State Board adopts revised English and math standards, approves child-care rule republish and elects leadership

The Maryland State Board of Education on its July agenda approved revised Maryland College and Career Ready standards for English language arts and for mathematics — the first major updates to both documents in more than a decade — and took several other administrative actions, including authorizing republication of proposed family child‑care licensing regulations and electing the board’s president and vice president for the coming year.

The board voted unanimously to adopt the revised English language arts (ELA) standards after a recommendation from the Education Policy Committee and a presentation by the State Department of Education’s literacy staff. “These revised standards represent a significant step forward in our state's commitment to improving literacy outcomes for all Maryland students,” said Dr. Chelsea Brewer, executive director of literacy programs and initiatives, at the presentation. The board later also approved the revised mathematics standards unanimously; staff said the math revision emphasizes stronger numeracy, data and statistics instruction beginning in elementary grades and a phased timeline for implementing an integrated high‑school algebra sequence.

Why it matters

Board members and state officials said the updated standards are intended to give teachers clearer progression guidance and align instruction with recent research and statewide priorities. The math standards, staff told the board, were rewritten to strengthen foundational numeracy (fluency, benchmark numbers and estimation), create more coherent geometry threads across grades, and add a sustained strand in reasoning with data and statistics beginning in pre‑K. The standards adoptions set multi‑year implementation timelines so districts and teachers have time to align curricula and professional learning.

What the board voted

Votes at a glance - Consent agenda (minutes, personnel items, budget adjustments, schedule updates): motion carried unanimously. (Transcript: motion at 2138.9348–2149.035; “Motion carries unanimously.”) - Adopt revised Maryland College and Career Ready Standards for English language arts: motion and second; unanimous approval. (Presentation by Dr. Chelsea Brewer; committee recommended adoption; vote recorded as unanimous.) - Adopt revised Maryland College and Career Ready Standards for Mathematics: motion and second; unanimous approval. (Presentation by Lindsey Brightful; committee recommended adoption; vote recorded as unanimous.) - Grant permission to republish amendments to COMAR 13A.15 (family child‑care / nonpublic nursery schools): motion and second; carried unanimously. (Education Policy Committee recommended republication.) - Election of officers for 2025–26 term (conducted following executive session): Dr. Michael elected president; Dr. Goldson elected vice president. Each election was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.

Key details from presentations

ELA standards Dr. Chelsea Brewer described the ELA revision process as a multi‑year, stakeholder‑driven review that updated the pre‑K–12 structure and integrated pre‑K standards for clearer grade‑to‑grade progression. The state formed a 12‑member standards and frameworks validation committee and opened a public comment period. Brewer told the board the draft had been cross‑checked against national expectations and the science of reading; the Education Policy Committee unanimously recommended support prior to the full‑board vote.

Math standards Lindsey Brightful, director of mathematics, said Maryland’s math standards had not been revised since 2013 and that the revision process used a 12‑member validation committee plus extensive public comment (242 responses). Brightful highlighted three priorities: strengthen foundational numeracy (pre‑K–5), clarify and elevate middle school expectations to support algebra readiness, and design a more coherent high‑school sequence aligned to an integrated algebra pathway. The department presented a phased implementation timeline the board discussed: revised pre‑K–8 expectations as a learning year in 2025–26 with implementation in 2026–27, Integrated Algebra I in 2027–28 and Integrated Algebra II in 2028–29 (as laid out in the department’s math policy).

Implementation support and timelines

The department emphasized the adoptions are only the start of a multi‑year implementation effort that includes companion documents, teacher professional learning, numeracy progressions, and coaching. Officials said companion guides will include examples and non‑examples, instructional implications, and financial‑literacy connections; they also previewed a “numeracy development framework” to show skill progressions from pre‑K through eighth grade. The department expects some revised documents and resources to be available this school year while major curricular adjustments and the integrated algebra rollout span multiple years.

Other board business and updates

- Family child‑care regulations: The board voted to republish COMAR 13A.15 amendments that would allow family child‑care providers to operate as a nonpublic nursery school, with changes the department made in response to stakeholder feedback (personnel qualification language, household staffing requirements for mixed‑age care, and other clarifications). The Education Policy Committee recommended republication.

- Literacy policy implementation: Department staff gave an informational update on MSDE’s pre‑K–3 literacy policy implementation, including professional learning, model templates for student reading improvement plans, parent notification and good‑cause exemption materials, and a forthcoming MTSS guidance document. Dr. Brewer said MSDE has offered hundreds of professional learning cohort seats in various literacy training offerings and will publish a list of approved universal screeners and final MTSS guidance in coming months.

- Superintendent briefing and funding outlook: State Superintendent Dr. Mohammed Wright briefed the board on federal funding adjustments recently communicated to Maryland: Title I Part A funding about 8.27% lower than last year, Title IV down roughly 10.5%, and McKinney‑Vento funding about 11.2% below the prior year. He told the board the department is working with districts on planning and emphasized advocacy for resources at every level of government.

- Public comment highlights: During public comment the board heard multiple speakers on special education and local school governance. Speakers from Somerset County (including Barbara Hicks and Angela Pendry, representing the Somerset Education Association) presented a 467‑signature petition asking the board to act on local leadership concerns in Somerset County Public Schools. Several parents and advocates, including representatives of the Maryland Down Syndrome Advocacy Coalition and other families, urged stronger implementation of inclusive supports, better IEP fidelity, and more professional learning and planning time for teachers to deliver inclusive instruction.

- Educator evaluation briefing: The board received an informational presentation on Maryland’s educator evaluation framework, related statutes, and the state default model used when local systems and employee representatives do not reach agreement. Staff noted changes in law since 2021 that require clearer expectations for evaluators, peer assistance components, and alignment to national educator standards; the briefing was informational and did not change regulations.

What to watch next

State officials said MCAP (Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program) results and additional accountability updates will be presented at the August board meeting. The department will continue rolling out companion documents, MTSS guidance and professional learning for both standards and literacy policy; districts will use the 2025–26 school year as a learning year for many of the changes.

Ending

Board members praised the many months of stakeholder work on the standards and emphasized the importance of aligning professional learning, assessments and curriculum materials to support teacher implementation. Several board members also urged the department and local systems to prioritize clear, plain‑language communications and family resources to explain the changes and their timelines.

Votes provenance (transcript evidence): - Topic intro (ELA standards presentation): transcript block starting at 4866.5903 — “Good morning, president Michael, vice president Goldson, doctor Wright, members of the board. My name is doctor Chelsea Brewer, executive director of literacy programs and initiatives.” - Topic finish (ELA adoption vote): transcript block at 5586.445–5595.41 — “With that, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye and raising your hands. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Okay. We have new literacy standards.” - Topic intro (Math standards presentation): transcript block starting at 6873.18 — “Absolutely. So doctor Elise Brown is coming to the table and doctor, Lindsay Brightful is coming to the table as well.” - Topic finish (Math adoption vote): transcript block at 9515.71–9531.965 — “Move to approve… All those in favor, please signify by saying aye and raising your hand. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries.” - Family child‑care republish: transcript blocks 22392.256–22425.996 (presentation) and 22618.404–22623.525 (vote) with the Education Policy Committee recommending republication.

(See “provenance_segments” below for short verbatim excerpts taken from the official meeting transcript.)