WCBC

Maryland is set to roll out an official blueprint on how it plans to improve failing schools. Its plan was just approved by the federal government under the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA.

The school improvement plan had been on the drawing board for months. The U.S. secretary of education green-lighted the plan a few weeks ago. But Gov. Larry Hogan said the Maryland ESSA plan doesn't go far enough.

Hogan's state board is committed to moving ahead with the plan as it is and to starting to share it with leaders in all 24 local school districts.

"They should expect, hopefully, a fairer way of assessing schools, and a more transparent way of the state telling families how their schools are performing," said Andrew Smarick, president of the Maryland State Board of Education.

The state said it will continue to help school districts identify and bring up low test scores and graduations rates. The board said it is also committed to working alongside teachers to help make those improvements.

"It'll be incumbent upon our schools working with teachers and parents to put a plan together on how they're going to turn around our most-low-performing schools," said Cheryl Bost, of the Maryland State Education Association.

Local schools districts are putting more money and time into staff training and student testing.

The state plans to keep an even closer watch on student test results as students take the PARRC exam this spring.