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July/August 2006
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Six years ago, the Montgomery County (Md.) School
District began its Early
Success Performance Plan to address racial and ethnic gaps officials
observed among their youngest students. Components of the plan include:
- an aligned approach to education from preK
through third grade
- special focus on reading, writing, and mathematics
- diagnostic assessments three times per year
- professional development for teachers
- smaller class sizes
- outreach to parents and families
- preK or Head Start and full-day kindergarten
for students from low-income homes or with limited English proficiency
Based on assessments developed within the school
system, reading score gaps based on race and ethnicity have narrowed,
and proficiency rates for all groups have risen significantly. In
2002, just 49 percent of African American first-graders achieved
benchmark scores on the district’s reading tests; that number
jumped to 70 percent by 2005. Benchmark-passing rates for Hispanic
first-graders went from 38 percent to 61 percent in the same period.
Janine Bacquie, the district’s director
of early childhood programs and services, notes, “As the school
system has grown in diversity, we have seen a reduction in the gap
between the highest- and lowest-performing subgroups.”
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