Handbook – School Information

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Elementary School – Pre-K–Grade 5

Pre-K

The Pre-K program is a high-quality, early childhood instructional program. Students must be four years old by September 1 to be considered for enrollment. The curriculum supports early learning and school readiness and provides experiences that foster children’s academic, social, emotional and physical development. The Maryland State Department of Education requires that the Pre-K program be made available to students who meet eligibility criteria, which include disadvantaged economic status, homelessness and foster care. For more information, visit www.hcpss.org/school/pre-k-programs/ or call 410‑313‑5693.

Kindergarten–Grade 5

In Kindergarten through Grade 5, students receive instruction in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and health. Students are taught in whole and small groups designed to meet their specific instructional needs.

Elementary students also receive instruction in physical education, music, art, library/media and technology.

Middle School – Grades 6-8

The Board of Education approved a seven-period schedule across all middle schools. The Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards establish a set of shared goals and high expectations for what students should understand and be able to do in Grades Pre-K–12. The goal is to ensure all students will be well prepared for success in college and the workplace.

Middle school students take English language arts, social studies, mathematics, and science, as well as related arts classes, which include physical education and health. Students must also take band, orchestra, dance, chorus, art, theater, and/or music. Students may select world language, language arts, and career and technical education options in Grades 7 and 8. Also, students will take additional classes such as technology education, family and consumer science (FACS), careers, G/T research and/or seminars, or mathematics/reading intervention seminars.

Students who successfully complete the World Language Program in middle school may receive up to two high school credits on their high school transcript. World Language study in middle school enables students to pursue world language study through the Advanced Placement level in high school. French and Spanish are available in all middle schools.

When considering the world language option in middle school, students and parents should carefully weigh the workload of this additional class.

Middle school students who take high school level courses such as algebra and/or geometry, must take the appropriate high school assessment.

High School – Grades 9–12

Graduation Requirements

(See Policy 8030 for entire policy.)

A Maryland High School Diploma is awarded to students who fulfill minimum enrollment, credit and competency requirements, including four years of approved study beyond Grade 8. Four-year enrollment may be waived if a student is admitted to a college or another approved post-secondary program and has received prior approval from the principal.

Students entering grade 9 prior to SY2021–22 must earn a minimum of 21 credits. Students entering grade 9 in SY2021–22 or later must earn a minimum of 22 credits.

See the Maryland Graduation Requirements here.

Career Preparation Requirement

Students are given the opportunity to develop and update a four-year plan, participate in a mock interview and complete a resume acceptable for seeking employment.

Student Service Learning Requirement

Students shall complete one of the following programs, which include preparation, action and reflection components:

• A locally designed program in student service learning that has been approved by the State Superintendent of Schools and is usually completed in middle school.
• 75 hours of student service learning, which may begin during the middle school years.

State Assessment Requirements

The Maryland State Department of Education requires four assessments for graduation. Students enrolled in Algebra I and English 10 are required to take the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) for those subject areas. Students enrolled in American Government take the Maryland High School Assessment (HSA) for Government. Students must also participate in a science assessment for high school. Starting in the 2021-2022 school year, students enrolled in Biology take a Life Science assessment. Prior to 2021-2022, students participated in the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (MISA).

Individual student requirements can be checked by doing the following:

1. Log in to HCPSS Connect Synergy: https://www.hcpss.org/connect/
2. Select Academic Information from the left panel.
3. Select Graduation Requirements from the middle panel.

Due to COVID-19 school closures and testing window disruptions, passing requirements may vary by graduating class.

Career and Technical Education

The school system offers a broad range of Career Academies that prepare high school students for college and careers. Career Academies are available in the following industry areas (called clusters):

• Arts, Media and Communication
• Business, Management and Finance
• Construction and Development
• Consumer Services, Hospitality and Tourism
• Environmental, Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Health and Biosciences
• Human Resources Services
• Information Technology
• Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology
• Transportation Technologies
• Work-Based Learning (Apprenticeship Maryland and Career Research and Development)

The programs allow students to explore a wide range of career options and to apply academic and technical skills in a specific industry.

Academy students may participate in special activities and events that provide greater awareness of the specific career area and opportunities within that area. Participating students become part of a group of students with similar interests completing courses together.

