Maryland's Blueprint to Prepare Students for College and Careers

Taylor Nichols and Adriana Navarro, Capital News Service • June 18, 2024

Counselors Lead the Way

Northern High School had never had a career counselor. Not until Christian Wargo walked through its doors.

In September, Wargo became the Calvert County high school’s first career advisor as a part of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a multi-billion dollar legislative plan to improve education across the state.

Now, every school district across the state is hiring career counselors like Wargo to help students navigate a pressing question: What do they want to do when they grow up?

Wargo said his help is in high demand.

“I’m in the classrooms a lot with the kids still introducing myself so they know who I am, but I’m starting to have a lot of students come to me on their own,” he said.

A new emphasis on career counseling is just part of the Blueprint’s college and career readiness “pillar,” which starts with an ambitious goal: to make sure all high school students are prepared for their next steps after high school by the end of the 10th grade.

Many students fall short of that goal now, and Rachel Hise, executive director of the Blueprint’s Accountability and Implementation Board, said that leaves educators with an important lesson.

“The bulk of kids need something different than what we're doing for them now,” Hise said.

That “something different” is already taking shape amid the state’s education bureaucracy and at its 1,421 or so public schools. The State Department of Education is redesigning curriculums and has already revised how to measure college and career readiness. Districts are funneling more high school juniors and seniors to dual enrollment programs at local community colleges, and schools are placing a far stronger emphasis on career and technical education.

A sweeping curriculum overhaul

All Blueprint changes need to be in place by the 2031-2032 school year. While each school district is tasked with developing its own implementation plan, one key to the Blueprint is a “model statewide curriculum” that’s currently under development.

“We are trying to get rid of our gaps and to really understand what we need to do to meet our kids to make sure that they leave us prepared for college, career and life,” said Rachel Amstutz, policy director for the Accountability and Implementation Board that’s overseeing the Blueprint rollout.

While it’s not yet clear what those changes might entail, the Blueprint Implementation Plan discusses possible adjustments to math, English language arts, science and social studies curriculums to align with local college admissions standards and research on student learning.

“You'll hear us talk about reimagining the school day,” Amstutz said. “We don't envision high school looking like what high school has looked like since my parents were in school.”

The Blueprint also requires a universal standard to measure college and career readiness. The state had been using Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program scores, a state standardized test, as an indicator of success. By 10th grade, students need to meet expectations in English language arts and math to be deemed “career and college ready.”

But the test results from the 2020-21 school year, the latest available, showed just over half of students (53.5%) met the English language arts requirements and roughly 40% passed math standards by 10th grade. Maryland high schoolers have to take the test to graduate, but aren’t required by the state to pass. However, starting this year the government and life science tests will count for 20% of a student’s course grade.

Studies commissioned by the Blueprint found that including an alternative to demonstrating college and career readiness through passing exams, such as earning a 3.0 GPA, was more inclusive than standardized tests alone and better predicted student success in college.

That being the case, the State Board of Education in January unanimously adopted a new set of college and career readiness standards last month that includes that GPA measure as an alternative to test scores.

Now it’s up to teachers, career counselors and students to try to meet those standards.

“The Blueprint is really asking us to rethink what high school looks like and really make sure that we're preparing all of our students to go to college or enter the workforce in a way that we just haven't done before,” said Sarah Bento, assistant principal at Northern High School in Calvert County.

College Prep: AP Classes and Dual Enrollment

The requirement to add career counselors in every school means students will have more support to think about what they want to do. For many, that still means pursuing a college degree.

On average, roughly half of Maryland high school graduates go straight to college after high school.

Northern High School sophomore Simon Mackenzie Dean, 15, is one such student planning on going to college. He knew he liked math and science, and after speaking with Wargo, he decided to go either into nuclear engineering or quantum physics.

“We had the resources to look at more job opportunities, what it does, how it works and sort of that stuff,” Dean said. “And it made me think more about it. Even just having the ability to do that [is helpful], so you can narrow it down more.”

For high school students interested in college, options such as AP classes or dual-enrollment at community colleges help them prepare for that next step and can defray the costs of earning a four-year degree.

Last year, about one in 15 Maryland high schoolers participated in dual enrollment programs at local colleges.

The Blueprint requires local community colleges to accept 11th- and 12th- graders who meet college and career readiness standards and requirements for dual enrollment tuition-free.

Career counselors can also help students make informed decisions about where to go to school, what to study and how to pay for it, said Carrie Akins, director of Career and Technical Education at Calvert County Public Schools.

