grades 3-8 score advanced on MSA. 88.4% scored advanced on MSA Reading (a significant

increase of 8 percentage points), and 83% were advanced in MSA Math (an increase of 6%).

Challenges:

The major challenge that QACPS is facing is the funding for Enrichment Specialists. This year

due to budgetary cuts all of the Enrichment Specialists positions were eliminated.

Additionally, QACPS has also had a challenge providing services at the middle school level

due to scheduling constraints. The district has been and is committed to continually seek

creative alternatives in order to expand the program offerings.


Self-Study Report



Special Education

Progress:

QACPS is a highly inclusive school system. Students with disabilities benefited from

instruction by highly qualified classroom teachers in general educational classroom settings.

Students were supported in these classrooms as needed by special education teachers, related

service providers, and paraeducators. Special Education staff members were included in all

professional development activities and continue to be an integrated part of the Queen Anne’s

County Public School collaborative Lesson Plan Project. QACPS continued to aggressively

purchase and increase the number of Assistive Technology devices and software programs

within all of our schools. Assistive Technology has helped many of our students who needed

special services to participate and successfully access core content curriculum.

Challenges:

Unfortunately, many students receiving Special Education services were within the 15% of all

district students who still needed to reach proficiency. QACPS is committed to excellence for

all students and therefore will utilize strategies such as the following in order to try and reach

these students:

Implementing a district-wide Universal Design for Learning (UDL) software program

that will allow students to have access to word prediction, speech feedback, and speech

recognition capabilities

Providing additional support to general education reading

Planning for targeted students through IEP’s and ILPs)

Researching, implementing, and evaluating research-based programs and practices to achieve

break through progress for these students.

2011 HSA Results – Students Receiving Special Services

Percent of students proficient or advanced

Special Services

Queen Anne's Maryland

2010-2011

Queen Anne’s

Rank Within

State 2009-

2010 2010-2011

SpEd

Algebra 50.0% 54.1% 42.7% 7th

Biology 50.9% 66.7% 47.2% 3rd

English 30.9% 56.7% 44.1% 4th

FARMS

Algebra 76.4% 83.2% 74.2% 10th

Biology 77.3% 80.8% 69.5% 7th

English 66.3% 74.5% 70.8% 2nd


Self-Study Report



Goal 2 – Teacher Recruitment and Retention Progress: We will recruit and retain a diverse,

highly qualified, and effective teaching staff.

As mentioned in the budget summary, research has shown that the most important factor for

increasing student achievement is the teacher. QACPS addressed the need through Goal 2 of

our Comprehensive Master Plan. Goal 2 of the QACPS Comprehensive Master Plan stipulates

that the district will rigorously recruit and work towards retaining highly qualified teachers

and staff. Core academic subjects taught by highly qualified teachers have moved from 37.9%

of classes taught by non-highly qualified teachers in 2003-2004 to only 2.5% of classes being

taught by non-highly qualified teachers in 2010-2011. Strategies that Queen Anne’s County

developed that have contributed to this success was the development of individual

certification plans for each non-highly qualified teacher; mentoring and conferencing with

newly hired teachers at the time of their employment to outline state and county requirements;

and the training of newly hired teachers during their first two years of employment that

included a Dimensions of Learning course. Additionally, we contribute our successes to

participation in the Resident Teacher Certification program which has increased our ability to

hire teachers with the highly qualified designation.

Challenges:

The greatest challenge QACPS experienced this past year was difficulty with funding. Without

money for stipends to maintain our reimbursement of courses, it has been difficult to retain

highly qualified teachers. Furthermore, because of our salary scale it has been difficult

attracting experienced highly qualified teachers. This was very critical at the secondary level

because of the need to find and employ qualified personnel in Special Education, mathematics,

science, and English.. Another challenge has been the cost of housing/cost of living within our

rapidly growing county, making it difficult to retain our newly hired teachers.

Goal 3: Communication: We will enhance two–way communication between the school

system and the community.

Progress:

QACPS Comprehensive Master Plan Goal 3 stipulates the development of effective avenues of

communication with our system and our schools, so stakeholders understand our programs.

The district utilizes Power School and Parent Portal an e-program that allows parents to

retrieve educational information about their child via the web. The district hopes that

participation will provide parents the sills and continuing education they need to support their

children’s academic success. Based upon the data from previous climate surveys, overall


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parents feel that their input is valuable and that they are a part of the decision-making at the

school level. During the past few years QACPS has also been working diligently on increasing

participation of parents in regular and sustained programs. Many of our schools within the

district belong to the National Network of Partnership Schools. Examples of programs that

have been conducted at the elementary level included family nights, focused on reading, math,

science, and topics of interest to families.

At the secondary level, during various nights throughout the school year, parents were given

the opportunity to sign up for ParentCONNECT. Some secondary schools also established a

“Parent Involvement Team” that incorporated the Joyce Epstein Model to formulate strategies

that would increase parent involvement. QACPS also has a federally funded Judy Center that

incorporates pre-school elementary and parent educational programs conducted throughout

the day and evening. Furthermore through our Migrant Summer Program parents are an

integral part of the family night celebrations that are conducted, in order to support this

community.

Challenges:

As is common in many secondary schools, educational staff struggle to engage parents and

families in school activities, unless the activities included performance or advancement

ceremonies. All schools have experienced conflicts with meeting items for families and lack of

interest in workshop topics. Finally, schools struggled as they have traditionally for many

years, to bring in the families of students who are having difficulty in academic success.

Goal 4 (ESEA Goal): Safe Schools: Schools will be safe, disciplined and drug-free.

Progress:

Goal IV of the QACPS Comprehensive Master Plan addresses the critical need to provide a

safe learning environment for our children when they are in our schools. Based upon MSDE

criteria, our schools are viewed as very safe. Since tracking by the State began five years ago

none of our schools have been considered persistently dangerous. Our climate and other local

surveys indicate that stakeholders perceive our schools as being very safe. QACPS enjoys a

very positive reputation in our community. The Chamber of Commerce and our realtors have

indicated that our school system has been a draw to businesses wanting to locate in our area

and to parents who wanted to purchase homes here. All fourteen schools have been trained

and implementing the research-based Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

program. In addition, Character Counts! A character education partner, has presented a

number of workshops for area schools. The graduation target rate of 85.5% and the 3%


Self-Study Report



dropout target rates have been met for the fifth consecutive year. In 2010-2011, QAC

graduation rates increased from 88.9% to 90.8% with a relatively small increase in the dropout

rate of .1%.

Challenges:

At our two high schools where a four period schedule is implemented we see challenges

providing interventions to struggling students. We also struggle with a financial barrier which

keeps us from providing additional special education teachers, tutors, and teachers’ assistants

to meet the needs of our at-risk population. Additionally, although there has been at the

district level a slow steady improvement in attendance rates over the past three years, African-

American and LEP rates are basically stagnant. Therefore, QACPS will continue to build on

successful programs such as PBIS, CASASTART and Saturday School in order to assist us keep

overall attendance and graduation rates increasing. Through these programs QACPS will also

continue to provide support for at-risk students.

Goal 5: Family and Community Engagement: Schools will foster family and community

partnerships that enhance student success.

Progress:

We are pleased to have met or exceeded our target for parent participation in face- to-face

school conferences at the elementary level with 97.5% of elementary students having a parent

participate in at least one face-to-face academic progress conference during the fall of 2010 and

97% participation during the spring of 2011; with 5.6% or less variance among sub-groups.

While parent participation at the middle school level failed to meet our target of 85% ( fall ,

2010, 41.9%; Spring 2011, 22.1%), we have still made gains from the 2009 baseline of 18%.

In 2011, we met our target of 100% of families with ELL students having translation available

to enable them to participate in their children’s education. QACPS subscribes to TransAct, an

on-line translation subscription with notices and federal documents available in various

languages. The languages spoken by QACPS ELL families are all available.

