Blueprint for Maryland's Future - Charles County Public Schools (2024)

Policy Area 1 - Early Childhood Education

CCPS continues to prepare for Pre-K3 students for the 2024-25 school year. At the May 21 Board of Education of Charles County meeting, the Board approved Ashley Valenzuela-Carrington as coordinator of the Early Learning Center, Waldorf. The Frog Steet curriculum, which was available for public review and comment, was approved as the curriculum that will be used for all Pre-K3 students. The curriculum has been purchased and will ship in July. Furniture and other materials of instruction have also been purchased for Pre-K3. Along with the Early Learning Center, Waldorf, Matula Elementary, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary, and the Early Learning Center, La Plata will also have Pre-K3 classrooms.

Policy Area 2 - Diverse Teachers and Leaders

Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s public schools hosted the Southern Maryland Summit: Teacher Preparation Pipeline at the University System of Maryland- Southern Maryland on April 26, 2024. The purpose of the summit was to examine and develop collaborative efforts to address the teacher shortage and enhance the effectiveness of teacher preparation and continued professional development of our teachers in these three districts. Since the convening in April, five working groups have been established. These cross-sector working groups from PreK-12 LEAs, IHEs, and workforce development organizations will generate and implement strategies to achieve a robust system for recruiting, preparing, inducting, and retaining a high-quality, diverse educator workforce in Southern Maryland.

Policy Area 3 - College and Career Readiness (CCR)

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) hosted its graduation on May 10, which included 34 CCPS early college students. These 34 students all earned the General Studies Transfer Certificate. These students also went on to participate in their high school graduation ceremony during the last week of May. One of the early college graduates, Jaqrai Louis Smith, was featured as the student commencement speaker.

Policy Area 4 - More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) Student Services Community Day was held Thursday, May 16, at St. Charles High School. Parents and caregivers were invited to attend free behavioral health workshops hosted by representatives of CCPS, the Center for Children, Center for Abused Persons, the Maryland School Mental Health Response Program, and PFLAG SoMD. The workshops were designed to help parents and others understand and recognize mental and behavior health issues that could affect children and young people. Among the topics covered at the workshops were recognizing self-harm behaviors, learning the signs of dating violence, understanding indications of raising a bully and promoting resilience, creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth, and teaching emotional regulation and coping skills.

Policy Area 5 - Governance and Accountability

CCPS submitted its draft plan of the Blueprint by the May 1 deadline. The system’s plan, located on the CCPS Blueprint website, is available for the public to review. Public comment on the plan was encouraged through the completion of a survey. A total of 40 people completed the survey, 25 of which were school system employees. A summary of the survey will be shared at the June 11 Board of Education of Charles County meeting.

Policy Area 1 - Early Childhood Education

CCPS hosted the Early Learning Launch on April 20, 2024. The event provided resources for families with children ages 5 years and younger. Prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers hosted school readiness activities for parents and children and resources were provided from community partners. CCPS staff, including those who speak Spanish, were on site to assist parents with the application and registration processes for students. There were 124 families that attended the event. The registration process for prekindergarten and kindergarten opened on April 15.

Policy Area 2 - Diverse Teachers and Leaders

Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s public schools hosted the Southern Maryland Summit: Teacher Preparation Pipeline at the University System of Maryland- Southern Maryland on April 26, 2024. The purpose of the summit was to examine and develop collaborative efforts to address the teacher shortage and enhance the effectiveness of teacher preparation and continued professional development of our teachers in these three districts. Along with personnel from each of the LEAs, representatives from institutes of higher education, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), and the Maryland Department of Labor were all in attendance. CCPS is excited about potential new partnerships and the collaborative work between CCPS and our neighboring districts to help address the teacher pipeline issues.

Policy Area 3 - College and Career Readiness (CCR)

During the month of April, CCPS announced the summer programs that are available for students in kindergarten through 12^th grade. These opportunities range from enrichment camps, academic and athletic programs, story hours, and career exploration. There is a wide range of programs available for all students in the district.

More information about camps and programs can be found at:

Camps and Programs Information

More information about summer boost and summer school can be found at:

Summer Boost and Summer School

Policy Area 4 - More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

Four of the Community Schools in CCPS hosted a Community Schools Resource Day on April 27, 2024, at J.P. Ryon Elementary School. The four elementary schools, Dr. Brown, Dr. Mudd, Eva Turner, and J.P. Ryon, combined efforts together because of their close geographic location. Families were encouraged to use the bus shuttle system that took them from their home school to J.P. Ryon. The purpose of the day was to introduce resources to families that are available to them in the community. Partner groups included representatives from non-profit organizations, churches, government agencies, and businesses. Over 1,000 people were present!

Policy Area 5- Governance and Accountability

CCPS hosted an in-person Blueprint feedback focus group on April 25, 2024. The purpose of this focus group was to evaluate the draft responses for the May 1 submission of the Blueprint. Participants included parents, employees, and members of advocacy groups. Participants were paired together based on interest in the five pillars and reviewed assigned questions using the criteria for success established by the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) and MSDE. Feedback was provided and was incorporated into the May 1 submission. CCPS also hosted a virtual Blueprint town hall on April 26, 2024. The video from the Town Hall can be viewed on the system’s Blueprint website, along with the CCPS Blueprint Plan and a survey. The survey will be open until May 31 for CCPS stakeholders to comment on the plan and make suggestions for edits that will take place in June.

Policy Area 1- Early Childhood Education

Mr. Kevin Lowndes, Chief of Teaching and Learning, led a presentation at the March Board work session that provided updates on the early learning program in Charles County.Updates included State funding changes for prekindergarten programs, prekindergarten expansion plans for targeted three-year olds, accreditation updates by school, assessment data, and plans to expand the transition school to the Early Learning Center, Waldorf.The full presentation can be found on CCPS YouTube page and on the CCPS Board Docs website.

Policy Area 2- Diverse Teachers and Leaders

During its March 21, 2024, meeting, the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) focused on pillar 2 and invited members of the AIB’s steering committee to share its progress and work. The presentation highlighted the increased numbers of teachers that recently earned or maintained National Board Certification (NBC) in the state. A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document was released to districts with guidance to address the career ladder plan that is due to the AIB by July 1, 2024.

Policy Area 3- College and Career Readiness (CCR)

The AIB hosted a check-in session during the month of March around the career counseling program in CCPS. Attending the meeting were representatives from CCPS, the College of Southern Maryland (CSM), and the Tri-County Council of Southern Maryland (TCCSMD). Discussed at the meeting were celebrations and areas of progress around the career counseling program being implemented in the district. CCPS has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CSM and TCCSMD around career counseling services for middle and high school students. The MOU can be found on the Blueprint website under 23-24 reports.

Policy Area 4- More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

Parents and guardians of children who receive special education services in Maryland recently received a copy of the Maryland Special Education Parent Involvement Survey in the mail from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). The feedback provided helps guide efforts to improve special education and related services in school systems around Maryland, including Charles County Public Schools (CCPS). The hard copy of the survey should be returned in the postage-paid envelope to MSDE by May 24. The survey can also be completed online at www.mdparentsurvey.com. Questions can be directed to the MSDE help desk at 800-287-1581 or mdparentsurvey@icfi.com.

Policy Area 5- Governance and Accountability

CCPS submitted its responses to the System Wide Blueprint Implementation Response to the AIB on March 15, 2024. All districts were asked to respond to five questions on how the district aligns the Blueprint to strategic plan/goals, how it communicates to stakeholders, the systematic changes required to implement the Blueprint, the challenges in implementation, and progress monitoring. CCPS is waiting for feedback from the AIB. The draft responses can be found on the CCPS Blueprint website and the AIB’s website.

Policy Area 1- Early Childhood Education

Beth Sorsby, Specialist in Early Childhood, led a stakeholder group with the purpose of selecting a high-quality curriculum for a future prekindergarten program that will service three-year old students. The group made a recommendation to the Board of Education of Charles County at the February work session. The curriculum, Frog Street Threes, was selected because of its strong alignment to the Maryland Early Learning Standards, its strong social-emotional learning content, and its resources for building strong family partnerships. The curriculum will be available for community members to preview and provide feedback for at the Central Office building during regular business hours.

