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Allegany County outlines four-year plan to implement Maryland's new math standards; district to move to integrated high-school pathways
Summary
District leaders described a four-year rollout to align curriculum with Maryland's revised math policy, including K--8 standard changes next school year and phased high-school integrated courses that will replace legacy algebra/geometry sequences.
District academic leaders told the board on March 10 that Alleghany County Public Schools will implement Maryland's new mathematics policy over a four-year timeline and revise local courses and assessments to match.
Dr. Thompson, who the meeting introduced as the district's math lead, said the state's revised standards put a heavier emphasis on early preparation and integrated high-school pathways. —Algebra 1 goes away for good for all public school students in the state,— Dr. Thompson said, describing a statewide shift to integrated algebra courses that will be required by the end of grade 10.
The district will adopt revised K--8 standards next school year and begin aligning MCAP assessments with the new content. Dr. Thompson said the first visible changes will appear at the high school level in the 2027--28 school year as integrated courses are phased in; legacy named courses (algebra 1, geometry, algebra 2) will be progressively retired through the 2028--29 cycle.
Board members asked how parents and local staff will be engaged and whether local educators had a role in course development. Dr. Thompson said district representatives have participated on the Launch Years Task Force and that course-development work has included higher-education partners; he noted the district will hold public presentations and use policy-liaison committees to communicate changes to families.
The board heard that course sequencing will create multiple pathways by the end of grade 10 — calculus, statistics/data science, quantitative reasoning and other college- and career-ready options — and that dual-enrollment and AP courses will remain part of the program of study where appropriate. Dr. Thompson also said Maryland requires precalculus courses to meet AP Precalculus standards when an LEA offers a precalculus course.
Next steps
District staff said they will schedule two public presentations before the start of the next school year, continue liaison-committee meetings and work on parent communications and course materials as the four-year phased implementation continues.
