![[photo, Nancy S. Grasmick State Education Building, 200 West Baltimore St., Baltimore, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/13sdoe/images/1198-1-06339b.jpg)
Christopher Scott Berry, Chair (chosen by Governor)
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, Assessment, & Accountability
State Department of Education
Nancy S. Grasmick State Education Building, 200 West Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 21201 - 2595
(410) 767-0316
e-mail: caroll.visintainer@maryland.gov
web: www.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 will survey and assess the time spent in each grade and each school on administering State, local and federal mandated assessments, and determine whether some are duplicative or otherwise unnecessary. It will review and analyze the local school systems' and Department's interests in requiring assessments and attempt to develop a statewide approach to administering tests. The Commission also will determine whether testing schedules have any negative ancillary effects on instruction, materials and equipment use, and school calendars; whether enough time is allotted between test administration and results to inform instruction; and consider whether changes to the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) would allow for more flexibility in administering assessments.
The Commission also will recommend ways to improve the administration of assessments and how they are used to inform instruction. To ensure that adequate time is allotted to both administer assessments and provide instruction, the Commission will recommend the most efficient and effective methods to increase the time allotted for teaching. Recommendations must ensure that student achievement can 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 ends May 31, 2017.
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