Policy Area 2- Diverse Teachers and Leaders

Several CCPS teachers have recently earned or retained National Board Certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). Teachers who earn this certification and are actively teaching in the classroom for a specific amount of time earn an additional $10,000 in additional salary, per the mandates of the Blueprint. CCPS offers support for those seeking this certification. More information about those that have been recognized can be found at https://www.ccboe.com/about/public-info-media/details/~board/press-releases/post/ccps-teachers-earn-national-board-certification

Policy Area 3- College and Career Readiness (CCR)

The Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB), Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), and the Governor's Workforce Development Board CTE Committee in

collaboration with Maryland Workforce Association (MWA) hosted a Technical Assistance session to support the continued development of Career Counseling throughout Maryland on February 9. The purpose of this event was to facilitate collaboration, sharing, and the continued launch of the Maryland Career Counseling program. Representatives from CCPS as well as the Tri-County Council of Southern Maryland attended the session.

Policy Area 4- More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

Five additional schools in CCPS will become Community Schools for the 2024-25 school year. Community schools serve as hubs that bring families, communities, and partners together to remove barriers to learning. Assigned to each community school is a community school coordinator and additional healthcare practitioner that will help provide a wide array of wraparound services that help students to be successful. These five additional schools are Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School, John Hanson Middle School, General Smallwood Middle School, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School, and Thomas Stone High School.

Policy Area 5- Governance and Accountability

Expert Review Team (ERT) visits in Charles County continued during the month of February. The purpose of these visits is to identify effective practices and areas of growth of each school. Every school in the state of Maryland will be visited sometime between 2022 and 2032. Gale-Bailey Elementary School and Matthew Henson Middle School received visits from two separate teams on February 21 and 22. Maurice J. McDonough High School was the first school to be visited on January 24 and 25. All the schools in Charles County to be visited for the 2023-24 school year were selected randomly by MSDE.

Policy Area 1 - Early Childhood Education

Beth Sorsby, Specialist in Early Childhood, is leading a stakeholder group with the purpose of selecting a high-quality curriculum for a future prekindergarten program that will service three-year old students. The group is made up of special education and early childhood teachers, parents, Judy Center staff, school administrators, content specialists, and private childcare providers in Charles County. The group plans to make a recommendation to the Board of Education of Charles County for the February board meeting.

Policy Area 2 - Diverse Teachers and Leaders

CCPS continues its work to support new teachers in the district. The New Teacher Academy provides ongoing professional learning on a monthly basis that is geared towards supporting new teachers in their role. During January’s meeting, the focus of the professional learning was assessments, behavior management, and long-range goals. Previous topics have included curriculum, lesson planning, parent communication, and other relevant topics. The New Teacher Academy is mandatory for all new and conditional teachers. Notably, the sessions are not just led by district-level educators but also feature teacher leaders playing a pivotal role in guiding discussions and new teacher learning.

Policy Area 3 - College and Career Readiness (CCR)

CCPS and the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) teamed up to host a Charles County Chamber of Commerce mixer on January 17, 2024. Business representatives had the opportunity to learn more about work-based learning (WBL) programs within CCPS and CSM. Following a brief presentation about WBL programs, staff from CCPS, CSM, the Maryland Department of Labor, Charles County Economic Development, and the Tri-County Council were available to answer questions and provide more information and resources.

Policy Area 4 - More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

CCPS partnered with the Maryland Department of Health, the Charles County Department of Health, and the Charles County Sheriff’s Office for a Community Overdose Action town hall held on January 25, 2024. The town hall featured a short presentation and allowed members of the community to speak on topics related to substance use and awareness. The sheriff’s department’s Heroin Overdose Prevention Education — HOPE — House was on site for tours. The HOPE House is a mobile unit that features a recreation of a teen’s bedroom designed to educate parents of where their children might be hiding drugs and other harmful items.

Policy Area 5 - Governance and Accountability

Expert Review Team (ERT) visits in Charles County began during the month of January. Maurice J. McDonough High School was the first school to be visited on January 24 and 25. The purpose of these visits is to identify effective practices and areas of growth of each school. Every school in the state of Maryland will be visited sometime between 2022 and 2032. McDonough High School provided the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) with a site document prior to the visit that included artifacts around curriculum, instruction, behavioral health, and educator professional learning. Other schools that will be visited this year include Gale-Bailey Elementary School, Matthew Henson Middle School, and Henry E. Lackey High School. All the schools in Charles County to be visited for the 2023-24 school year were selected randomly by MSDE.

Policy Area 1 - Early Childhood Education

Beth Sorsby, Specialist in Early Childhood, presented at the Accountability and Implementation Board’s (AIB) Pillar 1 steering committee on December 7, 2023. Part of the purpose of the committee is to allow districts to share successes and provide input/feedback on how the work of the AIB and the Blueprint are progressing. Ms. Sorsby was asked to highlight the successes around CCPS prekindergarten including expansion, interaction with families and private providers, and the partnership with the Judy Center.

Policy Area 2 - Diverse Teachers and Leaders

The Hiring Practices and Diversity report, a report that is required per the Blueprint, was written and submitted in December. The original report was only required by law to be written one time, but the AIB has mandated all districts continue yearly to report and reflect on current and future practices. This is the second year the report has been submitted. The submitted report can be found on the system’s Blueprint website under 2023-24 reports or at:

Hiring Practices and Diversity Report

Policy Area 3 - College and Career Readiness (CCR)

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) begun holding Early College Information Nights for students in grades 10-11. The Early College Program is a result of a partnership between Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) and CSM. The tuition-free program for the 2024-2025 academic year is open to CCPS rising juniors and seniors. It is an opportunity to experience being a full-time college student, save money, and complete college credits while still in high school. For more details about the Early College program at CSM, visit the college's website at:

CCPS/CSM Early College Program

Policy Area 4 - More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

Dr. Navarro joined Ivy and Pearls of Southern Maryland Community Charities and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Nu Zeta Omega Chapter of Waldorf for their public policy forum on December 9, 2023. The goal of the forum was to address the mental health of Black youth, educate about the issues that can impact youth, and provide resources for parents. Navarro presented on the panel about Parental Training: Youth Mental Health First Aid.

Policy Area 5 - Governance and Accountability

Interim State Superintendent Dr. Carey Wright and Executive Director of the AIB Rachel Hise released a joint memo outlining new guidelines and due dates for the upcoming submission for the Blueprint. Changes in questions and design were explained in the memo, along with a new phased-in submission with two deadlines: March 15, 2024, and May 1, 2024. The first submission will require districts to respond to prompts about current Blueprint plan alignment to strategic plan/goals, communication to stakeholders, systematic changes required, challenges in implementation, and progress monitoring. The second deadline will require districts to address the bulk of the Blueprint questions.

Policy Area 1 - Early Childhood Education

Every year, each district in Maryland must report to MSDE the number of eligible public Prek programs in the county. CCPS had 23, which is up one from last year with the addition of the Early Learning Center, La Plata. Districts must also include the number of students enrolled in full day Prek by age (3 or 4) and tier. CCPS had 968 students enrolled in full day 4-year-old Prek as of September 30, 2023. CCPS was able to offer a slot to all eligible Tier I students. CCPS also reported the number of programs rated in Maryland Excels and their rating. CCPS has 3 schools rated a Level 4 with Maryland Excels which include, J.P. Ryon, Eva Turner, and Dr. Mudd.

Policy Area 2 - Diverse Teachers and Leaders

The Accountability and Implementation Board, along with the Maryland State Department of Education, hosted a career ladder convening on November 17, 2023. At the meeting, different working groups shared drafts of potential career ladder models that could be used. While each LEA is required to submit a career ladder by July 1, 2024, each district does not have to implement the career ladder until the 2025-2026 school year.

