diff --git a/src/extension/mapml/src/test/java/org/geoserver/mapml/MapMLWMSFeatureTest.java b/src/extension/mapml/src/test/java/org/geoserver/mapml/MapMLWMSFeatureTest.java
index 7cf79d422f4..d23dfe3978d 100644
--- a/src/extension/mapml/src/test/java/org/geoserver/mapml/MapMLWMSFeatureTest.java
+++ b/src/extension/mapml/src/test/java/org/geoserver/mapml/MapMLWMSFeatureTest.java
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 import org.geoserver.mapml.xml.MultiPolygon;
 import org.geoserver.mapml.xml.Point;
 import org.geoserver.mapml.xml.Polygon;
+import org.geoserver.mapml.xml.Span;
 import org.geoserver.wms.GetMapRequest;
 import org.geoserver.wms.MapLayerInfo;
 import org.geoserver.wms.WMSMapContent;
@@ -367,7 +368,7 @@ public void testMapMLFeaturePointHasClass() throws Exception {
                             + "      <map-geometry>"
                             + "       <map-point>"
                             + "       <map-coordinates><#list gattribute.rawValue.coordinates as coord>"
-                            + "        <#if coord?index == 0><![CDATA[<map-span class=\"desired\">]]>${coord.x} ${coord.y}<![CDATA[</map-span>]]><#else>${coord.x} ${coord.y}</#if></#list></map-coordinates></map-point>"
+                            + "        <#if coord?index == 0><map-span class=\"desired\">${coord.x} ${coord.y}</map-span><#else>${coord.x} ${coord.y}</#if></#list></map-coordinates></map-point>"
                             + "      </map-geometry>"
                             + "    </#if>\n"
                             + "  </#list>\n"
@@ -389,8 +390,8 @@ public void testMapMLFeaturePointHasClass() throws Exception {
                             .getFeatures()
                             .get(0); // get the second feature, which has a class
             Point featurePoint = (Point) feature2.getGeometry().getGeometryContent().getValue();
-            String coords = featurePoint.getCoordinates().get(0).getCoordinates().get(0).toString();
-            assertTrue(coords.contains("<map-span class=\"desired\">"));
+            Span span = ((Span) featurePoint.getCoordinates().get(0).getCoordinates().get(0));
+            assertEquals("desired", span.getClazz());
         } finally {
             if (template != null) {
                 template.delete();
@@ -421,7 +422,7 @@ public void testMapMLFeatureLineHasClass() throws Exception {
                             + "<map-feature>\n"
                             + "  <#list attributes as attribute>\n"
                             + "    <#if attribute.isGeometry>\n"
-                            + "      <map-geometry><map-linestring><map-coordinates><#list attribute.rawValue.coordinates as coord><#if coord?index == 3> <![CDATA[<map-span class=\"desired\">]]>${coord.x} ${coord.y}<#elseif coord?index == 4>${coord.x} ${coord.y}<![CDATA[</map-span>]]><#else> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}</#if></#list></map-coordinates></map-linestring></map-geometry>\n"
+                            + "      <map-geometry><map-linestring><map-coordinates><#list attribute.rawValue.coordinates as coord><#if coord?index == 3> <map-span class=\"desired\">${coord.x} ${coord.y}</map-span><#elseif coord?index == 4>${coord.x} ${coord.y}</map-span><#else> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}</#if></#list></map-coordinates></map-linestring></map-geometry>\n"
                             + "    </#if>\n"
                             + "  </#list>\n"
                             + "</map-feature>\n"
@@ -443,8 +444,8 @@ public void testMapMLFeatureLineHasClass() throws Exception {
                             .get(0); // get the second feature, which has a class
             LineString featureLine =
                     (LineString) feature2.getGeometry().getGeometryContent().getValue();
-            String coords = featureLine.getCoordinates().get(0).getCoordinates().get(0).toString();
-            assertTrue(coords.contains("<map-span class=\"desired\">"));
+            Span span = (Span) featureLine.getCoordinates().get(0).getCoordinates().get(1);
+            assertEquals("desired", span.getClazz());
         } finally {
             if (template != null) {
                 template.delete();
@@ -477,9 +478,9 @@ public void testMapMLFeaturePolygonHasClass() throws Exception {
                             + "    <#if attribute.isGeometry>\n"
                             + "      <map-geometry>\n"
                             + "       <map-polygon>"
-                            + "       <#assign shell = attribute.rawValue.getExteriorRing()><map-coordinates><#list shell.coordinates as coord><#if coord?index == 0><![CDATA[<map-span class=\"desired\">]]>${coord.x} ${coord.y}<#elseif coord?index == 4> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}<![CDATA[</map-span>]]><#else> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}</#if></#list></map-coordinates>"
+                            + "       <#assign shell = attribute.rawValue.getExteriorRing()><map-coordinates><#list shell.coordinates as coord><#if coord?index == 0><map-span class=\"desired\">${coord.x} ${coord.y}<#elseif coord?index == 4> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}</map-span><#else> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}</#if></#list></map-coordinates>"
                             + "      <#list 0 ..< attribute.rawValue.getNumInteriorRing() as index>"
