Parents, officials puzzle over middle school test scores

Something happens to Anne Arundel County students between elementary and middle school. It was reflected in the Maryland state test scores released last week: Students do well in elementary school, but scores drop off when they hit middle school.

Rivers of ink have been spilled into that achievement gap. Experts offer a slew of explanations: Schools don't prepare students for the upper grades; middle school is viewed as a holding pen between elementary and high school; adolescence is a difficult time for students.

While reports—the most recent one released by the state Department of Education two weeks ago—offer solutions, the real, sweeping reform that many are waiting for still hasn't happened. Read more in The Capital online.