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4.2 The 10-Unit MVA Classroom Curriculum

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Maryland Driving Instructor Study Guide Exam

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1 Chapter 1: Maryland Driving Instructor Credentials

1.1 Two Credentials: Instructor License vs. Instructor Certification 1.2 Qualifications, Background Checks, and Application 1.3 The Apprentice Instructor Permit and Supervised Training 1.4 MVA Testing and Required Instructor Courses 1.5 Badges, Renewal, Professional Development, and Discipline

2 Chapter 2: Driving Schools, Certified Schools, and Facilities

2.1 Drivers' School Licensing and Operational Requirements 2.2 Driver Education School Certification and Operating Rules 2.3 Business Office and Classroom Facility Requirements 2.4 Training Vehicle and Dual-Control Equipment Requirements

3 Chapter 3: Program Administration, Records, and Enforcement

3.1 Student Enrollment, Rights and Responsibilities, and Refunds 3.2 Records, Reports, and Completion Certification 3.3 Quality Control, Violations, and Progressive Discipline

4 Chapter 4: Delivering the Maryland Driver Education Program

4.1 The 30/6 Program Structure and Classroom Operation Rules 4.2 The 10-Unit MVA Classroom Curriculum 4.3 Behind-the-Wheel Instruction Requirements 4.4 Student Performance Criteria, Testing, and Remediation

5 Chapter 5: Instructional Methodology and In-Car Technique

5.1 Classroom Teaching Methods and Adolescent Driver Psychology 5.2 Dual-Control Mechanics, Instructor Interventions, and In-Car Safety 5.3 Progressive In-Car Instructional Sequence and Skill Milestones 5.4 In-Car Coaching, Commentary Driving, and Emergency Management

6 Chapter 6: Maryland Vehicle Law and the Rookie Driver System

6.1 The Learner's Instructional Permit 6.2 The Provisional License and the Full Driver's License 6.3 The Maryland Point System, Sanctions, and Hearings 6.4 Impaired Driving, Implied Consent, and Noah’s Law

7 Chapter 7: Traffic Control Devices and Maryland Rules of the Road

7.1 Maryland Road Signs, Signals, and Pavement Markings 7.2 Right-of-Way Rules and Intersection Management 7.3 Speed Regulations, Passing Rules, and Special Roadway Scenarios

8 Chapter 8: Defensive Driving Systems, Adverse Conditions, and Hazard Management

8.1 Space Management Systems (SIPDE and SEE) and Visual Search 8.2 Adverse Environmental Conditions and Emergency Maneuvers 8.3 Sharing the Road with Vulnerable Users and Commercial Vehicles 8.4 Post-Licensing Risk Factors and Lifelong Safe Driving Habits

4.2 The 10-Unit MVA Classroom Curriculum

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

The Maryland Driver Education Classroom and In-Car Curriculum is divided into ten units of classroom instruction and six one-hour units of in-car instruction .

Unit 1, Welcome to Driver Education , cannot be missed and made up later ; every other unit must be made up specifically if missed.

A student who misses more than 12 hours of classroom instruction must retake all of the classroom instruction, starting with Unit 1.

Each unit is three hours long and ends with a review and a unit quiz; the review for the final examination comes at the end of Unit 9.

There are three versions of the final examination, each with 50 questions , and schools are encouraged to mix versions within a class.

Last updated: September 2026

  • Curriculum Structure
  • The Maryland Driver Education Classroom and In-Car Curriculum guide "is divided into ten units of

classroom instruction and six one hour units of in-car instruction ." Each classroom unit is three hours long , designed to follow sequentially, and built to support the Rookie Driver /

New Driver and Coach Practice Guide (RD-006) that families use to log supervised practice hours.

  • The current revision process began in 2015 and drew on the Maryland Highway Safety Office, the
  • R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, ADTSEA , NHTSA , and MDOT/MVA senior management. Two
  • structural changes matter to instructors: the unit order was rearranged to mirror the order of the

practice guide , and all textbooks were replaced with a Student Workbook .

  • The emphasis also shifted. Earlier versions focused on acquiring basic factual knowledge; the revised
  • curriculum "focuses on how and why drivers do the things they do ," with heavier stress on the
  • three behaviors NHTSA identifies as the greatest problems for new drivers: put away electronics, put

on safety belts, and avoid speeding.

