The Digital Education Center will offer courses from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Some courses will be offered on a semester schedule while others will be year-long. Students may take some of the courses with a DEC teacher during the traditional school day while other courses may be taken in the afternoon or evening. More information and sample schedules are forthcoming.
The Digital Education Center is scheduled to begin in the 2021-2022 school year, following the HCPSS academic calendar. Students would need to commit to enrolling in the DEC for the entire school year as this would be their primary school.
Digital Education Center courses will meet the same standards as all HCPSS curriculum. Although many courses including related arts, and electives will be available, some courses will not be available. The primary difference between traditional, in-person courses and the DEC is the delivery of instruction, which will be through a virtual model.
The Digital Education Center will offer classes taught by HCPSS teachers. DEC students will receive their instruction from DEC teachers, not teachers at their designated home school. Support services may be provided from DEC staff or staff at the student’s designated home school.
The Howard County Public School System is planning a full-time, virtual option for students entering grades K-12 who wish to learn virtually for the 2021-2022 school year. Once finalized, the Digital Education Center (DEC) program will give students the opportunity to take classes and earn credits virtually, while receiving support services from both the DEC and their designated home school. DEC students will continue to be “enrolled” in their assigned home school and will be able to participate in athletics and activities at that school.
Update: April 14, 2021
There are three administration windows, spanning early May through mid-June, that provide traditional, in-school testing options for all AP courses, and back-up, at-home testing options for most AP courses. HCPSS has developed a set of recommendations for students to choose from, which are available online.
HCPSS has a half-day prekindergarten program, available first to students who meet first priority criteria: income eligible, homelessness and foster care.
When space allows, other applicants who meet the second priority criteria may be accepted. However, space is dependent upon current countywide enrollment. Most often, applicants that do not meet the first priority criteria will not be accepted.
Details on the HCPSS pre-K program can be found online.
Online registration is open for the 2021-2022 school year.
Parents/guardians of incoming HCPSS students can begin the registration process online. While completing the online registration form, you can also upload the required documents. Your child’s school will contact you to schedule a virtual meeting to complete registration.
Kindergarten registration details can be found online. Full details are available online.
No, students enrolled in HCPSS in any preschool or prekindergarten program do not need to be re-registered for kindergarten.
If your child will attend kindergarten at a new school, their records will be sent at the end of the current school year. A letter, along with other kindergarten-preparation materials, will be provided to prekindergarten parents explaining the above process.
