Thirteen schools – including four Baltimore County high schools, and one high school each in Anne Arundel County and Baltimore City –- have made enough progress over the past two years to be removed from the school improvement list, according to the Maryland Department of Education.

The schools are:
Anne Arundel County
North County High School
Baltimore County
Chesapeake High School
Owings Mills High School
Parkville High School and Center for Math/Science
Randallstown High School
Prince George’s County
Bowie High School
Frederick Douglass High School
Gwynn Park High School
Laurel High School
Potomac High School
Suitland High School
Surrattsville High School
Baltimore City
Paul Laurence Dunbar High School

 State officials say that improvement on the algebra and English High School Assessments resulted in accomplishment.

“Students are taking the High School Assessments seriously, and that has paid off for everyone,” State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick said in a press release. “Targets rise every year, making the process that much tougher. But when so many schools succeed, we know the work is paying off.”

In addition, more than 70 percent of Maryland high schools achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), according to data  released today by the state on the Maryland Report Card Web site.  AYP, the yardstick under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, is used to determine whether children can transfer to higher-performing schools. It also can affect federal funding to schools.Overall, nearly 80 percent of Maryland schools made AYP in 2007.