HCPSS reports gains in 9th‑grade 'on track' rates but sees persistent gaps for Black, Hispanic and students with services
April 30, 2026 | Howard County Public Schools, School Boards, Maryland
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District support staff presented the Maryland Blueprint‑aligned College & Career Readiness (CCR) report to the Howard County Board of Education April 30, highlighting progress and persistent disparities.
Diane Morris, Executive Director of Secondary Schools, said 77 percent of 2025 ninth graders met grade‑9 'on track' criteria in 2024–25, while 67 percent of the 2025 tenth‑grade cohort met CCR standards. She acknowledged that Black, African American, Hispanic/Latino students, economically disadvantaged students, multilingual learners and students receiving special education services lag behind peers but noted systemwide improvements across several groups.
"This baseline data shows there are disparities in readiness and we are seeing growth for specific groups as school improvement strategies are implemented," Morris said. The district described three core strategies: improving Tier 1 instruction, strengthening multi‑tiered supports (MTSS) linked to grade‑9 early‑warning data, and expanding pathways such as career assessments, registered apprenticeships and dual‑enrollment options.
Board members pressed district staff for specific, anonymized examples of schools where targeted interventions produced measurable gains and asked that officials compare CCR outcomes to neighboring counties. Staff said such examples exist and offered to provide more granular data to the board and to align CCR work with MTSS monitoring tools to measure impact.
Special education access and post‑graduation outcomes were a recurring focus. Directors said students with IEPs are included in career readiness work and that partnerships (including Howard Community College) are expanding targeted Tier‑3 supports for seniors without post‑high‑school plans.
Next steps: the district will continue MTSS rollouts, refine assessment and monitoring tools, and bring more specific school‑level evidence of interventions that moved students on track.
Diane Morris, Executive Director of Secondary Schools, said 77 percent of 2025 ninth graders met grade‑9 'on track' criteria in 2024–25, while 67 percent of the 2025 tenth‑grade cohort met CCR standards. She acknowledged that Black, African American, Hispanic/Latino students, economically disadvantaged students, multilingual learners and students receiving special education services lag behind peers but noted systemwide improvements across several groups.
"This baseline data shows there are disparities in readiness and we are seeing growth for specific groups as school improvement strategies are implemented," Morris said. The district described three core strategies: improving Tier 1 instruction, strengthening multi‑tiered supports (MTSS) linked to grade‑9 early‑warning data, and expanding pathways such as career assessments, registered apprenticeships and dual‑enrollment options.
Board members pressed district staff for specific, anonymized examples of schools where targeted interventions produced measurable gains and asked that officials compare CCR outcomes to neighboring counties. Staff said such examples exist and offered to provide more granular data to the board and to align CCR work with MTSS monitoring tools to measure impact.
Special education access and post‑graduation outcomes were a recurring focus. Directors said students with IEPs are included in career readiness work and that partnerships (including Howard Community College) are expanding targeted Tier‑3 supports for seniors without post‑high‑school plans.
Next steps: the district will continue MTSS rollouts, refine assessment and monitoring tools, and bring more specific school‑level evidence of interventions that moved students on track.
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