Education Reform Act

Today’s hearings centered on education issues and HB1263 – The Education Reform Act of 2010 gathered support from groups across the state.  Many of you know that the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Race to the Top Fund) provides $4.35 billion to states through competitive grants to encourage and reward states for implementing significant education reforms.

This bill is sponsored by the Governor’s Office and proposes three major reforms to make Maryland more competitive for these grant monies:

1. The probationary period before tenure for teachers is increased from two to three years.  There will be annual evaluations by local boards of education and a mentor may be assigned after the first year of teaching if the teacher needs assistance.  (41 states currently require three to five years of teaching experience prior to tenure.)
2. A framework would be required to incorporate student growth data to be included as a significant factor in teacher and principal evaluations.
3. To facilitate a more equitable distribution of highly effective teachers across all schools, stipends would be available to those highly effective teachers and principals who teach in the State’s lowest performing schools.

These are new proposals designed to help Maryland be competitive in the grants race and keep Maryland schools top rated for the future.