Five Maryland public schools today were selected as 2010-2011 National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education.
The schools are:
- Eastern Technical High School, Baltimore County
- Northern Middle School, Calvert County
- New Market Elementary School, Frederick County
- Ellicott Mills Middle School, Howard County
- Northwestern Elementary School, Wicomico County
The schools are recognized on the basis of rigorous state and national requirements for high achievement and dramatic improvement.
“This is one of the nation’s most significant awards presented to public schools,” said Maryland State Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick. “Maryland’s National Blue Ribbon Schools exemplify excellence in teaching and learning. We congratulate the students, teachers, parents, administrators and community members of these outstanding schools.”
The schools will be invited to Washington, DC to be honored by national officials. Maryland corporate sponsors include Comcast, Joe Corbi’s Pizza, EduTrax, SMART Technologies and Verizon of Maryland.
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(Blue Ribbon School Profiles)
2010-11 National Blue Ribbon School Highlights
Baltimore County – Eastern Technical High School
Eastern Technical High is a very high achieving school with a population that includes 20 percent economically disadvantaged students. The school’s HSA reading proficiency scores in 2009 were 99.7 percent and math proficiency was 100 percent. It has maintained a record of high achievement for over a decade, having originally been named a Maryland Blue Ribbon School in 1997. The school has been named by Newsweek Magazine (3 years in a row) and US News & World Report (2 years in a row) as being in among the nation’s top high schools.
Calvert County – Northern Middle School
Northern Middle exemplifies high achievement with 8th grade students scoring 94.9 percent proficient and above in reading and 93.7 percent in math. Foreign language is emphasized with 52 percent of students completing two full years of Spanish or French. In math, 35 percent of students complete Algebra I by the end of the 8th grade and 25 percent complete Algebra II. Northern Middle is a PBIS silver school which is also a winner in competitive athletic programs with champion women’s basketball and softball teams. The school also has numerous opportunities in the performing arts.
Frederick County – New Market Elementary School
With 100 percent of its students proficient and above in 5th grade reading and 96.2 percent in math, New Market Elementary School is an exemplary school which is home to the current Frederick County Teacher of the Year and to The Green Team – a group of students and teachers who initiated a successful composting program which fertilizes a garden of fruits and vegetables for the local food banks. Health and fitness are emphasized at New Market. The entire school exercises every morning before school and teachers incorporate movement into their daily routine as a part of assessment and instruction.
Howard County – Ellicott Mills Middle School
With 8th grade MSA scores in reading at 95.9 percent and math at 92.8 percent, Ellicott Mills Middle is a high achieving middle school. It won NAACP’s Certificate of Excellence in Reading, Math, and Attendance as well as the Maryland School Performance Award for Outstanding Achievement. It is a Professional Development School and has an accomplished music performance program. Ellicott Mills Middle is a leader in parent involvement. It was named a National PTA School of Excellence and was honored with the Howard County Middle School Parent Teacher Collaboration Award.
Wicomico County - Northwestern Elementary School
Northwestern Elementary, a school with 51 percent of its students on Free and Reduced Priced Meals, has student achievement at high standards with 94.4 percent of its 5th grade reading and 5th grade math students scoring in the proficient range. The school received a Maryland School Performance Recognition Award in 2008 for increasing its subgroup performance on the MSA. Northwestern Elementary is a professional learning community school with all teachers, coaches, and administrators discussing student data on a weekly basis.