The Maryland State Board of Education convened on December 5, 2023, to discuss critical issues surrounding the reporting of educational data at the state level. A significant portion of the meeting focused on the concerns raised by Kevin Kendrick, an evaluation specialist from Prince George's County Public Schools, regarding the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) report released in August.

Kendrick highlighted a key issue with the current method of ordering school districts by the percentage of students deemed proficient. He argued that this approach fails to account for significant differences among districts, particularly in terms of socioeconomic factors. For instance, he noted that in Prince George's County, 70% of students who took the English Language Arts assessment were eligible for free or reduced-price meals, and 23% were English learners. In contrast, the state averages were 47% and 10%, respectively.

This disparity raises concerns about the fairness and accuracy of the proficiency rankings, as districts with higher concentrations of economically disadvantaged students tend to perform worse. Kendrick emphasized that while the creators of the report may not intend to rank districts in a competitive manner, the public perception could lead to misinterpretations. Families and businesses might make decisions based on these rankings, which do not reflect the comprehensive realities of student performance.

Kendrick presented a compelling case for the need to disaggregate data to provide a clearer picture of student outcomes. He illustrated this by showing that when controlling for socioeconomic factors, the performance rankings of black and Hispanic students in Prince George's County improved significantly. For example, black students eligible for free meals moved from seventeenth to seventh place when compared across districts.

To address these concerns, Kendrick proposed that the state should revise its data reporting practices. He recommended that the Maryland State Board of Education control for variables such as socioeconomic status in their reports. By doing so, the board could offer a more equitable and accurate representation of student performance across different districts.

The meeting underscored the importance of transparent and fair data reporting in education, as it directly impacts public perception and decision-making. The board's consideration of Kendrick's recommendations could lead to significant changes in how educational success is measured and communicated in Maryland.