Tag: Eric Luedtke

Limits proposed on standardized school testing — 2% of class time

Instead of waiting for a state commission to finish studying overtesting in Maryland’s public schools, legislators working with teachers and parents are pushing a standardized testing limit of 2% of annual instructional time. Organizations representing school superintendents and school boards across Maryland are urging lawmakers to reject the proposal, HB141, and wait for the testing commission’s initial recommendations due July 1.

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Common Core legislation advances; use of tests for teacher evaluations would be delayed

Legislation designed to solve problems created by the implementation of the Common Core curriculum standards advanced in the House and Senate Thursday. A bill to delay the use of testing on Common Core standards in teacher evaluations until 2016-2017 passed the Senate with only one dissenting vote, while the House version received a favorable report from the Ways and Means Committee, sending it to the House floor.

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Lawmakers target controversial new Common Core curriculum and testing

A flurry of bills trying to slow down or stop the implementation of the new Common Core educational curriculum in Maryland are about to hit the legislative dockets. On Thursday, five Republican senators introduced two bills related to testing and teacher evaluation based on testing. Democrats have filed bipartisan measures to halt current MSA tests not aligned with Common Core.

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Common Core generates bill to drop old tests in Md. public schools

Emergency legislation to stop Maryland from administering a federally mandated student assessment test was introduced Thursday in the House of Delegates with strong bipartisan sponsorship.

The Maryland Student Assessment test (MSA) is slated to be phased out after this year, when it will be administered once more this spring. But the test is considered outdated because it doesn’t test for what students are learning in classrooms this year under the state’s new Common Core education curriculum.

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General Assembly environmental scores slip in 2013

Ratings on environmental policy for Maryland legislators slipped last year, despite passage of a major offshore wind energy bill championed by Gov. Martin O’Malley.

The Maryland League of Conservation Voters released its 2013 scorecard Monday, giving lawmakers an average score of 64% in the House of Delegates and 55% in the Senate. Those scores are down slightly from last year’s 69% in the House and 63% in the Senate.

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Bill would close loopholes in referendum law

With the state’s referendum laws in the spotlight for the first time in two decades, some legislators hope to close weaknesses in the referendum process that can open the door to fraud.

The House Ways and Means Committee heard testimony on a bill Wednesday that would adopt several measures implemented in other states to help ensure the validity of referendum petitions. We’ve got a story and a podcast.

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