Innovative Pathways High School Summer Program
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The April enrollment request window is now closed. The May enrollment window will open Thursday, May 1 at 12 p.m. Requests for credit recovery and GearUp for 9th Grade courses may only be made by a student’s school counselor.
Course Placement
- IP Summer Program staff will review enrollment requests and parents/guardians will be notified via email of their child’s enrollment status (enrolled or waitlisted) by April 30.
- Enrollment priority will be given to students by their current grade level. Grade 12 students have the highest priority, and entering Grade 9 students have the lowest priority for course placement. Remaining students will be randomly selected and enrolled in their selected course (or alternate course) until that course has been filled.
Payment for Enrolled Students
- Parents/guardians will receive an email from MySchoolBucks with an invoice once the student has been enrolled in a program; unless the student is repeating a course.
- Students enrolled in courses during the March window must make payment by Friday, April 25. Failure to make payment will result in the removal of the enrollment.
Overview
The Innovative Pathways High School Summer Program offers high school credit-bearing courses in a variety of content areas and levels to support academic achievement and acceleration for diploma-bound students.
Summer Program courses meet in-person at a HCPSS school building; there are NO virtual courses. Courses meet five days per week (Monday–Friday) from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Hammond HS: Art, CRD 1, CRD2/SBWE, English, GearUp for 9th Grade, Health, Lifetime Fitness, and Social Studies courses
- Long Reach HS: Exploring Comp Sci, Foundations of Tech, Math, Science, and Spanish courses
Summer 2025 Program Calendar
(6 weeks)
- June 24–August 1 (No classes on Friday, July 4)
(3 weeks)
- Session 1: June 24–July 11 (No classes on Friday, July 4)
- Session 2: July 14–August 1
Marking Period and Exam Dates
- Quarter 1 (Session 1 Starts): June 24–July 1
- Quarter 2: July 2–July 11
- Mid-Term Exams (Year-Long Courses): July 11
- Final Exams (Session 1 Courses)
Course Information
Carefully review course descriptions, dates and times before submitting an enrollment request.
Enrollment Requests
Enrollment requests can be made by a parent/guardian, school counselor or achievement liaison. Students must have met any applicable prerequisites. Credit recovery and GearUp for Grade 9 courses may only be made by a school counselor beginning in April.
Parents/guardians may make an enrollment request by taking the following steps:
- Log in to HCPSS Connect Synergy using parent/guardian credentials.
- Select the student you wish to make an enrollment request for from the top left corner of the screen using the drop down menu.
- Select More Options from the left panel.
- Select Summer/Evening/Saturday Program Registrations from the middle.
- Select IP High School Summer from the left panel.
Online enrollment request dates:
- May 1–May 15
- June 2–June 11
Additional Enrollment Information
- Enrollment requests do not guarantee placement in the High School Summer Program.
- Enrollment requests are NOT first-come, first-served.
- Enrollment priority will be given to students by their current grade level. Remaining students will be randomly selected and enrolled in their selected course (or alternate course) until that course has been filled.
- Students with an existing financial obligation with Innovative Pathways will not be placed in a course until the tuition balance has been paid.
- Families will receive an email when a student is enrolled in a course or added to the applicable course waitlist.
Non-HCPSS students
Parents/guardians of current non-HCPSS students who wish to submit an enrollment request for the Innovative Pathways High School summer program should email IPSummer@hcpss.org to receive an alternate online enrollment link (please include Non-HCPSS enrollment in the subject line). Non-HCPSS students will be placed in courses after HCPSS students have been enrolled.
Attendance
Daily attendance and active student participation directly support student achievement. This is especially important during the Summer Program. Students will be meeting the instructional objectives for a full-year/semester course in a compressed six-week/three-week timeframe. Each day is equivalent to 8 ½ days of instruction during the normal school year.
- Daily student attendance is required.
- Students who show up to 5 minutes after the start time are considered Tardy. Students who show up after 15 minutes of the start time are considered Absent.
- Students who miss more than two (2) classes will be withdrawn from their course.
- To report an absence:
- Students should message their teacher through Canvas Inbox or email their teacher’s HCPSS email address.
- Parents can call their child’s summer program site (Long Reach HS: 410-750-8185 | Hammond HS: 410-750-8176) OR email IPSummer@hcpss.org and include “Absence” in the subject line. Include the student’s name, course name, teacher’s name, and reason for absence.
