The State Board of Education has general control and supervision over public schools and the educational interests of the State. It sets policy for the administration of the public school system by adopting bylaws and regulations which have the force of law (Code Education Article, secs. 2-201 through 2-205). The Board, often through the State Superintendent of Schools, consults with and advises county boards of education, superintendents of schools and their staffs, principals, and teachers. It also mediates disputes arising from the twenty-four local independent school districts in Maryland.

With the advice and counsel of the State Superintendent of Schools, the State Board of Education sets standards for instruction in schools and for programs in public libraries and vocational rehabilitation. The Board also sets the standards for certification of teachers and other professional personnel and for requirements to graduate high school. If local school districts do not comply with State standards, the Board may recommend that State funds be withheld from those districts. For schools which consistently fail to improve in the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program, the Board, through the State Department of Education, also may intervene to help restructure their administration, organization, or instruction.

The Board has twelve members. Appointed by the Governor with Senate advice and consent, eleven serve four-year terms. A student member is appointed by the Governor to a one-year term.

STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS

The State Superintendent of Schools directs the State Department of Education and executes the policy and enforces the regulations adopted by the State Board of Education. Appointed by the Board, the Superintendent serves a four-year term (Code Education Article, secs. 2-301 through 2-303).

The State Superintendent of Schools chairs the Cabinet Council for Career and Technology Education and the Education Coordinating Council for Correctional Institutions, and serves on the Cabinet Council on Criminal and Juvenile Justice. The State Superintendent also serves on the Governor's Executive Council; the Governor's Subcabinet for Children, Youth, and Families; the Governor's Commission on Service and Volunteerism; the State Coordinating Council (for residential placement of handicapped children); the Advisory Committee for Children, Youth, and Families; the Governor's Council on Adolescent Pregnancy; and the Governor's Commission on Hispanic Affairs. In addition, the State Superintendent is a member of the State Information Technology Board; the Education Coordinating Committee; the Maryland Education Council; the Maryland Advisory Council for New Americans; the Maryland Advisory Commission on Manufacturing Competitiveness; the Maryland Partnership for Children, Youth, and Families; the Professional Standards and Teacher Education Board; the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission; the State Use Industries Advisory Committee; the Commission on Women's Health; the Governor's Work Force Investment Board; and the Intergovernmental Advisory Committee for Minority Affairs.

Under the State Superintendent of Schools are two deputy superintendents. One is responsible for Administration, and one for School Improvement Services.

The State Superintendent of Schools directly oversees two divisions: Library Development and Services, and Rehabilitation Services.

DIVISION OF LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT & SERVICES

The Division of Library Development and Services began in 1946 as the Division of Library Extension. In 1969, it was reorganized under its present name. As the State library agency, the Division administers State and federal programs to improve library services in public schools and libraries throughout the State (Code Education Article, secs. 23-102 through 23-105).

Under the Division are two branches: Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped; and Public Libraries and State Networking. The Maryland Advisory Council on Libraries advises the Division.

The Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped opened in 1968. The Library serves eligible blind and physically handicapped residents of Maryland. It is the Maryland regional library under the National Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress.

Through the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, those who are legally blind, visually limited, physically limited, or reading disabled may borrow books and recordings. These include books in braille or with large type, and recordings on discs and cassettes.

The Library has one subregional branch, the Special Needs Library.

Origins of the Public Libraries and State Networking Branch trace to 1902 when the State Library Commission was created (Chapter 47, Acts of 1902). Commission responsibilities for public library development were assigned to the Office of Public Libraries under the State Board of Education in 1935, and to the Division of Library Extension from 1947 to 1971. Within the Division of Library Development and Services, the Public Libraries Branch was formed in 1971 and renamed the Public Libraries and State Networking Branch in 1988. The Branch provides leadership and technical assistance to improve library service.

The Branch oversees the State Library Network through which Maryland residents obtain library materials and gain access to information not available in their local library. The Network provides interlibrary loan, direct lending of materials, technical assistance to libraries, and staff training. More than 400 Maryland libraries participate in the State Library Network. These include public, university, college and community college libraries. The Network is centered at Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore. The Network is aided by three regional resource centers: the Eastern Shore Regional Resource Center (Salisbury); Southern Maryland Regional Library Association (Charlotte Hall); and the Western Maryland Public Libraries Regional Resource Center (Hagerstown) (Code Education Article, secs. 23-201, 23-202).

DIVISION OF REHABILITATION SERVICES

The Division of Rehabilitation Services began as the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation in 1929. In 1992, it received its present name (Chapter 42, Acts of 1992).

