The agency is collecting public comment on a new education plan.
Baltimore, Md (KM) Your opinions are needed. The Maryland State Department of Education has scheduled a series of five listening sessions around the state to gather ideas for developing a plan to implement the “Every Child Succeeds Act,” which was signed into law last year by the President.. “This law is much more flexible piece of legislation,” says MSDE spokesman Bill Reinhard.
It replaces the “No Child Left Behind” law.
“It allows each state to develop their own plan on how they’re going to look at school, how they’re going to continue to improve and how they’re going to help students improve,” says Reinhard. “And Maryland has to develop a plan.”
He says this plan must include ways to judge student success and how to improve local schools. “But there is also a lot of room for flexibility and a lot of ideas we need help on,” says Reinhard.
The listening will be held at five locations around Maryland They include the Washington County Board of Education at 10435 Downsville Pike in Hagerstown on January 5th, 2017. Other locations include:
* Dorchester Career and Technology Center, 2465 Cambridge Bypass, Cambridge, on Tuesday, January 10th, 2017.
* Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, 1400 West Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore.
* Charles Herbert Flowers High School, 10001 Ardwick-Ardmore Road, Springdale, on Thursday, January 19th, 2017.
* College of Southern Maryland, Prince William Campus, 115 J.W. Williams Road, Prince Frederick, on Tuesday, January 24th.
All sessions will take place from 6:00 AM until 7:30 PM.
“Some staff from MSDE will be there, and explain what the law is, and tell people what we can change, and what we can’t change,” says Reinhard. “And then, we will be asking for people to come up and give their thoughts. Or they might want to write them down and we can take them back with us.”
He says they can also go on line at MarylandPublicSchools.org, and take a brief survey.
After the listening sessions, Reinhard says MSDE staff will review the comments, and the Maryland State Board of Education and the Governor will come up with a plan which will be submitted to the US Department of Education by the end of summer.
By Kevin McManus