Tag: Maryland State Education Association
MSEA president says the pandemic exacerbated teacher attrition
While attracting and retaining good teachers has always been difficult, the coronavirus pandemic has made the situation even more difficult as already overburdened educators are forced to take on even more responsibilities with fewer resources, according to the head of the state’s main teachers’ union.
Read More
Legislative panel votes to require masks for all students and staff
Masks will be required for all students and staff at all of Maryland’s public schools following a Tuesday afternoon on an emergency regulation by a panel of state lawmakers.
Read More
Back to school: Will COVID-19 be on the test?
Comptroller Peter Franchot said it is imperative that the state’s teachers stress the importance of getting vaccinated against the novel coronavirus when they teach students about the lessons of the pandemic.
Read More
‘Free State Politics’ Episode 4: COVID-19 and Maryland’s schools
The 24-minute episode features interviews with retiring State School Superintendent Karen Salmon and Maryland State Education Association (MSEA) President Cheryl Bost.
Read More
Maryland’s teachers’ union and associations say distance learning should be the rule for the fall semester
Groups representing Maryland’s teachers urged state officials to make virtual learning uniform for the first half of the 2020-21 school year due to concerns associated with the spread of COVID-19.
Read More
Should students return to the classroom in the fall? Not an easy decision
@BryanRenbaum Legislators, parents, and teachers are struggling with whether students should...
Read More
State teachers recommend special ed students get to opt out of testing
Despite limited mental capacity, a feeding tube, a wheelchair and the inability to speak, a child with cerebral palsy must take the same standardized tests in Maryland as his classmates. But the Maryland State Education Association wants to give students with disabilities the chance to opt out of grade-level testing, depending on their needs, parents’ wishes and any testing accommodations allowed.
Read More
Wide variance in hours spent in testing public schools kids, commission finds
In Queen Anne’s County, second graders take 28 hours of locally mandated tests each year, the highest in any Maryland school system. In Montgomery County, they take just four hours of county required assessments but that number climbs to 23 to 26 hours by the time students are in high school. In Carroll County, high school seniors take 32 hours of required tests — not counting the statewide assessments — the highest amount in the state, along with Cecil County. In Howard County high schools, seniors take no locally mandated assessments. What do these numbers mean? A new commission on testing would like to figure that out.
Read More
Testing chipping away at teaching, educators say
Standardized testing is chipping away at “so many layers” of a public school classroom these days, a panel of educators said during a town hall meeting — taking away from teacher autonomy to curriculum and even technology hubs placed in schools to help students learn and connect to a high-tech world.
Read MoreTeachers, school boards seek to drop standardized tests this year
Even those who support the new Common Core education standards, such as school boards and the state teachers union, said the standardized tests scheduled this spring should be dropped since they’re not based on the new curriculum. But the State Department of Education says the move will jeopardize $289 million in federal funds.
Read MoreTeacher’s union gives Brown his biggest endorsement for governor
The pandering cameras were on at the Maryland State Education Association in Ocean City Friday as four candidates for governor came seeking the endorsement of the largest union in the state with promises in hand.Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown walked away with the prize less from what he promised than for what he and Gov. Martin O’Malley delivered to public schools over the last six years — the most massive increase in funding in Maryland history, $1.5 billion more in school aid, 35% higher over six years.
Read MoreNew teacher evaluations don’t fully match new Common Core curriculum
Teachers could face salary freezes or eventual firing under a new evaluation system based on results of old tests that don’t match up with the new curriculum they are teaching. Maryland’s school districts are revamping their teacher evaluation guidelines as required by the Maryland State Department of Education.
At the same time, the state is implementing a new curriculum – Common Core, a state-led effort to make curriculum across the United States more uniform.
Recent Comments