In 2011, elementary the school attendance rate was 95% (meeting out target); middle school

attendance rate was 94.7% (exceeding the target of 94%) and a high school attendance rate of

93.9% ( just below the 94% target).

87% of elementary, 80.8% of middle and 73.1 % of high school parents indicated on the

Climate Survey that their concerns were reflected in decisions affecting the schools (falling

below our target of 95%).


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Challenges:

We continue to strive for increasing active parent participation in face to face conferences at

secondary schools and in maintaining and improving student attendance rates. We will

continue to implement strategies to listen to stakeholders engage them in decision-making.

Findings and Next Steps :

Priority Need: Closing the Achievement Gap for Student Groups: Special Education

students and other subgroups of FARMS, African American Males, and English Language

Learners

Queen Anne’s County Public Schools (QACPS) is committed to providing all students with a

high quality educational experience. During the last few years, we believe progress is being

made to meet the No Child Left Behind expectation that all students are able to be successful

learners. In QACPS this is evident through the aggregate score for elementary and middle

school reading and math’s steady growth. Elementary school reading proficiency rates for the

aggregate has increased from 86% in 2007 to 94.5% in 2011. The middle school reading

proficiency rates for the aggregate has increased from 85% in 2007 to 91.8% in 2011. The

aggregate scores for student proficiency in elementary mathematics increased from 85.9% in

2007 to 93.3% in 2011 and middle school mathematics proficiency for the aggregate also

indicated steady improvement (76.7% in 2007 to 85% in 2011). Four year trend data such as

these aggregate proficiency scores suggests district students in grades 3 through 8

demonstrating growth within the content areas of reading and mathematics.

Science proficiency scores for grades 5th and 8th are also showing steady increase. In fifth

grade, the aggregate increased 3.3% and 9% in eighth grade. Although the gain seems small

for fifth grade, QAC was 2nd in the state for science. In eighth grade, QAC was 1st in the state.

Disaggregate scores for Limited English Proficient (LEP), Special Education, FARMS and

African American students is also encouraging. However, in some cases there is still a 10%

gap or higher when compared with the overall aggregate proficiency scores. In the following

paragraphs progress of specific student populations towards closing the achievement gap and

possible strategies that Queen Anne’s County is utilizing to close the difference is discussed.


Self-Study Report



Reading

Elementary

In elementary reading, all schools met AYP. QAC has maintained the percentage of

students scoring proficient or higher on MSA Reading. There was a baseline score for

African American male proficiency score of 83.1% or 11.4% below the aggregate score of

94.5%. However, because of the difference in coding race from last year, it is difficult to

determine if the drop in proficiency scores from last year is signifying a trend or just an

adjustment in student population demographics. Trend data from 2007 does indicate

that in QAC, as a whole African American proficiency scores for the district have

increased approximately 20%. Additionally, at the elementary level, there is an

approximate 8% difference in proficiency scores when compared to the aggregate.

Special education student population this year has demonstrated an increase in

students meeting proficiency in reading of 2.8% from last year. Although the gap

between special education and the aggregate is still over 10%, the gap dropped

approximately 2.4%. In Grade 5 reading the special education population increased

proficiency scores 7.4% from last year. Moreover, trend data suggests that special

education students have increased proficiency scores by 18.2% since 2007.

Farms and LEP student populations are also showing steady increases in proficiency

scores. Since 2007 Farms students have increase their overall proficiency score by

17.8%; LEP by 8.9%. The gap between Farms students and the aggregate remains below

10% (5.7%). The gap for LEP still remains near 10%, however this year it dropped 3%.

In grade 5, reading, FARMS students made the largest gain in proficiency scores

(16.7%). LEP proficiency scores increased 30%for grade 4. (LEP scores must be viewed

with caution, since the number of participants remain very low in QAC)

Although proficiency scores are indicating steady progress, there are still challenges

reaching all our students. A number of student groups are demonstrating a greater

than 10% difference in proficiency scores when compared to the aggregate.

Additionally, this year in grade 3 QAC saw all student groups’ reading scores dropping

from the previous year proficiency scores. Therefore, struggling elementary students

still need to be identified and receive additional reading assistance.

During school year 2011-2012 QAC is planning on focusing on the achievement gaps

with subgroups by matching instruction and interventions with the individual students.

Instruction will include flexible grouping and differentiation. Intervention offerings at


Self-Study Report



individual schools are being expanded. This year we will be piloting a new

intervention at our elementary schools, Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI), as well as a

new benchmark assessment system. The program is researched based and after

reviewing the data collected appears to work successfully with our Special Needs

population.

Additionally, to specifically address the achievement gaps with the subgroups QAC

will add additional LEP tutors and will increase services in the neediest schools.

Professional development in research-based strategies for LEP students will be

provided or facilitated by ESOL/Migrant Coordinators. Special education will continue

training in specific interventions and instructional strategies. Schools that have been

successful with specific subgroups will share strategies and best practices that they

attribute to their success. Individual learning plans will continue to be utilized to

monitor the progress of all underperforming students in Title I schools.

Middle

QAC middle schools reading proficiency scores for the aggregate increased 1.8% from

2010. 55% of middle school students also scored Advanced. Additionally, since 2007

Middle School reading proficiency scores have increased from 85% proficient to this

year’s score of 91.8%.

The student populations of African American, LEP, Farms, and Special Education are

also demonstrating increased proficiency scores over last year. In 2011, Farms students

received an 82.6% proficiency rate. This was a 5.6% increase from last year. Special

Education and LEP also demonstrated increases of 4.3% and 11.8% respectively from

last year’s proficiency scores. We believe (because of changing in coding student ethnic

backgrounds this score is considered approximate) African American students

increased their proficiency scores by approximately 7%. In eighth grade, all student

groups except for Special Education, increased their proficiency scores in reading. This

was also true for all student groups in grade 6.

This year, QAC was encouraged by a decrease in the gap between student populations

and the aggregate, although all student groups’ proficiency scores when compared to

the aggregate recorded a 10% or above gap. Furthermore, while this was a baseline

year for African American Male proficiency scores (70.3%) this was 18.2% lower than

African American Females (88.5%).


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In order to assist middle school students in all student populations achieve success in

reading we will monitor the progress of each student in each sub-group with increased

vigor. Special attention will be paid to the gap between African-American students and

the aggregate; we will be analyzing comparative performance on benchmarks and on

progress in reading intervention. Our goal will be to determine what strategies may be

most successful with African American students, especially African American males.

Since training in Ruby Payne has already been provided, we will identify additional

methods that may provide our teachers with the skills and knowledge to address

students’ varying needs.

Students who require additional support are assigned to research-based interventions

in addition to the regular class. Reading specialists test, diagnose, and prescribe

appropriate interventions; among those in use are Corrective Reading, Wilson,

Visualizing and Verbalizing, LiPs, SOAR to Success, University of Kansas Strategies.

Several schools are planning for strategies to address the gender gap. Since we note a

gap between the performance of females and males in several sub-groups and there is

evidence that the lack of strong male presence in the lives of a significant number of

middle school students, some schools will include Watch Dogs, a program that brings

adult males into the school to provide role models and supports for students. As a

district, we will explore further to identify strategies and activities to address the gap.

In many cases, the number of students not meeting proficiency within a sub-group is

relatively small, so schools will be employing strategies to monitor performance at the

individual student level. One school will utilize the Student Achievement Monitor

(SAM) meetings with leadership team, classroom teachers, and special educators to

discuss and monitor student performance with a focus on African-American students

especially the males.

Mathematics

At the elementary level, 93.3% of students were proficient in Mathematics. Since 2007

this was an increase of 7.4%. Although elementary Mathematics scores were basically

flat-lined with a decrease of .6%, African American proficiency scores in Mathematics

increased approximately (1.4%). Additionally, even though this is a base-line year for

African American Males, this population scored 81.0% proficiency on Math MSA.


Self-Study Report



The challenges for elementary Math scores this year, for all student populations are

indicated by grades 3and 4 demonstrating a decrease in proficiency scores from last

year. Grade 5 did show an increase in proficiency from 2010, for Special Education

(4.3%) and Farms (.7%).

