Maryland launches statewide special‑education work group to produce implementable reforms

Maryland State Superintendent Mohammed Choudhary convened a statewide special‑education work group and urged members to treat the effort as a decisive, implementation‑focused initiative aimed at improving results for students with disabilities.

Choudhary told the group that the effort should “seal the work of all work groups” and that Maryland — with 24 local school systems — must get supports right for its most struggling learners. The meeting, live streamed on the MSDE YouTube channel, brought together district special‑education directors, principals, parent advocates, university faculty and disability‑service providers to review data and recommend concrete policy and operational changes.

The group’s charge, as described by co‑chair Liz Zogby and MSDE staff, is to collect and review data on students receiving special‑education services, evaluate instructional methods and service‑delivery models (including co‑teaching), assess pandemic‑related learning loss, and examine teacher‑shortage impacts and funding. Zogby said the work will follow a research‑and‑practice model: each month the group will study a topic, hear from national experts and discuss policy options before developing recommendations.

MSDE set a deliverable schedule: an initial report to the governor and General Assembly is due Dec. 1, 2023; an interim report by July 1, 2024; and a final report by Dec. 1, 2024. MSDE staff said materials, slide decks and recordings will be posted on the department’s website and that future sessions will include small breakout groups to dig into implementation barriers.

Public comments were taken under the meeting rules; Alexandra Rosenblatt, a parent and special‑education attorney, urged the group to focus on both inclusion and the resources needed to implement IEPs with fidelity, arguing that litigation and reimbursement options are available mainly to families who can afford private counsel.

MSDE emphasized that the group must do more than generate recommendations: members must identify the steps required to make reforms work across local control, collective‑bargaining constraints and varied school schedules. The co‑chairs said the next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 20 from 4 to 6 p.m., with both in‑person and virtual participation.