Any student may be part of a Career Academy. They should discuss options with the school counselor.

Some academies are located in each local high school, while others are located at the Applications and Research Laboratory (ARL). If the Career Academy is located at the high school, all coursework will be taught at the school. Students who participate in an academy located at the ARL will complete the academy courses at the ARL; all other academic coursework will take place at their high school. Bus transportation is provided to and from ARL.

For more information, students should contact their school counselor. Parents may call the Office of Career and Technical Education at 410-313-6629.

Education Centers

Cedar Lane School

Cedar Lane School is a unique educational environment that caters learning to students who have special education needs of varying levels of impact from the ages of 3-21. Education is specifically designed and delivered to students based on individual needs in order to create an environment of success, both in school and in the community. Cedar Lane is located on a campus that also houses a comprehensive elementary, middle, and high school, and this advantageous location allows for inclusion and interaction with peers from those schools.

Connections with families are essential and valued at Cedar Lane. Family involvement, along with an exceptional PTA, is an integral part of the success Cedar Lane experiences daily.

Homewood Center

The Homewood Center empowers students to build skills and confidence, while providing the access and opportunities necessary to prepare students to successfully navigate their chosen path after high school. The Homewood Center provides an individualized learning experience with high support and expectations for every student. The staff is committed to: implementing a restorative and trauma-responsive philosophy that values students’ social-emotional well-being, cultivating a connected and inclusive atmosphere where positive relationships are fundamental and engaging with our school system and community partners to assist us in providing each student with stackable credentials upon graduation.

Homewood provides an individualized, highly-structured, restorative, and trauma-sensitive environment for identified middle and high school students with small class sizes and access to school and community resources that helps students focus on the skills and confidence needed to meet their postsecondary goals.

High School Student Activities

Academic Eligibility for High School Extracurricular Activities

The Board of Education has established academic criteria that must be met by all high school students to participate in school-sponsored extracurricular activities. Extracurricular activities are available to students beyond the regular school day, and are voluntary and not required for the satisfactory completion of a particular class. Policy 9070 governs minimum academic eligibility for student participation in all extracurricular activities for which there is an HCPSS contracted coach/sponsor. There are no academic eligibility standards for participation in extracurricular activities when participation is required as part of a course and for clubs and activities with a sponsor not contracted by HCPSS.

For high school, a full-time student earns academic eligibility to participate in extracurricular activities, including athletics, by maintaining a 2.0 weighted grade-point average (GPA), calculated using credit or non-credit courses, with no more than one failing grade for the marking period that governs eligibility for that activity. This provision does not apply to incoming 9th grade students for fall eligibility. Incomplete grades must be converted to a letter grade to determine eligibility (Policy 8020 Grading and Reporting: High School). If a student withdraws from a course, the grades at the time of withdrawal will be used in determining academic eligibility.

Each extracurricular activity is governed by only one marking period. A student must have earned academic eligibility prior to the start of the activity. Once academic eligibility has been earned for a particular activity, the student remains academically eligible for the duration of that activity season (e.g., basketball season). Eligibility is reviewed at the end of each successive marking period for yearlong activities or activities that do not have a particular time frame.

See Policy 9070 for complete information.

A student who plans to participate in athletics and his/her parent are responsible for certifying the student’s academic eligibility by signing a Howard County Public School System participation form prior to participation. Athletic coaches are responsible for verifying the academic eligibility of each athlete participating on their team(s) prior to the first practice session. Contracted sponsors of other extracurricular activities are responsible for verifying the academic eligibility of each participating student prior to the first activity.

High School Clubs

High school students are encouraged to participate in athletics, clubs or other extracurricular activities. Each high school offers many clubs to meet a wide variety of interests. Any student who wants to start a new club should speak to a staff member or guidance counselor. Every club must have a staff sponsor/advisor. Some high school clubs include:

Alpha Achievers

Animation Club

ATHS Tech Honor Society

Band Front

Best Buddies

BSAP African American Awareness Club

Chess Club

Color Guard

Computer Club

CTSO (Career & Technology Student Organization)

