The State of BCPS – Strong, and growing stronger

Team BCPS holds its second-annual State of the Schools event

Get a full recap of State of the Schools 2014 here!

At this year’s State of the Schools event, Dr. Dance reviewed the progress Team BCPS has made in the past year, and highlighted a variety of programs and advancements designed to move the school system forward beginning next school year, including:
Rollout of the Students and Teachers Accessing Tomorrow (S.T.A.T.) program, including start-up of the system’s 10 Lighthouse elementary schools to pilot the 1:1 digital learning initiative;
Piloting a Grade 4 Spanish program in 10 elementary schools that will blend educators with technology to provide a comprehensive learning platform;
A proposed equity policy for the school system to ensure equitable access to quality learning opportunities for every child;
A boost in pre-school resources focusing on students with special needs and those enrolled in free and reduced-price meals;
Implementation of the One Card building access and attendance monitoring systems in every school;
A systemwide focus on rigorous learning opportunities for middle school students, such as expanding world languages for Grade 6 students, providing avenues for every Grade 8 student to acquire high school credits, and exploration of a hybrid middle school – high school project.

Dr. Dance announced two additional new initiatives for the coming year.

To support high-quality curriculum, instruction and teacher training, BCPS will expand its partnership with Towson University, including efforts like helping to redesign the university’s School of Education and creating a lab school with School of Education faculty.

He also announced the launch of the BCPS Parent University, a resource that offers in-person workshops from both BCPS staff and other organizations across the county as well as a wealth of online resources designed to provide practical information and assistance to parents to help students and families succeed.

The event also celebrated the talents and achievements of Baltimore County’s school students, including performances from the Towson High School Marching Band, Sudbrook Magnet Middle School Choir, Perry Hall High School String Ensemble, BCPS Honors Dance Ensemble, JROTC students and soloists from across the school system.

Sharing the podium with Dr. Dance and Board of Education President Lawrence Schmidt were students Karen Chongwa of Windsor Mill Middle School, Luis Fernando Colindres-Rivera of Dundalk High School, Yakov Drumm of Pikesville Middle School, and Aaliyah Powell of Halstead Academy, who spoke about their school experiences.