The Howard County Board of Education has approved the Howard County Public School System Reopening Plan for the 2020-2021 school year.
The HCPSS Reopening Plan fulfills the 13 requirements of the Maryland Together: Maryland’s Recovery Plan for Education.
Highlights include:
- Assessing the instructional level of students so teachers may provide students with appropriate supports during instruction to mitigate learning gaps experienced from the extended building closure. Multiple measures will be used by teachers to determine instructional levels and supports.
- Aligning the virtual instructional model with Maryland College and Career Ready Standards for prekindergarten through grade 12 in all content areas by providing students with, on average, 3 hours of synchronous learning with their teachers four days each week. The remaining instructional time is designated for students to complete asynchronous learning activities and assignments.
- Detailing comprehensive supports to ensure equity, including tiered supports for mathematics and language arts, and supports for homeless students, English language learners, academic and behavior needs, and several other areas that support student success.
- Providing early intervention and special education services to children and students from birth to age 21. Current Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students will guide the specially designed instruction and related and support services to be provided during virtual schooling and other opportunities for learning during the first semester of 2020-2021.
- Outlining criteria for tracking attendance and grading expectations when students are engaged in distance learning.
- Developing a detailed communication and engagement strategy that sets clear expectations for cultivating awareness, understanding, support, and confidence in the planning and implementation efforts of the school system to develop an instructional plan for the 2020-2021 school year in a transparent and comprehensive manner.
The draft HCPSS Reopening Plan is available online. The final plan and full details will be provided in the coming weeks.