Policy Area 3 - College and Career Readiness (CCR)

CCPS announced it is expanding career and technical education (CTE) opportunities for high school students. CCPS recently finalized with the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) three new technical certification pathways that begin next school year. High school students who participate in the new two-year programs will earn certifications in medical coding, pharmacy technician, or electrical trades. For more information visit:

CCPS/CSM Early College Program

Policy Area 4 - More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

A CCPS team including the Youth in Transition Coordinator, Bethany Goodwin, three PPWs, John Hairston, LaTonia Bowman, Donna Robinson, and two Community School Coordinators, Marissa Ackerman and Andrill Harris attended the National Association Education Homeless Children and Youth Conference. The Power and Promise of Community Schools to Support Unhoused Students, facilitated by UVLA's Center for Community Schooling, was attended by the team and information was brought back to CCPS to help strengthen its community schools program. Andrill Harris, LaTonia Bowman, and Donna Robinson presented at the national conference on the topic of Trauma, Stress, and McKinney-Vento, and why more resources are needed to support students.

Policy Area 5 - Governance and Accountability

The Board of Education of Charles County hosted the annual legislative breakfast on Monday, November 27, 2023. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss educational topics before the Maryland General Assembly convenes in January. The main topic of discussion was the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Highlights of implementation of the Blueprint across the five pillars, including increased enrollment of kindergarten, starting salaries for teachers, enrollment in early college programs, and direct supports for students that need them, were shared. Potential budget implications were also discussed that could impact districts. According to Blueprint law, school systems must be able to show that each school was budgeted and utilized 75 percent of the total Blueprint funding, starting with the 2024-2025 school year.

Policy Area 1 - Early Childhood Education

The CCPS Title I Office continues to develop partnerships with childcare providers who operate or serve children in Title I school zones. Fifteen childcare providers attended Title I's Childcare Providers Collaboration meeting on October 18, 2023. Through this partnership, Title I will continue to support early childhood programs, assist in the Maryland EXCELS program, provide learning resources, and offer free training to early childhood providers aimed at building professional knowledge and providing Core of Knowledge credits in the Maryland EXCELS program. Additionally, providers working towards accreditation will receive site visits, materials, and support from the Title I Early Childhood Community Liaison.

Policy Area 2 - Diverse Teachers and Leaders

The Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) and Maryland State Board of Education (MSDE) was scheduled to share career ladder updates with LEA reps, association reps, and other selected individuals on October 27, 2023. The meeting was cancelled and was rescheduled November 17, 2023. Additional updates will be shared in the November updates.

Policy Area 3 - College and Career Readiness (CCR)

Students in grades 9 through 12 who attend Henry E. Lackey, La Plata, Maurice J. McDonough, Thomas Stone, and Westlake high schools have the opportunity to earn high school graduation requirements outside of the regular school day by completing an extended-day course for original credit. As North Point and St. Charles high schools operate on a block schedule versus a period schedule used by the five other high schools, students at North Point and St. Charles are currently eligible to complete eight credits per school year. The courses are taught using the online APEX/Edmentum learning platform with deadlines set for unit completion. The first semester courses started on October 16, 2023, and run until January 19, 2024. A total of 237 high school students have taken advantage of this free opportunity.

Policy Area 4 - More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

CCPS hosted an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) night on October 26, 2023, at Hanson Middle School. Over 600 guests were present to participate in an evening of family games, activities, and crafts from all over the world. There were many CCPS students present at the event to help facilitate and perform including students from North Point High Schools criminal justice and World Language National Honors programs and performers from the Phoenix International School of the Arts (PISOTA).

Policy Area 5- Governance and Accountability

The AIB is providing each district with an opportunity to collaborate with a strategic facilitator over the 2023-24 school year. The purpose of the collaboration between the strategic facilitator and the district is to support the transformation required by the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The focus of the work will be around establishing a career ladder, strengthening the grow-your-own program, and evaluating current CTE pathways. The AIB will pay each strategic facilitator up to $100,000 for their work with a district. CCPS is happy to welcome Jason Dougal, Chief Operating Officer of National Center on Education and the Economy, as its strategic facilitator.

Policy Area 1 - Early Childhood Education

CCPS recently submitted an application for a competitive grant from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). The grant, the Prekindergarten Expansion Grant, helps school systems administer high-quality prekindergarten and school readiness services. CCPS applied for the grant and was awarded the funding for J. P. Ryon Elementary School for fiscal year 2024.

Policy Area 2 - Diverse Teachers and Leaders

The Public School Superintendents’ Association of Maryland (PSSAM) hosted a virtual seminar for Blueprint coordinators and National Board Certification (NBC) coordinators on June 28, 2023. The seminar was facilitated by Ms. Amy Huque from Montgomery County Public Schools. The training allowed NBC coordinators to share materials and reflect on current practices aimed at increasing the number of NBC teachers in Maryland schools.

Policy Area 3 - College and Career Readiness (CCR)

CCPS continues to work with the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) and the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland (TCCSMD) to establish a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlines the career advising programs that will be offered to students in CCPS middle schools and high schools per the requirements outlined in the Blueprint. The Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) has reviewed the MOU and has provided feedback to the three organizations.

Policy Area 4 - More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

Three additional schools in CCPS have been identified as a community school. These schools include: Dr. Brown Elementary School, J.P. Ryon Elementary School, and Eva Turner Elementary School. A community school is any school that receives Concentration of Poverty Grants which is determined by the percentage of students living in poverty that attend the school. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future legislation provides Concentration of Poverty Grants for personnel and wraparound services in community schools and requires needs assessments and implementation plans to be submitted to the MSDE. During the month of June, three community school coordinators have been hired at each of the three schools. The role of the community school coordinator is to help identify the barriers of student achievement and help provide access for wrap-around services to address those barriers. Two other schools in CCPS are already community schools which include Indian Head Elementary School and Dr. Mudd Elementary School.

Policy Area 5 - Governance and Accountability

Charles County Public Schools received feedback from the AIB on its Blueprint Implementation Plan. Changes to the original plan were made based on feedback from MSDE. On June 30, 2023, the plan was submitted to the AIB. The AIB is hoping to approve all plans in the month of July.

Policy Area 1 - Early Childhood Education

CCPS officially opened its doors to prekindergarten students for the first day of school on September 6. The newest CCPS facility dedicated to expanding early childhood program access for young learners also welcomed students. The Early Learning Center, also known as ELC, is located on the CSM La Plata campus and features five prekindergarten classrooms that can serve between 80 to 100 students. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on August 24, 2023.

Policy Area 2 - Diverse Teachers and Leaders

The Maryland Negotiation Service (MNS) hosted its kick-off conference on September 7-8, 2023, for district negotiation teams and Blueprint coordinators. The conference was aimed at building capacity of participants around the implications of the Blueprint. Collaborative time in district groups allowed teams to reflect and evaluate necessary next steps, especially in relation to the career ladder.; A plan for the career ladder must be included in the March 2024 update of the district’s Blueprint plan. Components of the career ladder must be implemented beginning July 1, 2024.

Policy Area 3 - College and Career Readiness (CCR)

Early College started on September 5th and welcomed 145 students between the general studies certificate program and the Business Administration AAS degree program. Students have acclimated to campus life and are doing exceptionally well, according to CSM faculty. Leaders from both CCPS and CSM continue to meet every two weeks to discuss student progress and expanding to new pathways for the 2024-25 school year.

Policy Area 4 - More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

CCPS began offering the opportunity for parents/guardians to become a youth mental health first aider in September. The training consists of two evening classes at the Starkey Administrative Building. The class teaches parents/guardians how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among children and adolescents ages 12-18. Additional classes will be held in October, November, and December. For more information, visit:

youth mental health first aid for parents

Policy Area 5 - Governance and Accountability

On September 5, 2023, CCPS received a letter from the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) that the CCPS Initial Blueprint Comprehensive Plan has been fully approved. CCPS needed to make clarifications in its career counseling MOU with CSM and the Tri-County Council of Southern Maryland (TCCSMD). The MOU is on the CCPS Blueprint webpage under Yearly Reports, 2023-2024. The MOU identifies the roles of each party as it relates to career counseling and advising for students in grades 6-12.

Policy Area 1 - Early Childhood Education

The Family Childcare Alliance of Maryland facilitates the ASPIRE program that is designed to make it easier for qualified family childcare providers across Maryland to participate in Maryland's publicly funded PreK program. The program provides support for private providers through collaborative planning, coaching, and networking that helps build capacity of family childcare providers. Currently, the Family Childcare Alliance of Maryland is working with two qualified family childcare providers in Charles County to help expand prekindergarten in the system. The two childcare providers will open an additional 10 seats for prekindergarten.

