A U.S. Department of Education progress report on how Maryland is doing implementing education changes under the new Race to the Top program contains few surprises, highlighting areas where progress has been made and pointing out areas that, as we have heard from educators throughout the state in recent months, need additional work.
Maryland was one of 11 states in addition to the District of Columbia to receive Race to the Top funding in the first two years of the program, which aims to continue educational improvements mandated under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Maryland received a $250 million grant to implement changes.
Among the highlights noted in the U.S. Department of Education report, Maryland has done well in improving student performance, scoring above the national average on the National Assessment of Education Progress last year.
The report also notes strides Maryland has made in implementing Common Core educational standards, which seek to establish a uniform guide for skills all students should have at each grade level. But implementation has not come without problems.
In recent months, teachers and administrators across the state have expressed concerns about how Common Core was rolled out. Oftentimes, teachers said, they did not receive teaching materials until late, leaving them little time to prepare lesson plans.
According to an Associated Press story on the U.S. Department of Education report, "Maryland has run into significant delays in getting a vendor to create a repository of additional Common Core materials as part of its instructional toolkit project, and the state doesn't anticipate the resources will be available until September."
The state has also lagged in implementing teacher and principal evaluation systems, according to the U.S. Department of Education. But that is to be expected as the new standards are being rolled out. You can't evaluate teachers on how they are teaching if the curriculum is in a transition period. That's something the state legislature also is taking up this session, with lawmakers approving legislation opposing the implementation of the evaluation systems until they become more closely aligned with a new curriculum.
Throughout the process, as difficulties are worked out, it is important to remember that the ultimate goal is to give students greater opportunities to succeed. American students for years have been falling behind students in other countries. It is a trend that has to be reversed. Moving forward, the state and federal government must continue to give a serious look at concerns expressed by educators and members of the community, but always keep the focus on the goal of improving our educational system for all students.
