by Will Van Gelder ’16

A study conducted by Montgomery County Council’s Office of Legislative Oversight found that Caucasian and Asian Americans in MCPS have much higher test scores on achievement tests than do African Americans and Latinos, with the gap widening as students enter high school.  This gap distressed many educators and leaders in the county, especially since African Americans and Latinos make up 48 percent of MCPS’ student population.

Disparities between the races increased in advanced-level scores for the state math exams for third, fifth and eighth grades, according to The Washington Post. While blacks and Latinos in MCPS outperform blacks and Latinos in other counties on SATs and AP exams, they still do not perform as well as their white and Asian counterparts. “If we can’t do this in Montgomery County, where can we do it?” said Council President Nancy Navarro (D-Mid-County) in The Washington Post.

Superintendent Joshua Starr agrees with the analysis and wants to use more resources for the schools to help address these disparities.  He plans to include thirty “focus” teachers to decrease class sizes in English and Math classes in middle and high schools.