Panel urges HB 325 to allow GED reasoning‑through‑language‑arts exam in Spanish; MSDE and MCPS data cited
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Summary
Educators and advocates told the Ways and Means Committee Maryland’s requirement that GED RLA be taken in English blocks many Spanish‑speaking test takers; HB 325 would permit the GED RLA test in Spanish and require a Department of Labor study on additional languages.
Supporters of House Bill 325 told the committee that Maryland’s current requirement — that the GED reasoning through language arts (RLA) test be taken in English — creates an unnecessary barrier for emergent multilingual learners seeking a Maryland high school diploma.
Delegate Greg Williams said the bill would allow GED test‑takers to take all four GED parts in Spanish or English and require the Maryland Department of Labor to study what other languages could be added and report on feasibility and cost by Dec. 1, 2026. Williams said the Department of Labor administers the GED in Maryland.
Julie Yang, president of the Montgomery County Board of Education, said local data show a stark disparity: in the previous school year, only seven CREA (Career Readiness Education Academy) students passed all four GED sections; by section, many more passed math, science and social studies (in Spanish) than the RLA in English. Yang said, "Only 3 CREA students passed all 4 sections of the GED exam last school year... only 7 passed reasoning through language arts." CREA staff and alumni described students who passed the other three sections in Spanish but repeatedly failed RLA in English after multiple attempts.
Testimony from educators and nonprofit advocates stressed that a diploma opens access to employment, postsecondary education and higher earnings. CASA's Shannon Wilk de Benitez called HB 325 "as much a language access bill as it is an equal opportunities for professional advancement bill." The Maryland State Education Association and the Maryland Bankers Association also testified in favor.
Several CREA teachers gave student examples: a student who passed three sections quickly but failed RLA six times and another who passed RLA only after eight attempts following departure from the program. Advocates asked the committee for a favorable report; no formal opposition testified at the hearing.
Ending: The Department of Labor was listed in testimony as the agency to conduct the feasibility study; supporters asked the committee to move HB 325 to expand language access for the GED RLA section and to direct a study on other language options.
