Dear Citizens of Frederick County,
The Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) Administration and Board of Education seem to have mastered the art of smoke and mirrors. It’s important for the citizens of Frederick County to approach the information they receive from FCPS with a critical eye. The press release they issued last week is just another example of how they can distort information to create the illusion that they are the gold standard of education. Unfortunately, the truth—and the current state of our education system—remains hidden in plain sight!
Did you notice in the FCPS press release that it mentioned, “Current MCAP (Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program) tests had new baselines established in the 2022-2023 school year, so only two years of comparable assessment data exist”? On December 6, 2022, the Maryland State Board of Education adopted “Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program Cut Points Achievement Standards.” According to the Maryland State Department of Education's MCAP Updates publication, “All assessments have been shortened in length from previous times and have been psychometrically supported to provide equitable information to previously provided assessment results.” The publication also noted that after the initial 2020-2021 assessment, “All grades in Mathematics and English Language Arts 3-7 and Algebra I will be computer adaptive.” In this system, “a student will be given an initial set of items. Depending on how the student performs on this initial set, this performance will determine the difficulty level of the next item or set of items.”
While it’s true that FCPS may be performing better than many other school systems in Maryland, they are still falling short when it comes to our children’s education. With the Maryland State Board of Education approving the lowering of standards for the MCAP test, it can no longer serve as a reliable benchmark for assessing whether our children are reaching pre-pandemic proficiency levels. I would appreciate it if FCPS could provide an example of an 8th-grade MCAP test from before COVID and one since they’ve “updated” the test!
Another critical issue with this press release is that, even with the lowered standards, FCPS is still not meeting the needs of taxpayers and our children. Last year, FCPS failed over 40% of students in English Language Arts, over 68% in Math, over 54% of 5th-grade Science students, and over 66% of 8th-grade Science students! Would you spend your hard-earned money to send your child to a school proud of these numbers? I hope not! FCPS should not take pride in these statistics either, but with their smoke and mirrors, they may try to convince you that this is great news. Will you believe it?
It is our duty as citizens to seek the truth and not be misled by these claims! As Samuel Adams wisely stated, “It is in the interest of tyrants to reduce the people to ignorance and vice. For they cannot live in any country where virtue and knowledge prevail.” Let’s work together to bring virtue and knowledge back to FCPS. As a former Air Traffic Controller for Air Force One, I am dedicated to guiding FCPS in a new direction focused on academic excellence, parental rights, and fiscal responsibility. Together, we can create a brighter future for our children!
Sincerely,
Heather Fletcher
Link to Letter to Share: tinyurl.com/3yds23n5
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