Maryland standards panel debates assessment rules, licensure transition and 07/01/2025 deadline

The Professional Standards Board (PISTEB) met virtually in March for a broad agenda that included public comment on performance-assessment products, a State Board update on revised assessments and early-learning standards, and a discussion of implementation timelines ahead of new licensure requirements scheduled for July 1, 2025.

Public commenters urged the board to reconsider how product-based performance assessments are used. "Neither performance assessment product, edTPA or PPAT, allows those mentoring teacher candidates to provide direct feedback during the performance process," said Dr. Brown Hobbs in public comment, arguing that prohibiting real-time coaching is "contrary to the reflective, recursive, and highly collaborative nature of performance assessment." Barbara Marinac, dean of the School of Education at Mount Saint Mary's, told the panel that "national data indicating teacher candidates of color and those from linguistic minority groups are failing edTPA at disproportionate rates should concern all those charged with preparing teachers," and noted that several states that mandated edTPA later repealed the requirement.

State Board representative Zach Hans gave a brief summary of the State Board of Education’s Feb. 20 meeting, noting several adopted items including revised early-learning standards and a "regenerated" Praxis subject assessment for special education. "The State Board also voted to oppose a number of curricular mandate bills," he said, adding that legislative items are in flux because of the session.

MSDE staff described the Praxis subject-assessment update and a transition policy: the revised special-education subject assessment is available now, and MSDE plans to issue a memorandum explaining the new cut score and transition rules. Staff said that older assessment versions will be accepted for a limited window to avoid unduly penalizing candidates already in program pipelines. "We accept the older version for two years after we cut it off," MSDE staff said, describing a planned phased implementation scheduled to align with the July 1, 2025 effective date for several Blueprint-driven changes.

Board members pressed for clarity about which candidates the changes will affect, whether the portfolio-based assessment will remain a licensure requirement, and how higher-education programs can manage catalog-year transitions. MSDE and the State Board described available pathways to licensure: candidates may use edTPA or PPAT where adopted by an institution, or meet licensure standards through an approved induction portfolio if an induction period meets specified criteria.

Why it matters: Maryland’s shifts in assessment and licensure policy affect teacher-preparation programs, higher-education pipelines and working paraeducators seeking certification. The board emphasized the distinction between a portfolio as a graduation requirement versus as a licensure pathway and stressed that institutions and programs should plan transition options for candidates already underway.

Next steps: MSDE said it would circulate a memorandum on cut scores and transition policies and encouraged educator-preparation programs to bring specific scenarios and technical questions to MSDE staff before the April meeting. The panel scheduled follow-up discussion and signaled it will continue public and stakeholder engagement on implementation before the July 1, 2025 effective date.