Md. Code, Education § 7-202.1

§7–202.1.

(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.

(2) “Content standards” means the statements for the program of instruction that describe the knowledge and skills students are expected to attain for each content area and grade level.

(3) “Curriculum resources” means guidance documents and frameworks used by a county board to develop curricula to implement content standards.

(4) “Curriculum standards” means the statements that outline approaches to learning for each content area across grade levels.

(b) The Department shall, in consultation with experienced and highly effective teachers, including teachers on the career ladder under Title 6, Subtitle 10 of this article, develop content standards, curriculum standards, and curriculum resources for each subject at each grade level, that build on one another in logical sequence, in core subjects that may be used by local school systems and public school teachers.

(c) (1) The purpose of the curriculum standards and curriculum resources developed under this section is to provide county boards with technical assistance to inform high–quality instruction that will ultimately result in students meeting the college and career readiness standards in the manner described under § 7–205.1 of this subtitle.

(2) The curriculum resources developed under this section shall include, for each core subject at each grade level:

(i) Course syllabi;

(ii) Sample lessons for teachers to use as models;

(iii) Examples of student work that meet standards for proficiency;

(iv) Explanations of why student work examples meet proficiency standards so that teachers know what student knowledge is required; and

(v) Curriculum units aligned with the course syllabi.

(3) In developing the curriculum resources under this subsection, the Department:

(i) May use as a model a course or unit developed by a teacher in or out of the State; but

(ii) Shall review each model course and unit for quality, using accepted benchmarks such as approval by EdReports or Tier 1 and Tier 2 evidence–based standards established by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.

(4) The Department shall compile curriculum units in such a manner that:

(i) Complete courses are formed; and

(ii) When taken by a student in sequence, the student can achieve the college and career readiness standard adopted under § 7–205.1 of this subtitle by the end of grade 10.

(d) The Department shall submit curriculum resources and curriculum standards developed under this section to the State Board for adoption.

(e) The State Board shall establish a system of assessments to ensure that students are acquiring the knowledge contained in the curriculum standards in English, Mathematics, Science, and History or Social Studies.

(f) (1) Using the assessments established under subsection (e) of this section, the Department shall identify low–performing schools.

(2) An Expert Review Team established under § 5–411 of this article, under the supervision of the Department, shall visit schools identified under paragraph (1) of this subsection according to the criteria established under § 5–411 of this article.

(3) If the Department, based on a recommendation of an Expert Review Team, determines that a school’s low performance on assessments is, largely, due to curricular problems, the school shall adopt the curriculum resources developed under this section.

(4) Except as provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection, this section does not require a public school or county board to adopt the Department’s curriculum standards and curriculum resources and may not be construed to restrict a county board’s authority to adopt curricula under § 4–111 of this article.