The Division of Rehabilitation Services helps enable persons with physical or mental disabilities to live and work independently (Code Education Article, sec. 21-303). Through four regional offices and twenty-nine local offices, the Division provides medical and vocational evaluation, counseling and guidance, and training in vocations and independent-living skills. These offices give reader and interpreter services, physical and mental restoration, and rehabilitation engineering. They help persons with disabilities find and keep jobs. Through supported employment, the offices monitor clients' job performance and provide on-the-job training and coaching. They also assist former clients, as needed, who are employed.

The Division develops and implements the Interagency State Plan for Transitioning Students with Disabilities (Chapter 435, Acts of 1995). To coordinate postgraduate services to students with disabilities, Division staff work with other divisions; the Department of Business and Economic Development; the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; and the Office for Individuals with Disabilities.

Under the Division are the Office of Program and Community Support, and three programs: Business Support Services; Client Services; and Disability Determination Services. The Division is aided by the Maryland State Rehabilitation Council, and the Maryland Statewide Independent Living Council.

Established in 1955, Disability Determination Services adjudicates claims for federal Social Security Disability Insurance (Title II) and Supplemental Security Income (Title XVI). The office provides direct access to rehabilitation for persons with disabilities through expedited referrals to Client Services. The program is administered by the Division of Rehabilitation Services under contract with the Social Security Administration.

ADMINISTRATION OFFICE

The Administration Office oversees the Audit Office, and three divisions: Business Services; Certification and Accreditation; and Planning, Results, and Information Management.

DIVISION OF BUSINESS SERVICES

The Division of Business Services was organized in 1992 from the Office of Administration and Finance. The Division oversees seven branches: Accounting; Administrative Services; Budget; Human Resource Management; Nutrition and Transportation Services; Program and Finance Coordination; and School Facilities.

Child and Adult Care Food Program;
Food Distribution Program;
National School Lunch Program;
Nutrition Education and Training Program;
School Breakfast Program;
Special Milk Program;
and Summer Food Service Program.

Transportation of pupils to and from public schools is supervised by the Branch. Data on the number of pupils transported and on school bus accidents also is compiled by the Branch. Moreover, the Branch helps school systems test school bus drivers for drug or alcohol use.

DIVISION OF CERTIFICATION & ACCREDITATION

Created in 1970, the Division of Certification and Accreditation certifies teachers and other professional personnel; oversees the preparation and assessment of candidates for principalship; and approves the educational programs of nonpublic schools. Under the Division are three branches: Licensure; Nonpublic School Approval; and Program Approval and Assessment.

The Branch approves the educational programs of nonpublic nursery schools, kindergartens, elementary schools, middle schools, secondary schools, schools for the disabled, and entities licensed by other State agencies, such as the Department of Juvenile Justice. These programs must conform to Maryland law and to State Board of Education regulations. The Branch also registers nonpublic schools, church schools, and church education boards to supervise schooling at home by parents who, due to philosophical differences, do not want to be overseen by local boards of education. Annually, the Branch publishes the Directory of Approved Nonpublic Schools in the State of Maryland.

DIVISION OF PLANNING, RESULTS, & INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Duties of the Division of Planning, Results, and Information Management started in 1921 when the Bureau of Educational Measurements was formed within the State Department of Education. By 1945, the Division of Finance, Statistics, and Educational Measurements replaced the Bureau. The Division was renamed Division of Finance and Research in 1949, Division of Research and Development by 1963, and Division of Research, Evaluation and Information Systems by 1971. The Division of Administration assumed information system functions by 1979, as did the Division of Administration and Finance by 1983. The Office of Management Information Systems emerged in 1987 and was replaced by the Division of Planning, Results, and Information Management in 1992.

The Division administers the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program. The Division also provides information processing, evaluation and statistical services, and research for the Department. Under the Division are four branches: Assessment; Information Processing; Planning; and Results.

Other student achievement tests are overseen by the Branch. The Functional Testing Program tests students in reading, writing, mathematics, and citizenship. To graduate from high school, students must pass these tests which emphasize basic skills, such as reading and comprehending instructions and timetables, balancing a checkbook, and computing interest. The Norm-Referenced Testing Program evaluates children in grades 3, 5, 8, and 11. Their scores are compared with the performance of students in the same grade nationwide.

MARYLAND SCHOOL PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM REVIEW PANEL
The State Superintendent of Schools created the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program Review Panel in July 1997.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SERVICES OFFICE

The School Improvement Office started in 1988 when the Bureau of Educational Development was formed. The Bureau was reorganized as the School Improvement Services Office in 1992.

The Office oversees the School Improvement: Program and Finance Coordination Office; the School Performance: Research and Development Office; and four divisions, Career Technology and Adult Learning; Compensatory Education and Support Services; Instruction and Staff Development; and Special Education.

