About one in four middle schools in Montgomery County, or 10 of
38 schools, successfully narrowed racial achievement gaps in
test scores during a three-year period, according to a report
released last week by Montgomery County Public Schools. The
school system has been working to narrow the gaps for decades,
and it remains a focus of its strategic plan, school system
spokesman Dana Tofig said. The report studied students’ results
on the Maryland School Assessments, annual exams administered to
all middle school students, and student performance in Algebra 1
or higher math classes, from the 2008-2009 school year to the
2010-2011 school year. Historically in the school system and
nationwide, black and Hispanic students have lagged behind their
peers in state exams. Joseph A. Hawkins, who worked in the
school system’s accountability office for 19 years as an
evaluation specialist, said he expected more schools to
progress, given the focus that previous superintendent Jerry D.
Weast placed on narrowing achievemen