The Blueprint Quarterly

Welcome to our first issue of "The Blueprint Quarterly Review". This newsletter is intended to provide regular updates and information to our students, staff, and community members about the status of the FCPS work and our efforts to make the Blueprint for Maryland's Future come to life. Please click the link at the bottom of this newsletter to explore our FCPS Blueprint Website.

Quarterly, we will publish this newsletter for your review. The focus areas will include information from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB), as well our local FCPS work across all five pillars of focus.

Thank you for taking the time to review the information below and for your contributions to our efforts to serve every child, every day!

The AIB is an independent unit of the Maryland State government created by the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future law to ensure successful implementation of the Blueprint. The AIB is governed by a seven-member Board supported by an executive director and staff.

The AIB is charged with monitoring progress on the implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, reporting annually on progress, and recommending any legislative changes that are needed to achieve the intended results. This involves:

• Collecting, compiling and analyzing numerous data, including disaggregated data on student performance and the diversity and quality of teachers both in schools and in the pipeline to become teachers.
• Disseminate information on best practices, programs, and resources
• Provide technical assistance and training
• Resolve implementation issues as they arise, and
• Promote interagency efforts.
• Review and monitor the use of funds allocated to State and local government agencies for Blueprint implementation

More information about the Blueprint AIB’s charge, responsibilities, and governance is available at www.aib.maryland.gov

We believe in broad based involvement from our stakeholders to design and deliver on the key commitments of the Maryland Blueprint. We are in our 3rd year of Blueprint implementation and since the initiation of this work have utilized a cross functional steering committee to lead this work. We have five subcommittees. The pillar subcommittees are:

• PIllar 1: Early Childhood
• Pillar 2: High Quality Diverse Teachers and Leaders
• Pillar 3a: College and Career Readiness
• PIllar 3b: Career and Technology Education
• Pillar 4: Resources to Support All Students

Pillar 5 is primarily a reporting and accountability dimension and is managed by the Chief of Staff and Chief Financial Officer.

Our Blueprint Steering Committee has had two meetings so far this academic year. Highlights from our areas of focus are noted below:

September 13, 2023

• Review of MSDE Expert Review Team Visits
• Status of Career Ladder Design
• Financial Coding and Funding Requirements
• Consideration of the Strategic Facilitator Grant

November 7, 2023

• Updates on Expert Review Team Site Visit (January at Linganore HS)
• Discussion of Phase 2 Implementation Plan Development
• Vision for stakeholder and subcommittee stakeholder engagement

Outside of formal steering committee meetings, Dr. Sirgo provides regular updates to all members through email and each pillar holds regular meetings with their stakeholder group.

To see a comprehensive list of our steering committee and subcommitte members, please click FCPS Blueprint Steering Committee Member List

Considering FCPS’s growing community, the district’s five strategic goal areas, and the Blueprint pillars, we must have a laser focus on considering all variables and determining necessary adjustments that may be needed to ensure seamless and comprehensive implementation of this work. While outstanding work is currently being accomplished by individual Blueprint Pillar workgroups, a comprehensive look at implementation at each level is necessary to not only ensure feasibility of action plans within each pillar, but to find synergy and efficiency as the goals of each pillar are brought together in each school. This will increase the likelihood of meaningful transformation to the education program in FCPS.

The charge of the system improvement teams is to:

• Review each pillar’s implementation plan.
• Evaluate schedules, human resources, curriculum resources, and school structures and processes that best support Blueprint implementation recommendations.
• Consider adjustments to enhance the organizational culture of achievement in schools, upgrade the student and staff experience, maximize safety and well being, and align to Blueprint implementation.

To accomplish this work, there are three teams; elementary, middle, and high, that will meet quarterly to recommend strategies and actions to support the aforementioned charge. Teams will ensure schedules, staffing plans, and processes are strategically aligned to address Blueprint ideals and system goals. Teams will include representatives from central office, school principal and assistant principal representatives, and teacher representatives. Teams will be co-chaired by either an elementary, middle, or high school director and principal. Community input will be garnered from already existing stakeholder input for the system’s Blueprint plan. Student input will be incorporated via the planned focus group meetings led by Division leaders.

The first meeting of the Systemic Improvement Team was held on October 30, 2023 and future meeting dates will occur in January, February, and May, 2024 as we prepare for year 4 Blueprint implementation. On October 30th the first meeting included leveled teams of elementary, middle, and high school teachers, central office staff, and school administrators met to discuss the opportunities, challenges, connections, and budget implications of pillars 1-4 for schools.

