Innovative Pathways

The Innovative Pathways Digital Program offers high school credit-bearing courses for students during and outside the school day through two instructional methods. Board of Education Policy 8200 Digital Education outlines the implementation of digital learning in the Howard County Public School System.

• Online Instruction: Asynchronous class where the student decides the time and place that the instruction is received. There is no real-time instruction. Students are provided a syllabus or pacing guide that outlines the learning plan. A teacher guides student learning by providing written feedback and check-ins with students as needed. Students schedule their own time to complete assignments that meet the course due dates.
• Video Instruction: Synchronous class scheduled during the school day, taught in real-time by a HCPSS teacher from a “home” school to students at both “home” and “remote” schools. Teachers and students utilize web-based and video technologies to interact with each other in real-time.

The Innovative Pathways Evening Program offers high school credit-bearing courses for current grade 9–12 students:

• Seeking to recover credit for missed/failed courses.
• Interested in taking additional classes to advance their studies.
• Who are on long-term suspension or who have been expelled from school but are under 18 years of age.

The Innovative Pathways High School Summer Program offers high school credit-bearing courses in a variety of content areas and academic levels as an extension of the school year for diploma-bound grade 9–12 students.

• All courses meet in-person at a HCPSS school building.
• Courses meet Monday-Friday, over six-weeks during June and July.
• Course lists and registration information are posted to the webpage in January.