Student Service Learning Information
Support your community, explore career interests, tackle issues that are important to you, and feel good about the work you’re doing while meeting the Student Service Learning (SSL) graduation requirement!
Check out these important September 2024 SSL Updates to learn more about upcoming SSL opportunities, documentation, and how to stay up to date on your SSL record and activity.
All MCPS students must earn 75 SSL hours to graduate from high school. Students who enroll in MCPS after Grade 6 will receive a waiver that pro-rates the SSL requirement.
Middle school and high school students should continue earning SSL hours towards this state graduation requirement by engaging in SSL opportunities during the summer and the 2024-2025 school year, including traditional in-person opportunities and select virtual/remote opportunities that follow the SSL guidelines posted on the MCPS SSL webpage (www.mcps-ssl.org).
Students may find SSL organizations and opportunities on the Volunteer Center website; these organizations and opportunities are identified with the blue MCPS SSL graduation cap icon. A complete list of current nonprofit-hosted SSL opportunities may be found at the following quick links: https://bit.ly/SSLOpportunities and https://bit.ly/VirtualSSL2020.
For service with nonprofit organizations not listed on the Montgomery County Volunteer Center website, students must complete the Individual SSL Activity Request form (https://bit.ly/SSLPreApproval) and submit it to their school’s SSL Coordinator for review at least two weeks prior to service.
All SSL Activity Verification Forms (https://bit.ly/SSLReflection) for service completed during the summer of 2023 should be turned into the school’s SSL coordinator by the recommended due date of September 27, 2024. All SSL forms for service completed during the summer of 2024 and the 2024-2025 school year should be turned into the school’s SSL coordinator no later than the required deadline of May 30, 2025.
Middle school students are also encouraged to work towards earning the Superintendent’s SSL Award by completing the 75-hour graduation requirement while in middle school, and high school seniors are encouraged to work towards earning the Certificate of Meritorious Service (and accompanying purple tassel) by earning 240 or more SSL hours. Any SSL Activity Verification Forms documenting SSL hours for these awards must be submitted to the school’s SSL coordinator no later than the required deadline of April 4, 2025.
Students may view the full details of their SSL record on Student/ParentVUE by following the step-by-step directions provided at https://bit.ly/SSLonVUE. Students may also access SSL forms, guidelines, resources, and more at the MCPS SSL Hub for Students/Families (https://bit.ly/SSLHubMCPS).
If you have any questions about the SSL program, please email your school’s SSL coordinator (https://bit.ly/SSLCoordinatorsMS and https://bit.ly/SSLCoordinatorsHS) or the MCPS SSL office at SSL@mcpsmd.org.