About the Blueprint
The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is a landmark piece of legislation passed in 2021 as a result of the recommendations included in the Kirwan Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, a four-year study conducted from 2016 – 2019.
The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a comprehensive education reform law, identifies five major policy pillars
designed to transform Maryland’s public education system. These areas include Early Childhood Education, College and Career Readiness, High-Quality and Diverse Teachers and Leaders, More Resources to Ensure All Students Are Successful, and Governance and Accountability.
The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future legislation outlines a plan to be implemented over the next several years that will require every county in Maryland to develop comprehensive programmatic and fiscal policy changes related to the five mandated areas in order to deliver opportunity and promise to every Maryland child.
Allegany County Public Schools’ Blueprint Coordinator is Katherine Loughrie, 301-759-2053.
PILLAR 1
Early Childhood Education
Initiatives identified in Pillar 1 address full day Pre-K at no- or reduced-cost for more families, public-private Pre-K partnerships to expand options for families, expansion of wraparound services for students and families through Judy Centers and Patty Centers, increased funding for the Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program to support students with special needs, and more funding dedicated to elevating the quality of student experiences in early childhood education.
- Support more families to access no cost Pre-K
- Scale the impact of Patty & Judy Centers
- Expand family options through public/private Pre-K partnerships
- Allegany County Judy Center
PILLAR 2
High Quality and Diverse Teachers and Leaders
The Blueprint for Maryland's Future is elevating the stature of the teaching profession through the implementation of a career ladder, competitive salaries, including raising starting pay to $60,000, incentives for National Board Certified teachers up to $17,000, as well as raising expectations for teacher preparation, induction, and mentoring programs to attract and retain high-quality teachers.
- Increasing starting salary to minimum $60,000
- New career ladder and incentives for National Board Certified Teachers up to $17,000
- Raising expectations for teacher preparation and induction
PILLAR 3
College and Career Readiness
The College and Career Readiness pillar sets a new College and Career Readiness (CCR) standard that prepares graduates for success in college and the workforce by ensuring they have the knowledge and skills to complete entry-level credit-bearing college courses and work in high-wage and high-demand industries. The Blueprint aims to have all students meet the CCR standard by the end of their 10th grade year, develops CCR-Support pathways to support students in meeting the standard, enables students to enter a Post-CCR pathway that builds on the student's strengths, develops a Career and Technical Education system that is aligned with industry's needs, and ensures that prekindergarten through 12th grade curriculum, standards, and assessments are all aligned with the new CCR standard.
- New college and career readiness standard by 10th grade
- Aligned curriculum resources and assessments
- College and career readiness and support pathways
- Expanded career and technical education system
PILLAR 4
More Resources for all Students to be Successful
Pillar 4 initiatives focus on strengthening wraparound services through the expansion of community schools, establishing the Maryland Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports, targeting supports for students and families based on differentiated need, establishing a workgroup on multilingual learners, and developing a funding formula based on a new measure of concentration of poverty.
- Community Schools and School based Health Centers expansion
- Concentration of Poverty grants
- Targeted supports for historically underserved student
PILLAR 5
Governance and Accountability
The Governance and Accountability pillar focuses on ensuring successful implementation of the Blueprint. It creates Expert Review Teams to visit schools, understand implementation on the ground level, and share best practices in Maryland. The Governance and Accountability pillar also creates a new Accountability and Implementation Board to plan and monitor implementation of the Blueprint.
- Expert Review Teams
- Accountability and Implementation Board
- Local school system Implementation Plans
- Maryland State Department of Education monitoring and technical assistance