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The Total Picture: Prince George's County School System Scores

By Laverne Dominique

February 1, 2008

In the Washington D.C. area, it is widely known that Montgomery County is touted as one of the best school districts in the area as well as in the country. There is no doubt that this reputation is well earned, at least in most aspects. As a resident of Prince George’s County, I know full well the dichotomy that exists between the perception of the Prince George’s school system and the Montgomery County school system. I have worked in both counties and there are some disparities, but many similarities as well.

Unfortunately, the perception that most people, non-residents of Prince George’s County, have about the schools in Prince George’s county is that all the schools perform poorly. The emphasis is also on the standardized state test, the Maryland State Assessment, and whether the schools are making adequate yearly progress. In other words, are the schools passing? One of the major perceptions is that the number of students that score proficient or advanced in Prince George’s County is significantly lower than surrounding counties. Some part of this is true. There still exists an achievement gap between the majority African American Prince George’s County and the surrounding counties that have a majority Caucasian population, although the latter is quickly changing to majority minority graduating classes in Montgomery County within the next few years.

So, I compiled a list of top schools in Prince George’s, Montgomery County, and Howard County that have African American students performing well.  I just thought about this recently, that maybe Prince George’s is a better indicator of how African American students perform because typically the schools that do well in Montgomery or Howard have such small populations of African American students that the results are skewed.  This is not to say that having all of the African American students pass, whether it be 10 or 100 students, is not a major feat. I just think if a school can pass a much larger proportion of African American students, then that school is accomplishing great things. Sometimes the majority of the population passed with 80-90% rates in the counties outside of Prince George’s, but when you look at it by race there is still a significant achievement gap. 

I work and have lived in Montgomery County. The places where I could afford to live do not usually have the best scores in terms of African American students. Now if you can afford Bethesda or Potomac I say go for it, but going to school there does not necessarily guarantee that an African American child will do better than an African American child in Prince George’s.  My neighborhood school, located in Prince George’s county, did very well and is one of the top 10 performing schools in Prince George’s, according to the Maryland State Department of Education’s MSA website.  They had the most kids tested and the most that did well.  They did not pass a couple of years ago due to special education.  I am a special education teacher so I know that it is important to increase rigor for special education students. I also realize that most special education students are making progress, just not at the rate the state or No Child Left Behind prefers.  My suggestion is to go and observe a school, at least a couple of times, before you dismiss the school. I always go and look at a school and talk to parents in the area.  

Look at Howard County’s passing rates for African American students. They have numbers that range from the 90th percentile to the low passing rate of 60th percentile, yet the 60th percentile is considered to be part of the top ten schools with successful pass rates for African Americans.  They all had less than 60 students. That's why I said Prince George’s is a better indicator because they have more African American students achieving at a higher rate.  Is having a 60 something percent pass rate performing well for African American students?  That's sad.  Prince George’s had all scores in 80's and 90's. Montgomery County scores are similar to Prince George’s.  They did well.  Of course they had no more than 30 African American students. I'm sure the schools in Prince George’s could have 100% achieving if they only had 15 kids.  Out of 100 kids I'm sure at least 25 had 100% in any given school in Prince George’s.  Just food for thought.

Check out http://www.mdk12.org. Select analyzing MSA scores by county. Look at Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s. Filter the data by schools that are successful with African Americans then filter by schools that are most successful with special education. Take care to notice the total number of African American students that took the test as well as the total number of special education students that took the test when compared to the total number of test takers. Many of the schools that did not pass MSA in Prince George’s County only failed because of a few special education students, not because the majority of students failed. See the Washington Post article dated February 25, 2006, "Districts in Md. Miss Special-Ed Testing Targets."