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Committee approves republishing induction regulations after public‑comment revisions
Summary
MSDE recommended and the committee approved republishing proposed updates to COMAR 13A.07.01 (Comprehensive Teacher Induction Programs) to reflect substantive changes requested in public comment, including revised mentoring‑minutes language and explicit local alignment; staff will open another public comment period.
The Education Policy Committee voted to recommend republishing proposed amendments to COMAR 13A.07.01, the state regulations governing comprehensive teacher induction programs, after MSDE staff proposed substantive edits in response to public comment.
Kelly Meadows of MSDE said the regulations were last updated in 2011 and that a statewide work group developed the proposed changes. The revised draft had been published for comment in the Maryland Register in May, and MSDE received five public submissions. Meadows said the comments raised substantive concerns that required additional edits, so staff recommended restarting the promulgation process to allow a further public comment cycle.
A central change clarified the mentoring‑minutes requirement. The earlier published draft required 180 mentoring minutes per month “if fiscally reasonable”; following public comment MSDE proposed a different structure: 400 mentoring minutes per marking period, with a process for mutual reduction if the local school system and the new teacher agree. Under the new language, a local school system and a new teacher may mutually agree to reduce mentoring minutes to 300 minutes per marking period and, again by mutual agreement, reduce to 200 minutes per marking period.
Meadows told the committee the republishing request is procedural: because the changes are substantive MSDE must allow a new public comment period. She noted that LEAs would have until July 1, 2027, to align with the regulations if adopted, consistent with the state’s implementation planning.
A motion to recommend republishing the regulations was made, seconded and approved unanimously. The committee directed MSDE to republish the revised regulations in the Maryland Register and to collect additional comments as the rulemaking proceeds.
