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The Student Service Learning (SSL) program in MCPS promotes a culture of student involvement and student responsibility through civic engagement. Service learning is a graduation requirement in Maryland. MCPS students must complete a minimum of 75 service-learning hours to graduate. They may begin fulfilling this requirement in the summer after Grade 5 and continue to accrue SSL hours through high school.

Students who earn 260 or more SSL hours receive a Certificate of Meritorious Service at the time of graduation. Preparation, action, and reflection are the three phases of service learning that distinguish SSL from traditional volunteering and community-service efforts. Service learning hours are earned through the following:

• School Courses—Successful completion of specific courses identified in this course bulletin where the three phases of SSL achieve curricular objectives.

• School Clubs—Fully participating and completing the three phases of service learning in activities promoted by school-sponsored clubs and organizations.

• Community Organizations and Opportunities (must meet MCPS SSL guidelines)—Fully participating in opportunities with community organizations following the MCPS SSL guidelines listed on the MCPS SSL website, found at www.mcps-ssl.org. MCPS SSL opportunities are identified on the Montgomery County Volunteer Center (MCVC) web page with the MCPS SSL icon, found at www.montgomeryserves.org. Students also may seek approval for other types of service learning by submitting MCPS Form 560-50, Individual Student Service Learning Request.

All activities for which SSL hours are desired must occur in a public place, be secular in nature, and be supervised by an adult representative from a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. Parents/guardians and relatives may not supervise a student directly. One SSL hour is awarded for every one hour of service outside of the instructional day, with a maximum of 8 hours in a 24-hour period. MCPS Form 560-51, Student Service Learning Activity Verifi cation, is required to document all activities for which SSL hours are desired. SSL FAQs and more information is available at the MCPS SSL website www.mcps-ssl.org and the MCVC website www.montgomeryserves.org. For individual SSL questions, please contact the SSL coordinator in any middle or high school.

In-Person Opportunities

Virtual Opportunities

SSL Full Details are now available in Student/ParentVUE! Directions for how to access this information can be found at the following link: https://bit.ly/SSLonVUE.

SSL Hub for MCPS Students and Families

All students must earn a minimum of 75 hours of community service by the end of their high school senior year to graduate from a Maryland high school.

Students earn 30 hours throughout middle school in supervised classroom activities.

These hours will be added automatically at the end of each school year.

(In high school, students will be able to earn 15 hours in NSL Government class.)

• Grade 6 science class

• Grade 7 English class

• Grade 8 history class

Students earning all 75 hours before graduating middle school will be given the Superintendent’s SSL Award. This award may be earned only once in middle school.

Students earn the remaining hours on their own by choosing services which interests them.

• MCPS has pre-approved many organizations for SSL. The Montgomery County Volunteer Center website lists volunteer opportunities for people of all ages, not just MCPS students. Not all the organizations on the website are MCPS pre-approved! A graduation cap indicates organizations or opportunities that meet MCPS SSL guidelines.

• All PTAs and public schools are preapproved for SSL hours and still must follow the SSL guidelines for specific activities.

If a student wishes to earn hours from an organization NOT pre-approved by MCPS for SSL, students must submit the MCPS Form 560-50 Individual SSL Request to the MCPS Primary coordinator at least 2 weeks in advance of the service date for approval. Failure to get pre-approval will result in hours not being accepted. You can find this form on the MCPS website https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/ssl.