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Spotlight: Maryland Assessment and Accountability Task Force

Nearly 30 educators and national and local testing experts convened on May 2, 2024 for the first Maryland Assessment and Accountability Task Force meeting. 

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The task force is examining the Maryland School Report Card and the state’s accountability system to strengthen connections between school ratings and student achievement. Improvements can increase transparency and accountability across school systems and statewide. The task force will provide regular updates on its work during State Board of Education meetings.


Task Force Members


  • Superintendents: Andrae Townsel (Calvert County); Maria Navarro (Charles); Cheryl Dyson (Frederick); Millard House III (Prince George’s); Sharon Pepukayi (Talbot);

  • District Leaders: Melissa DiDonato, Chief Academic Officer (Baltimore County); Jennie Wu, Executive Director of Strategy and Continuous Improvement (Baltimore City); Timothy Guy, Director of Assessment and Reporting (Howard); Maureen Margevich, Supervisor of Testing and Accountability (Washington);

  • School Leaders: Jason Miller, Elementary Principal (Wicomico); James Allrich, Secondary Principal (Montgomery); 

  • Teachers: Evelyn Policarpio, Middle School Math Teacher (Prince George’s); Tania Cunningham-Raycrow, Special Education Teacher (Somerset);

  • Advocates: Drew Fagan, Multilingual Learners (University of Maryland); Ellen O’Neil (Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center); Thornell Jones, Caucus of African American Leaders (Anne Arundel); Gerrod Tyler, President, Free State PTA; 

  • Higher Education: Darryl Williams, Associate Director, National Center for the Elimination of Educational Disparities (Morgan State University); Laura Stapleton, Chair, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology (University of Maryland); 

  • Experts: Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger, President & CEO, Data Quality Campaign; 

  • State Board: Clarence Crawford, President; Josh Michael, Vice President; 

  • MSDE: Geoff Sanderson, Deputy State Superintendent, Deann Collins, Deputy State Superintendent, Alex Reese, Chief of Staff, Chandra Haislet, Assistant State Superintendent, and Cora James, Senior Program Manager.

  • Facilitators: Dr. Scott Marion, Executive Director, and Dr. Chris Domaleski, Associate Director, of the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment