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CTE committee approves MSDE recommendations on industry-recognized credentials and grants administrative update authority
Summary
The CTE committee accepted Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) recommendations from the first IRC review cycle — approving a subset of credentials, rejecting others and sending a gray set to a 60-day follow-up — and voted to allow MSDE to make limited administrative updates to listed credentials without full resubmission.
The Governor's Workforce Development Board Career and Technical Education (CTE) committee voted to accept Maryland State Department of Education recommendations on industry-recognized credentials (IRCs) and to permit MSDE to make minor administrative updates to credentials on the approved list.
The committee accepted MSDE's categorization of the first application cycle, approving the credentials MSDE recommended for the statewide list, declining the credentials MSDE recommended not be approved, and directing MSDE and applicants to pursue a 60-day review for a third "gray area" group that needs additional documentation or revision.
MSDE staff said the first application cycle opened Aug. 26 and closed Oct. 31. The department received 91 total submissions, which it counted as 68 unique, non‑duplicative applications. MSDE recommended 19 of those 68 for approval and identified 31 that were not eligible for inclusion in the statewide list in this cycle. Committee staff said applicants may reapply and MSDE provided outreach when applications were incomplete.
MSDE staff highlighted examples of strong applications. Tracy Kittle, director of apprenticeships and industry‑recognized credentials in MSDE's Office of College and Career Pathways, described an ABYC marine service technician application submitted by Anne Arundel County Public Schools that included endorsements from the Marine Trades Association of Maryland and names of businesses that had hired program graduates. Pamela Clay, MSDE coordinator for apprenticeship and IRCs, described a National Basic Crime Scene Investigator application from the Law and Public Safety Education Network (LASPEN) that included letters from regional partners and a Cambridge Police Department chief endorsing recognition at secondary and post‑secondary levels. MSDE staff also cited an American Welding Society application with a sample welder qualification record and an electrical pre‑apprenticeship application showing articulation with Howard County Community College for college credit.
MSDE flagged common weaknesses among applications that were not recommended: submissions that lacked supporting artifacts (about 25 of the 31 not‑recommended were a single advocacy letter without artifacts), duplicate submissions for credentials already on the approved list, materials relying solely on vendor‑provided content or blog/news articles instead of independent employer endorsements, and mismatches between credential scope and associated job postings (for example, credentials intended as entry points paired with job postings requiring advanced degrees).
On a separate vote, the committee granted MSDE the authority to make limited administrative updates to entries on the approved IRC list when the change does not require a substantive re‑review. Richard Kinkade, who leads MSDE's Office of College and Career Pathways, told the committee the administrative privilege would be used for naming conventions and other minor edits that do not alter assessments or standards; substantial changes (for example, the addition of AI components that would alter classroom instruction or a shift of a credential to a post‑secondary‑only credential) would trigger the full review process.
Committee members stressed oversight: the chair said MSDE would report back on administrative updates so the committee could review any changes that appeared to exceed a minor threshold.
Votes recorded during the meeting were voice votes with no roll‑call tallies published in the meeting transcript. Committee members approved the MSDE recommendations and the administrative update authority without opposition.
MSDE said it will add approved IRCs to the state's approved list for the upcoming school year and publish the list after the committee's action.
The committee explained the "gray area" applications will enter a 60‑day period of follow‑up in which MSDE and the applicants will work to provide additional documentation or make revisions that could move those items to approve or not‑approve status.
