MCPS Board of Education release their annual report to the community

On March 3, the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Board of Education (BOE), released its 2014 annual report to the community. The report is divided into various sections that outline what is changing in MCPS, their plans to close the achievement gap, the MCPS budget and their methods to measure the achievement of the MCPS community.

The report emphasizes the urgency of closing the achievement gap in the county. "The gap in performance among racial subgroups has narrowed in many areas… but in other areas, these gaps have persisted and, in some cases, grown," the BOE writes. To work towards a solution, they provide five strategies. MCPS plans to provide more resources for the schools that need them the most. They also want to create more "culturally proficient curriculum" programs, work more with parents and hire better teachers.

The BOE explains how changes are occurring in MCPS that are geared for the 21st century. This past year, for example, MCPS has purchased Chrome book laptop computers for schools around the county. "During the 2013-2014 school year, MCPS completed upgrades to the technology infrastructure of its schools, including the installation of wireless networks in every building," the BOE explains. Within the report, the Board showed how they use graphs to determine areas in which they can improve. "A robust set of data and information allows the central office and school-based leadership to work together and develop customized support and improvement," the report said. Based on students' standardized test scores, the report includes percentages of the reading and math scores from 3rd, 5th, 8th grade students. They use to this data to see what still needs to be done as well as a measurement for their success.

Regarding budget, the report showed that the majority of the budget is spent on teachers. "More than 90 cents of every dollar in the MCPS budget is spent on our outstanding teachers, support staff, and administrators," the BOE wrote. It explained how in the past year, the county had invested more in math and English literacy, services to help non-English speaking students, special education services, student support services and teacher leadership.