QAC recognizes some of the difficulties that student populations are having reaching

academic success in Mathematics therefore this year QAC will continue to adjust our

intervention efforts to provide what is needed to meet the individual student needs.

Students who are identified for interventions are added to progress charts to be

monitored on a regular basis. If the student was already receiving a Math intervention,

the strategies are adjusted to better address the child’s area of weakness. QAC will

continue Ruby Payne training to provide support strategies and insight for teachers to

help our FARMs subgroup population improve their level of achievement in

Mathematics. As mentioned in the Reading section, one school will utilize the Student

Achievement Monitor (SAM) meetings with leadership team, classroom teachers, and

special educators to discuss and monitor student performance with a focus on African-

American students especially the males.

Middle School Mathematics proficiency scores indicated an increase of 1.9% over last

year’s scores. Since 2007 the aggregate has increased their proficiency in Mathematics

by 8.3%. All student populations demonstrated an increase from last year’s proficiency

scores. African American students increased approximately 2.8%, LEP increased 4.2%,

Farms increased 2.9% and Special Education students increased 2.4%. Mathematics

proficiency scores for all student populations in grades 6 and 8 also indicates an

increase in scores from 2010

Although all student groups’ Mathematics proficiency scores increased from 2010, each

group still retains above a 10% gap in achievement when compared to the aggregate.

Additionally, proficiency scores for students in grade 7 indicate a double digit drop

from 2010.

Because of the swing in scores for all students, this year QAC will also incorporate

elementary Mathematics strategies at the middle school. Moreover, the district will

continue the implementation of the Algebraic Thinking program to accelerate the

learning of our low performing students in 6th-8th grades. This program is a specially

designed instructional model for grades 6-8 to deliver grade-level content with a

consistent concrete representational-abstract approach to learning Mathematics.


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At the Middle School, instructors and administrators will continue to support and

improve the co-teaching model across schools through job-embedded staff development

by instructional specialists to provide the necessary interventions for students with

special needs during regular instruction; Integrate Universal design structure and

resources within the co-teaching and co-planning models. Finally, as with all content

areas teachers and specialists will continue to improve our use of student data and

analysis to determine the most effective interventions for individuals within student

groups.

Science

This year Queen Anne’s was 2nd in the State in 5th grade science proficiency and 16%

above the State average for MSA science. Since 2008, fifth grade science scores have

increased 3.3%. Special Education students in fifth grade demonstrated a 16.6%

increase over last year’s science proficiency scores. The challenge for QAC in fifth

grade is indicated by the large gap that exists between all student populations and the

aggregate. Gaps for all groups are above 10%. Additionally, African American Males

only scored 52.6%, a 29.5% difference from the aggregate for all fifth grade males

(82.1%)

In 2011, Grade 8 Science Proficiency Scores placed QACPS in first place. QAC was

14.3% above the State average for MSA Science. 8th grade scores have steadily increased

since 2008 by 9%. All 4 district middle schools increased their scores from 2010. All

student population groups’ MSA eighth grade science proficiency scores increased

approximately 26% for African Americans, 2.5% for Special Education, 10% for LEP,

and 16.7% for Farms. Although the gap between this year’s student population

proficiency scores and the aggregate decreased this year, there is still a very large gap

for all groups.

Elementary school principals are diligently correcting schedule conflicts with students

who are pulled from science for Mathematics and Reading interventions, we still have a

number of students who are missing portions of science instruction, especially ELL

students receiving ESOL tutoring. Therefore, QAC will strive this year to correct the

schedules of any struggling student. Alternative scheduling opportunities for students

will be created so that they may not have to miss science instruction.


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HSA English

When examining data for both schools, we note that both high schools increased

performance of the aggregate, African American, FARMS, and Special Education

populations from 2010 to 2011. County data indicates that 87.1% of the aggregate,

56.7% of Special Education, 71.4% of African American students, and 74.5% of FARMS

students scored proficient; this represents growth in all areas from 2010 to 2011.

However, there is a gender gap across all sub populations and the aggregate; in the

aggregate 81.7% of males and 90.7% of females scored proficient; among African

American students the difference is 66.7% for males and 76.5% for females; in Special

Education, 51.3% of males and 66.7% of females scored proficient. Finally, among

FARMS students 71.9% of males and 78.9% of females scored proficient.

One of the key pieces for improvement will be the ongoing monitoring of all students in

subgroups. Since many of the subgroups are small and some students cross subgroups,

the school will be closely examining the progress of each individual student. The

targeted school traditionally has a greater number of African American, Special

Education, and FARMS students than does the other school. Its feeder schools are not

usually as high performing as are the feeder schools to the high school that met AYP.

As a system, we are studying the student achievement data of the schools which feed

the targeted high school and are identifying methods of reversing the trend. In fact, one

of the feeder middle schools failed to meet AYP in reading in the area of Special

Education, so the system will be developing a plan for improvement at that school.

HSA Algebra

Although we were 6th in the state in Algebra for the aggregate population (90.9) there

were definitive gaps for FARMS (81.5) and African American) students. Additionally,

Special Education lagged by more than 30 points (61.2) One high school did not make

AYP in the Special Education area as they scored a 52.9% proficiency rating this was

20.5% below the AMO.

This school year QAC will utilize targeted interventions for those students considered

at risk. Identified students will be monitored closely through communication with

parents, special education case managers, and support personnel. Technology

programs which effectively support the Algebra program will also be reviewed for use

with students who require additional assistance.


Self-Study Report



The PLC’s for Fundamentals of Algebra I teachers will meet once a week to discuss

strategies, activities, and provide professional development on differentiation. These

meetings will include the Special Education/Co-teacher, any paraprofessionals who

work with these students, and a Special Ed. Specialist. Longitudinal data will be kept

from grade 6 to present to assist in determining gaps in math education.

We will continue to provide supplemental resources, including the public release items

in electronic format by indicator, and mdk12 mini-assessments re-configured for

formative assessments first and third quarters. Teachers will continue to effectively

implement instructional strategies of key elements for algebra success (KEAS) program.

HSA Science

Comparing the 2010 – 2011 data with the previous year’s administration, it is evident by

the scores in Biology that professional development specifically created to address the

needs of subgroups has been tremendously successful. The aggregate proficient scores

increased from 89.0% proficient in 2010 to 92.0% proficient in 2011 (3%). The African

American proficiency scores increased 25.8%, FARMS proficiency scores increased

3.6%, and Special Education increased 15.8%.

The QACPS goal is to have less than a 10% achievement gap between the aggregate and

any subgroup for Biology HSA. Even though we have made great gains in the

proficiency level of our students, there is still a discrepancy in the achievement gap. In

the 2010 – 2011 school year, QACPS still maintained a 16.2% gap between the African

American students and the aggregate. This is a 23.1% decrease from the 39.9% gap seen

in 2009 – 2010. There was a 25.3% achievement gap between the special education

population and the aggregate in 2010 – 2011, which is a 12.8% decrease from 2009 –

2010.However, even with all of these successes, QACPS did encounter some challenges

in the area of HSA Biology. Female FARMS proficient scores decreased from 81.4%

proficient in 2010 to 75.7% proficient in 2011 (5.7%).

As in the past, STEM grant money will be utilized to focus on concentrated STEM

activities, such as the summer STEM Academies that are held in the district and pull

from our minority students. This year, due to the increased need of FARMS students,

more emphasis will be placed on recruiting this population of students for this science

extension program. Traditionally, the students who have participated in the past have

seen greater success in high school Biology class. The second area that needs greater

attention is transitioning 9th grade students from Ocean Science to 10th grade Biology.


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QACPS has seen more success in Biology HSA scores since implementing Ocean

Science in 9th grade. Ocean Science class is giving students the foundation they need to

be more successful in Biology rather than Earth Science. For those students that are not

showing that proficiency level, using local funding, teachers will hold tutoring and

extension sessions to help better prepare the students for the Biology content.