Dance

DECA

Dramatics

Environmental Club

Fellowship of Christian Athletes

FIRST Robotics

Future Business Leaders of America

FEA (Future Educators)/Educators Rising

Games Club

Gay-Straight Alliance

Impact

International Club

It’s Academic

Junior Class

Howard County Math League (Math Team)

Los Leones

Mock Trial

Music – Instrumental/Band/Ensembles

Music – Orchestra/Ensembles

National Honor Society

Newspaper

Peer Mediation

Pom Poms

Senior Class

SHOP (Students Helping Other People)

Speech and Debate

Stage Production

Step Team

Student Council/SGA

Vocal Music – Choral/Ensembles

Yearbook

Interscholastic Athletic Program

The school system offers a wide variety of athletic opportunities for high school students. The entire athletic schedule for all schools is linked from the school system website at: www.hcpss.org/athletics.

Fall

Cheerleading

Boys’ Cross Country

Girls’ Cross Country

Girls’ Field Hockey

Football

Boys’ Golf

Girls’ Golf

Allied Soccer*

Boys’ Soccer

Girls’ Soccer

Girls’ Volleyball

Winter

Boys’ Basketball

Girls’ Basketball

Allied Bowling*

Cheerleading

Boys’ Indoor Track

Girls’ Indoor Track

Wrestling

Spring

Baseball

Allied Golf*

Boys’ Lacrosse

Girls’ Lacrosse

Allied Softball*

Girls’ Softball

Boys’ Tennis

Girls’ Tennis

Boys’ Outdoor Track

Girls’ Outdoor Track

*Allied sports are approved athletic competition between two or more high schools for students with disabilities and general education students who have never been a member of a junior varsity or varsity interscholastic athletic team.

Interscholastic Athletics

Student Eligibility

Student eligibility for high school athletics is governed by State regulations, COMAR 13A.06.03. These regulations are implemented by The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA), which establishes procedures for regular season sports programs and state tournaments. In addition, each school district may adopt more restrictive rules for their own programs, including participation standards to ensure that student athletes are making satisfactory progress toward graduation, per COMAR 13A.06.03.01-02.

In general, high school students may participate in interscholastic sports upon the consent of their parents and guardians and after being found physically fit by a qualified physician. Student athletes must maintain amateur status, and may participate on teams outside schools if membership on the outside team does not conflict with participation in the school program. Participants must be registered at the MPSSAA member high school where they play. Students in Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 may participate in interscholastic athletic contests for a maximum of four seasons in any one sport. Students 19 years old or older and high school graduates are ineligible, per COMAR 13A.06.03.02.

For high school, a full-time student earns academic eligibility to participate in extracurricular activities, including athletics, by maintaining a 2.0 weighted grade-point average (GPA), calculated using credit or non-credit courses, with no more than one failing grade for the marking period that governs eligibility for that activity. This provision does not apply to incoming 9th grade students for fall eligibility. Incomplete grades must be converted to a letter grade to determine eligibility (Policy 8020 Grading and Reporting: High School). If a student withdraws from a course, the grades at the time of withdrawal will be used in determining academic eligibility.

Each extracurricular activity is governed by only one marking period. A student must have earned academic eligibility prior to the start of the activity. Once academic eligibility has been earned for a particular activity, the student remains academically eligible for the duration of that activity season (e.g., basketball season). Eligibility is reviewed at the end of each successive marking period for yearlong activities or activities that do not have a particular time frame.

Equal Opportunity

Students may not be excluded on the basis of sex or disability from overall equal opportunity to participate in athletic programs, per COMAR 13A.06.03.04(A).

Violations, Penalties and Appeals

A student who violates interscholastic sports regulations will be penalized by having his or her eligibility to participate suspended. The length of the suspension is determined by the number of violations committed by the student, and for three or more violations, additional penalties may also be imposed, per COMAR 13A.06.03.05.A (2).

A student found in violation may appeal the penalty and request a hearing before the Appeals Committee of the MPSSAA. The decision of the Appeals Committee may also be taken to the State Superintendent who may, on a discretionary basis, appoint a special committee to uphold, deny or modify the appeal. The decision of the special committee is final, per COMAR 13A.06.03.05(B).

Honor Roll

A student’s weighted marking period GPA is used to determine honor roll attainment. Weighted GPAs are rounded to two decimal places.

