Board reviews strategic-plan baseline data and MCAP results; Easton Middle moves to 3 stars
Summary
District staff presented baseline indicators for the new strategic plan (DIBELS, MAP) and explained how MCAP proficiency and growth feed into the Maryland school report card and star ratings. Easton Middle School improved from 2 to 3 stars this year.
District staff presented baseline data linked to the new four-year strategic plan and explained how interim assessments (DIBELS for K–2 and MAP for grades 1–8) will be used alongside MCAP results to track progress.
Staff walked the board through examples of parent-facing MCAP reports, the disaggregation of results by student groups, and how the Maryland accountability system converts performance and growth measures into star ratings. MCAP proficiency rates and 'near-proficiency' buckets (students within 5 and 10 points of the cut score) were shown as part of a strategy to identify areas where modest gains could move students into proficiency. The assessment director emphasized the complexity of MCAP items and the value of deep analysis by domain and standard.
The district's star ratings remained largely stable; Easton Middle School improved from a 2-star to a 3-star rating this year, a change the district attributed to focused school improvement work and reduced chronic absenteeism. Staff said MCAP and star-rating reports are available to families via mdreportcard.org and that individual MCAP student reports are sent to parents.
Board members asked how the district analyzes question-level data and how changes in small numbers of questions could shift proficiency percentages. Staff noted their use of domain-level analysis and school-level interventions tied to standards.
Next steps: staff will continue developing dashboards to display progress, disaggregate interim assessments, and provide the board with periodic updates tied to strategic-plan priorities.
