Simpler, Faster, More Routes to the Classroom for Excellent Educators

The State Board hears a report from the Support for Excellent Educators Subcommittee of the Maryland State Department of Education’s internal Every Student Succeeds Act Committee.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the federal education law that reauthorized the 50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the nation’s national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students.

At last week’s meeting of the Maryland State Board of Education, the Maryland State Department of Education’s ESSA Committee presented a report on educator development, retention and advancement. According to the Maryland Association of Boards of Education, the report by Sara Sprouse, of the Maryland State Department of Education, focused on certification, teacher preparation, and educator equity.

From the summary of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education:

Ms. Sprouse [of the Maryland State Department of Education] described preliminary recommendations regarding teacher preparation, including the need for revisions of institutional performance criteria and professional development school standards. She outlined the needs to expand the routes to certification, increase the types of certificates, and revise the conditional certificate timeline and requirements.

Staff presented a slide not included in the materials that displays a flow chart of the role of the State Board and other entities in approving teacher certification and preparation standards. Board member Finn and Weeldreyer asked several questions regarding role of the State Board in crafting reforms, including raising standards for entry into teacher preparation programs and new teacher residency programs.

For more information, see the Maryland Association of Boards of Education State Board Monitor and the ESSA Committee’s presentation to the State Board.

Teacher quality has been the subject of several meetings of the Kirwan Commission, and will be the topic of MACo’s Education General Session at the 2017 Summer Conference.

Learn more about MACo’s Summer Conference: