The Mid-Atlantic Region includes five jurisdictions: Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. These four states and the District of Columbia serve over four million K-12 students - nine percent of the nation's total school-age population. This density of students makes the mid-Atlantic region the third largest among the 21 comprehensive center regions. Some 6,611 schools are located within 1,174 districts across the five states.
Key Regionwide Needs
Based on MACC's comprehensive needs assessment of state educational agencies in the mid-Atlantic region, state education program directors and content specialists identified the following three cross-regional needs:
- Raise the Base
There is a need and desire in every state to improve the performance distribution of the lowest performing students. Thus, states in the region are seeking ways to support districts and schools help students meet proficiency in reading and math to make school and district AYP targets and avoid "improvement" designations. The overriding objective is to increase the achievement of the lowest performers-typically students who are Black, English language learners (ELLs), Hispanic, migrant, poor, and/or have a disability. - Close Achievement Gaps
Chronic and seemingly intractable minority/majority achievement gaps are pervasive across the region. The states in the region recognize the gaps and are exploring strategies to better support districts and schools focus to improve the performance of students at the lower end of the performance distribution. - Focus on Middle and High Schools
An analysis of student achievement data across the five jurisdictions indicated a pattern of low performance at the middle and high school levels. For example, in the area of mathematics there is a notable decrease in performance particularly for ELLs and students with disabilities.
Broad Needs Categories
In addition to the three cross-regional needs, the SEA directors and content specialists also identified technical assistance which state departments need to support for districts and schools and in improvement status:
(1) Data Use
(2) Formative Assessment
(3) Content and Delivery of Effective Instruction
(4) Instructional Leadership
(5) Professional Development