Newark, MD, December 13, 2023– The Maryland State Department of Education released its annual update to the Maryland Report Card website today, containing performance data for every school in the State, including eleven schools in Worcester County.
In Worcester County, 73 percent of eligible schools earned a four-star rating and the remaining earning three-star status. In this year’s release, which includes additional measures, only 37 percent of all schools in the State earned a four- or five-star rating. The State also identified a significant decrease in the number of schools that earned five-star status from the prior year’s report. In 2021-2022 data, 212 schools in Maryland earned five-star status, and in the latest release of 2022-2023 data, only 81 schools in the State earned five-star status.
In looking at specific metrics that comprise the ratings, all schools in Worcester saw strong performance in academic achievement indicators, which directly aligns with the school system’s success on state assessments. In light of Worcester’s already strong performance on state assessments, indicators related to student growth progress negatively impacted some school’s earned points. Additionally, minimal increases in student chronic absenteeism contributed to some schools’ lower earned points.
The full breakdown of the ten schools eligible to receive star ratings in Worcester County ratings is below.
SCHOOL | Points Earned | Total Possible Points | Total Earned Percent | Star Rating |
Berlin Intermediate School | 64.9 | 98.5 | 65.9% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Buckingham Elementary School | 51.18 | 73 | 70.1% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Ocean City Elementary School | 52.70 | 73 | 72.3% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Pocomoke Elementary School | 28.17 | 48 | 58.7% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Pocomoke High School | 57.4 | 90 | 63.8% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Pocomoke Middle School | 111.7 | 180 | 62.1% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Showell Elementary School | 44.55 | 63 | 70.7% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Snow Hill High School | 61.7 | 90 | 68.5% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Snow Hill Middle School | 94.5 | 180 | 52.5% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Stephen Decatur High School | 57.7 | 100 | 57.7% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Stephen Decatur Middle School | 64.9 | 98.5 | 65.9% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
To receive a star rating, a school must have 45 or more possible points. Some schools may not have possible points for every measure or indicator. In Worcester County, Snow Hill Elementary School did not reach this possible point threshold, which is why the school was not issued a star rating. Additionally, Worcester Technical High School and Cedar Chapel Special Schools do not meet the qualifications for a star rating.
These scores reflect school performance on multiple components. For elementary and middle schools, the system includes academic achievement, academic progress, progress in achieving English language proficiency, and measures of school quality and student success. For high schools, the system includes academic achievement, graduation rate, progress in English language proficiency, readiness for postsecondary success, and measures of school quality and student success. All schools’ calculations incorporate school composite scores on a statewide School Survey, which is based on input related to safety, community, environment, and relationships.
“I am very proud to report that our schools continue to perform well in Maryland’s accountability system,” said Superintendent of Schools Louis H. Taylor. “I hope our families understand that the adjustments to this year’s ratings reflects the fact that our students are already performing so highly academically that it makes annual progress that much more challenging, but we will continue pursuing high achievement for all.”
Maryland introduced School Report Cards in 2018 for students, parents, educators and community members could better understand how their schools are performing, just as report cards help parents understand how their kids are doing. The goal of the School Report Card is to bring together school data in an easy-to-understand and usable format to help us ask questions, find answers, make decisions, and act.
The School Report Cards can be found on the Maryland Report Card website, as well as more information and data about schools and districts. This information can be found at: MdReportCard.org. An update on the latest release of the Maryland School Report Card was made to the State Board of Education on December 5, 2023. The presentation materials for the meeting, which provide statewide context to Worcester County’s performance, can be found at https://marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Pages/Meetings-2024.aspx.