Principal’s Honor Roll – Straight As

Gold Honor Roll – 3.4 GPA or higher

Silver Honor Roll – 3.0-3.39 GPA

In addition, to make the honor roll, a student may have no more than one C and no grades of D or E.

National Honor Society

The National Honor Society offers membership to high school students who meet eligibility standards in all four areas of scholarship, leadership, service and character. All high school juniors and seniors with a weighted grade point average of at least 3.40 are invited to submit application materials that include information about leadership and service experiences along with character references. The NHS faculty council reviews the provided information and offers membership to the students who have met the admission criteria. To continue membership once inducted into NHS, a student must maintain the level of scholarship, leadership, service and character set by the chapter for admission.

Student Driving and Parking on School Grounds ^[a]

Permission for students to drive and park vehicles on school system property is a privilege, not a guaranteed right. This privilege requires that students submit a student parking permit and complete the Parent-Guardian/Teen Driving Contract. In order to retain this parking privilege, students must comply with all school rules related to driving and parking on school property. Each school’s Administration has the final decision on when and how parking permits are issued. The school may revoke a parking permit at any time. Parking permit fees are $15, annually.

Guidelines for High School Dances

High school administrators and staff support the students’ need for social interaction and opportunities to develop positive social skills. It is our intent to offer students an opportunity to enjoy a social outlet in a safe and appropriate atmosphere. In order to ensure the safety and appropriateness of that atmosphere, a group of students, parents, staff members and administrators created the following set of guidelines for students’ behavior at high school dances. They are:

1. All students must purchase their own ticket to the dance during lunch shifts. No tickets will be sold at the door. Tickets are non-transferable. The Guidelines for High School Dances document must be signed in order to purchase tickets. Outside guests are only allowed at the Homecoming Dance and Prom, and their sponsoring student must complete a Guest Form when purchasing the ticket. Each student may only bring one outside guest per event. Guests must be enrolled in high school. Guests who are no longer in high school may also be invited as long as they are no older than 20 years of age. Students may be asked to show identification when checking in at the dance.
2. Aside from Prom, dances are held at school for up to a three-hour period of time between the hours of 7 until 10 p.m. or 8 until 11 p.m. Students will not be admitted more than one hour after the starting time. Once students leave the dance, they may not return. Students must have arrangements to leave school property/dance location within fifteen minutes of the end of the dance. Students who fail to do so may forfeit their privilege to attend future dances.
3. Students may not bring any coats, book bags, purses or other similar items into the dance. Items are to be checked at the coat check prior to entering the dance. Sponsoring groups may charge a small fee for the Coat Check as a fundraising activity. All Personal Communication Device Guidelines as contained in the Student/Parent Handbook will be in effect for school dances.
4. All HCPSS and school policies are in effect at dances, whether held on school property or at other locations. High school administrators and the sponsoring groups will work to provide staff chaperones at the ratio of one staff member chaperone for every 25 tickets sold. Failure to provide sufficient chaperones may result in the cancellation of the dance. Non-staff members may also volunteer to chaperone the dance if accompanied by a staff member.
5. The sponsoring organization will provide a well-lighted dance floor and determine the level of lighting necessary to maintain a safe and acceptable atmosphere. The DJ or band providing music for the dance as well as a play list of music to be played must be approved in advance by the school administration. Dances may be videotaped by school staff.
6. Students are expected to dance in a manner that is acceptable and appropriate for a school activity. These expectations will be communicated to students and parents. Expectations include:
   1. Wearing clothing that meets the county dress code (shoes must be worn at all times)
   2. Keeping both feet on the floor at all times
   3. Maintaining an upright, vertical position
   4. Avoiding any dancing that suggests a sexual act, including “grinding” of genital areas.

   Staff chaperones are the final judges of what is appropriate dancing. Any student who violates these expectations will be removed from the dance without warning. Any behavior that constitutes a violation of Policy 1020, Sexual Harassment, or Policy 1040, Safe and Supportive School Environments, will be addressed accordingly. The student may, however, remain in the school or at the location of the event to participate in other activities, if available, at the discretion of a school administrator.

7. Administrators will communicate expectations for student conduct and supervision and safety plans to all students, staff and chaperones prior to the dance.