![[photo, Nancy S. Grasmick State Education Building, 200 West Baltimore St., Baltimore, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/13sdoe/images/1198-1-06339b.jpg)
Appointed by Governor: Larry A. Bowers; Alohaa Chin; Leon Frison; Laurie S. Halverson; Julie K. Hummer; Nathaniel Malkus; Laura Potter; Karen Prengaman; Andrew Richard Smarick; Janet S. Wilson, Ph.D.
Appointed by Senate President: Nancy J. King; Paul G. Pinsky.
Appointed by House Speaker: Eric D. Ebersole; Shelly L. Hettleman.
Appointed by President, State Board of Education: Guffrie M. Smith, Jr.
Ex officio: Mark A. Newgent, designee of Governor; Karen B. Salmon, Ph.D., State Superintendent of Schools.
Nancy S. Grasmick State Education Building, 200 West Baltimore St., Baltimore, Maryland, March 2014. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
c/o Division of Curriculum, Research, Assessment, & Accountability
State Department of Education
Nancy S. Grasmick State Education Building, 200 West Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 21201 - 2595
(410) 767-0316
web: http://archives.marylandpublicschools.org/commissiononassessments/index.html
In June 2015, the Commission to Review Maryland's Use of Assessments and Testing in Public Schools was authorized (Chapter 421, Acts of 2015).
The Commission surveyed and evaluated the time spent in each grade and each school on administering State, local and federal mandated assessments or tests, and determined whether some were duplicative or otherwise unnecessary. It reviewed and analyzed the local school systems' and Department's interests in requiring assessments and tried to develop a statewide approach to their administration. The Commission also determined whether testing schedules had any negative ancillary effects on instruction, materials and equipment use, and school calendars; and whether enough time is allotted between test administration and results to inform instruction. Moreover, the Commission considered whether changes to the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) would allow for more flexibility in administering assessments.
The Commission also recommended ways to improve the administration of tests and how they are used to inform instruction. To ensure that adequate time is allotted to both administer them and provide instruction, the Commission recommended methods to increase the time allotted for teaching. Recommendations were to ensure that student achievement could be compared across local school systems, the State, and the nation.
In July 2016, the Commission submitted its report to the General Assembly, the State Board of Education, and the county boards of education.
Authorization for the Commission ended May 31, 2017.
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