OFFICE OF RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

The Office of Research and Development was created in 1989 as the Office of Maryland School Performance. Under the School Improvement Services Office, it was reorganized in 1993 as the School Performance, Product, and Service Development Office. In 1994, it became School Performance: Research and Development and received its present name in July 1997.

The Office investigates ways to improve public education. It holds schools accountable to State standards and tests students on what they have learned. The Office is developing the high school assessment component of the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program to test students on math, English, science, and social studies. It also will measure their ability to learn independently, think critically, communicate orally and in writing, work cooperatively, and use computers. These tests will begin in the year 2000.

Award programs which recognize innovation and excellence, such as the Maryland Teacher of the Year, are administered by this office.

DIVISION OF CAREER TECHNOLOGY & ADULT LEARNING

The Division of Career Technology and Adult Learning began as the Division of Vocational Education by 1950. Renamed the Division of Vocational-Technical Education in 1968, and the Division of Career and Technology Education in 1991, it received its present name in 1992.

The Division oversees career and technology education, and adult learning. For State and federal occupational programs, the Division develops and recommends to the State Superintendent of Schools policies, guidelines, and services. The Division also helps local school systems and educational agencies, institutions, businesses, industries, and community organizations plan and evaluate their education and training programs. In both public and private institutions, Division programs are offered to students of all ages.

Under the Division are the Correctional Education Program, and four branches: Adult Education and Literacy Services; Career and Technology Education Instructional; Career and Technology Education Student/Partner; and Career and Technology Education Systems.

The Branch designs, tests, and runs literacy and instructional programs for adults. Classes in basic skills are offered in designated schools, during and after regular school hours. In addition to its basic and general adult education programs, the Branch also oversees the Homeless Adult Literacy Program, which teaches reading at homeless shelters and soup kitchens; Project LEAP (Labor Education Achievement Program), which provides instruction at work sites and union halls; the Maryland Adult External Diploma Program, an alternative means for adults to get a high school diploma through assessment of their skills and competency; the Literacy Works Program, an interagency plan to eliminate illiteracy in Maryland by the year 2000; and the Maryland State Adult Literacy Dissemination Center, which tracks the progress of students and programs, conducts workshops and seminars, and distributes resource material.

The Branch administers the General Education Development (G.E.D.) Testing Program. This program helps individuals attain a Maryland high school diploma. Tests are given on the second Saturday of every month at twenty-one test centers throughout the State. Applications to take the test are available from the General Education Development Branch or the adult education center of each local school system.

For students ages 5 to 20, the School-Community Centers Program coordinates recreation and supplementary education before and after school. Other educational, vocational, employment and recreational programs are provided locally to youth and adults by the Multi-Service Community Center Program.

The Branch assists local school systems with career and technology education. Programs cover agriculture, business and office education, consumer education, distribution and marketing, entrepreneurship, health occupations, home economics, postsecondary and adult programs, technology, teen parenting, trade and industry, and youth organizations. With local schools, the Branch also works on curriculum, and programs for students who are disadvantaged, or have disabilities or a limited command of English.

The Branch helps local school systems and community colleges teach students how to choose and prepare for a career. Beginning in kindergarten and continuing through grade 12, students are introduced to different careers. Programs cover apprenticeships, career academies, and other school- and work-based projects. The Branch assists with programs on sex equity, single parents, displaced homemakers, and community organization projects.

The Branch helps local school systems, community colleges, the Division, and other State agencies develop, finance, and administer career and technology education. The Branch also assists them with data analysis.

The Correctional Education Program offers academic and vocational instruction and library services to prisoners under the Division of Correction in the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Instruction emphasizes preparation for the General Education Development (G.E.D.) examination. Inmates passing this exam are awarded high school diplomas. Within prisons, the Program also coordinates services of postsecondary institutions and other educational agencies.

The Program does not oversee educational programs for delinquent youth. These are administered by the Compensatory Education Branch of the Division of Compensatory Education and Support Services.

DIVISION OF COMPENSATORY EDUCATION & SUPPORT SERVICES

The Division of Compensatory Education and Support Services was created in 1988. It administers and supervises federal and State programs to educate children who are deprived of social or economic advantages (P.L. 103-382; Code Education Article, secs. 8-101 through 8-107).

The Division is responsible for three branches: Compensatory Education; Family Involvement and Dropout Intervention; and Pupil Services.

The Rural School Nurses Program is overseen by the Branch. Through this program, matching funds are provided to Maryland's seven poorest counties for hiring school nurses. In schools, nurses attend to the general health of students, health education, and drug abuse prevention.

