The General Assembly’s House Ways and Means Committee heard a bill today on kindergarten assessments, sponsored by Delegate Haven Shoemaker of Carroll County.

HB 657  Education – Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Assessments – Administration is one of several bills introduced in the General Assembly on school testing. The House also heard HB 633 Education – Teacher and Principal Evaluations – Revisions to Requirements, a bill reviewing how test results are tied to teacher and principal evaluations sponsored by Delegate Eric Ebersole of Baltimore and Howard Counties.

There will be more bills to come, and over the course of the next two months, it seems likely that some of these bills will reach passage.

As reported by WBAL, a bi-partisan group of legislators and representatives of the Maryland State Education Association held a press conference today on the package of school-testing bills.

From WBAL’s coverage,

“Educators don’t oppose all tests. We invented tests, and when they are teacher-developed and aligned with what kids need in the classroom, they’re very beneficial for students,” said Betty Weller, president of the Maryland State Education Association.

For more information, see Maryland teachers support bills addressing school testing, from WBAL News.