By having seven schools in the top 100, MCPS breaks its own record of six, set in 2008. Last year, MCPS had four schools in the top 100.     The seven high schools are Richard Montgomery (33), Poolesville (59), Bethesda-Chevy Chase (63), Winston Churchill (75), Thomas Wootton (83), Walt Whitman (85), and Walter Johnson (95). The remaining MCPS high schools all finished in the top 3 percent of all schools in the nation.

MCPS is the only Maryland district with schools in the top 100.     “The Newsweek report is another confirmation that the reform efforts we have put in place the past 11 years are having a very positive impact,” said Patricia O’Neill, President of the Montgomery County Board of Education. “We have made a commitment to giving all students access to college-level work, so they are better prepared for the rigors of post-secondary classes.”    Several MCPS high schools made significant gains on the list from last year, most notably Poolesville High School, which jumped from 305th to 59th this year. The list is based upon the “Challenge Index,” developed by the Washington Post, which put out a ranking of Washington-area schools earlier this year. MCPS had five schools in the top 10 on that list.

Receiving a college ready score on an AP or IB exam has been identified as one of MCPS’ “7 Keys to College Readiness,” a series of K-12 benchmarks that lays out a pathway to college preparedness.     Students who succeed in rigorous classes, like AP, are more than three times as likely to get a bachelor’s degree than those who do not, according to college completion data.  Among MCPS students in the classes of 2001-2004, only 25 percent of those who did not take an AP exam earned a bachelor’s degree.

But among those students who took at least one AP exam, 60 percent earned a degree, and among those who scored 3 or higher on at least one exam, 76 percent earned a bachelor’s degree.    “By providing broader access to rigorous classes, we are giving our students a distinct advantage in college,” Superintendent Jerry D. Weast said. “Simply taking an AP class more than doubles a student’s chances of earning a bachelor’s degree, which leads to higher lifetime earnings and greater success in the workplace.”
The Newsweek list is the latest in a string of accolades about the performance of MCPS students:

• MCPS has the highest graduation rate among the nation’s large school districts, according to a report released by Education Week on Thursday. The MCPS graduation rate of 83.1 percent is significantly higher than the state and national rates.
• The class of 2010 has earned $232 million in college scholarships so far this year, an all-time record for the district and nearly $50 million more than last year.
• MCPS has been named one of five finalists for the $1 million Broad Prize for Urban Education, which recognizes large school districts that raised student achievement and narrowed the achievement gap.

America’s Best High Schools Rankings for All MCPS Schools

Source: Newsweek’s America’s Best High Schools 2010

See frequently asked questions about the list.

Source: MCPS, http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?page=showrelease&id=2783

Stay in Poolesville for the festivities.  There are bands playing, food to be eaten, crafts and vendors to visit, freebies to be had, and wonderful weather in the forecast.

We’ll see you in Poolesville this weekend!

Tom and Laura

P.S.  Check out www.PoolesvilleDay.com for the scoop!

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Home to Howard County. It feels great to be back. So much has changed since I grew up in Columbia, and yet so much is the same. Now I’m living on my dad, Robert H. Kittleman’s, farm, just behind the homes in Fox Valley, right off Rt. 32. Have I mentioned how great it feels to be back?

I decided to create Thoughts from Home as a more personal part of the website, where I can post items that have more of a “Laura” flair. (Hint: I almost called this section “Life in the Pink Aisle,” so be warned!)

My dad, Bob Kittleman, at the farm many years ago with our three daughters.

I will update the site as I learn about my “new” neighborhood – one that I’ve actually been a part of since the 1960s when my dad first bought real estate in West Friendship. Good grief, I’m sounding OLD!

My plan is to use this space to connect you with local resources, interesting places and faces, tidbits, and things I find interesting as I reconnect with the neighborhoods in Howard County. As a longtime resident and professional real estate agent, you’ll no doubt realize that I have a certain flavor to my observations. And coming from a political family, you know I’ll offer no shortage of opinions!

Let the journey begin!