Policy Area 2 - Diverse Teachers and Leaders

Michelle Newton and Bret Williams from Montgomery County Public Schools hosted a session for Blueprint coordinators and representatives from Human Resources on August 23^rd to share their district’s Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) program. Per the requirements of the Blueprint, a teacher evaluation system that is tied to the career ladder must include components of a peer review system. Montgomery County has implemented the PAR program that helps identify the needs of teachers, provides ongoing feedback and coaching, and has increased teacher retention rates.

Policy Area 3 - College and Career Readiness (CCR)

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) has shared guidelines to districts regarding two upcoming reports that are due on September 1. The first report asks LEAs to identify how funding from various grants, including ESSR, were used to help address the learning loss caused by COVID. This report will be posted to the CCPS Blueprint website after it is submitted. The second report asks LEAs to identify the number of freshman students on track to graduate. The information for this report will be shared in the March 2024 submission of the updated CCPS Blueprint plan.

Policy Area 4 - More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

On August 23^rd, CCPS hosted a technology night for the parents of English learners. The purpose of this outreach was to support parents in accessing educational technology that is used in schools. Jenny Herrara, the bilingual family and community outreach facilitator, helped parents with ParentVUE, class Dojo, and other relevant technology sites used by students and families. She also helped parents set up the MyPaymentsPlus account which allows parents to put money on students’ accounts for breakfast and lunch.

Policy Area 5 - Governance and Accountability

During the month of August, MSDE hosted several technical assistance sessions regarding the Expert Review Teams (ERT) that will be deployed to determine the underlying causes of student performance problems, evaluate behavioral health services, and develop recommendations to address identified issues. Every school in Maryland will receive a visit from an ERT by the end of 2030-31 school year. A team of six expert reviewers will visit a school to determine how effectively schools implement practices that accelerate student learning, review team debriefs to form a consensus on initial findings, and review team debriefs with school leadership and central office staff to discuss initial findings. These on-site school reviews will occur over the course of two days. CCPS is waiting for the final list from MSDE of schools that will be visited for the 2023-24 school year.

Policy Area 1 -Early Childhood Education

Renovations at the Early Learning Center are complete. The coordinator of the Early Learning Center, Candice Vallandingham-Adam, and the secretary began working at the center at the beginning of July. The instructional staff at the Early Learning Center includes five prekindergarten teachers, three special education teachers, and eight instructional assistants. The Early Learning Center catchment zone includes portions of the zone from Arthur Middleton Elementary, Billingsley Elementary, Dr. James Craik Elementary, Gale-Bailey Elementary, Indian Head Elementary, J.C. Parks Elementary, and William A. Diggs Elementary. Prekindergarten will begin on Tuesday, September 5th.

Policy Area 2 - Diverse Teachers and Leaders

The Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) hosted a career ladder information and technical assistance session on July 18, 2023. Districts were encouraged to invite personnel who will support the development of a career ladder, are impacted by career ladder implementation, or have an interest in the development of career ladders including local National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) Coordinators, Human Resources representatives, and teacher and administrator union representatives.

Policy Area 3 - College and Career Readiness (CCR)

CCPS worked with the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) and the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland (TCCSMD) to establish a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlines the career advising programs that will be offered to students in CCPS middle schools and high schools per the requirements outlined in the Blueprint. The AIB had reviewed the MOU and provided feedback to the three organizations. Clarifications were requested from the AIB regarding the budget. While changes to the actual MOU were not made, budget clarifications were made. Because the MOU was already signed by CCPS, CSM, and TCCSMD when additional clarifications were requested, each agency had to provide additional permission that the budget clarifications were accepted by all parties. This delayed the submittal of the MOU to the AIB.

Policy Area 4 - More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

The three new schools in CCPS that have been identified as a community school have each hired a community school coordinator and additional nurse to help provide access for wrap-around services. We welcome them to their new role!

Policy Area 5 - Governance and Accountability

On July 31, Dr. Navarro received a letter from AIB Chair Ike Leggett that congratulated the school system on its approval of the CCPS 2023 Blueprint Implementation Plan. During the July 27 meeting, the AIB unanimously approved the CCPS plan with the condition of the new budget for the MOU be submitted and approved by CCPS, CSM, and TCCSMD.

Policy Area 1 - Early Childhood Education

CCPS created a survey for all licensed private childcare providers in Charles County to determine how support can be provided to those interested in applying for grants from the Maryland State Board of Education (MSDE). The grants would help expand the mixed-delivery system and allow provide providers to receive state funds from one of two grants: the Prekindergarten Expansion Grant or the Maryland State Prekindergarten Grant. Based on the results of the feedback, supports for private providers are being implemented before the June deadline.

Policy Area 2 - Diverse Teachers and Leaders

The State Board of Education and the MSDE hosted the Educator Preparation, Quality, and Diversity Charette on May 25th at Bowie High School. The charette focused on the Strategic Plan Enabler – Educator Preparation, Quality, and Diversity and provided an opportunity for local school board members, district staff, principals, educators, higher education partners, and families from neighboring counties (Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s) to provide input on the flagship programs, strategies and initiatives that will elevate the teaching profession.

Policy Area 3 - College and Career Readiness (CCR)

The State Board of Education and the MSDE hosted the Virtual Ready for College and Career Charette on May 16^th. The charette focused on the Strategic Plan Priority Ready for College and Career and provided an opportunity for educators, principals, district staff, community and higher education partners, and family members from Charles, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, and Washington Counties to provide input on the flagship programs, strategies and initiatives that will accelerate student achievement on the college and career readiness standard and pathway completion.

Policy Area 4 -More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

The final meeting for the school year for the Judy Center and Community Schools steering committee was held May 24^th. Participants include CCPS personnel as well as partner organizations aimed at providing services to students that need them most. The final meeting focused on reflections of projects and partnerships, as well as sharing future plans for the next school year.

Policy Area 5 - Governance and Accountability

Charles County Public Schools received its second round of feedback on its submission of the Blueprint Plan from MSDE. CCPS received positive and actionable feedback to expand the plan. MSDE has provided several opportunities for school systems to revise plans through June 27, 2023. The schedule is listed below.

Policy Area 1 - Early Childhood Education

The Office of Early Childhood hosted the Early Learning Launch on April 15, 2023. The event featured school readiness activities, resources from community partners, a school bus tour, and support for prekindergarten and kindergarten applications. Over 170 families attended the event to learn about early childhood initiatives in Charles County.

Policy Area 2 - Diverse Teachers and Leaders

Charles County Public Schools hosted two informational sessions in the month of April for current teachers to learn about the National Board Certification process and the supports provided by CCPS. Participants had the opportunity to attend sessions either virtually or in-person. National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) receive additional salary increases. CCPS has created specific supports for teachers pursuing this certification to include information about the process, guidance from mentors, and peer feedback.

Policy Area 3 - College and Career Readiness (CCR)

The Early College Program provides accepted students with access to tuition-free college courses. Through this program, students earn college credits that can transfer following their high school graduation. Representatives from CCPS and the College of Southern Maryland reviewed applications and scored essays to determine the eligibility of students during the month of April. 80 students were accepted into the one-year graduate certificate program and 90 students were accepted into the two-year Business Administration associate degree program.

Policy Area 4 - More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

In the January 2023 monthly Blueprint update, a presentation about the Charles County Department of Health grant request to Maryland Community Health Resources Commission to implement a school-based health center (SBHC) at Indian Head Elementary School was shared. The grant to the commission would cover the cost of employee salaries and benefits, furniture and supplies, training and other non-construction related needs. This expansion of services aligns with the goals of the Blueprint, as well as the needs of the community. The grant team has learned the grant money will be awarded contingent on receiving the Capital Improvement Project (CIP) funds requested from the Charles County Board of Commissioners.

Policy Area 5 - Governance and Accountability

Charles County Public Schools received feedback on its March 15, 2023 submission of the Blueprint Plan that was submitted to the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB). CCPS received positive and actionable feedback to expand the plan. MSDE has provided several opportunities for school systems to revise plans through June 27, 2023. The schedule is listed below.

Policy Area 1 -Early Childhood Education

The Office of Early Childhood continues to prepare for the fall 2023 expansion of prekindergarten at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM). During the month of February, the team worked with planning and construction to sort and box all materials of instruction. An inventory of all usable furniture and materials from the facility was compiled and secured in one area of the building so renovations can begin. A list of furniture and materials that would need to be purchased for the center was created.

