The rule in one paragraph
HCPSS students meet Maryland's 75-hour requirement mostly in middle school: service-learning projects in their classes in grades 6, 7 and 8 give 25 hours a year, certified by school staff. Students who complete the three-year middle school program have met the graduation requirement.
Students who join later need fewer hours. A student who transfers into an HCPSS middle school owes 25 hours for each year they were not at an HCPSS middle school, earned in high school. A student who enters an HCPSS high school needs:
| You enter an HCPSS high school in | SSL hours |
|---|---|
| Grade 9 | up to 75 |
| Grade 10 | up to 50 |
| Grade 11, first semester | 40 |
| Grade 11, second semester | 30 |
| Grade 12, first semester | 15 |
| Grade 12, second semester | 10 |
What counts and what does not
- Counts: service-learning projects in middle school classes, 25 hours a year in grades 6 to 8, certified by school staff.
- Counts: in high school, finishing one of these courses: Leadership II Community Service, Leadership I/II, Special Education Peer Assistant/Tutor or Student Services Office Assistant/Tutor.
- Counts: in high school, an individual service project or locally approved projects, reviewed and approved by the SSL coordinator before you start and certified by school staff.
- Does not count: independent volunteering in middle school: only the hours built into middle school classes count toward the requirement.
- Does not count: a high school project the SSL coordinator did not approve before you started.
How to record your hours
All service learning is documented on the HCPSS Student Service Validation Form, completed at the end of each project; designated school staff certify that you met the requirement. Hours go into your permanent record and appear on your report card from grade 6 to grade 12. Keep copies of every form. Each middle and high school has an SSL point of contact for questions, opportunities and timelines.
A simple pace
If you are in HCPSS from 6th grade, the 25 hours a year in your middle school classes cover the whole requirement. If you join later, ask your school's SSL point of contact as soon as you arrive which option fits, and plan the hours from the table above.
Why keep logging anyway
Volunteering beyond the requirement still counts for honor societies, scholarships and college applications, and HCPSS high schools recognize outstanding service learning at their Senior Awards Ceremony. See honor society and club hours and 30 community service ideas.
Keep your own record, free
Your school's system is the official record; keep your own copy too, with the date, the hours and who supervised you. Print the free volunteer hours log, work out your weekly pace with the volunteer hours calculator, or track it in My Award Tracker: pick the Maryland student service learning goal and see the hours left and the pace you need as you log.
Other states and districts: see community service hours to graduate, every state.
Frequently asked questions
How many SSL hours do HCPSS students need?
75, normally earned through class projects in middle school, 25 a year in grades 6 to 8. Students who enter an HCPSS high school need fewer: up to 75 in grade 9, up to 50 in grade 10, 40 or 30 in grade 11 and 15 or 10 in grade 12, depending on the semester.
Does volunteering in middle school count in Howard County?
Not toward the requirement: at the middle school level, only the hours built into classes count. It is still worth doing and logging for honor societies, scholarships and college applications.
I moved into an HCPSS middle school. How many SSL hours do I need?
25 hours for each year you were not at an HCPSS middle school, earned in high school through approved individual service or locally approved projects.
Which high school courses meet the HCPSS SSL requirement?
Leadership II Community Service, Leadership I/II, Special Education Peer Assistant/Tutor and Student Services Office Assistant/Tutor.
What form documents HCPSS SSL hours?
The HCPSS Student Service Validation Form, completed at the end of each project. In high school, the SSL coordinator approves the project before you start.