FAQs(Frequently Asked Questions)

There are several places on this site where information on TPA’s philosophy and focus can be found:

• in our Welcome Message which can be found here ,
• in the section that discusses our mission and philosophy which can be found here
• in the document Character Focused Approach located in our document library which can be obtained here.

Yes, TPA has published a   parent handbook which can be access online from our document library. To view or download it click here.

The short and obvious answer is security for the students and school community. For details on requirements and justification please go to the county school system site and search for  PGCPS Administrative Procedure 4215 or try here.

Specific questions, concerns and inquiries should be directed to the Fingerprint Office at 301.952.6775. In general all  all volunteers, and chaperones need to complete either a commercial background check or a fingerprint background check. Fingerprinting is not always required and an inexpensive commercial background check may be sufficient.

  For further information about the specific type of background check, forms and fees please click here.http://www1.pgcps.org/security/index.aspx?id=44362.  See the PGCPS website page " Commercial Background - Fingerprinting Background"  and for answers to questions on whether a commercial check is appropriate or a full fingerprinting check is required.

Anyone who volunteers in a classroom or volunteer for a field trip must recieve background checks. Both commercial background checking and fingerprinting are available Monday through Friday from 8 am to 11:45 am and  12:30 pm to 3:45 pm at the Sasscer Administration Building:  14201 School Lane in Upper Marlboro, 20772.

For questions, contact the Human Resources Employee Services Center at 301.780.2191. Or, to receive this service, visit 14201 School Lane, Upper Marlboro MD 20772 Room 124 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. Monday-Friday. 

See the PGCPS website page " Commercial Background - Fingerprinting Background" for details.

In general, according to the PGCPS website, volunteers, chaperones, and mentors require some level of background check: "

1. Volunteers and mentors working in a capacity where uncontrolled access is anticipated, such as those working with students in an unsupervised capacity on school grounds, off of school property, or after school are required to be fingerprinted and complete a full fingerprint background check and form.
2. Volunteers working in a capacity where no uncontrolled access is anticipated on a one time basis only, or on a sporadic basis,[still need to be checked but] do not need to be fingerprinted, i.e. parents volunteering for career day, book fairs, school dances, or other one time events.
3. Parents and volunteers who volunteer in a classroom on a regular basis in a supervised setting must obtain a commercial background check through PGCPS on an annual basis.
4. Chaperones who will participate in a day field trip or an overnight school trip are considered to be volunteers and must undergo a commercial background check initiated by PGCPS through the Fingerprinting Office before performing duties."

Please direct all questions, concerns and inquiries to the Fingerprint Office at 301.952.6775.  Also, refer to Admin. Procedure 4215 and  the PGCPS website page, " Commercial Background - Fingerprinting Background" for the current requirements and details.

According to the PGCPS website,

"Volunteers, mentors, tutors, independent contractors/subcontractors and chaperones working in a capacity where unsupervised contact with children is likely or who are assigned duties in or around a school where unsupervised contact with children is likely, such as those working with students in an unsupervised capacity on school grounds, off of school property, overnight field trips or after school, MUST complete a full fingerprint background check fourteen (14) working days prior to performing duties. If you do the fingerprinting your receipt is good forever in PGCPS as long as you volunteer once a year (i.e. party, field trip, etc..). If you are going on an overnight trip you must have fingerprinting done."

See the PGCPS website page " Commercial Background - Fingerprinting Background" for the most current requirements.

There are two types of checks, the commercial background and the fingerprint check.The fingerprint check is the more involved.

For details, please direct all questions, concerns and inquiries to the Fingerprint Office at 301.952.6775. 

Yes, there is a document, Traffic Flow Patterns, which can be downloaded from the TPA documents library.

This information should be on the PGCPS Health page on it's website, www1.pgcps.org/schoolhealth. Check the link for Health Forms for Parents and Prescribers.

Yes. TPA requires uniforms for all grade levels. To learn more about our uniform policy, click here.

The uniform policy can be downloaded from the TPA document library, here

TPA uniforms can be purchased from the following retailers:

All American Wear, Inc.
5001-B Forbes Blvd.
Lanham, MD 20706.
Phone: 301-459-5000
Website: http://www.allamericanwear.com/

Flynn & O’Hara School Uniforms
Lanham Crossing Shopping Center
8807 Annapolis Road
Lanham, MD 20706
Website:https://www.flynnohara.com/

SchoolMAX is an electronic student information system used by Prince George's County Public schools to record attendance, grades, assignments, report cards, discipline incidents, and other information about your child.

There is a User’s Guide, Family Portal for Parents & Guardians. It tells how to register, login, and use the portal

Prince George's County Public Schools provides a Family Access Portal that allows authorized caretakers to log into SchoolMAX from any computer with an Internet connection and view the child's student information, including current attendance records and assignment scores.

FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, is a federal law that pertains to the release of and access to educational records. The law, also known as the Buckley Amendment, applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the US Department of Education. Go to www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco to learn more.

The current PGCPS and MSDE testing calendar, 2017-2018 Standardized Testing Schedule, is in our document library. Click here to view it.

The computer adaptive is a form of computer-based testing that has  software that monitors the response to every question and “adapts” to the student’s ability. That is,if the student misses a question the next question is slightly easier or if the student answers correctly the next question will be slightly harder.

Computer Adaptive Tests (CAT) are dynamically customized for each student and are able to match the knowledge and ability of a test taker. The tests adjust the difficulty of questions based on the student’s response. If a student answers a question correctly, the next question can be made harder; if a student answers incorrectly, the next question can be made easier. The advantage of this is that the tests:

• provide more reliable information about what students know—especially those at the very low and high ends of the spectrum.
• give teachers the opportunity to adjust their instruction more quickly based on the results and provide information on what instruction is needed.
• provide comprehensive assessment, which educators use to determine what students have learned at the end of a unit, term, or year.
• can be used to identify students who may need specialized academic support in a specific skill or subject area, such reading, writing, or math.