MSDE work group backs two recommendations to tighten eligibility and supports for alternate assessments

A Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) special education work group voted to approve two linked recommendations aimed at limiting early and inappropriate placement of students on alternate assessments and strengthening instruction and supports for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.

The group approved a pair of “plan for a plan” recommendations that ask MSDE to develop a timeline within 60 days and to propose concrete steps to tighten eligibility determinations and improve instruction, family guidance and access to assistive technology. The work group’s approval came during a convening in which members said the state must avoid identifying students for alternate assessment pathways too early and must protect students’ opportunities to pursue a regular high‑school diploma where appropriate.

The recommendations respond to feedback from a December session that focused on students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The first asks MSDE to draft a plan within 60 days that includes clearer eligibility criteria, a standard preventing eligibility determinations before the IEP in effect during a student’s first year of required state assessment, improved monitoring and training on assistive technology and speech services, and accessible information for families. The second asks MSDE to prepare a plan to align instruction to the state’s challenging content standards, preserve students’ options to attempt graduation requirements, disseminate model curricula and accessible instructional materials (for example, TIES Center resources), and ensure access to credit‑bearing courses and career and technical education (CTE).

Work group members pressed for stronger language on the timing of eligibility determinations. Several members urged that determinations not be made before third grade or even later; others proposed delaying the first alternate‑assessment eligibility decision until after a student has had an opportunity to participate in the general assessment at least once. The transcript records a range of views: some participants urged a firm prohibition on identifications prior to assessment‑age testing, while MSDE staff said the agency must research what state and federal law permit before finalizing any statutory or regulatory change.

Members also repeatedly urged more family support and training so parents can give informed consent. One participant suggested mandatory parent training through existing statewide resources such as Parent’s Place; another recommended clearer, multilingual materials to ensure families understand implications of alternate assessment placement and curricular choices. Several jurisdictions described cases where incoming IEPs from other districts used curricula tied to alternate assessments without clarifying eligibility, creating confusion when students transfer.

MSDE staff and work group members emphasized that the recommendations are a first step and that implementation will require further research and prioritization. MSDE representatives said the agency is already working on related actions — for example, reviewing IEP tools, meeting with local education agencies about Maryland’s online IEP platform, and considering monitoring and staffing changes — and will circulate strengthened wording for the first recommendation for review by email before final submission.

The group recorded consensus to approve the two recommendations and agreed to follow a process of electronic circulation and prioritization over the following weeks.

The work group will fold the approved recommendations into a larger set of roughly two dozen recommendations and a Smartsheet tracker MSDE said it will use to track implementation progress and timelines. MSDE leaders told the group they plan to circulate a draft addendum to the final report and to hold small‑group sessions in March to prioritize near‑term actions before finalizing the addendum in late spring.