H. P. F. Maryland Education White Paper memo to Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. and others, April , 2002

ROBERT L. EHRLICH, JR. Congress of t be ®niteb States Лоий of RepreSnitatibeO штшт, ВС 20515-2002 (410)838-2517 ASSISTANT DEPUTY MAJORITY WHIP April, 2002 Essex. MD 21221 (410)780-3911 MEMORANDUM - UPDATED To: RLE, SLK, PES, CDP From: HPF Subject: Maryland Education White Paper Maryland School Performance Assessment Program, (MSPAP): • Update — As of April 25, 2002, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) has dropped MSPAP as its primary test of student achievement. Simply put, the decision was met with cheers by many parents and teachers throughout the state. I have spoken personally with teachers and parents from Montgomery, Anne Arundel, and Wicomico Counties since the decision was announced, and each person was thrilled. The basis for their criticisms are outlined below: • History — Despite score increases in concentrated areas, less than half the state’s students received satisfactory MSPAP scores in 2000. The state’s goal is to have 70% of the students at or above this satisfactory level, a goal that has never been achieved. Only one jurisdiction, Howard County, achieved that feat last year. In 2001, for the second time in three years, overall tests scored did, on average, decline statewide. 20 of 24 school districts saw a decline. 120 schools' performance dropped by 10 or more points, nearly three times last year’s number. • A recent study by the Hoover Institute also indicates that Maryland teachers “teach to the test,” or focus more on securing high MSPAP scores rather than teaching basic elementary content and knowledge in the classroom, i.e. the “3 R’s.” Unfortunately, Ms. Grasmick is with-holding this report from the public. To be precise, the MSPAP is weighted heavily towards written essays rather than basic content and knowledge. Test graders are told not read the entire essays, but rather to search for key words. Information needed for the test is provided to students in the questions, rather than actually acquired in classroom instruction. • The Hoover Institute report indicates, according to the Washington Times, that answers which state that Ghandi was a women and that the pilgrims landed in Maryland were, in