Blair's performance on HSAs decreases

The Maryland State Board of Education (MSBE) recently released last spring's High School Assessment (HSA) scores. Results indicate a decline in Blair's performance on all four HSA exams currently administered: English I, Biology, Government and Algebra.

The drop in Blair scores varied in severity from an approximate six percent decrease in the passing percentage for the English I HSA to as much as an approximate 24 percent decrease for the Algebra HSA, implying that less than 12 percent of Blair algebra students would have earned a high school diploma had the tests been a requirement for graduation. According to the Dec. 3 decision by the MSBE, all high school students beginning with the class of 2009 will have to pass the HSAs before graduation.

Despite a decline in Blair's overall results, special education students displayed a marked improvement on the English I and Biology HSAs, more than doubling their passing percentage from the previous year for the English I examination.

Conversely, English Language Learner students, previously known as ESOL students, saw drastic decreases on the English I HSA, dropping from about a quarter passing rate to having a zero percent passing rate this past year.

Test scores also show a widening racial achievement gap by about five percent between whites and Asians and their black and Hispanic counterparts.

To see Blair's scores visit the Maryland Report card website.

More information to follow