Maryland School Report Card User’s Guide - Guide to Understanding Your Maryland School Report Card

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jake

The Maryland School Report Card User’s Guide explains how the Maryland accountability system measures school performance and presents results through School Report Cards. It describes the rationale for accountability, development milestones, and how federal requirements under ESSA shape indicator-based reporting. The guide details what Elementary, Middle, and High School Report Cards measure, including academic achievement, academic progress, graduation rate, English language proficiency, and school quality measures. It also provides guidance for using report card data to support and improve schools.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages34

Reading Time1 h 26 min

AccessFree to download

Overview of School Accountability

What is an “accountability system,” and why do we need one?

How did Maryland develop its accountability system?

What do Maryland School Report Cards measure?

Elementary School Report Cards

The Path to Your Performance

Academic Achievement

Academic Progress

Progress In Achieving English Language Proficiency

School Quality and Student Success

Calculating Elementary School Accountability Results

Middle School Report Cards

The Path to Your Performance

Academic Achievement

Academic Progress

Progress In Achieving English Language Proficiency

School Quality and Student Success

Calculating Middle School Accountability Results

HighSchool Report Cards

The Path to Your Performance

Academic Achievement

Graduation Rate

Progress In Achieving English Language Proficiency

Readiness For Postsecondary Success

School Quality and Student Success

Calculating High School Accountability Results

How to Use Maryland School Report Card Data to Support and Improve Schools

Questions & Answers

Glossary

MARYLAND SCHOOL REPORT CARD USER’S GUIDE GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING YOUR MARYLAND SCHOOL REPORT CARD Stay informed and get acquainted with the Maryland School Report Card. Learn how Maryland has been working hard to help improve school accountability. MSDE has developed this Accountability User’s Guide to help you better understand the Accountability System measures and School Report Cards. To see the latest School Report Cards, view the User’s Guide, and find more information, please visit: [MdReportCard.org](MdReportCard.org) MARYLAND SCHOOL REPORT CARD USER’S GUIDE | 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 Overview of School Accountability 4 What do Maryland School Report Cards measure? 5 Elementary School Report Cards 5 The Path to Your Performance 6 Academic Achievement 7 Academic Progress 8 Progress In Achieving English Language Proficiency 9 School Quality and Student Success 10 Calculating Elementary School Accountability Results 11 Middle School Report Cards M 11 The Path to Your Performance 12 Academic Achievement 13 Academic Progress 14 Progress In Achieving English Language Proficiency 15 School Quality and Student Success 16 Calculating Middle School Accountability Results 17 HighSchool Report Cards 17 The Path to Your Performance 18 Academic Achievement 19 Graduation Rate 20 Progress In Achieving English Language Proficiency 21 Readiness For Postsecondary Success 22 School Quality and Student Success 23 Calculating High School Accountability Results 24 How to Use Maryland School Report Card Data to Support and Improve Schools 26 Questions & Answers 29 Glossary 2024_v1 Overview of School Accountability What is an “accountability system,” and why do we need one? How did Maryland develop its accountability system? The phrase “knowledge is power” has existed for about 500 years, and never has it been more relevant than today. Not long ago, parents had no clear way of knowing how well schools were serving their children. Teachers and principals relied solely on local gauges of school performance, while parents only received information on their children based on local measures. Equity advocates did not know whether disadvantaged students were receiving the learning opportunities and resources they needed, and how those students were performing. School boards, superintendents, and states had no consistent way of identifying schools that needed support to improve and setting them on a course to do so, or celebrating exceptional schools. Enter the “accountability system” Maryland began looking at school and system performance in 1993, and in 2002 federal legislation required that school performance be gathered and reported in every state. An accountability system helps to ensure that all students, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, home language, disability status, or where they live, get the education they need and deserve. It is also designed to ensure that all schools, regardless of where they are located and the students they serve, provide that education. And finally, the goal is to identify schools that need support, and prompt action to improve them, in a way that is understandable, transparent, and uniform. Accountability systems measure a variety of aspects of school performance--the same aspects at every school, for all students--and report the results to the public. While all this knowledge can be empowering, too much information can be overwhelming. Important details may be lost in a flood of data, and a large amount of information can make it difficult to make decisions. The Maryland Accountability System not only gives stakeholders and leaders data about their schools, but also brings together that data in a usable way to help them ask questions, find answers, make decisions, and act. The latest federal legislation about school accountability is the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed into law in 2015. Under ESSA, each state is require

FAQs

Why does Maryland need an accountability system for schools?

An accountability system ensures students receive the education they need regardless of background and helps identify schools that require support to improve. It also provides transparent, uniform results to the public so stakeholders can make informed decisions.

What major indicators does Maryland use in School Report Cards?

The guide states that indicators include Academic Achievement, Academic Progress, Progress in Achieving English Language Proficiency, and School Quality and Student Success for elementary and middle levels. For high school, it adds Graduation Rate and Readiness for Postsecondary Success.

How are school results reported to families and the public?

Each school’s compiled accountability results are published on the Maryland Report Card website through individual School Report Cards designed to be easy for parents, educators, and stakeholders to understand.

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jake