Please refer to the QACPS Bridge to Excellence /Race to the Top Annual Update Guidance

Report 2011, for detailed analysis of progress on the academic achievement goals of the plan.

The report can be found at http://qacps.schoolwires.net/qacps/site/default.asp.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Foundational Standards: Standards addressing best practices that provide the foundations

for quality in the education program, services, and results in terms of student learning. Please

refer to the Standards Self- Assessment documents for a full report.

Standard 1: Philosophy/Mission

The results of the self- assessment indicate that system meets or exceeds this Standard and

related Indicators of Quality.

Strengths in Meeting the Standard:

Timely Review and Updating of Documents: The school system has just completed a

year long process of engaging stakeholders in reviewing and revising, as needed, its

mission, vision and core values. Stakeholders have also provided input into developing

a Profile of a QACPS Graduate. This review was timely in that it coincided with the

comprehensive self- assessment phase of our strategic planning and continuous

improvement cycle, and also provided an opportunity to align our vision, mission, core

values and Profile of a Graduate with the new directions of the Race to the Top,

education reform initiative

Broad Stakeholder Engagement: Through the course of the process of reviewing and

revising the vision, mission, core values and developing the Profile of a QACPS

Graduate we were able to involve broad representation of our a stakeholders.

Areas of Growth and Improvement:

There were no significant needs identified related to this Standard and Indicators of

Quality that inhibit the organizational capacity of QACPS.

http://qacps.schoolwires.net/qacps/site/default.asp


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Next Steps:

With our foundation documents recently updated, we will continue to publicize the

new vision, mission, core values and Profile of the Graduate and emphasize their link to

national and state education visionary trends and reform initiatives. We will

implement strategies to ensure that these documents are used to guide decisions and

daily practice at all levels of the organization.

Standard 2: Governance and Leadership

The results of the self- assessment indicate that overall the system meets or exceeds the

requirements of this Standard and Indicators of Quality.


The commitment of the Superintendent and the administrative team to academic excellence

and collaborative leadership.

Active Professional Learning Communities at the system, school and grade, content and

classroom levels provide many opportunities for collaborative leadership and build shared

ownership in the school system and its mission, vision, profile of a graduate and strategic

plan for growth and improvement.

A long-standing history of strategic planning, including data-driven goal-setting,

improvement planning, monitoring and reflection.

The small size of the school system is an asset in the dissemination of information, and in

being able to communicate and engage stakeholders.

Areas for Growth and Improvement:



While, overall there were no significant areas identified as in need of improvement for this

standard, but there were several indicators that staff consistently assigned a relatively

lower score. We will need to gather additional information to understand the basis for this

and to address, as needed, in our strategic planning. Taken as a whole, the group of

lower-scored indicators suggest that the staff perceive that the school system would be

strengthened by increasing the positive engagement of the Board (governance) in the

strategic planning process for academic achievement within the collaborative leadership

ethic of the school system, clarifying their role so as not to undermine the authority of the

leadership to conduct the daily operation of the school system and in implementing a

system for evaluating its own effectiveness.


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The following 4 indicators were rated by staff as needing improvement:

2.7 The governance thinks and acts strategically, reflecting on its decisions and the consequences

of its actions.

2.8 The governance implements a system for evaluating its own effectiveness in performing its

duties.

2.9 The governance focuses its activities on selecting, evaluating, and supporting the head of the

school system, policy development, planning, assessing the organization’s performance, and

ensuring adequate resources to accomplish the system’s philosophy/mission.

2.10 Governance refrains from undermining the authority of the leadership to conduct the daily

operation of the school system.

Next Steps:

The Board (Governance) might reflect on the results of the Leadership and Governance self-

assessment and develop strategies to address the areas noted above, such as:

Review its legal roles and responsibilities and determine a process for evaluating its

effectiveness in performing its duties that would be included in Board Handbook.

Standard 3: Planning for Growth and Improvement The results of the self assessment

indicate that system meets or exceeds the requirements of this Standard and it Indicators of

Quality.

After reviewing all data, it was determined, based upon the district survey results from staff,

students, parents, and stakeholders that all Standard 3 Plan for Growth and Improvement

indicators were satisfactorily met. However, there were a few outliers. Indicator 3.15 (Planners

in our school system consider the capacities of its facilities, equipment, and staff before adopting new

programs) consistently received a lower rating than any of the other indicators. It is believed

most schools gave a generally lower rating on this indicator because most individuals are not

familiar with the planning process and State directives that the district conducts and follows

when implementing new programs.

Additionally, Standard 3 Plan for Growth and Improvement Committee members assigned

indicators 3.18, 3.19, and 3.20 a rating of 4 (exceeds expectations) whereas the district schools

gave these indicators a rating of 3 (meets expectations). It is believed this variation occurred

because all committee members are central office-based, or administrators and are more

familiar with district plans and State regulations which are used to determine the direction of

the school system than school-based staff.


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Strengths in Meeting the Standard :

In all 14 Queen Anne’s County schools, parents and students demonstrated through the

self-study survey, that all Standard 3 indicators have been satisfactorily met.

Because district and State required plans and regulations form the framework for the

Queen Anne’s County Public Schools Strategic Plan for Growth and Improvement, the

system is able to efficiently and effectively serve staff, parents, students, and

community stakeholders.

Parent survey results indicate that every school in QAC is average and above in its

ability to communicate to them their school improvement planning process.

Student survey results indicate a majority feel the school works hard to provide them

with an education.

Areas for Growth and Improvement


Quality that inhibit the organizational capacity of QACPS

According to the data results from the self-study survey, Queen Anne’s County does

not appear to show any areas in need of improvement for this standard. However, staff

did rate standard 3.15 generally lower than the rest. It is believed this is an indication of

unfamiliarity with the long range system planning process. Students rated knowledge

of their school improvement planning process lower than the indicator that addressed

how well the school worked towards providing them with a good education.

Next Steps:

Establish a process for educating the staff and general public about the system’s types

of strategic plans and how they assist the system run efficiently and effectively.

Require all system departments (i.e. academic, student support, transportation, finance)

to publish their specific policies and plans on the district web site and to indicate when

they are scheduled to be updated.

Provide an instructional opportunity for students (secondary) so that they are made

aware of the school improvement process for their schools.

Annually provide for parents through various communication venues (newsletters,

PTA meetings) information about the school improvement planning process at their

child’s school.


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Standard 4: Finances

The results of the self–assessment indicate that the system meets or exceeds the

requirements of this Standard and Indicators of Quality.

Strengths in Meeting the Standard :

QACPS has always received an unqualified opinion on their financial statements, which

means that the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects the financial

position of the governmental activities, each major fund and the aggregate fund

information of the Board. In the past ten years the QACPS has had only one finding of

questioned cost during its annual compliance audit of federal programs conducted in

accordance with OMB Circular A-133, better known as the single audit of federal programs.

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) has provided all county Boards of

Education with an extensive reporting manual. QACPS has aligned its chart of accounts

with this manual for ease of reporting and documentation for MSDE auditors and

monitors. MSDE performs bi-annual audits of all county boards of education which cover

a two year period. QACPS have had no significant audit findings from MSDE. QACPS

must annually file an Annual Financial Report via MSDE reporting software. This report

must be reconciled with annual audited financial statements.




The one area identified by staff at several schools as relatively lower rated deals with the

oversight of the implementation of finance procedures at the school level. (Indicator 4.3, The

school system’s leadership ensures that all component schools implement the system’s written

financial policies and procedures.) While ongoing internal and external financial audit reports

indicate that strong financial reporting procedures and processes are in place, this is an

area for further review.

Next Steps:

The finance department will have to continue to work with the school principals and

financial secretaries to ensure that procedures outlined the accounting manual for school-

level bookkeepers are properly implemented. Annually these procedures will be reviewed

with the principals at the annual Administrators & Supervisor meeting in August.


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Additionally, periodic meetings will be held with school based financial secretaries to

review procedures.