Policy Area 2 - Diverse Teachers and Leaders

Charles County Public Schools and the Education Association of Charles County (EACC) have reached a tentative agreement for all unit 1 and unit 2 employees. Per the requirements of the Blueprint, school systems are required to implement an initial 10% salary increase for teachers by 6/30/24 and implement a minimum $60,000 starting teacher salary by 7/1/26. The tentative negotiated agreement moves towards the goals of increased salary within the Blueprint.

Policy Area 3 - College and Career Readiness (CCR)

The Early College Program provides accepted students with access to tuition-free college courses. Through this program, students earn college credits that can transfer following their high school graduation. CCPS is offering 200 total spaces to current high school sophom*ores and juniors for next school year. Eligible CCPS students that met all required to be eligible to apply for the Early College Program received information about the steps for application. CCPS, in partnership with the College of Southern Maryland (CSM), offers a free Early College Program for high school juniors and seniors. The parent/guardian of eligible students also received information. The deadline for applying was March 1.

Policy Area 4 - More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

Parents and guardians of children who receive special education services in Maryland recently received a copy of the Maryland Special Education Parent Involvement Survey in the mail from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). By completing the survey, parents and guardians can share how their children’s school can better partner with them.

The feedback helps guide efforts to improve special education and related services in school systems around Maryland, including Charles County Public Schools (CCPS). The hard copy of the survey should be returned in the postage-paid envelope by May 19. The survey can also be completed online at:

maryland special education parent involvement survey

Questions can be directed to Kenneth Hudock with MSDE at 410-767-7770 or Kenneth.Hudock@maryland.gov.

Policy Area 5 - Governance and Accountability

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) continues to host technical assistance sessions aimed at providing districts feedback on Blueprint plans. CCPS participated in a LEA specific meeting with members of MSDE and the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) to receive feedback on its draft plan. In addition to the Blueprint implementation coordinator, leaders of each of the five steering committees attended the feedback session. CCPS also hosted a Blueprint Town Hall on February 21^st. You can view the video at:

Blueprint Maryland's Future Town hall

Policy Area 1 - Early Childhood Education

On January 1, 2023 the lease between CCPS and the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) began so that CCPS can utilize CSM’s former St. Charles Children’s Learning Center (CLC) to expand prekindergarten program offerings beginning in the 2023-24 school year. CCPS has started preparing for construction to begin to accommodate up to 90 pre-kindergarten students. CCPS is in the process of determining the catchment zone for students and additional information will be shared once it is determined.

Policy Area 2 - Diverse Teachers and Leaders

Score results for teachers seeking National Board Certification (NBC) are released every December. CCPS is proud to announce that one additional teacher has become nationally board certified. NBC is available in 25 certificate areas representing 16 different disciplines and four developmental levels. To become a Board-certified teacher, eligible candidates must demonstrate advanced knowledge, skills, and practice in their individual certificate area by completing four components: three portfolio entries and a computer-based assessment. As a part of the career ladder, NBC educators teaching in the classroom at least 60% of the time receive a $10,000 salary increase.

Policy Area 3 - College and Career Readiness (CCR)

The Charles County Chamber of Commerce’s Business & Education Committee and CCPS hosted their January mixer titled “Connecting Employers to Apprenticeship and Internship Opportunities.” Employers in the county had the opportunity to explore apprenticeships and internships opportunities and learn how to become an eligible employer for CCPS students. As CCPS moves towards increasing apprenticeships opportunities for students, we plan to continue to reach out to the business community. One of the goals of the Blueprint is for 45% of high school students to earn an industry-recognized credential or complete the high school level of a registered apprenticeship.

Policy Area 4 - More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

On January 31^st, representatives from CCPS and the Charles County Health Department presented at the County Commissioners’ January 31^st meeting requesting $1,135,000 in CIP funding for a modular medical clinic on the grounds of Indian Head Elementary School. The Charles County Department of Health has submitted a grant request to Maryland Community Health Resources Commission to implement a school-based health center (SBHC). The grant to the commission would cover the cost of employee salaries and benefits, furniture and supplies, training and other non-construction related needs. This expansion of services aligns with the goals of the Blueprint, as well as the needs of the community. A copy of the presentation can be found below:

School Based Health Center at Indian Head Elementary School

Policy Area 5 - Governance and Accountability

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) continues to host technical assistance sessions aimed at providing districts feedback on Blueprint plans. The first submission of the Blueprint plan is due to the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) on March 15^th. CCPS continues to improve its draft plan based on feedback it is receiving from other districts, the AIB, and the MSDE.

On December 22, CCPS was required to complete its yearly report to the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) and Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) that detailed the disaggregated data for prekindergarten enrollment. This report was submitted using a Google form that was provided by MSDE. The Family Child Care Alliance of Maryland informed CCPS we do not have a private prekindergarten provider as they reported earlier in the school year. The alliance is currently working with a private provider in Charles County in hopes the provider will become eligible to receive state funding for enrolled students next school year.

Policy Area 2 - Diverse Teachers and Leaders

Charles County Public Schools currently has 58 initial candidates who are participating in the CCPS National Board Academy. The purpose of the CCPS National Board Academy is to provide resources and support to teachers seeking National Board Certification. Because of the Blueprint, a National Board Certified (NBC) teacher receives and additional $10,000 salary increase. The National Board Academy includes five cohorts each led by a current CCPS NBC teacher. The cohort mentors meet monthly in order to create resources based on the needs of the teachers in the process of earning National Board Certification. The December focus was on Component 1- Content Knowledge and Component 2- Differentiation in Instruction.

Policy Area 3 - College and Career Readiness (CCR)

CCPS continues its partnership with the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) to provide early college opportunities to students. Beginning in school year 2023-24, eleventh grade students will have the opportunity to earn an associate degree in business. This program is 60 credits. Students and families will learn more about this opportunity in January and applications will be available in February.

Policy Area 4 - More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

On December 7, CCPS hosted the MSDE’s southern Maryland regional presentation titled Regional Data Walks: A Data Deep Dive into Southern Maryland’s Schools. The interactive presentation, from members of MSDE including State Superintendent Mohammad Choudhury, included information about enrollment trends, funding formulas, measuring poverty in education, concentration of poverty and community schools in Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s schools. The presentation, including additional resources provided, can be found at tinyurl.com/msdedec7

Policy Area 5 - Governance and Accountability

The MSDE hosted its first series of technical assistance meetings for districts on the requirements of Blueprint submission. The sessions, held December 12-16 and 19-22, focused specifically on each of the five pillars of the Blueprint and each individual question. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions and collaborate with others from around the state. Additional technical assistance sessions are being held throughout the months of January, February, and March.

During the month of November, Charles County Public Schools participated in and hosted several town halls and meetings with system stakeholders to solicit feedback regarding the Accountability and Implementation Board’s (AIB) draft Blueprint Comprehensive Plan released on October 26^th. Based on these sessions, the feedback of the five steering committees, and an open survey available on the system’s website, CCPS submitted written feedback prior to the November 23^rd deadline to the AIB. The AIB received feedback from all over the state of Maryland including both written feedback and public testimony at the November 10^th public hearing. The AIB was seeking feedback in order to make any necessary adjustments to the draft Blueprint Comprehensive Plan as well as the Blueprint Implementation Plan Template and Criteria for Success that systems are to use to develop their own system plans.

Charles County Public Schools is eagerly waiting for the release of the final Blueprint Comprehensive Plan and the templates to complete after the December 1 AIB meeting. During this meeting, the AIB will discuss the public comment and suggested changes to these documents before voting on final documents to be released. This will allow our school system to focus on the development of our Blueprint plan. More information will be shared during the December 13^th Board meeting.

