The tests will gauge both school performance and individual student performance, providing valuable information to students, parents, teachers, administrators, and school improvement teams. The Maryland Functional Tests were developed in the 1980s to ensure that Maryland's high school graduates were competent in several basic skill areas. They were designed as tests to measure only the most basic skills and functional knowledge. As the new high school assessments are required for graduation, they will replace the Maryland Functional Tests. The high school assessments will better prepare students for the variety of challenges they will encounter in life and in their careers.
Teachers play a major role in developing the overall high school assessment plan and the tests.
The Maryland State Department of Education and the State Board of Education contacted every high school teacher in the state and many middle school and elementary school teachers to gather feedback on the Core Learning Goals. The test-writing teams are Maryland teachers who will review and rewrite the tests until final forms are ready. A task force of more than 35 members representing teachers, business leaders, community members, and education-related organizations developed recommendations for the tests. These are skills identified by the High School Assessment Task Force and the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education as essential to success in post-secondary education and the workplace. Skills for Success include learning, thinking, communication, technology, and interpersonal skills that students will need in the 21st century.