Standard 5: Facilities

The results of the self-assessment indicate that the system meets or exceeds the

requirements of this Standard and the associated Indicators of Quality.


Continuous modernization of the aging facility infrastructure and the construction of new

facilities have assisted in alleviating facility problems.

The school system has implemented and executed a principle of exceeding state facility

standards in classroom square footage and instructional technology.

New and renovated schools incorporate sustainable design criteria to conform to USGBC

(U.S. Green Building Council) Standards under LEED (Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design). The buildings are equipped with criteria to meet a minimum

Silver Rating within USGBC’s LEED program

The classrooms and teaching spaces now are equipped with state of art technology such as

interactive boards with LCD technology, voice enhancement and document cameras.

The newly modernized and constructed facilities employs energy saving initiatives such as

daylighting throughout 75% of educational spaces, 54.5% reduction of water use

throughout the building, use of a geothermal mechanical system with ground source heat

pumps, and improvements of indoor air quality standards. The energy saving initiates are

also incorporated as a learning tools for the students.



Quality that inhibit the organizational capacity of QACPS .

Next Steps:

Continue upgrading aging classroom technology at all schools.

Modernization of Stevensville Middle School infrastructure.

We will further investigate staff perspective of building air quality at Sudlersville Middle.

The assumption of the committee is that this is due to temperature control and not quality.


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Continue upgrading of aging classroom technology at all schools. Centreville Middle

School is currently scheduled for technology upgrade under the Fiscal Year 2012 Capital

Improvement Program request.

The construction of the new State of the Art Sudlersville Middle School scheduled to open

in fall 2012 will address any space, environmental and energy conservation issues. The

facility is on the path to receive LEED silver or gold certification by US Green Building

Council.

The on-going construction of additional classroom and partial interior renovation of

Kennard Elementary School will provide additional instructional space, upgrade

instructional technology, improve environmental and energy conservation attributes. This

addition and renovation is scheduled for completion in August 2012.

Planning for the Capital Improvement Modernization of the entire Stevensville Middle

School infrastructure has been approved. The planning process is scheduled to commence

in summer of 2012. The upgrade will include space programming, new state of the art

technology upgrades, environmental and energy conservative initiatives and a minimum

of LEED Silver certification by US Green Building Council.

Standard 6: System Climate and Organization

The results of the self- assessment indicate that the system meets or exceeds the


The few school indicators that varied negatively from the system-wide data were not

significant and did not inhibit the organizational capacity objectives. The item (6.9) that asked

school staff members if the system was “…determining adequate compensation ...” was

somewhat lower in six schools when compared to the other eight and may reflect that staff in

these schools were administered the survey later in the spring of 2011. This coincided with

county officials informing the school system that due to severe funding shortfalls at the county

level, the school board budget would most assuredly face a four million dollar plus reduction

for 2011 - 2012 thereby jeopardizing the full funding of previously negotiated contracts with all

employee groups (and subsequently proved to be true).

Item 6.19 asked if staff respondents felt families and the community “demonstrate[d]

commitment to, pride in, and support for the system through participation, promotion of its

mission, and financial support. Twelve of the schools averaged a positive response of 88%;

SES and SMS registered 35% and 36% respectively. However, it should be noted that the

demographics of both of these schools is at wide variance with those in the rest of the county.

These two schools record much higher percentages of “free or reduced lunch students” than


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do the remaining twelve schools [25]. At SES the 2011 data show 65.4% of students there are

eligible for this program, i.e. considered to be in poverty, while SMS records a “Free and

Reduced Meal” (FARM) federally identified poverty rate of 43.4% (SES is a “feeder school” for

SMS). The county-wide average of FARMS students, absent these two schools, is 23.1%. It

may be surmised that “lack of financial support” is an ongoing reality in this community and

respondents to the survey most assuredly took this into account in their answers negatively

skewing the results of these two schools.

Each of the two above-listed “Root Cause Analysis” while not considered to “inhibit the

attainment of the organizational capacity objectives,” will be included among the items on

School Improvement Team agendas. Subsequent action plans will reflect these areas for

review and will be a part of ongoing School Improvement Plan (SIPs) revisions.


Despite unfortunate and serious cuts to the QACPS System's operating budget for 2011 - 2012,

employees continue to show positive responses to surveys relating to their morale and

dedication to their task at hand. In addition, parents and other stakeholders continue to

support the school system as revealed by the QACPS Parent Climate Survey. These two groups,

when coupled with positive student survey data reflect unified, cohesive, and positive support

for the QACPS System. Such attitudes may only be described as "significant strengths" for the

system.


There were no significant needs identified related to this Standard and Indicators of Quality

that inhibit the organizational capacity of QACPS.

Next Steps:

The QACPS remains committed to the continued improvement in its System Climate and

Organization. Toward that end, School Improvement Teams will generate annual School

Improvement Plans even as the system refines and updates its Master Plan. This system-wide

Plan, aligned with each of the fourteen schools’ documents, will employ the continuous

improvement model. Further, extensive use of surveys by parents, students, and staff will

provide data that show areas of strengths and relative weaknesses thereby enabling the

QACPS System to demonstrate positive progress as it moves forward.


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Operational Standards: Standards addressing best practices in delivering the education

program, services, and activities to the students. Please refer to the Standards Self-

Assessment documents for a full report.

Standard 7: Health and Safety



Data sources include the results of student, parent, teacher surveys as well as artifacts that

demonstrate our system and its individual schools participate in on-going practices, routines,

and self-assessments to provide insure the Health and Safety of our staff and students.


Our system consistently follows local, state, and federal guidelines to insure the health and

safety of our students and staff. This practice is well documented by a variety of

documents and artifacts which are listed at the end of the document. In addition to this,

our system seeks opportunities for self-reflection and ways to improve upon our practices

examples of which include, MSDE sponsored Round Table Discussion (Spring 2011) and

seeking Accreditation from Middle States.

One of our most significant strengths in meeting Health and Safety Standards, are our

partnerships with local and community resources; Queen Anne’s County Sherriff’s

Department, Department of Social Services, QAC Health Department.




While no systemic issues were identified, three schools, CMS, KIHS and QACHS, received

a rating of 2, while all of the other schools received a 3 or 4, on MSA Indicator 7.32- Safe

Drinking water is available in our school throughout the day for the staff and students. As

referred to in Section A.3 of Health and Safety Inspections, our system’s water supply is

checked by each municipality to insure that it is safe to drink. While our water meets

regulations, several years ago schools located in Centreville, Maryland (CES, KES, CMS,

and QACHS) were found to contain unsafe levels of arsenic. This information was


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disseminated to parents and the community and the school system immediately placed

water coolers at each school that was affected. Last year, the water was found to be safe, so

the water coolers were removed. Unfortunately the stigma associated with water still

persists in some schools. This indicates that our system needs to actively address this

negative perception to improve confidence in this area.

Next Steps:

While there were no “significant areas in need of improvement” that preclude our

system meeting the Health and Safety Standard, there were a few items, which were

mentioned in this self study document, which we will address in order to further

promote and improve our practices in this area. It is recommend that the Director of

Operations of Queen Anne’s County Public Schools develop public awareness materials and

activities to inform the public that the drinking water in all QACPS schools is safe and that the

water is routinely monitored to insure that it remains so.

Standard 8: Educational Program



The responses from all stakeholders was overwhelming “exceeds or meets” the criteria for

meeting the Educational Program Standard. Evidence for these responses is based on the fact

that Queen Anne’s County Public Schools has invested time, money, resources into providing

a well-planned and well executed curriculum, based on best practices and research. As part of

that process, significant planning has taken place to provide the professional development

administrators, teachers and support staff needed to ensure that the curriculum and academic

standards are based on solid pedagogy and aligned with the Maryland State Department

Curriculum with State and/or National Standards appropriate to address the academic needs

of all students.

