2 Bel Air Schools Launch Math, Science College Readiness Program

BEL AIR, MD — Two high schools in Bel Air will launch a program designed to bolster STEM skills, according to Harford County Public Schools Superintendent Sean Bulson.

Bel Air and C. Milton Wright are launching a two-year college readiness program in partnership with the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI), Bulson announced at Monday's Board of Education meeting.

More than 250 schools nationwide have participated in NMSI, which partners with those that are "military connected," according to a statement from Harford County Public Schools.

"After a year in NMSI, students average about a 45 percent increase in mastery of college-level concepts in math and science," versus a 5.6 percent increase that is the national average, Bulson said.

"The effect is greater" on certain populations, he said — an increase of 81.5 percent for black students, 34 percent for Latinos and 38.4 percent for females.

Aberdeen High School has a longstanding relationship with NMSI, according to Bulson, who said the U.S. Department of Defense funds the program.

The college readiness program provides consistency for students whose family members serve in the military. Since the average child in a military family moves six to nine times while a child is in elementary and secondary school, the College Board's Advanced Placement framework provides a way for students to be on a level playing field with their peers as soon as they start in a new school, according to a news release about the program.

"This partnership expands awareness of the value and benefit of challenging oneself and accessing rigorous classwork while in HCPS; and this will lead our students to so many places beyond HCPS," Bulson said in a statement.

"It's a really valuable program," Bulson said at the school board meeting. "We're excited."