Health Metrics for Return to In-Person Instruction

MCPS has developed a health metrics grid for a phased-in return to in-person instruction. The grid is aligned with CDC guidelines and was developed in consultation with Montgomery County health officials. We remain committed to providing a high-quality education to all MCPS students in the virtual model. We will continue to thoughtfully plan and collaborate with the Board of Education, MCPS staff and the community on our reopening efforts, while keeping safety at the forefront of all we do.

Burbio National K-12 School Openings Tracker

This is a map that indicates Virtual versus In Person Learning For K-12 Public Schools Across the US. The service actively monitors 1,200 districts, including the 200 largest school districts. 

To see the tracker map and learn more. (External Resource)

National K-12 School Opening Tracker
Health metrics
(Click the Image to See a Larger View)

MCPS COVID-19 Dashboard

School Reopening Dashboard Definitions

CDC Indicators for Dynamic School Decision-Making

The three gauges display the Core Indicators for Dynamic School Decision-Making provided by the CDC.  Core indicators include one or both measures of community burden AND one self-assessed measure of school implementation of key mitigation strategies. 

  1. Number of new cases per 100,000 persons within the last 14 days is calculated by adding the number of new cases in the county in the last 14 days divided by the population in the county and multiplying by 100,000.
  2. Percentage of RT-PCR tests in the county that are positive during the last 14 days is calculated by dividing the number of positive tests over the last 14 days by the total number of tests resulted over the last 14 days. 
  3. The Key Mitigation strategies is a self-assessed measure of school implementation of the key mitigation strategies identified by the CDC.
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Fourteen Day Average New Case Rate per 100,000 Residents

  1. The New Cases per 100K population, is the rate of confirmed daily COVID-19 cases among Montgomery County residents per 100,000 people in the county. This rate is a 14-day average, calculated using the 14 day rolling average of new cases and the 2019 estimated county population. Displayed in the center of the county map is the current New Case Rate.
  2. The Graph will show the New Case Rate from the first day collected to the last day collected.
Risk Level Color Thresholds

Very High Risk of Transmission

       Red

>15

High Risk of Transmission

       Orange

>10 to 15
Moderate Risk of Transmission        Yellow >5 to 10
Low Risk of Transmission        Lt. Green 3 to 5
Very Low Risk of Transmission        Green <3

Fourteen Day Percent Positivity

  1. Montgomery's COVID Test Positivity Rate reflects the fourteen day rolling average of each day's positivity percentage.  The percentage is calculated using the total number of positive COVID tests electronically reported to Maryland Department of Health (MDH) (by date of report) divided by the total number of COVID tests electronically reported to MDH (by date of report).  The Average is calculated by taking the sum of the most recent 14 day positivity rates and dividing that number by 14.
  2. The graph will display the daily positivity percent each day from the first day collected to the current day's value.​​​​​​​​​​​​
Risk Level Color Thresholds

Very High Risk of Transmission

       Red

>15%

High Risk of Transmission

       Orange

>10 to 15%
Moderate Risk of Transmission        Yellow >5 to 10%
Low Risk of Transmission        Lt. Green 3 to 5%
Very Low Risk of Transmission        Green <3%

Fourteen Day Cumulative Cases by ZIP Code

The 14 day cumulative cases is a total number of cases reported during the past 14 days for each county ZIP Code. If no ZIP Code is selected, the graph will display data from all ZIP Codes. When a ZIP Code is selected on the map visual, historical data for that area will be displayed on the chart. The map visual is color coded based on equal percentage thresholds documented below.​​​​​​​​​​​​

Display Color Thresholds

Highest 20%

       Red

>=80%

Second Highest 20%

       Orange

>60 to 79%
Middle 20%        Yellow >40 to 59%
Next Lowest 20%        Lt. Green 20 to 39%
Lowest 20%        Green <20%