The mission, vision and core values of QACPS is embedded in the effective policies and

procedures of the educational program which is designed to foster and challenge students and

their learning abilities at all levels, from infant and toddlers to the graduating seniors. On-

going professional development at the central office and the schools is a priority to maintain

the integrity and philosophy of the academic program. Curricular documents are current,

functional and available through the MSDE website and also the QACPS website. As new texts

are purchased as resources for the curriculum, addition technology software is also considered

as an integral part of student learning. Every effort is made to maintain, update and purchase


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technology for academic instruction. However, as reflected in some of the data and comments,

this is an area of concern since the equity of technology is not available at all schools.

The school system has a commitment to rigorous curriculum instruction with expectations that

all students will have the skills to move to the next level of academic expectation in grade

levels and content areas. QACPS provides programs and instruction in the basic subject areas

of language arts and literature, speaking, writing, listening and communication as well as

mathematics, science and socials studies. Every student has the opportunity for experiences in

visual and performing arts, health, world languages and physical education at every grade

level. The data responses for this area “Exceeds Expectations” from all stakeholders.

Other areas of “Exceeds Expectations” from all stakeholders are: instructional planning for

learning settings (i.e., individual, small group, large group) that is provided for students daily;

course and program objectives are simply stated and understandable by students; educational

program considers the ages, cultures, and varying levels of ability of students, and

opportunities for vertical and horizontal articulation regarding student achievement.


The assessment process within the school system and at each school is the driving force for

student achievement with pre and post-tests, quarterly benchmarks, mid-term exams, final

exams, and the State and National assessments. The survey data indicated that QACPS

“Exceeds Expectations” in the area of “informing students and families of student

academic performance” of the educational program.

All grade levels, including early childhood through grade 12 and content areas follow the

Maryland State Curriculum which is why parents do not have input into curriculum

development.

All schools have teams who were trained in the Common Core Standards in the summer of

2011 by. On-going professional development is taking place to roll out the first of the

Common Core Standards in math for grades pre-k-grade two. All other content areas are

aligned with the Maryland State Curriculum (MSC). QACPS is one of the schools engaged

in “Race ToThe Top” and professional development for Common Core is a priority.


Additional resources in technology as an area of need identified by stakeholders.

Next Steps:

I Pads have been purchased for administrators, teacher specialists and for selected

special education students. Training for the use of the I Pad is ongoing with plans for


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additional purchases for instruction. Some schools have document cameras and LCD

projectors accessible in each classroom or available within the school content or team.

Each year as the budget is planned, the purchasing additional technology is always

considered. Supervisors of content areas write grants that include technology hardware

and software to enhance the instruction in the classroom. Principals of Title I schools

along with the Title I Supervisor include additional technology into the Title I schools’

budgets. Since technology is such an important part of education instruction, QACPS is

consistently searching for best practices and resources that will be equitable to all

students.

Standard 9: Assessment and Evidence of Student Learning




Quarterly assessments in Reading, Math, Science and Social Studies in grades one through

twelve. These tests allow us to compare across the county and give us data that is similar

between schools and for use as a way to assess programming.

County prepared mid-term and final exams in various middle and high school content

areas. Exams are used county-wide. Kurzweil versions of these exams are available for

students that have a verbatim reading accommodation. Other accommodations are

provided as stipulated in student’s IEP, including MOD versions of the test in certain

content areas.

The QACPS ESOL Program has administered the LAS Links summative test for the past 6

years. QACPS ELL have consistently met AMAO I & II all six years with the exception of

narrowly missing AMAO II in 2009. However, after reviewing the data, county-wide

changes were made in ESOL delivery of service and goals have been met every year since

that time.

Migrant Education- Queen Anne’s County Public Schools is one of two counties in

Maryland which receives a Migrant Education grant. With these funds, the following

activities are administered for both Queen Anne’s County and also Kent County:

o in-school and at-home tutoring to support content areas instruction and English

language learning


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o Home Literacy Visits by bilingual staff held quarterly

o Parent Advisory Committee meetings held three times during the school year so

that parents can be part of the program’s design and implementation

o a merged summer school program with a Title I elementary school held for five

weeks each summer

o recruitment and interpretation services through a full-time bilingual recruiter

o professional development sessions held in the school districts and each county

advocating for the migrant population in the area

As with all QACPS programs, all systemic guidelines for hiring staff, conducting

activities and expending funds are used in the administration of the Migrant Education

program grant.

Report card conferences between parents and teachers are held twice a year at the

elementary and middle school levels.

Use of Performance Matters by teachers and administrators to examine, analyze and

track student performance data.

Most schools make use of data binders that are compiled from all available student

assessment information including accommodation sheets, quarterly benchmark results

and MSA test scores.

SAM- Student Achievement Monitoring program used at many of our schools.

Use MSDE Student Test cards for each student to record all standardized testing

information.

Power School- a powerful student database system that provides teachers and

administrators with student demographic, schedule, medical, discipline, enrollment,

testing, and grade information. The system also provides an electronic grade book for

teachers and allows access for parents to view their child’s grades down to the

individual assignments and attendance information.


QACPS currently has one school, QACHS that did not AYP for the second consecutive year

in the area of reading for the subgroup of Special Education. There were four other schools


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(Sudlersville Middle, Matapeake Middle, Centreville Elementary and Sudlersville Elementary) that

also failed to make AYP for the current year for the subgroup of Special Education. This

indicates a need to look systemically at what we need to do to improve instruction for this

population.

Two schools, Sudlersville Middle School and Queen Anne’s County High had data on one

or more indicators that differed from schools in the aggregate.

Sudlersville Middle School:

Indicator 9.36, “Students in our school learn and perform at levels expected, or progress

is being made to raise results accordingly” 12 of the 14 schools were rated as “Meets”

or “Exceeds” for this indicator. Sudlersville Middle School was rated as “Partially

Meets or Needs Improvement.” The SMS School Improvement Team will address this

in their planning for improvement.

Queen Anne’s County High:

Indicator 9.36, “Students in our school learn and perform at levels expected, or progress

is being made to raise results accordingly” 12 of the 14 schools were rated as “Meets”

or “Exceeds” for this indicator. Queen Anne’s County High School was rated as

“Partially Meets or Needs Improvement.”

Indicators 9.28, “Assessments take into account recent, reliable research findings on

child development and growth” and indicator 9.29, “Assessments reflect understanding

of the unique needs and backgrounds of each student” were also rated as “Partially

Meets or Needs Improvement” when both of these indicators were rated as “Meets” or

“Exceeds” by the 12 of the schools for indicator 9.28 and 13 of the schools for indicator

9.29. The QACHS School Improvement Team will address these indicators in their

planning for improvement.

Next Steps:

All schools in “alert status” will be required to give the MSDE inventory to staff and

students and analyze the results. Results will be shared with the appropriate content

supervisors. Action plans will be developed by all schools to address the needs identified

through the inventory, MSA data, walk-throughs, etc. This will be done in collaboration

with the Supervisors and Director of Curriculum and Instruction.


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Professional development will be provided to administrators to increase their ability to

provide feedback to co-teachers; increase student independence and decrease the student

reliance on adults; also planning for the high needs student.

Queen Anne’s County High School will increase the monitoring of special education

students’ performance and make adjustments to their program as necessary. Additional

professional development and planning time will be provided to co-teaching partnerships.

An experience consultant will be hired through the HSA Grant to provide on-going

assistance to the co-teaching partnerships.

Standard 10: Student Services




Student Services

Student support services that address academic skills development, social skills

development, personal growth, and career planning. We use Naviance Software to support

tour guidance counseling services - in the 9th grade they complete the Do As You Are

survey which is a personality profile to help with all but the academic skills. In the 9th

grade the counselor also works on Study Skills by doing presentations to the students. In

the 10th grade, we have them do the Career Interest Inventory through Naviance. In

addition, we have them build a resume that they continue to update each year. In 11th

grade, we work with them on college selection and college essay writing. IN addition, all

students in grade 10-12 participate in a Career Fair each year.

