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*hb1582*
HOUSE BILL 1582
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By: Chair, Ways and Means Committee (By Request – Departmental – Education)
Introduced and read first time: February 13, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 15, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Education – Program of Educational Accountability – Alterations 2
(Comprehensive Outcomes and Measures of Progress for Supporting Schools 3
(COMPASS Act)) 4
FOR the purpose of altering the school quality indicators authorized for an educational 5
accountability program in public schools; prohibiting the use of certain indicators in 6
an educational accountability system; and generally relating to accountability in 7
public schools. 8
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 9
Article – Education 10
Section 7–203(c) 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 13
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15
Article – Education 16
7–203. 17
(c) (1) National standardized testing may not be the only measure for 18
evaluating educational accountability. 19
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(2) (i) An educational accountability program shall include at least 1
three school quality indicators that measure the comparative opportunities provided to 2
students or the level of student success in public schools. 3
(ii) 1. One of th e school quality indicators under subparagraph 4
(i) of this paragraph shall be school climate surveys. 5
2. The school climate surveys shall include at least one 6
question to educators regarding the receipt of critical instructional feedback. 7
(iii) Other school quality indicators may include: 8
1. Class size; 9
2. Case load; 10
3. Opportunities for: 11
A. Advanced Placement courses and International 12
Baccalaureate Programs; 13
B. Career and Technology Education Programs; and 14
C. Dual enrollment; 15
4. Chronic absenteeism; 16
5. Data on discipline and restorative practices; [and] 17
6. [Access] SCHOOL STAFFING MEASU RES, INCLUDING 18
ACCESS to teachers who hold an Advanced Professional Certificate or have obtained 19
National Board Certification; AND 20
7. COMPLETION OF WELL –ROUNDED CURRICULUM 21
MEASURES THAT ARE IN DICATIVE OF ON –TRACK PROGRESS AT KE Y TRANSITION 22
POINTS WITHIN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION. 23
(iv) [The] EXCEPT FOR THE COMPLE TION OF WELL –ROUNDED 24
CURRICULUM MEASURES, THE school quality indicators used in subparagraph (i) of this 25
paragraph may not be based on student testing. 26
(v) 1. The State Board shall establish a compo site score that 27
provides for meaningful differentiation of schools under the school accountability system. 28
2. The composite score established under subsubparagraph 29
1 of this subparagraph shall: 30
HOUSE BILL 1582 3
A. Include both academic and school quality indicators; 1
B. Incorporate a methodology that compares schools that 2
share similar demographic characteristics, including the proportion of economically 3
disadvantaged students, as defined by the State in accordance with federal law; and 4
C. Be repo rted in a manner that states for each score the 5
individual indicator score that is used to calculate the composite score for each school. 6
3. The combined total of the academic indicators may not 7
exceed [65%] 70% of the composite score. 8
4. The composite score: 9
A. Shall be calculated numerically in a percentile form; [and] 10
B. SHALL BE REPORTED SHO WING THE INDIVIDUAL 11
INDICATORS; AND 12
[B.] C. May not be reported using a letter grade model. 13
5. No academic indicator may be weighted as less than 10% 14
of the total amount of the composite score. 15
6. No school quality indicator described under this 16
paragraph may be weighted as less than 10% of the total amount of the composite score. 17
7. NO ACADEMIC INDICATOR OF PROFICIENCY MAY B E 18
WEIGHTED AS MORE THAN 20% OF THE COMPOSITE SCORE. 19
8. Subject to this subparagraph, the final weights of the 20
academic and school quality indicators shall be determined by the State Board, with 21
stakeholder input. 22
(vi) [Of the academic indicators established by the State Board under 23
subparagraph (v) of this paragraph, one shall be access to or credit for completion of a 24
well–rounded curriculum that is indicative of on –track progress at key transition points 25
within elementary and secondary education ] WHEN ESTABLISHING OR CALCULATING 26
THE STATE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM, INDICATORS ESTABLISHED BY THE STATE 27
BOARD MAY NOT INCORPO RATE, REFERENCE, OR RELY ON ANY TEACH ER 28
EVALUATION. 29
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, from on or before July 1, 30
2027, through June 30, 2031, and each July 1 thereafter until July 1, 2031, the State 31
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Department of Education shall report to the State Board of Education and, in accordance 1
with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly on: 2
(1) any indicator under § 7 –203(c)(2)(iii) of the Education Article , as 3
enacted by Section 1 of this Act, that is not included in the composite score shall be reported 4
annually to the State Board of Education; and 5
(2) the correlation between the proportion of students in a school from 6
low–income households and the school’s accountability rating under the education 7
accountability program required under § 7 –203 of the Education Article, as amended by 8
Section 1 of this Act, for each of the past 3 years for: 9
(i) the school’s overall composite score; and 10
(ii) each indicator used to make up the composite score. 11
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 12
1, 2026. 13
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.