Maryland State Department

Maryland is poised to join a growing number of states that are requiring students to stay in school until their 18th birthday, a shift that President Barack Obama urged during his State of the Union address in January. A measure to raise the compulsory attendance age — state students now must attend until they turn 16 — has cleared both chambers in the Maryland General Assembly. It needs final approval by the Senate, which is expected as early as today. Gov. Martin O'Malley has said he will sign the legislation, which would fully take effect in 2017.

You can hear their passion for teaching the language, a Viva Italia! enthusiasm they hope to make infectious to those who sign up for the courses. For Italian language teachers Catherine D'Ascoli of Wilde Lake High School and Peter DiMarco of Hammond High School, the stream of students interested in the language has been, for the most part, unabated. In Howard County, Italian is taught at Wilde Lake, Marriotts Ridge, Hammond and Reservoir high schools. And though the offerings pale in comparison to those in Spanish and French - which are offered in all county high schools and middle schools - they make Howard a rarity among local schools when it comes to teaching Italian.

An Anne Arundel County parent whose gentle spirit is said to have built bridges between cultures at her sons' elementary school was named the Maryland Parent Involvement Matters Award winner Friday night. Ambareen Jafri, a 35-year-old Crofton mother of three boys, began her volunteer work four years ago when a Nantucket Elementary School teacher put out a request for someone who spoke Urdu to be a translator for Indian and Pakistani families. "Sometimes, you just [say], 'OK, this is my opportunity to help the community.

A battle over $5 million escalated this week with Anne Arundel County lawmakers threatening repercussions and school leaders saying seven projects for new schools are jeopardized by the fray. At issue is how the county should pay a $5 million tab owed to the school system under Maryland's maintenance-of-effort law. "It'll probably be the last five million [dollars] the Board of Education gets in a long while," Councilman Jamie Benoit, a Democrat from Crownsville, told a school system representative during a public hearing Monday.

According to the Maryland State Department of Education, there were 3,818 incidents of bullying in Maryland schools during the 2009-2010 school year, and reports of bullying have been increasing over the past three years. The harmful results of this increased bullying are more than just bruised arms and hurt feelings. Maryland law requires school staff to report bullying. As the state Department of Education noted in its model policy to address bullying: "Sometimes regarded as a 'rite of passage,' bullying and harassment can no longer be regarded as such.

You can hear their passion for teaching the language, a Viva Italia! enthusiasm they hope to make infectious to those who sign up for the courses. For Italian language teachers Catherine D'Ascoli of Wilde Lake High School and Peter DiMarco of Hammond High School, the stream of students interested in the language has been, for the most part, unabated. In Howard County, Italian is taught at Wilde Lake, Marriotts Ridge, Hammond and Reservoir high schools. And though the offerings pale in comparison to those in Spanish and French - which are offered in all county high schools and middle schools - they make Howard a rarity among local schools when it comes to teaching Italian.

Also in yesterday's Maryland section, an article incorrectly named one of the technology partners with the Maryland State Department of Education. AT&T Corp. is participating in the effort to provide a Web site for each school system.The Sun regrets the errors.Pub Date: 5/07/97

When interim Maryland State School Superintendent Bernard J. Sadusky made a presentation before two House of Delegates committee Friday, he spelled out certain principles for flexibility under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Alas, the folks at the Maryland State Department of Education showed a certain flexibility in spelling as well. Time for a trip to the principal's office?   

Maryland's future teaching needs are to be discussed Dec. 6 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Loyola College's Knott Hall.The program is designed for adults with bachelor's degrees with significcant course work in math, science, social studies, or English and for people interested in becoming certified in those areas.The college and the Maryland State Department of Education ae the sponsors. Call 532-5094 or (800) 221-9107, ext. 5094.

