The debate about whether passing four state tests should be a condition of graduation is likely to intensify when the state school board holds public hearings in September.
The Maryland High School Assessments - tests given at the end of courses in Algebra I, American government, biology and English II - are currently scheduled to be a requirement of graduation for the Class of 2009. The requirement could leave thousands of students in the state, particularly in Baltimore and Prince George's County, without a diploma.
The Maryland State Board of Education announced the September hearings yesterday and said it would vote again on the testing requirement in October.
The state has spent a decade developing the tests, and students have been told for several years they will have to pass the tests to graduate. But opposition grew this year as the legislature considered two bills that might have curbed the state board's authority to require the tests.
Both pieces of legislation died, but state Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick promised to back off the requirement for special education students and students whose first language was not English. She also promised to bring the issue before the state board for another vote.
Statewide, about 70 percent of students in the class of 2009 are passing the tests, and state officials said they predict the percentages will grow in the next two years.
At the monthly state board meeting yesterday, several members said they have concerns about the time it takes to grade the exams. Schools and systems have complained that it takes so long to get the results back - generally in August for tests taken in May - that students and schools are left uncertain about who needs remedial help.
In part, the problem is grading the written portions of the test, which are read by two sets of scorers and sometimes three. Grasmick left open the possibility that she may get rid of those portions so that the grading can be done more quickly.
Next month, Grasmick will announce how many rising 11th- graders passed the English II test last spring, a key piece of evidence in predicting how many students might fail to get a diploma in 2009.
She told the board yesterday that she will propose changes to the tests at meetings next month and in September.
While the board could still change its mind after its October vote, Grasmick said school systems and principals have asked the state not to leave students and teachers wondering whether to take the tests seriously.
Four new members, appointed by Gov. Martin O'Malley, have taken seats on the 12-member board since the last vote. At least two of the new members appeared supportive of the tests yesterday.
The legislature required the board to hold hearings. They are scheduled for Sept. 4 at Easton High School, Sept. 10 at Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Prince George's County, Sept. 18 at Thomas Stone High School in Charles County, Sept. 18 at Fort Hill High School in Allegany County and Sept. 19 at Polytechnic Institute in Baltimore.
All of the hearings will be held in the evening; officials said the times will be posted on the board's Web site, www.marylandpublicschools. org
liz.bowie@baltsun.com