For immediate release:
October 27, 2015
Contact:
Erin Montgomery erin.montgomery@maryland.gov
Eric Shirk eric.shirk@maryland.gov
410-974-2316
Governor Larry Hogan Announces Commission to Review Standardized Testing
Commission Members Tasked with Finding Solutions to Over-Testing
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today announced his appointments to the Commission to Review Maryland’s Use of Assessments and Testing in Public Schools. On May 12, 2015, the governor signed into law HB 452, which established the Commission to Review Maryland’s Use of Assessments and Testing in Public Schools. The commission’s first meeting will be held on November 17, 2015.
“When schools and teachers are forced to overemphasize standardized tests in the classroom, they deprive students of the kind of quality education they deserve,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “It is clear to most Marylanders that we are over-testing our students and the process needs to be greatly improved. I look forward to reviewing the findings and solutions that this commission produces to help get our schools back on the right track.”
The 19-member task force includes Acting State Superintendent of Schools Jack R. Smith; State Board of Education Member Guffrie M. Smith Jr. (appointed by the president of State Board of Education); four members of the legislature, Senators Nancy J. King and Paul G. Pinsky and Delegates Eric D. Ebersole and Shelly L. Hettleman (appointed by Senate President Miller and House Speaker Busch, respectively); and parents, teachers, administrators, and education experts appointed by the governor.
The governor’s appointees are as follows:
Membership Appointee County Commission Chair, Principal of James Hubert Blake High School Christopher Berry Frederick County Governor’s Designee Mark Newgent Howard County Maryland State Education Association Laura Potter Harford County Baltimore Teachers Union Alohaa Chin Baltimore County Local Education Association Leon Frison Kent County County School Board Member Julie Hummer Anne Arundel County County Superintendent, County > 120,000 Students Larry Bowers Montgomery County County Superintendent Janet Wilson Garrett County National Board Certified Teacher TBD TBD Parent Laurie Halverson Montgomery County Parent Karen Prengaman Worcester County Education Expert, Duplicative Testing Andrew Smarick Queen Anne’s County Education Expert, Former Md. Middle School Teacher Nathaniel Malkus D.C. Resident
The commission is tasked with the following objectives: to review time spent in each grade and in each system on administering assessments; review the purpose of local, state, and federally mandated assessments; assess whether schedules allot enough time between assessments and receiving the results; if testing windows have negative ancillary effects on instruction and school calendars; consider the implications for Maryland if Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) changes allow flexibility in administering assessments; and ensure recommendations compare student achievement in districts, state and nation.
The commission will make recommendations based on its findings to improve the process for local, state and federally mandated assessments and develop best methods for ensuring adequate time for administering assessments and instruction.