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State board aims to create system to track teachers, students

Look at how "best" is used in this article--as an example of one thing federal stimulus funds will do. Money talks and federal stimulus money is screaming that test scores define what's best.

By Liz Bowie

The Maryland state board of education said today that it will explore a partnership with neighboring states to create a regional database that tracks the performance of teachers and students as they move from school to school or state to state.

Maryland is far behind other states in establishing these data systems, according to state schools chief Nancy Grasmick. Already, 21 states have systems in place that track teachers. Through a federal grant, Maryland has now set up a system that assigns each student a number to track individual progress, but no tracking system exists for teachers. The state has applied for about $6 million more to extend the database to include teachers.

The state board held a special meeting today to discuss with Grasmick what steps should be taken to apply for billions of dollars in stimulus aid for schools. Maryland must commit to establishing the database if it is going to be competitive in getting part of the federal funds.

Grasmick said teachers' unions have not been supportive of giving teachers identifying numbers because it would allow the state and school systems to link student test scores to individual teachers. Such a tracking system could produce a wealth of other information, she said, including looking at which colleges and universities produce the best teachers and what teacher training programs are best.

Board members also discussed the possibility of giving an international test to a sample of Maryland students to understand whether the state's schools are providing an education competitive with the best nations around the world.

— Liz Bowie
Baltimore Sun
2009-03-11


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