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ANNAPOLIS — Some state lawmakers are pushing once again to repeal the much-debated High School Assessments as a graduation requirement, even though public opposition to the tests has largely subsided.
Beginning with this year's seniors, all students must pass four assessment tests — in English, algebra, government and biology to earn a high school diploma. Those who fail an HSA at least twice can still graduate, if they complete a project related to the test they failed.
Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Dist. 26) of Fort Washington and Del. Jay Walker (D-Dist. 26) of Fort Washington have introduced bills to repeal the HSAs as a graduation requirement. Both lawmakers introduced similar bills last year, but neither made it far in the legislature.
On Thursday, Muse and Walker testified before the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee on their proposals.
In addition to the bill to repeal HSAs for graduation, Muse and Sen. Nathaniel Exum (D-Dist. 24) of Capitol Heights have proposed a bill to delay the tests as a graduation requirement for this year's seniors.
"This is not the way to go," Muse told The Gazette. "We're not sure we've done our best to prepare students to take the test. I'm not sure we've prepared them, and whether [the HSAs] should be the main method."
The debate over HSAs grew contentious last year, given that the current senior class would be the first required to pass the tests for a diploma.
A number of lawmakers — many from Baltimore city, Prince George's and Baltimore counties — have said it was unfair to ask students to pass HSAs, even though the state Department of Education continued to make changes to the exams.
But while some lawmakers from Prince George's and Baltimore wanted to repeal the HSAs, leaders of those school systems have praised the tests for holding students accountable.
The Montgomery school system — the state's largest — was the only one to publicly criticize the HSAs and their test-free alternative, officially called the Bridge Plan for Academic Validation.
In the House last year, some 23 delegates signed on to Del. Jay Walker's bill to kill HSAs as a mandate for a diploma. As for this year's proposal, Walker said Thursday morning that he is not confident his bill would pass, since similar legislation had been presented before.
"The fight is probably tougher this year," Walker said. And with the assessments, "it's not a level playing field for all students in the state of Maryland."
Only 63 percent of Prince George's County's teachers are highly qualified, compared with 92 percent in neighboring Montgomery County, Walker said. Therefore, students in Prince George's County are not as prepared as others for the HSAs.
State schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick has said repeatedly that HSAs represent the basics of what students should know by the time they graduate.
By Thursday afternoon, her views had not wavered.
"This is the floor, and not the ceiling," Grasmick told the Senate committee. "To imply that our students are not capable of reaching these minimum standards is erroneous."