With the 2026 legislative session fast-approaching, the Maryland State Board of Education solidified the legislative priorities that it would like to see make it to the finish line in the General Assembly next year.
Broadly, the board aims to promote strategic investments in public education while resisting unfunded or prescriptive legislative curriculum mandates.
To support this agenda, the board unanimously – among members present – backed five specific legislative initiatives that it will ask lawmakers to tackle in the new year.
The first bill the board supports will grant the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) more flexibility in implementing new statewide educational assessment and accountability systems, hoping to strengthen connections between school ratings and student achievement.
Work to update the state’s current systems began in 2024 under a task force, and MSDE’s Accountability Advisory Committee presented the final recommendations to the board Tuesday.
The 2026-2027 school year will mark the first year of the new assessment system.
MSDE will also be asking the legislature for funding to support two programs the body approved last year – the Academic Excellence Program and the Maryland School Leadership Academy.
The Academic Excellence Program is a statewide literacy and math instructional coaching program aiming to address persisting student achievement gaps.
“While it was created in the 2025 session, it did not have the funding, and so naturally in order to fully implement the program, we are pursuing that funding this legislative session,” MSDE’s Interim Executive Director of Government Affairs Laurel Cratsley told the board Tuesday.
The Maryland School Leadership Academy was created under the same piece of legislation as a way to support and develop educational leaders.
Cratsley says the requested funding will provide stipends for experienced principals who mentor aspiring and novice principals in community schools and low-performing schools.
MSDE is also looking to revise and consolidate Specialized Intervention Services – support for K-3 students needing extra help beyond core curriculum but not qualifying for special education – reporting requirements.
Finally, the department wants to authorize the state superintendent to declare emergencies, a power currently reserved only for the governor.
“This ensures that if a single school faces a long-term closure, such as a building-specific health or safety issue, that that school can shift to virtual instruction without needing a statewide emergency declared,” Cratsley explained.
Tuesday’s meeting marked the last formal gathering of the State Board of Education this year.
