Maryland to Implement New Statewide Standardized Tests Beginning in 2026-27 School Year

BALTIMORE, MD – The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) has announced the selection of NCS Pearson as the vendor responsible for updating the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP). This transition to a new system of standardized tests is slated to begin during the 2026-2027 academic year, following the expiration of current vendor contracts. The decision comes after extensive work by the MSDE Accountability and Assessment Task Force, which was established in February 2024. This task force, comprising approximately 30 educators and experts, was charged with examining the MCAP and School Report Card systems with a focus on rewarding schools for student academic growth, promoting fairness for schools serving under-resourced communities, and simplifying the accountability system to make its composite scores more understandable to the public and educators alike. Their final report was delivered to the State Board of Education in December 2024.

The new assessment program aims to improve the technical quality and validity of tests by adopting measures that align with current psychometric standards. A key aspect of this update will be the implementation of multi-stage adaptive testing, designed to more accurately measure student performance across a broad spectrum of achievement levels. Furthermore, the program is intended to enhance equity and accessibility through improved accommodation delivery for students with disabilities and multilingual learners, ensuring their access to testing is more consistent, timely, and appropriate. Educators are slated to be involved throughout the development and standard-setting process for these new assessments.

The MSDE has also partnered with national experts from the Center for Assessment to re-establish the Maryland Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). This committee plays a crucial role in developing the requirements for assessments in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The revamped assessment program is also designed to provide educators with actionable data to inform their teaching practices through the incorporation of an optional interim assessment program. Additionally, MSDE anticipates consolidating multiple existing assessment vendors into a single, integrated platform. This consolidation is expected to lead to operational and fiscal efficiencies for the state and its local school systems, while also expanding and strengthening assessment content by augmenting the current item bank to ensure sufficient questions at all difficulty levels.

Statewide assessments for English language arts and mathematics will continue to be administered annually for students in grades 3 through 8, with a single assessment in high school. Federal accountability mandates require a statewide science assessment for students in grades 5 and 8, and once in high school. Social studies assessments are administered in grade 8 and also once in high school. The existing vendor contracts for these assessments are set to conclude in late 2026, necessitating the current transition. The redesign of Maryland’s assessment program is intended to better measure student performance and academic growth, incorporating community input to ensure the system reflects current teaching and learning expectations within the state.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from the Maryland State Department of Education

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