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Testing

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138 Hours of Entering Test Data?

A new assessment is being piloted this year for three- and four-year-olds across Maryland. The Early Learning Assessment (ELA) is brought to you by the same folks who developed the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA), a test which so disrupted the first months of kindergarten that the General Assembly stepped in last year to limit the […]
Testing

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“Over-testing is ineffective instruction.”

Educators know this all too well — mandated testing has gone through the roof and the impacts are far reaching. Much of the problem is at the local level —district-mandated assessments account for 74% of all required testing of K–12. It’s time to put an end to the culture of over-testing. MSEA members are leading on the […]
Vouchers

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Educator to Educator: A DeVos Primer

Josh Cramer is a civics teacher at Smithsburg High in Washington County. This year he’s teaching AP history. You read his views on charter schools and testing — here’s his primer on Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. It’s understandable that many teachers are feeling gloomy after last week’s Senate confirmation of Betsy DeVos to serve as President Trump’s […]
Testing

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#WhyIMarch for Education

Educators are marching, rallying, and contacting their elected representatives like never before. “In my years as a public education advocate, I have never witnessed this level of public outcry,” said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García. Educators right here in Maryland are getting involved, speaking up, and organizing to protect our schools from DeVos and others […]
Educator Voice

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If I Was Governor for a Day…

Taylor Mali famously captured the hearts of teachers with his empowering response to the question, “What do you make?” This common question and one’s response says something about our values and how we define ourselves and our work. Contrast this with the Masai people of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They greet one another with, […]
Charter Schools

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Gov. Hogan’s Charter School Fraud Bill

It’s hard to remember now, but when Larry Hogan was running for governor in 2014, he made a campaign promise to cut $1.5 billion in “fraud, waste, and abuse” from the state budget. But since being elected, the governor has instead developed a legacy of cutting taxpayer funding from vital public services: public schools, Baltimore’s Red Line, […]
Testing

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Bummed about Betsy DeVos?

Source: NEA Today On Tuesday, the unfortunate news broke that Betsy DeVos — billionaire, ardent supporter of private and religious school vouchers and unregulated charter schools, and “Trump’s most controversial nominee” — was America’s new education secretary. While she has no prior experience working in public education, she has spent decades advocating for private school voucher programs and the privatization […]
Testing

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It’s Time for Maryland to Limit Standardized Testing

  MSEA President Betty Weller with legislators, educators, and parents at a MSEA press conference. When the Commission to Review Maryland’s Use of Assessments and Testing in Public Schools released its recommendations to reduce over-testing in July 2016, one recommendation in particular was hailed by commission members and educators: the creation of District Committees on […]
Educator Voice

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“This Is Our Time to Shine and Really Send a Message.”

A group of TAAAC educators meet together for discussion at a local restaurant in Annapolis before heading up the street to speak with legislators. Meeting to speak with our elected officials is a powerful tool in affecting legislation and establishing pro-public education laws and policies. Throughout the legislative session, MSEA members gather weekly in Annapolis […]
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