School Improvement in Maryland

Instruction

Teaching and Learning

Designed for teachers, these pages contain instructional strategies, voluntary state assessment by grade level and standard, assessments, rubrics, toolkit resources and key MSDE contacts for the four content areas.

IN THIS SECTION:
  • Grade level VSC
  • Public Release and Sample Assessments
  • Toolkits
  • PDFs of Grade Level VSC and Tools

voluntary state curriculum

The Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC) defines what students should know and be able to do at each grade level.

IN THIS SECTION:

Curriculum for the following content areas:

  • Fine Arts
  • Health & PE
  • Foreign Language
  • English Language Proficiency
  • Technology Education
  • And More


Professional Development

A comprehensive and inclusive approach to planning professional development which meets teacher learning needs and contributes to improved student learning.

In This Section:
  • Prof Dev Standards
  • High-Quality Prof Dev. Survey

"Teachers are at their best when they are actively engaged in high quality learning opportunities themselves."

Nancy S. Grasmick, State Superintendent of Schools

Teaching Maryland Standards

VSC and CLG Toolkits

TOOLS INCLUDE:
  • Clarifications
  • Lesson Seeds
  • Sample Assessments
  • Public Release Items
  • and others

The VSC toolkit provides teachers with tools to help them better understand, teach, and assess the Voluntary State Curriculum. While the CLG toolkit helps teachers assess the Core Learning Goals tested on the High School Assessments.

EARLY CHILDHOOD INITIATIVES

MSDE has established a number of early childhood initiatives which promote best practices in early pedagogy and support the school reform efforts in Maryland.

In This Section:
  • Judith Hoyer Programs
  • MD Model for School Readiness
  • Pre-K and K Content Standards
  • Achieving School Readiness