Assessment test plan changes Students who haven't been able to pass the four high school assessment tests can substitute a project called the "bridge plan." To be eligible to do so, a student must: Have failed one or more of the tests twice and have already received some extra help. Have passed the course in the subject of the test. Have satisfactory attendance. Be on track to receive enough credits to graduate. For more information on the bridge plan, go to www.hsaexam.org Source: Maryland State Department of Education

The McDonald's Family Restaurants of Greater Baltimore honored Christina O'Neill, the Harford County Teacher of the Year, Monday evening at the McDonald's restaurant on Baltimore Pike in Bel Air. The McDonald's McTeacher of the Year Night provides members of the Bel Air Middle School community and other Harford County residents the opportunity to thank O'Neill for her commitment to education. McDonald's will donate a portion of all sales earned during the event to Bel Air Middle School and surprised O'Neill with several gifts.

Emmanuel Methodist Preschool, 10755 Scaggsville Road, off Route 29 or Interstate 95 in Howard County, is accepting registrations for the upcoming school year. Limited space is available in the Mothers' Morning Out program for ages 2 1/2, and the five-day program for 4 year olds. The preschool is accredited by the Maryland State Department of Education and has programs for children ages 2 1/2 to 5 years old. For information, call 301-725-5178 or go to emmanuelpreschool.com .

Towson University will receive $2 million in state and private grant funds to start a new program designed to increase production of math and science teachers. The initiative will be based on the 15-year-old UTeach program, which more than doubled the output of math and science teachers at the University of Texas in Austin and is widely regarded as a model for training teachers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. UTeach offers financial incentives for math, science and computer science majors to train and enter the workforce as teachers.

An Anne Arundel County parent whose gentle spirit is said to have built bridges between cultures at her sons' elementary school was named the Maryland Parent Involvement Matters Award winner Friday night. Ambareen Jafri, a 35-year-old Crofton mother of three boys, began her volunteer work four years ago when a Nantucket Elementary School teacher put out a request for someone who spoke Urdu to be a translator for Indian and Pakistani families. "Sometimes, you just [say], 'OK, this is my opportunity to help the community.

Maryland is poised to join a growing number of states that are requiring students to stay in school until their 18th birthday, a shift that President Barack Obama urged during his State of the Union address in January. A measure to raise the compulsory attendance age — state students now must attend until they turn 16 — has cleared both chambers in the Maryland General Assembly. It needs final approval by the Senate, which is expected as early as today. Gov. Martin O'Malley has said he will sign the legislation, which would fully take effect in 2017.

State education leaders say proposed legislation that would force local school systems to continue funding a federal tutoring program could derail their efforts to gain relief from the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act. Lawmakers are debating two bills introduced in the House of Delegates and the Senate dealing with Supplemental Educational Services, a federally mandated program that provides thousands of the state's poorest and lowest-performing students...

St. Jane Frances students recognized in state contestStudents from St. Jane Frances School recently participated in the Annual Maryland Marathon at MacArthur Middle School, Fort Meade.The event, sponsored by the Maryland State Department of Education and the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics, tested students in problem-solving in math and engineering.St. Jane Frances students received ribbons in recognition of their teamwork in the invention round of the competition.Jim Saul won third place in the High Flying category; Joseph Selba, third place in the How Sweet It Is category; and Lindsey Carter, fourth place in the How Sweet It Is category.

Emmanuel Methodist Preschool, 10755 Scaggsville Road, off Route 29 or Interstate 95 in Howard County, is accepting registrations for the upcoming school year. Limited space is available in the Mothers' Morning Out program for ages 2 1/2, and the five-day program for 4 year olds. The preschool is accredited by the Maryland State Department of Education and has programs for children ages 2 1/2 to 5 years old. For information, call 301-725-5178 or go to emmanuelpreschool.com .

When interim Maryland State School Superintendent Bernard J. Sadusky made a presentation before two House of Delegates committee Friday, he spelled out certain principles for flexibility under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Alas, the folks at the Maryland State Department of Education showed a certain flexibility in spelling as well. Time for a trip to the principal's office?   

According to the Maryland State Department of Education, there were 3,818 incidents of bullying in Maryland schools during the 2009-2010 school year, and reports of bullying have been increasing over the past three years. The harmful results of this increased bullying are more than just bruised arms and hurt feelings. Maryland law requires school staff to report bullying. As the state Department of Education noted in its model policy to address bullying: "Sometimes regarded as a 'rite of passage,' bullying and harassment can no longer be regarded as such.