Blueprint for Maryland's Future

Blueprint for Maryland’s Future: CCPS Implementation Update

Calvert County Public Schools remains committed to implementing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, Maryland’s comprehensive initiative to strengthen public education and ensure all students graduate prepared for college, careers, and life. The Blueprint focuses on five key pillars:

Early Childhood Education
High-Quality and Diverse Teachers and Leaders
College and Career Readiness
More Resources for Students to be Successful
Governance and Accountability

As implementation continues across Maryland, CCPS is focused on both celebrating areas of progress and identifying opportunities that require additional attention and strategic planning.

CCPS Blueprint Implementation Snapshot – May 2026

The infographic below provides a snapshot of current implementation progress, including:

Progress in teacher recruitment, retention, and National Board Certification
Growth in student achievement and academic performance
Continued compliance with Blueprint accountability and funding requirements
Areas requiring focused attention, including early childhood expansion, community school planning, and support for vulnerable student groups

CCPS remains committed to continuous improvement and strategic planning to meet the goals of the Blueprint while supporting the needs of Calvert County students, staff, families, and community members.

Looking Ahead

Moving forward, CCPS will continue prioritizing requirements from all Pillar areas, with a strategic focus on:

Expanding access to early childhood opportunities
Building community school infrastructure and partnerships
Strengthening supports for students with disabilities and other vulnerable student groups
Sustaining high-quality instruction and student achievement outcomes
Maintaining accountability and fiscal responsibility throughout Blueprint implementation

AIB Blueprint Progress Data Dashboards

Explore Blueprint Data Dashboards

Blueprint Contact

Dr. Marcella Gruver

Coordinator, Blueprint and Communications

CCPS Progress Reports

CCPS Implementation Plan

CCPS Blueprint Implementation Snapshot, May 2026. The infographic is divided into two sections. Strengths: Progress in Pillars 2, 3, and 5. Focused Attention Needed: Pillars 1 and 4. A sidebar labeled %22Our Focus Moving Forward%22 highlights expanding early childhood access, building community school infrastructure, and intensifying support for the most vulnerable students.

Select to View Blueprint for Maryland's Future Information

Select to View Blueprint for Maryland's Future Information

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Overview

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future ("The Blueprint") is a comprehensive legislative initiative enacted in 2021, stemming from the recommendations of the Kirwan Commission, aimed at transforming Maryland's public schools into a world-class system. Recognizing the increasing global competitiveness and the societal benefits of a highly educated populace, The Blueprint outlines a multi-faceted approach centered around five key pillars:

Early Childhood Education
High-quality and Diverse Teachers and Leaders
College and Career Readiness
More Resources for Students to Be Successful
Governance and Accountability

The legislation introduces significant policy changes and increased funding, overseen by the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB), with the ultimate goal of ensuring all Maryland students graduate high school globally competitive and prepared for postsecondary education, work, and life. Fiscal requirements are being phased in, impacting local school system budgets and requiring adherence to specific timelines for salary increases and resource allocation.

Benefits of The Blueprint

The benefits of The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future are vast and aim to transform Maryland public schools into a world-class system. Recognizing the increasing global competition faced by students, the Blueprint, stemming from the recommendations of the Kirwan Commission, intends to enable Maryland's education system to perform at the level of the world’s best.

The benefits include:

Societal Improvements: Research indicates that as a society’s education level rises, there are decreases in crime and health care costs. Furthermore, the cycle of inter-generational poverty is expected to begin to break, civic engagement will improve, and family structures will be strengthened.
Individual Prosperity: Increased education and skill levels are projected to lead to higher personal income and an improved quality of life for individuals.
Economic Advantages: Businesses are expected to be more prosperous because they can more easily recruit a workforce with the necessary talent and skills required in the increasingly sophisticated modern workplace.
Global Competitiveness and Preparedness: The overarching outcome of the Blueprint is that all Maryland students will leave high school globally competitive and prepared for success in postsecondary education, work, and life.

Transforming Education

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future represents a significant and ambitious undertaking to transform the state's public education system. By focusing on early childhood education, teacher quality, college and career readiness, equitable resource allocation, and robust accountability, the legislation aims to equip all Maryland students with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in a globalized world. The implementation of The Blueprint involves substantial policy shifts and increased financial investments, requiring careful oversight and adherence to established timelines by both state and local education agencies, as exemplified by the specific requirements and experiences of Calvert County Public Schools. The AIB plays a crucial role in ensuring effective implementation and holding stakeholders accountable for achieving the ambitious goals of this transformative initiative.

The Blueprint for Maryland's Future is anticipated to yield broad benefits ranging from improved societal well-being and individual prosperity to a more competitive workforce and a globally competitive education system for all Maryland students.

Policy Areas

Select a panel below to learn more.