Counselors, administrators, teachers, and/or other staff members share responsibility for

providing guidance and support to students. We have a Student Assistance Team and the

Pupil Services Team. In addition, teachers communicate well with the counselors and

school psychologist if they see that a student may need help in that area. Counselors meet

with students individually each year to look at data in the scheduling process. In addition,

we use HSA results to place students in a Seminar class if needed, to help them pass the

HSA. PSAT results are given back to students and they are provided information on how

they can improve their scores.

The school system is sensitive to the critical importance of non-academic needs of students.

A process is in place to address students’ emotional and social need A process is in place to


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address students’ emotional and social needs. 81.83% of parents surveyed agreed that their

school’s student services address non-academic as well as academic needs of students.

School Psychologists, social workers, and other services are available to support student

learning. Schools take on the responsibility for meeting the personal needs of the students

and that the guidance offices address critical issues such as prevention, bereavement, and

other areas of personal support. The schools adequately support and guides students.

There are counselors from community programs that come in to work with some of our

students. We also refer students to outside agencies when appropriate. In addition, the

Dept of Health and Human Services works with our Student Assistance Team.

Student support services extend into and incorporate community services as needed. There

are many community services and resources available to student support services in the

Queen Anne’s Public School system. We have membership in the Local Management Board

for Queen Anne’s County and the LMB assists with grants from the Governor’s Office of

Crime Control and Prevention. Through these grants we have programs in place to

transition students from alternative placement back to their home school. There is also the

CASASTART program which is funded by the LMB which looks at at-risk students. They

also provide a grant to help reduce truancy. We also participate in a county-wide Multi-

Disciplinary team to track students and families that need multi-agent services. We

cooperate with the Health Department and they provide add supervision and training for

our school nurses and our school health program. Through an MOU, mental health

services are provided both in-school and out of school to students in need of these services.

Character Counts provides mentors in all of our schools and provides presentations on

bullying and respect to students. We are members of the Drug and Alcohol Council that

provides services and resources to the school system. Our PPW’s are part of the Inter-

Agency who work with at-risk students.

Student data are current, comprehensive, and readily available for use by the staff. Student

data are current, comprehensive, and readily available for the staff’s use. Student files are

updated annually. Student data can be found on Power School. Guidance Counselors and

administrators have all access to student’s records and information. Maryland State

Department of Education audits have indicated a high level effective record keeping.

The school system offers an orientation program for new students and their families to

share the system’s philosophy/mission, policies, procedures, and expectations. The schools

offer a sufficient orientation program for new students and their families to share the

school’s philosophy/mission, policies, procedures, and expectations. Every new student


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and their family meet with their counselor. At that time they are given a student

calendar/handbook especially school attendance. Students are given a tour of the school

and are introduced to their teacher(s). New students at the middle school level are assigned

a peer helper to assist the new student in transitioning to a new school. Each new student

receives an agenda book in the middle and high schools to help orient them to the new

building.

Transportation

Written policies and procedures are implemented to ensure the safety of students when

being picked up, transported, and dropped off by transportation provided by the Queen

Anne’s County School system. Drop‐off takes place in the front of the schools and is

supervised by staff at all buildings. These and other student‐safety procedures are in place

and explained to students at the beginning of the year, with frequent reminders as

necessary. Parents receive this information from the school and any updates are sent to the

parents via email, newsletters and the website.

Appropriate training is provided to transportation providers. Prospective bus drivers must

submit an application to Human Resources. Driver approval is also regulated by MVA and

MSDE policies. All Bus drivers are fingerprinted at the time of employment and shall have

an annual physical as dictated by MVA and the Department of Transportation. All drives

participate in a pre-service training in the classroom of 15 hours. The must pass the MVA

driving test. They must train for 3 hours behind the wheel if they have a Commercial

Driver’s License(CDL). Each driver attends 6 hours of in-service training per year. Every

two years drivers are evaluated by the Pupil Transportation Department. If a driver

violates the law, they will meet with the Pupil Transportation Staff to discuss the infraction.

Transportation services provided or contracted by the school meet the safety requirements

of all appropriate legal authorities. All drivers are certified and trained properly. Busses are

inspected in accordance with the MVA group references every summer. The inspector/

mechanic checks all items on the entire bus including the engine, the brakes, the lights, the

batteries, the turn signals etc. First aid supplies are inspected as well. Any defects found

shall be corrected before the bus is placed in service. Vehicle preventative checks are every

12,000 miles. Emergency Evacuation Drills are performed in September of each year.

Dining Services

All school cafeterias have fully functioning kitchens. All meals are prepared and served on

site. All kitchens have NSF/UL certified commercial equipment to maintain proper

temperature controls for storage, food preparation and service. The dining areas are


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maintained by the custodial staff. All dining areas are equipped with an adequate amount

of tables and seats to accommodate each meal period.

All schools have multiple lunch meal periods daily. All allow a minimum of ½ hour per

lunch period. Students can usually get through the cafeteria serving line within 10

minutes.

All schools in the district participate in the National School Breakfast Program and the

National School Lunch Program. The assisted nutrient standard menu planning approach

is used to develop menus. Additionally, the menu that is sent home with students, the

menu posted online and the menu posted in the cafeterias contain the required nutrient

information. All school meals comply with the minimum nutrient standards set forth by

the USDA.

The health and safety inspections that are conducted at the school cafeterias fall into 5

categories; self-inspections, local Health Department inspections, local Fire Marshall

inspections, Maryland State Department of Education Inspection and National Sanitation

Foundation Inspection Self-Inspections: A comprehensive Food Safety Audit and Physical

Safety Audit are completed monthly in each cafeteria. Corrective actions are noted and

tracked.

Health Department Inspections are conducted twice per year in all cafeterias. The

completed inspection results are then posted in each school cafeteria. There has never been

a “failed” inspection.

The local Fire Marshall conducts inspections annually. No violations found.

Maryland State Department of Education randomly audits three to four schools per year.

The main focus of the audit is to assure compliance with federal programs. However, there

is also a health and safety component to the audit. There has never been a health or safety

violation in an MSDE audit.

Sodexo, the school’s food service contractor, has an agreement with the National Sanitation

Foundation. Annually, NSF auditors arrive unannounced at three or four schools to

conduct comprehensive Food Safety and Physical Safety (OSHA based) audits. Audit

scores over the past few years have been in the 90 percentile. Last year two schools

received audit scores of 100%.


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All employees receive comprehensive physical safety and food safety training when hired,

are required to complete a “comprehensive refresher” class for physical safety and food

safety annually and receive additional physical safety and food safety training in monthly

meetings.


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Services for Students with Special Needs

Programs to address students’ special learning needs are in place and available to support

student learning, and that the school has procedures for placement of students in the

appropriate programs and levels. The school system implements written policies and

procedures to identify and address the needs of students with special needs. Students with

I.E.P.’s are identified and appropriate staff members are informed of these needs and any

accommodations that these students may need.

According to State Performance Indicator for Special Education, 100% of children in

QACPS were evaluated within 60 days of receiving parental consent for initial evaluation

(or State established timeline). 20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(B).

According to State Performance Indicator for Special Education, 100% of children referred by

Part C prior to age 3, who are found eligible for Part B, and who have an IEP developed and

implemented by their third birthdays. 20 USC 1416(a)(3)(B).

QACPS has procedures in place referring students for special education eligibility as well

as the IEP team process.

The school provides or refers families to appropriate related services and/or

accommodations to meet student needs. Students in need are referred for educational

testing, to counselors and therapists for mental health counseling.

As applicable, the school is in compliance with all local, state, and federal requirements

related to students with special needs. In accordance with State Performance Indicator for

Special Education, QACPS has a general supervision system (including monitoring,

complaints, hearings, etc.) identifies and corrects noncompliance as soon as possible but in

no case later than one year from identification. 20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3).

The Maryland State Department of Education is required to make determinations annually

on the performance of each school system in accordance with 34 C.F.R. §300.603 (b)(1).

During the 2010-2011 school year QACPS was determined to “Meet Requirements” based

on FFY 2009 data, as well as information obtained through monitoring and complaint

investigations.