The updates for the Blueprint Steering Committees for the month of October are a little different than the previous updates provided. On October 26^th, the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) released the. The plan is intended to guide implementation by State and local entities to achieve the Blueprint’s expected outcomes and can be viewed below:

draft Blueprint Comprehensive Implementation Plan

The AIB will host a virtual public hearing on November 10, 2022 where stakeholders and the public are invited to provide oral testimony on the draft Blueprint Comprehensive Implementation Plan. Public input is crucial to successful implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland's Future and is greatly appreciated. More information regarding the AIB’s meeting can be found below:

Accountability & Implementation BoardMeeting

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is holding a virtual town hall 5:30 p.m., November 7, 2022 to discuss the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The town hall will allow parents, students, and community members to learn about the Blueprint and provide feedback on the draft plan created by the AIB.Click here for more information regarding the town hall. Feedback generated by this town hall, as well as other meetings with system stakeholders, will be submitted to the AIB. Each of the five steering committees will also provide feedback about the draft plan.

For each of the five pillars in the Blueprint, there are specific tasks and subtasks that support expected outcomes and objectives. This information can be found by each policy area below:

1. Early Childhood Education
2. Diverse Teachers and Leaders
3. College and Career Readiness (CCR)
4. More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful
5. Governance and Accountability

Early Childhood Education

The prekindergarten enrollment for full-day students has increased for the 2022-2023 school year. A total of 843 prekindergarten students have been enrolled in a full-day program, up from 537 full-day students in the 2021-2022 school year. School year 2021-2022 had 247 category one students enrolled. This school year, 664 tier one students are enrolled. The criteria for eligible students to have access to prekindergarten has changed for this school year.; Students with a family whose income is no more than 300% of the federal poverty guidelines are now considered tier one. In previous years, category one students were eligible if the family income was no more than 185% of the federal poverty level.

Diverse Teachers and Leaders

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) collects information from each local educational agency (LEA) regarding the number of teachers that hold National Board Certification (NBC) for the additional salary increase. The MSDE recognizes the timing difference between the data submission deadline for FY 2023 State Aid (December 1, 2021) and the Statutory eligibility deadline for NBC Teacher Salary increases, July 1, 2022. The MSDE provided LEAs with the opportunity to revise the count of teachers for FY 2023 State Aid. CCPS completed the report to make necessary adjustments to the number of NBC teachers that are eligible to receive the additional $10,000 salary increase.

College and Career Readiness (CCR)

State Superintendent Choudhury provided a briefing to the State Board of Education at the August 23^rd meeting on apprenticeship programs as described in The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and other national context and best practices. Click below to view/download thefull presentation from Superintendent Choudhury:

Blueprint Deep Dive Presentation

To help provide access to these programs for CCPS students, the Charles County Chamber of Commerce created a Business and Education subcommittee which held its first meeting for the school year in September. Topics included increasing access to apprenticeships for CCPS students and increasing awareness to membership regarding the partnerships between the commerce and CCPS.

More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

A joint steering committee with CCPS Judy Centers and Community Schools has been formed and met for the first time on September 28^th. Included in the committee are local and state agencies, as well as CCPS employees. The purpose of the committee is to share resources and information on how to best serve our students in our Judy Centers and Community Schools.

Governance and Accountability

The Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) continues to meet to seek stakeholder feedback regarding the development of the Blueprint Implementation Plans. Superintendent Choudhury presented at the September 29^th AIB meeting and presented the proposed criteria for success. The criteria must be approved by the AIB. Click below to view/download Information regarding this meeting:

AIB Meeting

Early Childhood Education

CCPS entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and the Family Child Care Alliance of Maryland. This MOU establishes the working partnership between the one private prekindergarten provider in Charles County, CCPS, and MSDE. CCPS and the Family Child Care Alliance will be working together to develop an implementation plan that includes options for enrollment for eligible students, serving students with disabilities, serving English learners, serving homeless students, addressing racial and socioeconomic integration, and an explanation of any agreed upon administrative costs that will be retained by an agency that is party to the agreement. The original due date for this plan was September 1, 2022 but it will now be a part of the Blueprint plan that is due in March. MSDE is working to schedule technical assistance sessions for private providers and districts.

High Quality & Diverse Teachers and Leaders

The Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) is facilitating a Teacher Preparation Workgroup where representatives from districts and institutes of higher education (IHE) work together to address elements of the Blueprint related to teacher preparation and certification. During the August meeting, participants discussed data collection needs and data wonderings, heard from colleagues from the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) about how the Blueprint requirements for Teacher Preparation Programs were developed as well as features of top-performing systems, and heard from several of colleagues around Maryland about their Teacher Collaborative Grants. Links to the resources can be found below:

8.31.22 Teacher Prep Workgroup Session 2 - Google Drive

College and Career Readiness (CCR)

August 31st marked the first day of class for students enrolled in the Early College Program at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM). Students arrive to their home high school and receive a breakfast and lunch for the day before being transported to the CSM campus. All students are enrolled in a seminar course that is focused on helping students navigate college.

More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

The Blueprint mandates school systems provide summer programs during the 2021 and 2022 summers to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on education. August 4 was the last day for summer boost programs for qualifying students. A total of 2,861 Charles County Public Schools students in elementary, middle, and high participated in this opportunity.

Governance and Accountability

The Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) launched its new website. Included on the website are links to meetings, information regarding the Blueprint, and other relevant information that is directed for various stakeholders. Once Blueprint plans are submitted by school systems, these plans will be available on the website. Click the link below for additional information:

learn more about blueprint plans

Early Childhood Education

The Maryland Leads Initiative supports LEAs in addressing short and long-term challenges related to the current labor shortage and attends to the longstanding need to establish and strengthen teacher pipelines and development. The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) structured this grant around seven high leverage strategies. CCPS applied and will focus on three of the seven strategies, including Grow Your Own Staff. One of the focus areas in this strategy will allow grant funding to be used to help pre-kindergarten instructional assistants acquire a child development associate (CDA) or associate’s degree as mandated in the Blueprint by the 2025-26 school year. CCPS has been meeting with approved vendors of the grant to determine what organizations, colleges, and/or universities can best work with employees to meet this mandate. Click the link below for more information:

Maryland Leads Initiative

High Quality &Diverse Teachers and Leaders

The Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) announced appointments to its new advisory committees that are focused on collecting stakeholder feedback regarding the implementation of the Blueprint. Dr. Brian King, Principal at C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School, applied and was appointed to a one-year term on the advisory committee that focuses on high-quality and diverse teachers and leaders. Dr. King also serves as a participant on the CCPS steering committee that is focused on the same pillar.

College and Career Readiness (CCR)

Representatives from CCPS and the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) continue to meet on a regular basis in order to plan how to best provide additional access to students per the Blueprint. An orientation has been scheduled for students that will participate in the early college program being piloted at Lackey, St. Charles, Stone, and Westlake high schools. Students will be notified of the orientation dates and times. Students who complete the program will earn an early studies certificate which is transferrable to most public colleges and universities in Maryland.

More Resourcesto Ensure All Students are Successful

Indian Head Elementary School became the second community school in CCPS. Community schools, through funding from the concentration of poverty grant, have a community school coordinator that works as a liaison between the school and community to help provide needed resources to students and families. Marissa Ackerman was recently hired to serve in this role at Indian Head Elementary School and is very excited to begin her work!

Governance and Accountability

The AIB hosted a series of implementation planning sessions in June. During the month of July, the AIB hosted working sessions where stakeholders were invited to participate and provide feedback. Follow-up sessions have been scheduled for August: August 4 will focus on pillar 2, August 11 will focus on pillars 3 and 4, and August 18 will focus on pillar 1.

Early Childhood Education

The Family Child Care Alliance of Maryland has partnered with MSDE to serve as an umbrella organization to support family childcare providers eligible to participate in Maryland’s PreK Expansion Grant. These providers can choose to apply for the grant themselves, or they can operate under the Alliance umbrella. The providers in the Alliance program do not have to apply to the state for participation, but they do have to meet the grant’s requirements. CCPS was notified by the Family Child Care Alliance of Maryland that they received the PreK Expansion Grant and one eligible private provider in Charles County will participate under the umbrella grant.

High Quality & Diverse Teachers and Leaders

On July 1, a hiring and diversity report was due to the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) as well as the Governor that evaluates the school system’s hiring practices to determine if those practices are contributing to a lack of diversity in Maryland’s teaching staff.