In addition, on November 17, 2023 leads from all of the pillars presented information to a team of 150 central office staff in the Special Education and Student Services department. This was organized by Associate Superintendent , Jennifer Bingman so that her staff would have the background knowledge they needed on the Blueprint pillars.

Leslie Frei earned her B.S. in Early Childhood & Elementary Education from Frostburg State University and began her teaching career in Denver, Colorado, where she worked in Title 1 early childhood programs for 6 years. Upon returning to her home state of Maryland, Leslie taught at Hillcrest and Emmitsburg Elementary schools before becoming the Teacher Specialist for Early Childhood Education. Leslie currently serves as the Supervisor of Early Childhood Education & Judy Centers. Leslie has two sons in college and enjoys being in nature with her 3 dogs whenever possible. Leslie has a M.S. in Early Reading & Literacy as well as an Administrator 1 Certificate from Towson University. Leslie is also an adjunct instructor with Hood College.

In her own Blueprint Reflection, Leslie notes, "We see significant increases in reading readiness and language acquisition when children are exposed to a full day of prekindergarten. Expanding full day prekindergarten programs across the county provides an increased set of readiness skills that allow children to enter kindergarten ready to access learning. The expansion of Judy Center Early Learning hubs to six elementary schools allowed our team to impact over 1,200 families in 2023 through wraparound services, parenting education, playgroups, diaper-drives, English acquisition courses, and helping families feel part of the school community before their children enter school. The Blueprint envisions a mixed-delivery system for full day Pre-K in each school district, allowing both private community-based childcare programs and public schools to offer seats for qualifying families. To date, supporting Frederick County childcare programs in entering state-funded Pre-K has been a challenging lift for FCPS, as these small businesses face multiple obstacles, the largest being the current funding formula set by the state."

Did you know that all middle and high school students have access to a Career Coach? Our FCPS Career Coach program is in full swing! We have 22 coaches--positions supported by Blueprint funding--as part of the work to ensure college and career readiness for students. In their role, Career Coaches provide every middle and high school student with access to individualized or group career coaching services and develop unique opportunities for students to learn about and explore a variety of careers. This could include interest surveys, career assessments, skills assessments, guest speakers, career days, business visits, job shadows and more. Career Coaches also bring awareness to the different ways students can work towards a career pathway in high school including CTC programs, Internships, apprenticeships, and more. Career Coaches will help students explore their post-secondary options including College, Technical Training, Apprenticeships, the Military, entering the workforce, or more.

Approx. 4% of Middle and High school students already received one on one services during 1st term. Career Coaches have co-taught in classrooms where they connected course curriculum to careers. For example Career Coach Kristen Durbin at Middletown Middle School worked with a world language class to discuss careers which utilize world language skills. Students then created career posters for the career that most peaked their interest. Career Coaches are also bringing in industry experts to expose students to industries and employers in right here in Frederick County. For example, Career Coach Amy Gibson invited Brunswick High School alumni, Ms. Dawn Rosarius, the Principal Assistant for Acquisition for the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command at Fort Detrick. Ms. Rosarius shared her journey from BHS to her current role. Over 200 students attended! Career Coaches are also taking students on field trips. Career Coach Lauren Sinay took a group of Agriculture students to the Institute of Applied Agriculture at the University of Maryland. Students received a tour, spoke to teachers, and participated in hands on activities. This kind of magic is happening at EVERY middle and high school. Career Coaches services are opening minds, and helping students take advantage of all the opportunities available to them with FCPS.

Frederick County Public Schools is committed to ensuring that every child is prepared to thrive in college, careers, and the community. Readiness is a journey with learning milestones along the way that let us know when students are ready for the next part of their journey. When students need additional help, we offer support pathways that help accelerate student learning, and when students show early readiness, we have personalized, rigorous pathways that provide exciting opportunities for continued growth. Sometimes students may need both support and rigorous pathways, based on individual needs. For more information about the FCPS Learning Journey, please visit our website.

The Frederick County Ways and Means Committee is set to visit FCPS on Monday, December 4, 2023. Committee members, County Executive Fitzwater, and other Frederick Government members, as well as Dr. Dyson, Cabinet members and members of the Board of Education, will be split into two groups to visit PreK classes and the Judy Centers at Waverley, Monocacy, Hillcrest, and Butterfly Ridge elementary schools. The groups will also tour CTC, and enjoy lunch prepared by Food and Nutrition Services. The Ways and Means Committee is charged with reviewing and making recommendations for government budgets and we are honored they will come see how Blueprint has come to life in Frederick County Public Schools!

We want to hear your thoughts on the FCPS implementation of the Blueprint. Please click on one or more of the links to share thoughts on the Blueprint pillar areas of focus. The responses to any of the following will be reported back to FCPS staff directly.

