Evaluation

A man who was convicted of arson in a fire at his ex-girlfriend's apartment will be sentenced after a psychological evaluation. Wayne Dougherty, 46, of Hampstead was convicted Wednesday in Carroll County Circuit Court. He was ordered held without bail until sentencing. Dougherty was accused of setting a three-alarm blaze that displaced the residents of 12 units in a Westminster apartment complex July 12. Two people were treated for minor injuries. Damage to the structure and its contents was estimated at $450,000.

ESPN analyst Paul Carcaterra was the sideline reporter for unseeded Maryland's 11-5 stunner against No. 2 seed Johns Hopkins on Saturday. On Monday, he offered what he liked and what he didn't like in the Terps' victory in the NCAA tournament's quarterfinal round. Wednesday feature Carcaterra's assessment of No. 1 seed Loyola's 10-9 decision against unseeded Denver, but here is what he thought of Maryland's win. What Carcaterra liked: “I liked the way that they really initiated the offense from the midfield - not only from up top, but also from behind.

Maryland moved Monday to begin evaluating teachers based in part on how well their students learn their lessons — a significant change that will be tried first in seven school districts, including Baltimore city and county, this fall. The decision, made despite opposition from teachers, keeps Maryland among a dozen jurisdictions on the forefront of efforts to hold teachers and principals more accountable for the progress of their students. The Maryland Council for Educator Effectiveness, appointed by the governor last year to develop a new teacher and principal evaluation system, held firm on the requirement that 50 percent of a teacher's job rating will be based on student performance, though state tests would hold less weight than first anticipated.

Our biggest concerns about the push to expand gambling at the end of this spring's regular session of the General Assembly were that there had been insufficient public debate about all of the changes slots boosters wanted to institute and that there was too little reliable information about the performance of Maryland's existing gambling program. Gov.Martin O'Malley's announcement Monday of a work group to expanded gambling in time for a possible special session of the legislature July 9 does nothing to erase those qualms.

This letter in in relation to Liz Bowie's article, "Maryland grapples with evaluating its teachers," July 16. As a retired middle school principal, I remain deeply concerned and disturbed when the authorities keep speaking of student achievement as a strong possible contributing factor in this process. In my opinion, student achievement should only be a minor portion of such an evaluation, which I believe also should include numerous other elements, such as the school's location and whether it is in a poverty or professional area or some other location in between, as environmental equality exists nowhere.

A state legislative review panel voted Monday night against a proposed regulation that would require 50 percent of a teacher's evaluation in Maryland to be based on student achievement. The state school board, which proposed the regulation, must now decide whether to proceed without legislative support. If the board does, it will be up to Gov. Martin O'Malley to decide whether the regulation takes effect. Legislators on the Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review panel voted 12-3 against the regulation, according to Sen. Paul G. Pinsky, a Prince George's County Democrat.

At a recent panel discussion on corporate philanthropy, I was asked about some trends that are having a major impact on nonprofit organizations.One of the most significant changes in corporate philanthropy is the insistence on more accountability. Hardly revolutionary, this change has been evolving for the past decade. With corporate charitable dollars in short supply -- after all, it is only about 6 percent of all charitable giving in this country -- it makes sense that companies want to be sure that their funds are well spent.

A Forest Hill teenager, accused of shooting at a Harford County sheriff's deputy last week, was ordered yesterday by a judge to undergo a competency evaluation. Justin Jacob Bristol, 16, appeared briefly via video for a bail hearing at Harford County District Court. The teenager told Judge Victor K. Butanis that he had lived in Forest Hill for 16 years and that he was an 11th-grader at a school connected to the Sheppard Pratt Health System. Butanis ordered that Bristol be held without bail pending the evaluation.

Saying it would lead to arbitrary dismissals, teachers yesterday denounced a state superintendent's proposal to strip the licenses of those who do not receive three satisfactory ratings every five years.Testifying before the state Board of Education, teachers said they could lose their jobs based solely on principals' evaluations, and argued the measure would create a climate of fear and discourage innovation."These new procedures will sacrifice creativity and innovation to job security," said Nancy S. Dietz, a math teacher in Frederick County.

A 62-year-old man accused of pointing a handgun at two teenagers near Wilde Lake High School is being held for evaluation at Howard County General Hospital, a county police spokeswoman said. Edward Brown Jr. of the 10500 block of Jason Lane in Columbia was arrested Monday morning on the parking lot of the school and charged with first-degree assault and possession of a gun on school grounds. Two teenagers had called police to report that a man in a Porsche had pointed a gun at them, police said.

Winters Mill High School ranked No. 36 in the state of Maryland and No. 1021 in the nation in the fourth edition of US News and World Report's listing of the best high schools in the nation. The publication evaluated nearly 22,000 public high schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia. The survey, published May 8 on the US News website, considered a number of factors including Advanced Placement performance, overall student performance and "proficiency on state exams among typically underperforming subgroups.

An ESPN analyst can only be in so many places in a limited time. But while Mark Dixon wasn't on hand to see Maryland's 10-9 upset of No. 7 seed Lehigh in the NCAA tournament on Sunday night, he did watch the game on television with great interest. On Monday, he offered what he liked and what he didn't like in the Terps' victory in the opening round. Tuesday featured Dixon's assessment of No. 1 seed Loyola's 17-5 thrashing of Canisius, and Wednesday profiled his evaluation of No. 2 seed Johns Hopkins' 19-9 rout of Stony Brook.

The return of former Oriole Miguel Tejada still has several steps to overcome before coming to fruition, according to Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette. Tejada will report to the team's spring training facility on Monday to meet with Chris Correnti, who oversees the organization's rehab and conditioning. The 37-year-old former AL MVP will have a physical there and if he passes will then be signed to a contract to play in extended spring training, Duquette said.

Elliott Elementary in Lincoln, Neb., struck off on its own last year when it became the only school in the city to win money through the federal School Improvement Grant (SIG) program. Winning wasn't something to be proud of, though: It meant the school qualified as one of the worst in the nation. About a third of fifth-graders at Elliott were proficient on state reading tests when the reforms began, compared to 80 percent in Lincoln as a whole. Winning also meant a lot of work for teachers and administrators.

The Ravens have talked about adding some offensive linemen during the draft, but they need to improve their evaluations. Since head coach John Harbaugh joined the Ravens, the team hasn't fared well as far as selecting offensive linemen. In 2008, they selected UTEP offensive tackle Oniel Cousins in the third round. He is no longer with the team. In 2009, they selected Mississippi offensive tackle Michael Oher in the first round. Oher has been solid, but not the dominant type or even the starting left offensive tackle the Ravens expected.

A Howard Circuit judge has ordered a 24-year-old Columbia man to undergo a psychiatric evaluation before standing trial on charges that he tried to kill his parents by setting their house on fire last November.Judge Raymond Kane Jr. ordered the evaluation Tuesday after the attorney for Joseph Michael Lindenberg filed a plea of not criminally responsible by reason of insanity for the Nov. 11 blaze.The evaluation, requested by the prosecution, will be done at the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center in Jessup.

The attorney for a man accused of sexually assaulting a Guilford-area woman last summer, about a month after finishing a 19-year prison sentence for rape and kidnapping, failed to block prosecutors from using a tardy psychiatric evaluation of his client yesterday.Assistant Public Defender Avery Berdit had wanted Howard Circuit Judge James Dudley to deny a request by officials at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center in Jessup for an extension of time to complete their evaluation of Thurman Alexander Moore.