Executive Summary

All 24 Maryland districts are rated as on track for the High Quality & Diverse Teachers and Leaders pillar: 10 districts are rated Exceeds and 14 are rated Meets, with none Approaching or Does Not Meet. Every district has an AIB-approved Career Ladder, and many have moved into Level 4 Lead Teacher pilots or submitted Declarations of Intent for SY2027-28 implementation.^[1]

The most visible statewide gain is in National Board Certification. The statewide NBC achievement count rose from 73 in 2021-2022 to 1,425 in 2025-2026, up 327 from the prior year, driven by facilitator-led cohorts, university partnerships, and fee and release-time supports in districts such as Montgomery (271), Howard (179), Anne Arundel (157), Prince George's (145), and Baltimore County (122).^[1] Teacher vacancies also fell sharply, from 2,169.9 in 2022-2023 to 886.22 in 2025-2026, and the attrition rate declined to 23.77% from 26.16% a year earlier.^[1]

Significant challenges remain. The statewide minimum teacher salary for SY26 stands at $59,185, still short of the $60,000 requirement due July 1, 2026, and several districts, including Somerset ($53,978), Worcester ($55,789), Dorchester ($55,394), and Kent ($56,240), remain well below it.^[1] Statewide teacher retention improved to 76.23% but remains below the 77.7% target, and the conditionally licensed teacher rate is 9.44%, with some districts such as Baltimore City (19.8%) and Prince George's (16.4%) well above that level.^[1]

Looking ahead, districts are positioned to move from designing Career Ladder structures to operating Level 4 roles, with several pilots approved or planned for SY2026-27 and full implementation committed for SY2027-28. Sustaining progress will depend on closing salary gaps, converting NBC growth into improved retention, strengthening teacher diversity, and maintaining the grant-funded supports that underpin many mentoring, Grow Your Own, and NBC facilitation efforts.^[1]