State board hears wide-ranging public input on proposed college and career readiness standard

Phil Lasser of the Maryland State Department of Education reviewed the empirical study conducted by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and presented the state board with the two main options under consideration for a revised College and Career Readiness (CCR) standard.

Lasser described the AIR finding that multiple measures increase equity and predictive validity and summarized the board’s current proposal: a student could be identified as CCR by achieving either the interim assessment-based standard (proficient on English 10 and a high-school math assessment) or a two-year high-school GPA of 3.0. The board’s amended option under consideration adds a "math mastery" requirement to the GPA option — a 3.0 GPA plus either earning a grade of A, B or C in Algebra I or scoring proficient on the Algebra I MCAP.

Lasser explained proposed timing and fiscal links: student data through the 2023–24 school year could be used to identify CCR status beginning in 2024–25, and per-pupil CCR funding tied to the change would inform fiscal-year 2026 allocations.

Higher-education representatives welcomed inclusion of GPA as a multiple measure but urged caution. Dr. Sanjay Rai, acting secretary for higher education, said he "support[s] the general concept that GPA and successful completion of Algebra I are appropriate indicators," while Nancy Shapiro of the University System of Maryland cautioned that many USM institutions use four-year GPA and asked whether a tenth-grade GPA plus Algebra I would reliably predict first-year college success: "it is not clear that Algebra 1, even in combination with a 3 GPA, would prepare students to be successful in their first college credit math course."

Public-education leaders raised implementation and equity concerns. Mary Pat Fannin (Public School Superintendents association) asked for clarity on whether GPA would be weighted or unweighted and how reassessment tools would work; Michelle Corcandel, president of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education, warned that blueprint funding mandates tied to CCR status could outpace district capacity and urged preserving local governance over curriculum decisions.

Business and workforce speakers — including Mary Kane of the Maryland Chamber and Jason Perkins Cohen of the Maryland Department of Labor — urged stronger alignment with employer needs and expansion of career-focused pathways, but also warned the board to calibrate standards so they do not unintentionally exclude students from pathways to work.

During the public comment period dozens of speakers reiterated similar themes: broad support for multiple measures and GPA inclusion; requests to broaden the math-option beyond Algebra I (to include Geometry or Algebra II or an appropriate SAT score) to avoid disadvantaging students who follow different course sequences; calls for phased implementation and reassessment opportunities; and concerns about the impact on students with disabilities and on noncollege career pathways.

Examples of specific requests in testimony included:

- Use of four-year versus two-year GPA in placement research and policy decisions.
- Clarification on whether GPA would be weighted or unweighted and how local grade-inflation variance would be addressed.
- Expanded recognition of career measures (industry certifications, apprenticeship completion, noncredit college coursework) as alternate paths to CCR.
- Additional research and pilot data to evaluate whether Algebra I plus a tenth-grade 3.0 GPA predicts success in college-level math.

The board did not vote on the CCR proposal at this meeting. President Crawford reminded attendees that the board will consider adoption during its next meeting on Dec. 5 and encouraged continued written input via the online survey, which remained open through Nov. 30.

Next steps: MSDE will continue stakeholder engagement, provide analysis on requested clarifications (GPA calculation, reassessment windows, and equity impacts), and present a draft CCR standard for board action on Dec. 5.