Blueprint for Maryland’s Future

Blueprint Logo

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is landmark education reform legislation that became State law in 2021. The intent of the Blueprint is to transform Maryland’s public education into one of the top performing school systems in the world. To do this, it focuses on five major policy areas or pillars: early childhood education, college and career readiness and pathways, high quality and diverse teachers and school leaders, more resources to ensure all students are successful, and governance and accountability.

Caroline County Public Schools is currently working on its Blueprint Implementation Plan, which will guide the school system’s work over the ten-year implementation period. Staff workgroups have been organized around the Blueprint’s major policy pillars to help us develop the plan and to include input from key stakeholders, including teachers. Visit each policy area to learn more.

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is a massive undertaking. It is also a tremendous opportunity to ensure we do better by all kids, especially those students who have historically been underserved and under-resourced. Getting implementation right will require the effective collaboration of teachers, administrators, parents, local partners, and our elected and appointed leaders. We look forward to working with our community during this process.

Contact:  Tara Downes, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction
downes.tara@ccpsstaff.org  |  410.479.1460

POLICY AREAS & INITIATIVES

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS & PATHWAYS
HIGH QUALITY & DIVERSE TEACHERS
MORE RESOURCES TO ENSURE ALL STUDENTS
GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Chair: Elizabeth Saylor, Supervisor of Early Childhood
saylor.elizabeth@ccpsstaff.org

The Blueprint will invest in high-quality early childhood education so that all children enter kindergarten ready to learn.

This will be done through a significant expansion of pre-kindergarten (pre-k) phased in over ten years that includes:

  • Free full three- and four-year-old pre-k for children whose families make up to 300% of the federal poverty level;

  • Subsidized full day four-year-old pre-k on a sliding scale for children’s families who make between 300% and 600% of the federal poverty level; and

  • A mixed delivery system that will provide publicly funded pre-k slots at eligible private providers.

2022 Federal Poverty Guidelines

Household Size

Poverty Guideline

300%

600%

2

$18,310

$54,930

$109,860

3

$23,030

$69,090

$138,180

4

$27,750

$83,250

$166,500

5

$32,470

$97,410

$194,820

6

$37,190

$111,570

$223,140

COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS & PATHWAYS

Chair: Lindsay McCormick, Director of College & Career Readiness
mccormick.lindsay@ccpsstaff.org

It is the goal of the Blueprint to create a world class instructional system which will allow most students to achieve College and Career Readiness (CCR) by the end of 10th grade.

This includes:

  • Allowing students to pursue one of three post-CCR pathways in their junior and senior years at no cost to the student or their families:

    • Early college through dual enrollment,

    • Advanced Placement courses, and/or

    • Rigorous technical education leading to industry-recognized credentials and high-paying jobs.

  • A robust set of supports for students who are struggling to ensure that all students can be successful in achieving College and Career Readiness before they graduate.

HIGH QUALITY & DIVERSE TEACHERS & SCHOOL LEADERS

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future aims to elevate the teaching profession through competitive salaries and more rigorous teacher preparation programs.

The Blueprint will accomplish this by:

  • Raising pay for current teachers and increasing the starting salary for new teachers;

  • Reducing the amount of classroom teaching time in order to create more time for professional learning, collaboration, mentoring, and working with struggling students individually or in small groups;

  • Encouraging teachers to obtain National Board Certification (NBC) and providing substantial salary increases for those that do so;

  • Aligning teacher evaluations to NBC standards; and

  • Creating new teacher leadership positions that will allow educators to gain additional responsibility and compensation, while still remaining connected to the classroom

MORE RESOURCES TO ENSURE ALL STUDENTS ARE SUCCESSFUL

The Blueprint seeks to advance equity and close achievement gaps by providing more support to students who need it the most.

This includes:

  • Broad and sustained new supports for schools serving high concentrations of students living in poverty, including before- and after-school and summer academic programs;

  • Expanded health and mental health services and supports for students; and

  • Substantially increased funding to serve special education students and English language learners.

GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY

The Blueprint created a variety of accountability structures to ensure that the increased investment it makes in public education actually yields results.

This includes:

  • The creation of a new governing body, the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB), with broad authority to ensure that mandates are being successfully implemented and produce the desired results – including the ability to withhold funding from local systems;

  • Expert Review Teams to conduct onsite reviews of each school in the State to collect on-the-ground information and to identify both best practices and ways schools can better meet Blueprint goals; and

  • New expense tracking systems for local school districts to ensure that at least 75% of funding awarded on a per-pupil basis is spent at the school level.