St. Mary Catholic School Admissions Policy

Standardized test score results are used to guide curriculum, instruction, and program decisions and also to assist with identifying local and Archdiocesan-wide professional development needs.

St. Mary Catholic School students take the following standardized tests:

Admissions Guidelines for St. Mary Catholic School

All Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore will administer a new assessment to students in grades 2-8 beginning this fall.  The new assessment, published by Scantron, will replace the IOWA Assessment, and will be administered three times a year to measure growth in skill and knowledge.  Please read over the  letter HERE from our Superintendent, Dr. Donna Hargens.

Students in grades two, four, and six also take the CogAT which appraises the development of students’ reasoning abilities using verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal cognitive tasks.

SMCS 2017 – 2018 Standardized Test Scores

SMCS 2016 – 2017 Standardized Test Scores

The ACRE Exam

The ACRE Exam is given to students in grades 5 and 8 in the early fall of each school year.  The test measures students’ knowledge about the Catholic faith, beliefs, behaviors, attitudes and practices.  Scores on this test are determined by what percentile the students place compared to Catholic school peers on the same level of the exam.  Fifth graders take the Level 1 exam and eighth-graders take the Level 2 exam.  Scores below the 64th suggest improvement is needed, scores between the 64th and 86th percentile reflect proficiency, and scores above 86th percentile indicate advanced knowledge.  The test provides information regarding our students’ understanding and living of their faith.

The Brigance Screening

Incoming kindergarten students are administered the Brigance Screening in the spring prior to the start of their kindergarten experience.  The Brigance is used to identify a child’s area of strengths and weaknesses, to plan appropriate instruction, and to implement effective and developmentally appropriate instructional activities.

Spring Break March 28th- April 7th. School Resumes April 8th