-                            + "        <#assign hole = attribute.rawValue.getInteriorRingN(index)><map-coordinates><#list hole.coordinates as coord><#if coord?index == 0><![CDATA[<map-span class=\"desired\">]]>${coord.x} ${coord.y} <#elseif coord?index == 4> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}<![CDATA[</map-span>]]><#else> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}</#if></#list></map-coordinates></#list>"
+                            + "        <#assign hole = attribute.rawValue.getInteriorRingN(index)><map-coordinates><#list hole.coordinates as coord><#if coord?index == 0><map-span class=\"desired\">${coord.x} ${coord.y} <#elseif coord?index == 4> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}</map-span><#else> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}</#if></#list></map-coordinates></#list>"
                             + "       </map-polygon>"
                             + "      </map-geometry>\n"
                             + "    </#if>\n"
@@ -503,14 +504,14 @@ public void testMapMLFeaturePolygonHasClass() throws Exception {
                             .get(0); // get the second feature, which has a class
             Polygon featurePolygon =
                     (Polygon) feature2.getGeometry().getGeometryContent().getValue();
-            String coords =
-                    featurePolygon
-                            .getThreeOrMoreCoordinatePairs()
-                            .get(0)
-                            .getCoordinates()
-                            .get(0)
-                            .toString();
-            assertTrue(coords.contains("<map-span class=\"desired\">"));
+            Span span =
+                    (Span)
+                            featurePolygon
+                                    .getThreeOrMoreCoordinatePairs()
+                                    .get(0)
+                                    .getCoordinates()
+                                    .get(0);
+            assertEquals("desired", span.getClazz());
         } finally {
             if (template != null) {
                 template.delete();
@@ -547,9 +548,9 @@ public void testMapMLFeatureMultiPolygonHasClass() throws Exception {
                             + "      <#list 0 ..< attribute.rawValue.getNumGeometries() as index>"
                             + "        <#assign polygon = attribute.rawValue.getGeometryN(index)>"
                             + "       <map-polygon>"
-                            + "       <#assign shell = polygon.getExteriorRing()><map-coordinates><#list shell.coordinates as coord><#if coord?index == 0><![CDATA[<map-span class=\"desired\">]]>${coord.x} ${coord.y}<#elseif coord?index == 4> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}<![CDATA[</map-span>]]><#else> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}</#if></#list></map-coordinates>"
+                            + "       <#assign shell = polygon.getExteriorRing()><map-coordinates><#list shell.coordinates as coord><#if coord?index == 0><map-span class=\"desired\">${coord.x} ${coord.y}<#elseif coord?index == 4> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}</map-span><#else> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}</#if></#list></map-coordinates>"
                             + "      <#list 0 ..< polygon.getNumInteriorRing() as index>"
-                            + "        <#assign hole = polygon.getInteriorRingN(index)><map-coordinates><#list hole.coordinates as coord><#if coord?index == 0><![CDATA[<map-span class=\"desired\">]]>${coord.x} ${coord.y} <#elseif coord?index == 4> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}<![CDATA[</map-span>]]><#else> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}</#if></#list></map-coordinates></#list>"
+                            + "        <#assign hole = polygon.getInteriorRingN(index)><map-coordinates><#list hole.coordinates as coord><#if coord?index == 0><map-span class=\"desired\">${coord.x} ${coord.y} <#elseif coord?index == 4> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}</map-span><#else> ${coord.x} ${coord.y}</#if></#list></map-coordinates></#list>"
                             + "       </map-polygon>"
                             + "        </#list>"
                             + "       </map-multipolygon>"
@@ -593,16 +594,16 @@ public void testMapMLFeatureMultiPolygonHasClass() throws Exception {
                             .get(0); // get the first feature, which has a class
             MultiPolygon featureMultiPolygon =
                     (MultiPolygon) feature2.getGeometry().getGeometryContent().getValue();
-            String coords =
-                    featureMultiPolygon
-                            .getPolygon()
-                            .get(0)
-                            .getThreeOrMoreCoordinatePairs()
-                            .get(0)
-                            .getCoordinates()
-                            .get(0)
-                            .toString();
-            assertTrue(coords.contains("<map-span class=\"desired\">"));
+            Span span =
+                    (Span)
+                            featureMultiPolygon
+                                    .getPolygon()
+                                    .get(0)
+                                    .getThreeOrMoreCoordinatePairs()
+                                    .get(0)
+                                    .getCoordinates()
+                                    .get(0);
+            assertEquals("desired", span.getClazz());
         } finally {
             if (template != null) {
                 template.delete();