Maryland Projects Year Four
2008-2009
Supporting the Implementation of the MD Migrant Education Program's Statewide Service Delivery Plan
MACC assisted the Maryland Migrant Education Program (MEP) with completion of its Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) in December 2007. With the CNA process completed, the MD MEP has a detailed road map for service delivery to guide their two regional programs over the course of the next 3-5 years and enable the state to monitor the efficacy of program improvement efforts. Also in Year 4, MACC provided technical assistance in a variety of ways to support the implementation of the MD MEP’s service delivery plan.
Supporting Maryland's Breakthrough Center to Coordinate SSOS services
MSDE completed a two year design process resulting in a management structure for their state system of support, The Breakthrough Initiative, designed to manage, guide, align and broker the SSOS services among districts and schools. The Initiative helps the state provide coherent services and resources to LEAs. MACC supported MSDE's initial implementation of its new Breakthrough Initiative by guiding self-assessments, synthesizing resources, and recommending strategies for implementation. MACC also modeled successful strategies, working across divisions and external organizations, and brokering opportunities for districts and state to learn from one another.
Supporting the Governor’s Academy’s Coaching Training
MACC assisted the MSDE’s Division of Instruction to improve its training for coaches on effective coaching practices and in providing enhanced follow-up experiences during the school year. MACC assisted MSDE in adapting and delivering an online coaching course to provide effective coaching training and follow-up support for Governor’s Academy coaches throughout the school year. This activity helped Maryland to expand its capacity to provide effective, and differentiated online support to Governor’s Academy coaches in the future. All activities incorporated the latest research findings on coaching and effective professional development practices.
Supporting Maryland’s Middle School Initiative
In year 4, MACC provided technical assistance to the MSDE to establish an effective process for communicating and implementing recommendations for improving middle grades education by the state’s Middle School Steering Committee. These recommendations were published in the report, "The Critical Middle" (2008).
Supporting Maryland’s High Quality Teachers
MACC worked with MSDE staff to provide assistance and research support for teacher quality programs, including syntheses and analyses of reports from national organizations, and recommendations for implementing best practices for improvement. Broker assistance provided with experts in the field, including National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (NCCQT). MACC also worked with MSDE to develop recommendations on ways that Maryland could improve teacher quality in the areas identified for improvement by the various reports. MACC assisted Maryland in integrating its ongoing teacher quality activities into a statewide system of support, geared toward improving the quality of teachers in low-performing schools and promoting continuous improvement for teachers at all schools.