Pillar 1 - Early Childhood Education

Three blue-lined alphabet blocks, labeled A, B, and C, are stacked in the foreground against a pale blue circular background.

The Blueprint establishes a significant expansion of free full-day prekindergarten to low-income families so that all children have the opportunity to begin kindergarten ready to learn. Prekindergarten will be free for all 3- and 4-year old students whose parents meet income eligibility requirements and will be available on a sliding scale to all other 4-year old students.

In order to support such expansion, the Blueprint will provide funding to both public and community-based early education programs that meet rigorous quality standards. Expansion will be an ongoing process, as it requires adjustments to early education preparation programs, increases to physical and staff capacity, and demonstration of quality and continuous improvement as measured by a quality rating system.

Pillar 2 - High Quality and Diverse Teachers and Leaders

A teacher points to a whiteboard in front of a group of students, all rendered in a simple blue outline within a light blue circle.

The Blueprint raises the status of the teaching profession and encourages professional development through a performance-based career ladder with salaries comparable to those in other professional fields with similar education requirements. Local school systems will work with stakeholders to create a career ladder that recognizes effective teachers and school leaders and incentivizes them to stay in the classroom. Advancement up the ladder is based on the acquisition of specified knowledge and skills, rigorous evidence of success as a classroom teacher, and willingness to take on leadership responsibilities.

By increasing the rigor of teacher preparation programs and raising compensation to be more comparable to that expected in other professions, it is hoped that Maryland will create and sustain a teaching faculty that reflects the diversity of the student population.

Teacher salary progression and classroom performance will be linked to teacher achievement of National Board Certification (NBC). CCPS has increased its efforts to support teachers who are pursuing NBC and looks forward to increasing the number of NBC teachers in our classrooms.

Pillar 3 - College and Career Readiness

A dark blue graduation cap and diploma are centered on a light blue circular background.

Maryland public schools will use their internationally benchmarked curricula to facilitate most students achieving “College and Career-Ready” status by the end of 10th grade. CCR status will be aligned with global standards to ensure students have the literacy and mathematics skills to succeed in first-year Maryland community college courses.

Students who achieve CCR will have the opportunity to pursue pathways that include Advanced Placement courses, dual enrollment in college, and career and technology education programs of study. Such pathways will be designed to prepare students to join highly sought and well-paid professions.

Pillar 4 - More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

Two open hands in the foreground cradle a heart symbol against a soft blue circular background.

The Blueprint supports all students being successful in school by increasing funding based on the numbers of students with IEPs, who receive ESOL services, and/or who live in poverty. Schools that have high concentrations of poverty, measured by the number of students receiving Free and Reduced Price Meals (FARMs) or through other factors, will be provided additional funding to transform into community schools offering wraparound services for students and their families. These services may include:

Extended day programs.
Access to health, vision, and dental services.
Additional behavioral health supports.
Family and community engagement programming.

Additional funds are also available to support reading and literacy instruction in Grades K–3 through universal screening and small group tutoring or instruction. Mathematics supports can also be provided for struggling learners in the primary grades.

Pillar 5 - Governance and Accountability

A blue icon of a classical building with columns is centered within a light blue circle.

The Blueprint establishes the Accountability and Implementation Board that has the authority to ensure that the Commission’s recommendations are successfully implemented and produce the desired results. This board will have a direct role in shaping how the Blueprint is put into action across the state.

CCPS has created a steering committee and five workgroups representing each Blueprint major initiative, which have analyzed the legislation, identified needed clarifications, established timelines for implementation, and begun to budget the fiscal impacts of both the Blueprint’s additional funding and its new mandates.

CCPS staff have been collaborating with the Accountability and Implementation Board, the Maryland State Department of Education, the Public School Superintendent’s Association of Maryland, the Maryland Association of Boards of Education, and neighboring school systems to build common understandings of the legislation and share best practices and next steps.

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Blueprint for Maryland's Future

Blueprint Contact

Dr. Marcella Gruver

CCPS Progress Reports

CCPS Implementation Plan

Select to View Blueprint for Maryland's Future Information

Featured Topics

CCPS Community Schools

Minimum School Funding

SOMD Teacher Pipeline Summit

Policy Areas

Pillar 1 - Early Childhood Education

Pillar 2 - High Quality and Diverse Teachers and Leaders

Pillar 3 - College and Career Readiness

Pillar 4 - More Resources to Ensure All Students are Successful

Pillar 5 - Governance and Accountability

Resources

Calvert County Board of Education Updates

Blueprint Updates at BOE Meetings

Accompanying Presentations

Calvert Community Updates

Calvert County Blueprint Committee Meetings

Presentations

Blueprint Town Hall Meetings

State of Maryland

Maryland Annotated Code

Maryland State Department of Education

Maryland Association of Boards of Education

Accountability and Implementation Board

National Board Certification