• Pillar 1: Early Childhood (Pre-K expansion, Kindergarten Readiness, Judy Centers) Pillar 1 Reflections
• Pillar 2: Elevating Educators (Career Ladder, Diversity Recruitment and Retention, Talent Pathways) Pillar 2 Reflections
• Pillar 3: North Star (College & Career Readiness, Post-CRR Pathways, Support Pathways, Career Coaching, High-Quality Curriculum) Pillar 3 Reflections
• Pillar 4: Student Supports (Behavioral and mental health, Special Education, English language learners, Students experiencing homelessness, Communities experiencing poverty, Community Schools) Pillar 4 Reflections

You are also welcome to email us directly at the link in the blue box below.

On March 15, 2023, all school systems in Maryland submitted their Phase 1 Blueprint Implementation Plans. The plan, which covered the 2021-2022 through the 2023-2024 school years, consists of FCPS's responses to 164 question prompts covering the five pillars of the Blueprint.

On March 15, 2024, all school systems in Maryland will be required to submit their Phase 2 Blueprint Implementation Plans covering the next 3 years, 2024 through 2027. The number of questions has been reduced from 164 to 29 and prompts will related to the prior submission to focus on progress, evidence of progress, and how our plans have evolved based on what is working and what is not working.

Additional requirements outside of the implementation plan include:

• Waiver for Public vs. Private Pre-K Slot
• 10% Teacher Salary Increase must be met by June 30, 2024
• Career Ladder must be developed by July 2, 2024 with a minimum of Levels 1-3 (and 4 if NBC teachers are eligible to immediately go onto Level 4) with full career ladder submitted no later than July 1, 2025
• Comprehensive Literacy Plan: Draft P-5 literacy plan submission by January 15, 2024 and full literacy plan due June 30, 2024
• Comprehensive Math Plan: Draft P-5 math plan due by September 15, 2024 and full math plan due by 6/30/25

• Maryland Department of Education, Blueprint board aim to boost literacy achievement in elementary schools November 17, 2023 A statewide elementary literacy expert instructional support team will visit all 24 school systems starting in January. The post Maryland Department of Education, Blueprint board aim to boost literacy achievement in elementary schools appeared first on Maryland Matters.
• Md. higher education officials deliberate proposed college readiness metrics, credit transfer process November 16, 2023 At a Wednesday meeting of Maryland Higher Education Commission, officials discussed how the implementation of Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, an education overhaul passed by... The post Md. higher education officials deliberate proposed college readiness metrics, credit transfer process appeared first on Maryland Matters.
• MACo to state leaders: More clarity needed to implement, fund Blueprint education plan November 14, 2023 Recommendations include increasing state funding toward prekindergarten, restructuring career advancement opportunities for educators. The post MACo to state leaders: More clarity needed to implement, fund Blueprint education plan appeared first on Maryland Matters.

• MSDE Releases $5M in Bonus Payments to Improved Child Care Programs November 20, 2023 The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), announced the distribution of $5 million in bonuses to Maryland EXCELS, child care programs with higher quality ratings, as part of the transformative Blueprint for Maryland’s Future landmark legislation.
• Maryland State Board of Education to Hold Nov. 9 Special Meeting, Virtual Public Hearing November 2, 2023 The Maryland State Board of Education will hold a special meeting and virtual public hearing on Thursday, November 9, regarding recommendations for a new College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standard. The meeting will be held virtually on Zoom beginning at 4:30 p.m. The public hearing portion of the agenda will begin at 6 p.m.
• MSDE Awards $4M+ for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program October 26, 2023

  More Maryland students will have access to fresh fruits and vegetables during the school day through a $4.7 million federal grant program. The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is distributing funds to 213 elementary schools statewide from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), up from 196 participating schools during the 22-23 academic year.

The following links, reports, and resources available for review if you would like to learn more about Marylands Blueprint legislation, research, and reports.

• Maryland State Department of Education Blueprint Site
• Neighborhood Indicators of Poverty Report – Updated
• Prekindergarten Sliding Scale Methodology
• Ninth Grade Tracker
• Blueprint Funding

One of our additional areas of engagement is the publication of a milestone report twice a year. Our first report for the 2023-2024 school year will be released the 2nd week in December. These reports will highlight areas of focus for each pillar. More to come!

Starting in January, we will be releasing recorded podcasts via You Tube where leaders from each pillar discuss the key bodies of work in each area. The podcast will be moderated by Dr. Sarah Sirgo, Chief of Staff and Blueprint Coordinator. Look for information in the community and staff bulletin boards when it goes live!