- Students may only earn credit for assignments due to an excused absence. Students may be excused from class or school only for reasons as specified in the Code of Maryland Regulations, 13A.08.01.02, 13A.08.01.03, 13A.08.01.06, and l3AA.10.01.04(A-B).
Transportation
Limited bus transportation is available via community bus stops – a central bus stop location. Door-to-door or neighborhood bus stops are not provided.
Transportation is available for students:
- Enrolled in the GearUp for 9th Grade program at Hammond HS
- Retaking a course (credit recovery)
- Graduating during the High School summer program in July 2025
After verification, parents/guardians will be emailed bus pick-up and drop-off times before the program start date. Community bus stops are subject to change.
Transportation for students not eligible for HCPSS bus transportation will be the responsibility of the student and their parents/guardians. Students must be picked up within 15 minutes of the end of the school day. Alternate transportation may be found through the Regional Transportation Agency (RTA).
Payments and Financial Assistance
Payments
Payments will only be accepted for students who have been enrolled in a course (not on a waitlist). Once enrolled, the parent/guardian will be emailed an invoice from MySchoolBucks outlining the course fee(s). Parents/guardians who do not receive an invoice should search do-not-reply@myschoolbucks.com in their spam/junk email folder.
Download PDF: Summer Programs Payment Instructions
Payments may be made online through MySchoolBucks or by mail. After 10 days past due, the enrollment may be removed. Full payment is due prior to the program start date. If payment is not received in full, the unpaid amount will become a debt and will be entered as an outstanding obligation at your child’s school. All obligations must be satisfied prior to graduation.
- Online: Payment may be made through MySchoolBucks by debit card, credit card or eCheck (there is a 4% non-refundable service fee).
- Download the Registration Payment Form and return the completed form with a check or money order payable to Howard County Public School System to:
HCPSS
Attn: Innovative Pathways
10910 Clarksville Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21042
If an alternate form of payment is needed, please contact the program directly to review payment options. HCPSS cannot take in-person payment (check or money order) without an appointment.
Returned Checks
Checks returned by the bank due to insufficient funds will be assessed a charge. The HCPSS Finance Office has contracted with Envision Payment Solutions, Inc. for the electronic collection of check payments. If the check is returned unpaid, Envision Payment Solutions, Inc. will assess a $35 fee allowed by Maryland state law and charged as an electronic fund transfer.
Financial Assistance
Financial Assistance is available for current HCPSS students. Please visit www.hcpss.org/farms to submit a Free and Reduced Price Meal services (FARMs) application.
Students receiving FARMs automatically receive a 50% tuition reduction upon verification.
Parents/guardians who do not qualify for FARMs but are experiencing a documented financial hardship, or who are unable to afford tuition after the automatic FARMs status-based discounts, may complete a Financial Assistance Application. Financial hardships include unemployment of a parent or guardian, pending foreclosure or eviction and medical hardship. The Financial Assistance Committee will review the completed applications and notify parents/guardians if additional tuition reduction will be applied.
Financial Assistance Applications will be accepted in the following manner (please only submit ONE version):
- Online: Complete the online form and email the required documentation to IPSummer@hcpss.org
- Mail: Download the application form and return the completed form and required documentation to:
HCPSS
Attn: Innovative Pathways
10910 Clarksville Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21042
Withdrawal Requests
Prior to enrollment, a parent/guardian or school counselor may submit a registration withdrawal request online through HCPSS Connect. Instructions for requesting withdrawal are included in the Register for HS Summer Program document.
Any student who withdraws from a course after Friday, July 4 will receive a W (withdrawal) on the report card and official transcript.
Refund Requests
Refund requests will only be processed after a withdrawal request has been submitted online through HCPSS Connect prior to the refund deadline. See details on how to Request Withdrawal from HS Summer Courses.
- Refund requests received after Wednesday, June 11, 2025, will be assessed a 25% administrative fee.
- Requests received after Wednesday, June 18, 2025, will be assessed a 50% administrative fee.
- Refunds will not be issued after Friday, June 27, 2025.
Tuition paid by check or money order will be refunded in the form of a check mailed to the issuer once the Refund Form is processed. Refunds by check may take 4–6 weeks to process. Tuition paid by credit card will be refunded to the credit card in accordance with the credit card company’s refund procedure less the service charge. For questions regarding course selection, contact the student’s school counselor. Please note that messages sent via email generally will receive a faster response than calling. Phone messages will be returned within 24 hours during the school week. For program questions prior to June 23: Beginning June 23: Call the summer program site (Monday–Friday, 7:45 a.m.–1:30 p.m.)
Contact