“I think people have been hungry for that knowledge for quite some time, but as parents, what they knew was, ‘I don't want my kid to have thousands of dollars in debt, but I don't know what to tell them,’” Akins said. “So I think that they're very excited to now have somebody that can help their child through that process.”

Alternatives to a Four-Year Degree

The Blueprint also requires increasing career preparation opportunities for students who won’t end up going to college. The Blueprint aims to have 45% of high school graduates completing an apprenticeship or industry-recognized credential by the 2030-31 school year.

That’s a lofty goal. Current state data show that, as of February 2023, 27% of high school students had completed a career and technical education program. However, just 7% had earned an industry credential or completed an apprenticeship.

High schools in Garrett, Somerset, Kent and Caroline counties currently have the highest participation rates in career and technical education, while Prince George’s and Montgomery counties have the lowest, State Department of Education data show.

State-approved career and technical education programs include health professions, early childhood education, dental hygienist and dental assisting, culinary arts, carpentry, cosmetology, air traffic control and many other career training options.

The key to getting students to consider such careers involves reaching them young and debunking some old stereotypes, educators said.

"We really should be starting a conversation of college and career at the K through eight level,” said Ryan Daniel, principal of Fort Foote Elementary School in Prince George’s County.

Such conversations can make a big difference. Northern High School freshman Cody Bach Du, 14, wanted to either go to college for landscaping architecture or go to the Calvert County Career and Technology Academy for woodworking or welding. Talking with Wargo made Duhim realize there were other pathways to sustainable careers outside of a four-year degree.

“When Mr. Wargo came in and he told me about all of these different opportunities, it kind of opened my view up,” Du said.

Given the historical emphasis on a four-year college education, there can be a lingering stigma for students who want to enter the workforce out of high school or opt for job training instead.

“We still need to make sure that we’re doing a better job, really, taking some of that stigma away,” said Chrystie Crawford-Smick, president of the Harford County Education Association, a bargaining union for local education employees. “They're very lucrative careers and very needed.”

Nikki Phillips, the new advisor at Plum Point Middle School in Calvert County, said some students come to her with a set idea of what success looks like based on perceptions they learn from their parents.

Because older generations were taught that earning a four-year degree was the best path to success, part of the job now involves educating parents on today’s career landscape, especially with factors such as artificial intelligence and automation, Akins said.

It’s a slightly different conversation than the one Phillips has with younger students.

“When we talk about anything in the future, they’re like, ‘I want to be rich,’” she said.

Instead of getting her students to focus on how much money they will make, however, she said she tries to get them to focus on other things, like the quality of life with each job.

“Are you willing to put in the effort to get there?” Phillips said. “Because, no matter what the job is, you still have to go through the effort to get there.”

Capital News Service is a student-powered news organization run by the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism. For 26 years, they have provided deeply reported, award-winning coverage of issues of import to Marylanders.

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Megan Outten Launches Campaign for Wicomico County Council, District 7

By Friends of Megan Outten • July 29, 2025

Megan Outten, a lifelong Wicomico County resident and former Salisbury City Councilwoman, officially announced her candidacy recently for Wicomico County Council, District 7. At 33, Outten brings the energy of a new generation combined with a proven record of public service and results-driven leadership. “I’m running because Wicomico deserves better,” Outten said. “Too often, our communities are expected to do more with less. We’re facing underfunded schools, limited economic opportunities, and years of neglected infrastructure. I believe Wicomico deserves leadership that listens, plans ahead, and delivers real, measurable results.” A Record of Action and A Vision for the Future On Salisbury’s City Council, Outten earned a reputation for her proactive, hands-on approach — working directly with residents to close infrastructure gaps, support first responders, and ensure everyday voices were heard. Now she’s bringing that same focus to the County Council, with priorities centered on affordability, public safety, and stronger, more resilient communities. Key Priorities for District 7: Fully fund public schools so every child has the opportunity to succeed. Fix aging infrastructure and county services through proactive investment. Keep Wicomico affordable with smarter planning and pathways to homeownership. Support first responders and safer neighborhoods through better tools, training, and prevention. Expand resources for seniors, youth, and underserved communities. Outten’s platform is rooted in real data and shaped by direct community engagement. With Wicomico now the fastest-growing school system on Maryland’s Eastern Shore — and 85% of students relying on extra resources — she points to the county’s lagging investment as a key area for action. “Strong schools lead to strong jobs, thriving industries, and healthier communities,” Outten said. “Our schools and infrastructure are at a tipping point. We need leadership that stops reacting after things break — and starts investing before they do.” A Commitment to Home and Service Born and raised in Wicomico, Megan Outten sees this campaign as a continuation of her lifelong service to her community. Her vision reflects what she’s hearing from neighbors across the county: a demand for fairness, opportunity, and accountability in local government. “Wicomico is my home; it’s where I grew up, built my life, and where I want to raise my family,” Outten said. “Our county is full of potential. We just need leaders who will listen, work hard, and get things done. That’s what I’ve always done, and that’s exactly what I’ll continue to do on the County Council.” Outten will be meeting with residents across District 7 in the months ahead and unveiling more details of her platform. For more information or to get involved, contact info@meganoutten.com

