Members press MSDE for clearer schedule, technical assistance and accountability

Members of the Maryland State Department of Education work group pressed staff during the meeting for clearer process, a timeline of topics and stronger operational supports to make MTSS recommendations actionable.

Buzzy (participant) asked that MSDE immediately assemble a list of proposed topics and guiding questions for the remainder of the year and distribute it to members for comment; he also requested a distribution list to circulate proposals between meetings. MSDE staff and legal counsel cautioned that internal communications must comply with the Open Meetings Act; staff said they would follow up with guidance from the Attorney General’s office on permissible communication channels.

Several participants said earlier MSDE resources (including a 2008 RTI manual) already exist and should be located and reused rather than duplicating prior work. ‘‘In 02/2008 MSDE published an RTI manual that was super for its time and laid out a lot of the good things … Of course, nobody did anything about it,’’ one member said.

Members also raised operational barriers that limit school-level implementation: inconsistent master schedules that make regular intervention blocks difficult, uneven district data collection, and delays in getting answers from MSDE on special education questions. A principal who said her school serves 720 students in a high-poverty setting urged concrete, concise guidance: ‘‘Tell us what we can do and what we can't,’’ she said, noting long waits for MSDE responses have hindered local planning.

Work group leaders and consultant Nate Levinson promised to refine meeting logistics, offer optional small-group listening sessions to capture detailed recommendations, and circulate a draft agenda of future topics. Members urged MSDE to begin work on previously discussed items that, they said, MSDE can act on without further delay, including regulatory guidance on IEP goals and a comprehensive early literacy plan prioritizing K–3 with evidence-based instruction and high‑dosage tutoring.

No formal votes were taken. The meeting closed with a commitment from MSDE staff and the consultant to follow up on the distribution list question, provide clarity on Open Meetings Act limits, and circulate a proposed topic schedule before the next meeting.