Agency:	MSDE	Writer:	John Rosson	
Client:		Producer:		
Project:	Grad Rates Up	Director:		
Title:		Art Director:		
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VIDEO 		AUDIO	
			
NAT FULL - HIGH SCHOOL KIDS		(nat full)
'wind blows'	
HOLDING FILE OF STUDENTS		(narrator track)
graduation is up -- dropouts down.	
SOT NANCY GRASMICKHOLDING STUDENTS FILE		(sot nancy grasmick)
'It's a very happy day in the state of Maryland...'	
SOT NANCY GRASMICKCG - NANCY GRASMICK         MD SCHOOLS SUP'T.		(sot nancy grasmick)
'As a matter of fact, the dropout rate is the lowest it's been in 11 years...'	
MORE STUDENTS FILE		(narrator track)
the state celebrates.	
GRAPHIC GRAD RATECLASS OF 2010:GRADUATION - UP 1.4% TO 86.6%DROPOUT      - DOWN .5% TO 2.1%		20-ten graduation numbers climbed one-point-four percent to 86.6%.	
		the dropout rate dipped five-tenths to just two-point-one percent.	
BRIDGE FILE VIDEO		state schools superintendent nancy grasmick attributes much of the success to increased attention paid the high school assessments.	
SOT NANCY GRASMICK		(sot nancy grasmick)
'We feel that the High School Assessments have been a positive force for the students in insuring that no student is anonymous -- 	
FILE STUDENTS		(narrator track)
20-ten marks the second year since passing the hsa's became mandatory to graduate.	
SOT LESLIE WILSON (COVER W/AUDIENCE)		(sot leslie wilson)
'The Hispanic group did improve by more than two points...	
AUD CUTS		(narrator track)
notable improvements include hispanics and african americans.	
SOT LESLIE WILSONCG - LESLIE WILSON         ASS'T. SUP'T., DIVISION OF          INSTRUCTION		(sot leslie wilson)
'and the African American graduation rate improved by almost two points...'	
2 SHOT NANCY AND LESLIE		(narrator track)
educators say school systems are bumping up coursework so hsa's come earlier.	
SOT LESLIE WILSON		(sot leslie wilson)
'The local school systems have been working hard on changing some of their course sequences and they said they were gonna do this and it's obvious from our data that they have.'	
BRIDGE CLASSESCRAWL - 5012 STUDENTS MET REQUIREMENTS THROUGH BRIDGE COURSEWORK IN 2010.		(narrator track)
those with difficulties now have time to work through bridge programs -- alternative hsa coursework deemed the equivalent of passing the tests.	
		it has kept borderline students in school.	
SOT LESLIE WILSON		(sot leslie wilson)
'16 of our LEA's improved their dropout rate - and three others maintained theirs...'	
GRAPHICCHALLENGES:SPECIAL EDUCATION - NON-GRADS - 922ELL'S  - DOWN 4 PTS. TO 78.21%		(narrator track)
challenges lay ahead -- in special education where non-graduates number nine-hundred-22 and and in the ballooning category of the group known as 'english language learners which does not include hispanics.	
SOT NANCY GRASMICK		(sot nancy grasmick)
'One thing we should probably make clear is we often discern the difference between Hispanic and ELL, so it's really ELL that's causing us the greatest concern because their time of arrival in this country is often in high school, and it provides little time for intervention and mastery of English...'	
WS NC		(narrator track)
overall, the numbers, educators say, prove a point.	
		the 'feet to the fire' approach with high school assessments has worked.	
SOT NANCY GRASMICK		(sot nancy grasmick)
'Every student is known to administrators ... and there are requisite interventions for students.	
MSDE SLATE		(narrator track)
this is msde tv.