Maryland's unique effort to bring adequacy and equity to elementary and secondary education is beginning to strengthen student achievement across the board, according to a new independent analysis.

MGT of America, a national consulting firm, outlined the interim results of its study on the Bridge to Excellence (BTE) Act in testimony today before the Maryland State Board of Education. A final report on BTE will not be complete until the end of 2008.

The report found substantial improvement in mathematics and reading proficiency at the local school system level, as measured by the Maryland School Assessment (MSA). MGT's research also found substantial innovation taking place at the school level, with 40 percent of principals saying that the additional funding has led to new programs and practices that have strengthened work in the classroom.

"Bridge to Excellence has helped Maryland public schools strengthen instruction," said State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick. "The money has been important, but the process, which includes an extensive master plan system, has helped school systems make thoughtful decisions about how to spend the funds. This report shows how critical that process has been."

The Maryland General Assembly in 2002 approved the BTE Act, which is bringing an additional $1.3 billion to public schools by 2008 - a 75 percent increase. The Act, which set into law many of the recommendations of the Thornton Commission, also required a study of the program's effectiveness, leading to the MGT research.

MGT found that school systems have spent the majority of the BTE funds on salaries and wages for school personnel. Local systems increased their spending in that area by $571.2 million between 2001-02 and 2004-05.

Among the other findings of the report:

• Other instructional items, such as supplies, textbooks, and other materials, received $455 million from BTE.
  
  
• The number of instructional staff employed by school systems increased by 1,969, and the number of principals, assistant principals, and other school administrative staff increased by 399.
  
  
• The average teacher salary increased by $4,079, or 8.5 percent, to $52,330.
  

MGT will be conducting follow-up interviews with local superintendents over the next two years, as well as obtaining input from teachers and community members during onsite visits. The evaluation will identify and examine "best practices" that schools and school systems have implemented in an effort to improve student performance and reduce gaps in achievement between student subgroups.