BALTIMORE,
MD (9/04/2003)
Responding to data that indicate half of all high school students
in Maryland failed in at least one of the four subject areas of
the state's new High School Assessment program, Maryland's business
community will commit to a significant expansion of its efforts
to support public high schools when the Maryland Business Roundtable
for Education (MBRT) holds its Annual Meeting tomorrow.
[The MBRT Annual Meeting will take place - Friday, September
5 - from 9:30 - 11 a.m. at The Center Club, 100 Light Street,
16th Floor, in downtown Baltimore. Maryland Governor Robert L.
Ehrlich, State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick,
Dr. Eugene Hickok, Acting Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of
Education, and Legg Mason CEO Raymond A. "Chip" Mason will be
speaking. The meeting is open to MBRT member companies, invited
guests, and members of the media.]
"The
business community believes in the state's new high school standards
and in raising the bar on what we expect students to know when
they graduate. But we've seen the data, and we have to do more
for all students - specifically for those students who are farthest
from achieving the state standards," says MBRT Chairman Raymond
A. "Chip" Mason.
According to the test data, a large percentage of African-American
students failed all four of the end-of-course high school assessments
given last year. Ninety percent of special education and non-English
speaking students failed the English test, while 70 percent of
poor children failed three of the four tests.
To help these students to improve, MBRT is significantly expanding
its nationally recognized Achievement Counts program, a comprehensive
initiative designed to show students the vital connection between
achievement in school and success in college and the workplace.
The centerpiece of Achievement Counts - a speakers bureau that
places young, working adults in classrooms to challenge students
by providing them with concrete reasons why working hard in high
school will translate into broader opportunities in their personal
and professional lives - will be expanded to reach 62,000 students
in 14 counties this fall. To date, nearly 1,200 volunteer speakers
have been recruited for the program from businesses statewide,
a 40 percent increase over last year.
MBRT is also piloting the State Scholars Initiative - a national
program introduced by President Bush to challenge high school
students to complete a set of academically rigorous courses -
in two Maryland counties: Harford County and Frederick County.
Based on its experiences in those counties this school year, MBRT
plans to expand the program statewide in 2004. "The State Scholars
Initiative defines a step-by-step pathway for achieving future
success in school, in the workplace, and in life," says MBRT Executive
Director June Streckfus. "Given the kind of good information State
Scholars provides, we are confident students will make good choices
that they will benefit from throughout their lives."
Because research has demonstrated that rigorous coursework in
high school is the surest predictor of college and/or workplace
success, the State Scholars core academic course of study includes
at least four years of English, three years of math (algebra I
and II and geometry), three years of lab science (biology, chemistry,
and physics), 3½ years of social studies, and two years of a foreign
language.
State Scholars will target eighth grade students. Speakers from
the business community will talk with students several weeks before
they make their course selections for high school, impressing
on them the importance of selecting rigorous courses and the pivotal
role higher level math and science courses play in college admissions
and future career opportunities.
"The
business community is not only redoubling its efforts, but also
placing a new emphasis on those areas that represent critical
transitions for kids - fifth grade to middle school, eighth grade
to high school, and then throughout high school in preparation
for the transition to college or the workplace," Ms. Streckfus
explains.
During the fall, MBRT, MSDE, and the Governor's office will review
incentives for high school students to stay on track, such as
scholarships and other rewards for students who successfully complete
the State Scholars course of study. In addition, MBRT will issue
new "Parents Count" messages that will be delivered to thousands
of Maryland workers statewide through their employers, and will
launch a teen career website, currently under development.
"Through
all of these initiatives, we must consistently demonstrate to
students the compelling connection between achievement in school
and success in the workplace," Streckfus adds. "There should be
no surprises for students when they graduate. They need to take
ownership of their learning and their course in life."
# # #
The
work herein was supported under The Center for State Scholars
Program, PR/Award (No.V051U020001) as administered by the Office
of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education.
However, the contents do not necessarily represent the positions
or policies of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education and
you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government
