The Maryland State Education Association (MSEA) is advocating for a new school accountability system that prioritizes transparency, equity, and academic growth over test scores. This week, the Maryland State Department of Education introduced House Bill 1582, also known as the Comprehensive Outcomes and Measures of Progress for Supporting Schools (COMPASS) Act.
Introduction of the COMPASS Act
The COMPASS Act aims to alter the star rating school accountability system that produces Maryland’s annual school report cards. The legislation retains many of the principles established by the Protect Our Schools Act (POSA) of 2017, which put guardrails on the amount of standardized testing that could factor into the school rating system.
Maryland introduces the COMPASS Act, prioritizing transparency, equity, and academic growth in school accountability. Learn more about this important legislation and how it can impact your child's education.
Key Components of the COMPASS Act
The COMPASS Act promotes academic growth and adds the option to measure staffing indicators as part of the School Quality and Student Success (SQSS) indicators. MSEA advocates for a descriptive model that prioritizes transparency, context, equity, and continuous improvement over labeling and scores.
The COMPASS Act is a critical step towards creating a more equitable and supportive education system in Maryland.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Legislative Updates and Advocacy
MSEA members have been actively lobbying legislators and educating them about professional challenges and goals. The organization has also provided testimony in several hearings on bills related to worker rights, educator shortages, and voting rights.
Key takeaways
- Introduction of the COMPASS Act: A new school accountability system that prioritizes transparency, equity, and academic growth.Retention of POSA principles: The COMPASS Act retains many of the principles established by the Protect Our Schools Act of 2017.Promoting academic growth: The COMPASS Act promotes academic growth and adds the option to measure staffing indicators.
Looking Ahead
The COMPASS Act is scheduled for its first hearing on March 12 in the House Ways and Means Committee. MSEA will continue to advocate for the bill and push for a better school accountability system that supports the needs of all students.
The COMPASS Act has the potential to create a more equitable and supportive education system in Maryland. By prioritizing transparency, equity, and academic growth, the act can help ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education. Learn more about the Learning Success program and how it can support your child’s educational journey.
See what All Access gives your child
See MTSS for schools
Is your child struggling in school?
Get your free personalized learning roadmap
You describe what you see at home. We turn it into a plan you start this week.
- Answer 5 short questionnaires about what you already notice, 30–45 minutes at your own kitchen table
- Your child sits no test and gets no score: nothing to schedule, nothing for them to dread
- You do the answering, the AI does the writing, and a person reviews it before it reaches you
- Access all 40+ courses instantly: reading, math, focus, processing and more, with new ones added regularly
Why we use AI, plainly: it writes from a knowledge base our team maintains and audits. We work through it line by line and pull anything the evidence stops supporting. The roadmap you get on Tuesday reflects what we corrected on Monday, and a human still reads it before you do.
Your school district must evaluate your child free of charge if you ask in writing, whatever your income and whatever the outcome (US, 34 CFR 300.111 and 300.301(b)). That route takes time and answers a different question than you do. This one starts today, from what you already know.
Your answers stay yours. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not hand identifiable assessment data to outside AI companies to train their models.
A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too. That is the only route to those supports.
References
- Maryland State Education Association - MSEA Pushes for Better Report Card School Accountability System, Worker Rights
