Committee advances expanded College and Career Readiness standard to full State Board

The Education Transformation and Finance Committee of the Maryland State Board of Education voted unanimously to advance a revised College and Career Readiness (CCR) standard recommended by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), committee members said during a meeting that included a presentation from MSDE staff.

MSDE staff members Phil Lasser and Richard Kinkade outlined the changes MSDE proposes to the CCR standard, which would keep the existing assessment-based options while adding nine alternate pathways by school year 2025-26, including a one-year core-content GPA option, dual enrollment and AP/IB performance thresholds, SAT/ACT benchmarks, industry credentials, registered apprenticeships and other measures. "Students do not need to do that, and this does not affect the graduation requirement," Lasser said, referring to the CCR standard as distinct from diploma requirements.

The revised standard is intended to identify students who are prepared to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing college courses and to expand access to post-CCR pathways such as AP, IB, dual enrollment, early college and CTE courses. MSDE presented empirical analyses showing the expanded standard would have increased the share of students meeting CCR in school year 2023-24 from 21.1% under the earlier interim standard to 49% under the currently adopted (2024) standard and that the newly proposed options would recognize additional students beyond that figure. MSDE highlighted a substantial increase for economically disadvantaged students under the 2023-24 data, from about 8.5% under the interim assessment-only option to roughly 29% when GPA and other options were included.

MSDE described nine proposed additions that would become available beginning in 2025-26: a one-year core-content GPA of 3.0 or higher in 11th or 12th grade; earning a C or better in at least two core-content dual enrollment/dual-credit courses (one must be math under current MSDE discussion); scoring at threshold on two AP or IB exams (with at least one math exam required); meeting SAT or ACT college- and career-readiness benchmarks (MSDE cited SAT reading/writing 480 and math 530; ACT English 18 and math 22); target scores on the Dynamic Learning Maps alternative assessment for eligible students; a Silver or better on the ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate; earning a state-approved, industry-recognized CTE credential; completing the high-school level of a registered apprenticeship; and, added after public comment, achieving at least a score of 50 on the ASVAB.

MSDE recommended defining "initial access" to post-CCR pathways (before full implementation of the Blueprint) as the first two courses of a CCR CTE program of study, the first two courses of an AP or IB program, or up to two dual-enrollment/dual-credit courses. MSDE also proposed that the 2024 CCR standard remain in place and not be sunsetted; the new options would supplement, not replace, existing criteria. MSDE said benefits tied to CCR eligibility (including LEA obligations to cover the cost of two dual-enrollment courses per semester) would begin in school year 2026-27 once data from summer 2026 are collected and processed.

Board discussion centered on alignment and implementation details. President Michael asked MSDE to clarify and tighten item definitions ——and to publish an explicit list of eligible AP exams and dual-enrollment course criteria. Several board members sought alignment across options (for example, whether the GPA pathway and AP/dual-enrollment pathways should include identical math-course requirements) and asked MSDE to provide guidance on whether ESOL/ESL classes count as ELA credits; MSDE staff said they would follow up on that question.

Richard Kinkade, MSDE's senior executive director for College and Career Pathways, emphasized supports for students who have not met the CCR standard by the end of 10th grade: "students that are in the eleventh and twelfth grade that haven't yet met the standard are supposed to be provided with an appropriate level of support to assure that they are able to meet the standard as soon as possible," he said, describing MSDE's guidance on re-taking courses, re-attempting assessments and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS).

MSDE reported that 269 responses were received during the public comment period and that 642% to 92% of respondents supported inclusion of the proposed criteria in the draft policy. Public comments called for additional pathways such as world-language proficiency, ASVAB and portfolio or work-based-learning evidence, and urged clarity on GPA calculation (one-year vs. cumulative, weighted vs. unweighted) and equity protections for multilingual and special-education students.

Committee members voted to advance the recommended CCR standard with a recommendation that the full State Board adopt the policy. Committee members said MSDE should publish explicit lists of eligible exams and courses, disaggregate CCR outcome data regularly, and provide more detailed guidance on supports and early-warning indicators for students not on track by 10th grade.

MSDE identified a phased timeline: the proposed additions would take effect for recognition beginning in school year 2025-26, with the first cycle of benefits to students beginning in 2026-27; the department also said changes to the math-mastery definition tied to new PK-12 math pathways would apply to the graduating class entering 9th grade in school year 2027-28.