Music Teacher in class

Blueprint Career Ladder - Overview

The Blueprint Career Ladder is a comprehensive career advancement system that fosters continuous professional growth, recognizes and rewards exemplary teaching practices, provides opportunities for leadership and specialized roles, and allows for exceptional educators to stay in the classroom, ultimately enhancing the quality of education and student outcomes in Baltimore City Public Schools.

Pathways and Levels

While the Blueprint provides a foundational structure, City Schools has enhanced each level to create a more comprehensive and flexible career ladder that meets the needs of our schools and educators. The Blueprint Career Ladder consists of the levels as follows:

Level One

  1. Level 1a: An MSDE-certified teacher with a current conditional or resident teacher certificate/license.

  2. Level 1b: An MSDE-certified teacher with a current professional certificate/license.


Level Two: An MSDE-certified teacher with a current professional certificate/license who is pursuing any of the following:

  1. A master’s degree

  2. 30 credits in a program of study approved by the State Board in consultation with the Professional Standards and Teacher Education Board.

  3. National Board Certification (NBC).

Level Three: An MSDE-certified teacher with a current professional certificate/license who holds either:

  1. An NBC; or

  2. For certification areas identified by MSDE for which there is no assessment comparable to NBC, a master’s degree in the teacher’s subject area is referred to as “NBC-Equivalent”).


Level Four:

These stipulations have not yet been developed but will include the three NBC advanced leadership positions described in the Blueprint.

The Blueprint Career Ladder also maintains the three pathways from our previous structure that correspond to teachers' movement on the salary scale: Standard, Professional, and Advanced Professional. Also in keeping with our past structure, all teachers will participate in the Blueprint Career Ladder; there is no opt-in. All teachers who are not pursuing or who have not attained National Board Certification are on Career Ladder Level 1a or Level 1b. 

The Blueprint Career Ladder offers multiple avenues for teacher leadership, ensuring flexibility and alignment with individual strengths. Teachers advance from foundational levels (e.g., Teacher 1a, Teacher 2) through higher roles in the Teacher Leadership Track (e.g., Content Lead, Instructional Practice Lead) or as National Board Certified Teachers. This structure enables teachers to progress through pathways based on specific eligibility criteria related to knowledge, skills, and student achievement data. Teachers meeting these criteria can advance within their designated track, with the NBCT pathway open to all eligible teachers. NBCT is fully integrated into the Career Ladder, with opportunities for candidates to gain leadership roles and receive salary differentials.

Next steps

City Schools is committed to enhancing educator opportunities through the Blueprint Career Ladder. This includes:

  • SY24-25: National Board Certification Implementation

    • Full implementation of National Board Certification is currently underway. Educators can explore resources, supports, and the steps to pursuing NBC here.

  • SY25-26: Teacher Leadership Track

    • Updates and additional implementation information will be forthcoming.

For more information, email Jenna Nehms at Jshaw@bcps.k12.md.us