Maybe it was North County's emphasis on visual note-taking. Or the focus on group work in the classroom.

Or perhaps it was the new computerized tutor that works with each individual student. But maybe it was all of those strategies working together that helped North County High School meet targets on standardized tests and remove it from a state watch list. It was the second consecutive year the school made the targets.

"The teachers and students worked very hard together," Principal Frank Drazan said yesterday.

North County, Glen Burnie and Annapolis high schools were on the list last year created under the federal No...