Maryland work group issues prioritized plan to boost services, inclusion for students with disabilities

The Education Transformation and Finance Committee heard a presentation on the final recommendations and a prioritized implementation plan from the Blueprint Special Education Workgroup on June 1, 2025. Liz Zogby, co‑chair of the work group, and Dr. Michael Hickman, director of the Division of Special Education at the Maryland State Department of Education, presented the findings and next steps.

The work group — convened by MSDE at the request of the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) — met for roughly 18 months with 58 participants that included school administrators, teachers, parents, attorneys, providers and higher‑education representatives. The final product includes 27 recommendations collapsed into eight near‑ and longer‑term priorities, a project tracking plan and assigned priority leads.

The recommendations start with a core expectation: most students with disabilities who are not on alternate assessments should be enabled through individualized education programs (IEPs) to reach grade‑level standards. Presenters said Maryland’s performance data framed the urgency: 2024 English language arts MCAP proficiency was 48% for all students and 13% for students with disabilities; 2024 math proficiency was 24% for all students and 6% for students with disabilities. Four‑year graduation rates were cited as 88% for all students and 69% for students with disabilities. Work group members also highlighted longstanding disparities in identification, discipline and placement for Black students.

"We found very broad agreement across all of these different folks," Liz Zogby said of the group’s deliberations, adding that the membership converged on specific changes, not just general principles. Dr. Hickman said the group repeatedly returned to two framing topics: the data and the persistent barriers to implementation, including siloed general and special education systems, the balance of state authority and local control under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and pervasive low expectations for students with disabilities.

The eight priorities tied to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future pillars include: ensuring grade‑level achievement and related standards; strengthening monitoring and technical assistance; expanding evidence‑based specially designed instruction; addressing significant disproportionality in identification and discipline; conducting an adequacy (cost) study that will include nonpublic placement and transportation costs; improving workforce recruitment and retention across roles (special educators, paraprofessionals, related service providers); reviewing and refining the Maryland online IEP system; and strengthening family‑school partnerships.

Dr. Lewis, a state board member, praised the work but warned about system capacity: "I am concerned about the capacity of staff that we have because all this has to take place while we are still monitoring local school districts for compliance and all the 800 plus IDEA requirements," she said. Presenters said MSDE has begun drafting implementation plans, assigning priority leads, and using Smartsheet as a project management tool to track recommendations, timelines and owners.

On specific implementation tasks, MSDE reported it has a draft specially designed instruction guide, an inclusion guide for general educators, and an RFP in procurement to review the Maryland online IEP platform with options to refine, replace or remove it. The work group also recommended an adequacy study to evaluate whether current funding formulas and resource allocations — including the fiscal treatment and incentives for nonpublic placements and transportation — support the stated goals.

Presenters emphasized that many recommendations require cross‑divisional work inside MSDE and collaboration with districts and community partners. Several board members urged MSDE to package the plan into public‑facing priorities and short‑term, measurable modules to demonstrate early results and support budgeting and legislative advocacy.

The committee recorded no policy votes on the recommendations during the meeting; after the presentation and questions, members voted unanimously by voice and raised hands to adjourn the session.

Looking ahead, MSDE said it will finalize detailed implementation timelines, publish the addendum to the final work group report on the Blueprint Special Education Workgroup website, and begin the multi‑year work to operationalize priority actions.