Click here to viewthe report

College and Career Readiness (CCR)

The Blueprint mandates each local school system establish and implement a summer school program that addresses the needs of students effected by the Covid-19 pandemic during the summers of 2021 and 2022. CCPS is hosting several programs this summer, including boost programs for students who need additional supports, enrichment camps, career and technical education (CTE) exploration camps, a Grade 9 Academy for rising freshmen, and summer school courses.

Click here for more information

More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

Dr. Mudd Elementary School, our first community school with additional funding for wraparound services for students and families funded by the Blueprint, facilitated a needs assessment that will help develop a long-term plan to help meet the needs of the school. Surveys, interviews, and other impactful data was collected and will be used to provide services to the community of Dr. Mudd Elementary School. This report was due to MSDE on July 1. Feedback regarding the process and plan will be provided by MSDE.

Governance and Accountability

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) hosted a series of implementation planning sessions in June. The purpose of these sessions was to build collective understanding of the Blueprint’s purpose and inform the development of the Comprehensive Implementation Plan that is critical to the Blueprint’s success. Each session focused on different pillars of the Blueprint. For recordings of the meetings, click the link below. Then click “Meetings” at the top and scroll to view the June meetings. The schedule is as follows: June 16- Pillars 3 and 5, June 23- Pillars 1 and 4, June 30- Pillar 2.

Early Childhood Education

CCPS has confirmed that no private providers in Charles County received any of the prekindergarten grants offered by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Three private providers in Charles County applied to receive grant funding intended to expand prekindergarten services to students, but all three did not meet the requirements set forth by the MSDE. MSDE has stated they intend to provide support to these private providers to help them meet the requirements for grant funding in the future. CCPS will also provide support to private providers to help them with the requirements of the grants in order to help expand prekindergarten services to students in our county.

High Quality & Diverse Teachers and Leaders

The MSDE has convened a small advisory committee to make recommendations regarding the document titled Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Implementation Guidance: Initial Eligibility for National Board Certification Salary Increase Incentives (see April 2022 update for more information). Six school systems have been selected to provide feedback regarding current policy regarding National Board Certification (NBC) including representation from CCPS. All CCPS nationally board-certified educators have been notified regarding whether or not they are eligible to receive the additional $10,000 salary increase beginning next school year. Those educators that were not eligible had an opportunity to request a transfer to a position that allows them to earn the additional salary increase.

College and Career Readiness (CCR)

The selection committee for early college entrance, comprised of representatives from CCPS and the College of Southern Maryland (CSM), convened to review the applications of students wanting to participate in the early college pilot program. The program is being piloted at Lackey, St. Charles, Stone, and Westlake high schools. In order to participate, students need to meet specific requirements including GPA, specific coursework, and number of high school credits. 72 students were accepted into the program.

More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

Dr. Mudd Elementary School, our first community school with additional funding for wraparound services for students and families funded by the Blueprint, held its first Community Wellness Day on Saturday, May 21^st. Focused on advocating on the physical and mental health of the community, 30+ vendors were present and interacted with community members that attended. Participants were able to receive needed vaccines, COVID-19 tests, and food baskets. Opportunities to sign-up for various services included organizations that could help with food shortages, summer camps for students, and other needs expressed by the community. Approximately 263 families attended the event.

Governance and Accountability

The Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) is seeking applications for its advisory committees. Four advisory committees will be formed around the following policy areas: early childhood education, high-quality and diverse teachers and leaders, college and career readiness pathways, and more resources to ensure all students are successful. Applications are due by midnight on June 20^th. For more information, including the link to the Google form application, click the link below:

Advisory Committees Structure- Final.docx (maryland.gov)

Early Childhood Education

CCPS has been working with officials from the Charles County Government and AlphaBEST, our system’s before and after care provider, to expand access for before and after care for CCPS students below the age of five. Currently, AlphaBEST is only licensed for students five years and older and per the regulations, students in AlphaBEST under the age of five cannot be in the same space as those above the age of five. The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Office of Child Care’s (OCC) will need to approve the expansion for students under five and visit every elementary school as a part of process. We are hopeful this can be accomplished in time for the start of the 2022-2023 school year. Dr. Navarro spoke at the public forum portion of the Maryland State Board of Education meeting on April 26th to highlight the feedback the school system has received from private childcare providers about why many providers have not applied to receive state funds to provide prekindergarten programs. The clip can be found at the 12 minute mark on the video below:

Click here to view the video

High Quality & Diverse Teachers and Leaders

The MSDE has provided a document called Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Implementation Guidance: Initial Eligibility for National Board Certification Salary Increase Incentives which aims to address unified language and understanding around those educators that are eligible to receive salary increases associated with National Board Certification (NBC) beginning July 1, 2022. This document is considered a working document; therefore, additional clarifications and/or changes should be anticipated. The most up-to-date version College and Career Readiness (CCR)

The proposed recommendation by the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) made to Maryland legislators to delay the requirement for districts to create a program of study for students that don’t meet the CCR requirement by the end of 10th grade until the 2023-24 school year has been passed and signed into law by Governor Hogan. The steering committee worked to identify current supports in place for students and is currently working in identifying the supports that are used effectively in other school systems.

More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

The steering committee recommends the following priorities be adopted in order to help with student achievement in Charles County Public Schools:

• Provide math and reading resources aimed at improving student achievement to students, teachers, and parents/guardians based on data iReady assessment scores that are administered to students throughout the school year;
• Create a hybrid or virtual option for all students that includes the same rigorous options (AP) and allows students to participate in sports and other extra-curricular activities; and
• Align hiring practices to ensure our best teachers are working with our neediest students.

Governance and Accountability

During the past Maryland legislative session, House Bill 1450, which altered timelines for the Blueprint’s implementation, was passed. Specifically, this bill extends the State Implementation Plan deadline from Feb. 15, 2022 to Dec. 1, 2022; extends the MSDE deadline for plan criteria from April 1, 2022 to Sept. 1, 2022; and extends the local implementation plan deadline extended form June 15, 2022 to March 15, 2023. The MSDE plans to provide ongoing technical support to local districts as they develop plans that will begin this summer or early fall.

Early Childhood Education

Several meetings with various stakeholders were held during the month of March. The Blueprint mandates that all instructional assistants in prekindergarten classrooms hold either a child development associate (CDA) or an associate’s degree by the 2025-26 school year. Meetings were held for all instructional assistants impacted by this mandate to share this information, as well as to gather input from them to help the district create pathways for staff to meet these requirements. Preliminary estimates show this will cost approximately $10,000 per employee. Representatives from CCPS presented to the Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC) of Charles County focusing on expanding access for prekindergarten students by private providers. Some hesitation on the part of private providers to participate was shared due to experiences private providers have had in the past with getting funds owed to them in a timely manner from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Our system is still greatly concerned that we could have no private providers in the county who apply to receive Blueprint

High Quality &Diverse Teachers and Leaders

The team continues to work on possible scenarios to ensure CCPS is on a trajectory to meet salary requirements for staff as required in the Blueprint. There will be additional updates once the County Commissioners finalize the allocations for CCPS and the BOE finalizes the school system’s budget.

College and Career Readiness (CCR)

The Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) made recommendations to Maryland legislators to delay the requirement for districts to create a program of study for students that don’t meet the CCR requirement by the end of 10th grade. Currently, the law states districts must create a program of study for students by the 2022-23 school year. The proposed recommendation would delay the mandate for one school year. Because of standard setting due to a new Maryland assessment, districts would not have data by the beginning of the school year from the MSDE to place students in a program of study. The bill has been reviewed by both chambers and will go to Governor Hogan.

More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

Dr. Mudd Elementary School, our first community school in the district, will be hosting a Community Health Fair Day on Saturday, May 21 from 10:00am to 1:00pm at the school site. Community schools work with local stakeholders to provide wrap around services and supports to their students and their families. We are excited that Indian Head Elementary School has received funds to become a community school in school year 2022-23.

Governance and Accountability

Per the Blueprint, each district is required to have a 9th grade tracker system that will measure each student’s progress towards graduating on time. A report in our current student information system, Synergy, is being used for this requirement and is now considered “live” for all 9th grade students since semester grades were completed. School administrators were provided training on how to access the report. Parents and students can access the report using ParentVUE or StudentVUE by clicking on the Documents tab. They can then click on the Graduation Tracker report to see testing requirements, student-service learning information, and information about credits attained and still needed.