Through the New American Schools Initiative, the Branch provides information and assistance on school reform to local school systems. The Branch helps schools implement one of six model reform designs covering curriculum, governance, structure, and family support.

DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION & STAFF DEVELOPMENT

The Division of Instruction and Staff Development was formed in 1945 as the Division of Instruction, although its earliest duties have been carried out by the Department since 1920. The Division received its present name in 1994.

For public schools, the Division formulates guidelines for curriculum to be approved by the State Superintendent of Schools. Guidelines also set standards for educational programs of State agencies. For the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program, the Division monitors education programs.

The Division approves plans to reform schools that receive help from the Challenge System Initiative or through Carnegie Foundation grants. With the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Division sets standards and guidelines for school health programs. The Division also trains staff; audits programs; and sponsors conferences on curriculum and learning.

Under the Division are six branches: Arts and Sciences; Equity Assurance and Compliance; Language Development and Early Learning; Middle and High School Learning and Cross-Department Programs; School Library Media Services; and Staff Development.

The Branch helps public and private schools use school library media in print, audiovisual and electronic formats. The Branch also helps schools use electronic information technology in teaching. For Department staff, the State Media Center provides information and audiovisual services.

DIVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION & EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES

Established in 1988 as the Division of Special Education, the Division of Special Education and Early Intervention Services received its present name in April 1999. The Division works with parents and local school systems to educate all children and youth with disabilities. The Division assists local school systems with early childhood programs, individual education plans, nondiscriminatory testing, personnel development, and program evaluation. It also supervises education in approved public and private institutions and assesses the educational needs of children with profound or complex disabilities.

Administering both State and federal programs for special education, the Division directs five branches: Community and Interagency Services; Infants and Toddlers Program and Preschool Services; Instructional Support and Staff Development; Program Administration and Support; and Program Evaluation and Compliance.

Through the Nonpublic Tuition Assistance Program, the Branch partially reimburses local school systems for the cost of educating children with disabilities in private schools with programs that meet their special needs. The Branch ensures that the children are placed in regular classrooms or in programs that encourage their independence. To ensure compliance with State and federal regulations, the Branch monitors day and residential schools.

With the State Coordinating Council, the Branch reviews all residential placements of special education students in out-of-state private schools. It also cooperates with the Office of Children, Youth, and Families and other State agencies to expand community programs so that children with disabilities may return from out of state to regular classrooms in Maryland.

The Branch enforces due process regulations under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (P.L. 101-476). These regulations establish specific procedural safeguards for children and their parents to ensure that fair, reasonable and appropriate special programs are provided to them. In the placement of children with disabilities, the Branch monitors local hearing procedures and implements procedures for State hearings by the Office of Administrative Hearings. It also investigates and resolves complaints about special education placements in nonpublic schools and due process procedures.

In 1988, the State Department of Education was designated by the Governor to administer the federal Early Intervention Program in Maryland (Executive Order 01.01.1988.15). The Infants and Toddlers Program initiated by the Department was transferred to the Office for Children, Youth, and Families in 1990 (Chapter 419, Acts of 1990).

Within the Division of Special Education, the Infants and Toddlers Program and Preschool Services Branch was formed July 1, 1997, when the Infants and Toddlers Program moved from the Office for Children, Youth, and Families back to the State Department of Education (Chapter 386, Acts of 1997).

STATE INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL
In 1988, the Governor started the State Interagency Coordinating Council to advise the Infants and Toddlers Program in accordance with the federal Education of the Handicapped Act (Executive Order 01.01.1988.15; P.L. 99-457). In 1990, the Council was authorized by statute (Chapter 419, Acts of 1990).

The Council helps develop and implement the Early Intervention Program, identifies resources, and assists with interagency agreements. To ensure interagency coordination and delivery of early intervention services, the Governor's Subcabinet for Children, Youth, and Families monitors the program.

The Council's fifteen members are appointed by the Governor with Senate advice and consent.

The Branch is responsible for the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development. Under the System, the Branch trains, technically aids, and advises local school systems and State programs on promising educational practices in special education. It also develops print and video materials for them. In addition, the Branch trains the hearing officers from the Office of Administrative Hearings who hear disputes between parents and local school systems over placement of children with disabilities.

The Branch works on projects concerned with students who are deaf or hard of hearing, visually impaired, or both deaf and blind; and early childhood and transitioning. Through the American Printing House for the Blind, for example, the Branch administers the federally funded quota system for educational materials for visually impaired students. The Branch also implements initiatives on the Least Restrictive Environment, the Seriously Emotionally Disturbed, and Learning Disabilities.