Press Room
Landmark Common Core Bills Pass Maryland General Assembly
Bills address major implementation problems of new standards, evaluations, and tests
April 2, 2014: Through a series of overwhelming and bipartisan votes, the Maryland General Assembly passed three major bills to address the persistent problems associated with the state’s implementation of Common Core State Standards, the new PARCC test, and new teacher evaluation systems.
“These bills will help us re-establish some common sense in how we implement Common Core,” said Maryland State Education Association President Betty Weller. “Maryland’s public schools have long been a national leader and, thanks to the General Assembly, Maryland is now a national leader for how a state can come together and help students, educators, and schools get the necessary time, flexibility, and resources to get these major changes right. I look forward to standing with Governor O’Malley when he signs these bills into law.”
“Common Core State Standards are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to define the same high-quality, world-class education necessary for all students to be successful in our fast-changing world. The promise of these standards for all students is extraordinary, but we must get their implementation right,” said National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel. “Maryland has led the nation in providing great public schools, and now Maryland is leading the way again with common-sense education legislation that benefits all students.”
The three bills that achieved final passage today are:
- HB 1167, which ensures that state test scores aren’t used in teacher and principal evaluations for at least the next two years. HB 1167 passed the House 128-0 on March 15 and passed the Senate 47-0 on April 2. SB 676, the crossfile, also passed the Senate 46-1 on April 2.
- HB 1164, which creates a workgroup including teachers and parents to improve the implementation of Common Core and PARCC. The bill passed the House 127-8 on March 17 and passed the Senate 46-1 on April 2.
- HB 1001, which creates an oversight process for any Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waivers that Maryland submits to give legislative leaders an opportunity to ensure that they comply with state law. The bill passed the House 129-0 on March 15 and passed the Senate 47-0 on April 2. SB 910, the crossfile, also passed the Senate 47-0 on March 13.
“Along with all the parents, superintendents, and school board members from across the state who supported these bills, I want to thank Senate President Miller, House Speaker Busch, bill sponsors and committee leaders, and the members of the General Assembly who worked hard to pass these important pieces of legislation,” said Weller.