In support of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Strategic Plan priorities of Achieving Academic Excellence and Future Readiness & Transitional Preparedness, AACPS will continue to leverage dedicated College and Career Readiness (CCR) funds from the Blueprint for Maryland's Future to pay fees for a range of college and career readiness opportunities in the coming school year, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Bedell announced today.
The expanded investment builds on AACPS' efforts to increase student access to advanced coursework, college credit, and industry credentials while reducing the financial burden on students and families. Since the passage of the Blueprint, AACPS students have earned a combined total of over 37,000 qualifying scores on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams and have earned college credit for about 11,000 dual enrollment courses.
“Our Strategic Plan is clear about our responsibility to prepare students not simply to graduate, but to be ready for what comes next,” Dr. Bedell said. “The Blueprint gives us an opportunity to leverage funds to advance that work and remove financial barriers that can stand between students and opportunity. Since the passage of the Blueprint, the college credit earned by our students through AP and IB exams and dual enrollment represents millions of dollars in potential savings for our students and families. More importantly, through the hard work and support of our high school teachers and our community college faculty partners, thousands of students are leaving us having already demonstrated success in college-level work. That is Achieving Academic Excellence and Future Readiness & Transitional Preparedness in action.”
Blueprint CCR funds support students across all AACPS high schools. In the coming school year, the funding will pay for the following opportunities for all students:
the in-school PSAT 8/9 exam fee for Grade 9 students;
the in-school PSAT 10 exam fee for Grade 10 students;
the in-school PSAT/NMSQT exam fee for Grade 11 students;
the in-school SAT exam fee for Grade 11 students;
Advanced Placement (AP) exam fees for up to four AP courses, for students enrolled in the corresponding AP course;
International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) exam fees for students enrolled in the corresponding IB DP course;
Career and Technical Education (CTE) industry certification exam costs for students enrolled in the corresponding AACPS CTE program;
tuition and fees for all identified Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) dual enrollment courses that are part of a school's Signature Program, for students enrolled in that school's Signature Program; and
tuition and fees for up to one AACPS-approved AACC dual enrollment course each semester.
Students who have met the MSDE College and Career Readiness (CCR) definition are also eligible for:
tuition and fees for up to four AACPS-approved AACC dual enrollment courses, rather than one per semester; and
AP exam fees for all AP courses in which they are enrolled, rather than up to four.
Students who qualify for Free and Reduced-Price Meals (FARMS) also receive AP exam fees for all AP courses in which they are enrolled, rather than up to four.
Families with questions about these programs should contact their student's school.