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By John Christie • July 29, 2025

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The majority claimed that they do not now decide whether Humphrey’s should be overruled because “that question is better left for resolution after full briefing and argument.” However, hinting that these agency members have “considerable” executive power and suggesting that “the Government” faces greater “risk of harm” from an order allowing a removed officer to continue exercising the executive power than a wrongfully removed officer faces from being unable to perform her statutory duty,” the majority gave the President the green light to proceed. Justice Kagan, joined by Justices Sotomayor and Jackson, dissented, asserting that Humphrey’s remains good law until overturned and forecloses both the President’s firings and the Court’s decision to award emergency relief.” Our emergency docket, while fit for some things, should not be used to “overrule or revise existing law.” Moreover, the dissenters contend that the majority’s effort to explain their decision “hardly rises to the occasion.” Maybe by saying that the Commissioners exercise “considerable” executive power, the majority is suggesting that Humphrey’s is no longer good law but if that is what the majority means, then it has foretold a “massive change” in the law and done so on the emergency docket, “with little time, scant briefing, and no argument.” And, the “greater risk of harm” in fact is that Congress provided for these discharged members to serve their full terms, protected from a President’s desire to substitute his political allies. More recently, in the latest shadow docket ruling in the administration’s favor, the same majority of the Court again permitted President Trump to fire, without cause, the Democratic members of another independent agency, this time the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Trump v. Boyle (July 23, 2025). The same three justices dissented, once more objecting to the use of the Court’s emergency docket to destroy the independence of an independent agency as established by Congress. The CPSC, like the NLRB and MSPB, was designed to operate as “a classic independent agency.” In Congress’s view, that structure would better enable the CPSC to achieve its mission — ensuring the safety of consumer products, from toys to appliances — than would a single-party agency under the full control of a single President. “By allowing the President to remove Commissioners for no reason other than their party affiliation, the majority has negated Congress’s choice of agency bipartisanship and independence.” The dissenters also assert that the majority’s sole professed basis for the more recent order in Boyle was its prior order in Wilcox . But in their opinion, Wilcox itself was minimally explained. So, the dissenters claim, the majority rejects the design of Congress for a whole class of agencies by “layering nothing on nothing.” “Next time, though, the majority will have two (if still under-reasoned) orders to cite. Truly, this is ‘turtles all the way down.’” Rapanos v. United States (2006). * ***** *In Rapanos , in a footnote to his plurality opinion, former Supreme Court Justice Scalia explained that this allusion is to a classic story told in different forms and attributed to various authors. His favorite version: An Eastern guru affirms that the earth is supported on the back of a tiger. When asked what supports the tiger, he says it stands upon an elephant; and when asked what supports the elephant, he says it is a giant turtle. When asked, finally, what supports the giant turtle, he is briefly taken aback, but quickly replies "Ah, after that it is turtles all the way down." John Christie was for many years a senior partner in a large Washington, D.C. law firm. He specialized in anti-trust litigation and developed a keen interest in the U.S. Supreme Court about which he lectures and writes.

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By Catlin Nchako, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities • May 21, 2025

The House Agriculture Committee recently voted, along party lines, to advance legislation that would cut as much as $300 million from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, helping more than 41 million people in the U.S. pay for food. With potential cuts this large, it helps to know who benefits from this program in Maryland, and who would lose this assistance. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities compiled data on SNAP beneficiaries by congressional district, cited below, and produced the Maryland state datasheet , shown below. In Maryland, in 2023-24, 1 in 9 people lived in a household with SNAP benefits. In Maryland’s First Congressional District, in 2023-24: Almost 34,000 households used SNAP benefits. Of those households, 43% had at least one senior (over age 60). 29% of SNAP recipients were people of color. 15% were Black, non-Hispanic, higher than 11.8% nationally. 6% were Hispanic (19.4% nationally). There were 24,700 total veterans (ages 18-64). Of those, 2,200 lived in households that used SNAP benefits (9%). The CBPP SNAP datasheet for Maryland is below. See data from all the states and download factsheets here.