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Admissions and Placement:

It is the policy of the Queen Anne’s County Public Schools to follow all laws of the State of

Maryland and by-laws of the State Board of Education as they pertain to enrollment in

school.

Queen Anne’s County is responsible for ensuring that students are enrolled in and

regularly attend school in accordance with state law. There are policies and procedures in

place for out of zone and non-resident placements and foreign exchange students. There is

a written policy for admissions of homeless students.

All new students are given a calendar/handbook. Each school provides the new student

and their family an orientation to the school. The information is also placed on our website

for all to see. The Guidance Counselors review the expectations of performance and

behavior. Back to school nights are held in the fall. The high schools hold another parent

night in the spring semester. Orientation nights are held for incoming students to a

particular school. For example there are 9th grade parent nights where parents and students

can come to the school and learn more about the programs offered.

The Queen Anne’s County School system follows all the policies and procedures for

attendance and enrollment as required by the state of Maryland. As a school system we

have high expectations that students complete a rigorous curriculum.

All programs, services and resources as pertaining to education are reviewed and updated

on a regular basis with every effort made to keep them accurate and current.


In the area of student services, all the standard indicators met the standards for

accreditation. Therefore we believe that as a system, in the area of student services,

there are no indicators in any area of student services that are in need of improvement

or that inhibit the attainment of the organizational capacity objective.

Next Steps:

Continue to implement policies, programs and strategies that have proven successful.

The School Counselors may be applying for the Middle States Exemplary Program

School Counseling Credential in the year 2013.


Self-Study Report



Standard 11: Student Life and Student Activities



The self- assessment re-affirmed that overall, QACPS and its community are committed to

continuing to find creative ways to provide a diverse and rich selection of student life activities

that meet the interests and needs of our students despite challenging economic times. The

Indicators of Quality for this Standard reflect a rating of 3 or 4 in almost every instance and

speak to our stakeholders continued support for our efforts.

During the dramatic and unprecedented budget cuts to the 2011-2012 budgets and the ever

increasing cost of extracurricular activities it was determined that costs have outpaced the

ability of the Board of Education to adequately fund these activities. With an expectation that

the current economic climate may not turn around in the near future and a continued desire to

offer afterschool programs that are diverse and give students options, the school system has

instituted alternate and creative means of funding these programs. Strategies include nominal

sliding scale activity fees and public donations from stakeholders.


The Board of Education, parents, students, and community have supported and believe

that extracurricular activities provide an opportunity to all students to participate. The

school system promotes extracurricular activities that are non-discriminatory, age

appropriate, well-balanced of academics and social programs, culturally and intellectual

stimulation, and provides for physical health and wellness.

The coaches, sponsors and volunteers who monitor each activity are well trained.

The stakeholders are very supportive of all extracurricular activities.



Quality that inhibit the organizational capacity of QACPS .

While we continue to be able to offer a wide variety of activities for our students, due to

severe cuts to the school system’s FY 2012 budget, portions of the cost of the

extracurricular activities must be passed on to the parents of participating students for

certain extracurricular activities. Fees are nominal and on a sliding scale. No student


Self-Study Report



wishing to participate will be denied the opportunity based on ability to pay. In future

years we hope to be able to restore this item in the school system’s budget.

Next Steps:

We need to continue to work with our parents and community partners through this

economic downturn to find alternate and creative ways to continue to be able to offer a

wide variety of extracurricular activities for our students.

Standard 12: Information Resources and Technology

The results of the self- assessment indicate that overall, the system meets or exceeds the

requirements of this Standard.

However, according to the MSA Staff Survey results, 8 out of 14 district schools’ staff members

indicated that they believed Indicator of Quality 12.8 “Technology resources are appropriately

maintained and supported annually with funding from the school system’s budget” warranted a “2”

(needs improvement) rating.

We believe, indicator 12.8 received a “2” on the MSA Staff Survey from 8 out of 14 schools

because of the lack of local funding that has been available for technology during the last few

years. The decrease in local technology funding this past year is based upon a large deficit in

monetary support from the county government for the overall school budget, and because of

the decrease in county funding, the district also did not receive the State “Maintenance of

Effort” allocation. Therefore, most schools are very much aware of the need to continue to

maintain and replace outdated computers. The public debate and realization as to how little

money is available for many critical school system needs is still very fresh in most district

schools’ staff memories. Additional technology acquisitions have been through grant funding.


Informational media services are staffed by certified media/informational specialists

Individual school collections are adequate for the number of students housed at each

school.

Each schools’ collections reflects a variety of materials (non-print, print, & databases

Policies and procedures have been adopted to assist the school system provide a

framework for media personnel to follow when cataloging, weeding and developing

collections

The online cataloging system (Alexandria) allows students and parents to view school

Information/media collections at home


Self-Study Report



Information/Media Personnel must adhere to approved Maryland Media Learning

Outcomes when providing instruction to students K-12

Information/Media Centers in all high schools and elementary schools have been

renovated within the last 10 years.

The technology department is staffed with degreed and/or certified specialists.

eRate funds are utilized to upgrade the infrastructure at the district and all schools.

The school system has developed partnerships with several agencies to receive donated

computers for classroom use.

The school system utilizes the Maryland Educational Enterprise Consortium (MEEC) to

purchase currently available Microsoft operating system and desktop products.

Network monitoring software is utilized to oversee the management of the

infrastructure.

The school system collaborates with Queen Anne’s County (QAC) Government for the

operation of the wireless network backbone.

The school system has a 3 year Technology Plan that is aligned with the Maryland State

Department of Education Technology Plan.



Quality that inhibit the organizational capacity of QACPS

Not all school Information/media centers include facilities for electronic production

Budgetary restrictions are beginning to decrease the amount of new materials and

equipment that can be purchased for Informational/media centers, therefore equipment

is beginning to break and finding money to repair or replace is difficult. Additionally

online databases are becoming too expensive for secondary schools.

All school-based Information/media centers, due to budgetary constraints have lost

media support personnel.

Limited financial resources are available to replace aging technology; therefore

equipment is breaking more frequently causing downtime waiting for parts and repairs.

The advent of more online services and applications is putting a severe strain on the

available bandwidth of the infrastructure.

Budgetary constraints have resulted in moving two school-based technology specialists

to the central office for district-wide support.

There is a shortage in technology staff for infrastructure, server and desktop computer

support.

There is a shortage of instructional technology specialists to provide skills training on

the use of technology resources and equipment to both staff and students.


Self-Study Report



Next Steps:

Establish a Capital Equipment Purchasing Plan, in order to assist schools replace aging

equipment.

Begin to explore “Smart” Informational/media centers, where technology is more

readily accessible to students throughout the school so that they do not have to

physically move to the media center but can access databases and informational via

computers or mobile technology devices.

Provide money in the district budget in order to re-establish media support personnel.

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant to the State of

Maryland, we will be able to connect all of our schools and the Central Office via fiber

optic. This will increase our ability to provide high quality broadband service to the

schools for the increasing number of online applications. Funds will need to be

identified jointly with the QAC Government to maintain the equipment and fiber optic

line leasing fees.

Establish a priority in the Capital Equipment Budget for the purchase of technology to

replace aging equipment and new state mandated programs.

Establish a priority in the Operational Budget to provide additional district-based

technology systems specialists to support the infrastructure, servers and desktop

systems.

Establish a priority in the Operational Budget to provide additional district-based

instructional technology specialists for the necessary skills training on the use of

technology resources and equipment to both staff and students.

Pending the release of the MSDE Technology Plan, QACPS has been granted a waiver

in developing a 3 year Technology Plan to submit to MSDE. The QACPS Technology

Plan will be developed and submitted within 6 months of the release of the MSDE

Technology Plan. The committee will utilize the results of this MSA Standard 12 self-

assessment, the Master Plan Update and the Race to the Top grant requirements to

develop the QACPS 3 year Technology Plan. The QACPS Technology Plan will be

presented to the Board of Education and published on the QACPS website.