Early Childhood Education

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) opened two grant opportunities to both public and private childcare providers with the hope of expanding prekindergarten access to more students in Maryland. With help from MSDE’s Office of Childcare, CCPS invited all private, licensed childcare providers in Charles County to attend one of two informational sessions held on February 10th and February 15th. The purpose of these sessions was to ensure private providers had the information provided by MSDE about the upcoming grant opportunities, answer any questions they may have about the grant process and requirements, offer any assistance and support, and determine if any private providers may be applying for grants to expand prekindergarten. At this time, we are very concerned we will not have any private providers in Charles County to expand prekindergarten programs for residents and this could impact the number of tier two and tier three students that will not have access to prekindergarten in the future.

High Quality & Diverse Teachers and Leaders

Steve Roberts, Director of Accountability, presented information regarding the process for the current CCPS teacher evaluation system. Discussions focused on the alignment of the current teacher evaluation system to the requirements of the Blueprint. Changes, which would likely have financial implications, would likely need to be made including training for all observers, creation of a competency assessment for observers, and modifications to the current teacher evaluation system hub called The Evaluation and Assets Management System (TEAMS). An extensive plan for professional learning for all stakeholders will need to be implemented.

College and Career Readiness (CCR)

Options for career exploration continues to be researched within the steering committee. February’s meetings focused on how to target access for students in elementary school. Several suggestions including themed early dismissal explorations, embedded curricular documents and lessons, and online programs that could be enhanced were discussed. More clarification is needed from Elementary Programs in order to make further recommendations.

More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

Throughout the month of January, members of this steering committee spent time reaching out to colleagues and community members to seek input regarding services and/or programs that were needed to ensure students did not have barriers at school. A comprehensive list was shared within the steering committee, and participants were asked to prioritize the top three. These top three priorities will be shared as recommendations for the Blueprint plan.

Governance and Accountability

Changes have been made in Synergy, the system’s student information system, for the prekindergarten registration. All families will be required to submit family income documentation as a part of the registration process. In the past, only families who qualified for free and reduced meals (FARMS) were required to submit this paperwork. Students in tier one, whose family income is 300% or below of the federal poverty rate, will qualify for prekindergarten with income verification. If space allows, students in tier two, whose family income falls within 301% and 600% of the federal poverty level, will be given next priority for acceptance to prekindergarten. Students in tier three, whose family income is above 601% of the federal poverty level, will be only accepted if space allows once tier one and tier two students have been placed. Prekindergarten registration for school year 22-23 opens on March 28, 2022.

*Beginning in school year 2024-25, there will be a family share for tiers 2 & 3.

Early Childhood Education

Participants were divided into three subgroups to research information provided by MSDE from three states that currently use income eligibility guidelines for pre-kindergarten programs. Meetings have been scheduled for early February between CCPS staff and private childcare providers in Charles County. The purpose of these meetings is to establish partnerships and expand access to pre-kindergarten students. While the opportunity for private providers to apply for state money has not happened yet, MSDE is hopeful this will happen within the next month or two.

High Quality & Diverse Teachers and Leaders

The steering committee finalized its work in four subgroups based on the four steps of the teacher career ladder. Subgroups reviewed and shared recommendations based on current career ladders in other school systems to help create possible guidance for the school system when career ladders must be implemented by the July 1, 2024 deadline. While there continues to be great discussion as it relates to the career ladder, some aspects of the career ladder will need to be negotiated by the local bargaining unit. The committee is making a recommendation that a local career ladder development board be formed per the recommendation of the Blueprint.

College and Career Readiness (CCR)

The two subgroups that have been formed within this committee met as one large group for this month’s meeting in order to share information with each other and plan for upcoming agenda items. The two subgroups are focusing on creating differentiated pathways for students that are not CCR by the end of 10th grade and providing elementary and middle school students with additional CTE courses. The group has determined they would like more information about past and current supports for students who are not CCR by the end of 10th grade. They have requested additional information from content specialists, as well as information from a school’s perspective. Additional programs for elementary and middle schools will be explored to help determine how CTE will be expanded and the subsequent costs including training, personnel, and other costs associated with implementation.

More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

Information regarding current reading programs in elementary schools was shared with participants, as well as the data from the fall iReady assessment in reading. Participants were asked to assess how to best address the needs for students using the available data and share ideas that support research-based practices and programs. Updates regarding the progress of the other four steering committees was shared.

Governance and Accountability

The three subgroups that have been formed within this committee continued to meet on the following topics: pre-kindergarten registration, student scheduling best practices, and requirements to monitor the career ladder. The subgroups are continuing to work on recommendations for protocols that align with effective research-based practices. A quote to make customizations to the current registration platform for pre-kindergarten was received. It will cost the school system $7,500 to make the necessary changes for the pre-kindergarten registration process because of the Blueprint.

Early Childhood Education

A review of the current pre-kindergarten registration process was shared with group members. Additional information about a family’s income will be needed from all pre-kindergarten registrants per the mandates of the Blueprint. The steering committee focused on providing recommendations for changes that would need to be made to the registration process and was shared with members of the Office of Accountability (the office responsible for school registration) and the policy area 5 subcommittee.

High Quality & Diverse Teachers and Leaders

With the implementation of career ladders coming July 1, 2024, committee members worked to understand the requirements of each of the four levels of the ladder. Expert groups were formed to review the career ladders in place in another school system in Maryland to analyze its alignment to Blueprint and to determine if any of these practices should be implemented in Charles County Public Schools. This work will continue into the coming months.

College and Career Readiness (CCR)

The steering committee has been split into two subgroups in order to best continue its focus on identifying pathways for students who are not CCR by the end of the 10th grade and creating introductory CTE courses in elementary and middle school. The first subgroup is focusing on learning about the State’s requirements to identify a student as CCR and are working to identify the needs of students to match them with appropriate supports. The second subgroup is researching existing CTE programs in other school systems for elementary and middle school students.

More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

Data regarding students’ fall performance on the iReady test in math and reading was shared with the committee to help determine where resources should be focused. Members of the steering committee provided feedback and additional questions about how the data is being used in schools. Steering committee members requested an update at a future meeting to learn about the work of the other steering committees.

Policy Area 5- Governance and Accountability

Updates were shared on upcoming due dates for the Blueprint. Information regarding the changes necessary for pre-kindergarten were shared including the need to collect income verification from all students who register. Information was also shared regarding the need for various information systems within CCPS to be able to “talk” to each other including Synergy, the system’s student information system (SIS), Insystech’s TEAMS, the teacher evaluation system, and the new human resources database.

Early Childhood Education

An overview of the policy area and important dates was shared with the steering committee. The Blueprint mandates requirements of both teachers and instructional assistants working in prekindergarten classrooms. The mandates of the instructional assistants require a minimum of an associate’s degree or a child development associates. These mandates will take effect for school year 2025-26. Questions were generated by the group for MSDE to answer. The next meeting will focus on this information.

High Quality & Diverse Teachers and Leaders

Agenda items for each meeting have been determined for the duration group. Because the Blueprint mandates salary increases associated with National Board Certification (NBC) begin in SY 2022-23, November’s meetings were dedicated to learning about NBC in Charles County, and discussions were focused on how to best expand and support NBC.

College and Career Readiness (CCR)

An overview of the policy area and important dates was shared with the steering committee. A review of where the system is currently at as it relates to future goals of the Blueprint was discussed. Two areas of focus were identified for immediate future work:

• Creating CCR standards program of study for those who have not met CCR by the end of 10th grade;
• Creating introductory CTE courses in elementary and middle school.

More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

An overview of the policy area was shared with the steering committee. Participants in the steering committee were asked to share information about current programs that support the Blueprint including transitional supplemental instructional, equity, community schools, and mental health. Participants asked to review data at the next meeting to identify what schools and students need additional support.

Governance and Accountability

An overview of the policy and deadlines was shared with the steering committee. One of the items required in the Blueprint is a 9th grade tracker that measures each students progress towards graduating on time, including credit accumulation. Synergy, CCPS student information system (SIS), currently has several reports that meet the requirements of the Blueprint. The steering committee focused what additional information could be included in the current reports to improve them for various stakeholder groups, as well as how to best share these reports with necessary stakeholders including students, school counselors, and administrators.