The Ten Classroom Units

Unit Title Focus

1 Welcome to Driver Education Structure of driver education, parent involvement, the Graduated Licensing System, and state licensing requirements

  • 2 Language of the Road Signs, signals, and pavement markings; the Highway Transportation System
  • 3 Getting Started Vehicle equipment and preparing to drive
  • 4 Breaking Away from the Curb Fundamental driving tasks, reinforcing S.E.E. in every situation
  • 5 Driving in Neighborhoods Safe and legal driving in residential areas and the risk groups found there

6 Driving Faster on Bigger Roads: Suburban, Urban, and Rural Roads Larger roads, space management, S.E.E., steering

7 Driving Into the Sunset: Expressway Driving Expressway skills, vehicle types, and conditions

8 Crash, Bang, Boom: Malfunctions, Weather, Crashes, Traffic Stops & How to Avoid Them Adverse conditions, the role of speed in collisions, collision responsibilities

9 Making Good Decisions: Not Drinking, Not Using Drugs, Not Being Distracted, & Not Being Aggressive Personal factors and impaired, distracted, and aggressive driving

10 Unit Ten and Final Examination Fundamentals of vehicle ownership — insurance, registration, titles, and VEIP — plus time for the final examination and paperwork

  • Performance objectives worth memorizing
  • Unit 1 — students describe the stages and appropriate restrictions of the GLS; define the roles
  • of the driving school, new driver, and parent/mentor; describe any law changes since their coaches

took driver education; and list statistics defining the risks for new drivers.

  • Unit 2 — students define the Highway Transportation System and evaluate its impact on safe
  • driving; describe the function of signs, signals, and lane markings; evaluate how traffic control
  • devices affect safety, right of way, and risk; and describe the laws for sharing the road safely

with emergency vehicles, school buses, pedestrians, motorcycles, and bicycles .

  • Unit 3 — students locate and describe vehicle equipment by category ( safety, comfort,
  • warning ) using the owner's manual when necessary, and list the steps to safely enter and exit an

off-street parking space using pre-entry checklists and S.E.E.

  • Unit 4 — students list the steps to turn the vehicle on and off safely and evaluate why each
  • step matters; describe moving forward and in reverse; describe maintaining speed and controlling

acceleration and deceleration; and describe stopping the vehicle.

  • Unit 5 — legal right and left turns, managing vehicle space, S.E.E., the inherent risks of
  • residential areas, the effect of distraction on those risks, and the other road users typically

found there.

  • Unit 8 — identifying adverse conditions and the appropriate measures for each; evaluating the
  • risks in various adverse weather conditions; examining the role speed plays in collisions ; and

listing the driver's responsibilities in a collision and the consequences of failing to meet them.

  • Unit 9 — describing personal factors such as distraction, fatigue, emotions, drugs, and
  • alcohol; evaluating their impact; describing the legal and administrative penalties associated

with impaired driving; and developing strategies to avoid impaired or distracted driving.

Two anchors run through nearly every unit: S.E.E. (Search, Evaluate, Execute) and the standing

reminder to put away distractions, wear the safety belt, and obey the speed limit.

The Materials Package

Component What it is Instructor duty

Teaching Guide Step-by-step guide with an illustration of each slide, talking points, exercises, and the terminal objectives for each unit Know the terminal objectives; they define what a student must know by the end of a unit

PowerPoint presentation Supports each unit; relevant video segments are embedded and play automatically Practice with the deck before teaching — most slides carry animations. It is a guide to organize and enhance instruction, not to be read verbatim

Videos Embedded in the curriculum Ask questions before the video, discuss after; each video has a video worksheet

Student Workbook Factsheets, worksheets, and video worksheets; replaces all textbooks Every student must have his or her own copy. It cannot be shared and cannot be reused

Worksheets may be completed individually, in small groups, or as a whole class; the questions are

designed to check comprehension and to open a deeper discussion.

  • Attendance Rules Built into the Curriculum Unit 1 ......... cannot be missed and made up later
  • Units 2-10 ..... if missed, the student must make up THAT specific session
  • > 12 hours ..... student must retake ALL classroom instruction, starting with Unit 1
  • Coaches ........ must be invited and strongly encouraged to attend Unit 1
  • The Unit 1 rule exists because Unit 1 is where the GLS, the practice-guide system, and the roles of
  • school, driver, and coach are established, and where parents are brought into the program. It also
  • aligns with COMAR 11.23.02.08A(4), which requires an Administration-approved parent orientation at

the start of each driver education program course .

  • The 12-hour threshold aligns with COMAR 11.23.02.36B and D(2) : a student may miss 12 hours or less
  • and continue the course, but a student who misses more than 12 hours of classroom instruction may

not continue.

  • The Final Examination
  • There are three versions of the final examination , each with 50 questions , plus a student
  • answer sheet and instructor answer keys. Schools are "strongly encouraged to use a mix of tests for
  • each class, to discourage students from sharing answers during the test." The review for the final
  • is at the end of Unit 9 , and Unit 10 provides the time to complete the final and any additional

paperwork.

Under COMAR 11.23.02.08C(4) only tests included in the approved program course curriculum may be

administered — a school may not substitute its own final.

Instruction in Other Languages

To teach the MVA-approved curriculum in Spanish , a school must employ an instructor who is approved to teach in Spanish , and only that instructor may conduct the classes. If that instructor

leaves the school, the school may no longer teach the curriculum in Spanish until another

instructor is approved.

  • For any language other than English or Spanish, the school must request and receive written approval
  • from the Administration for each specific language before instruction is given . The school is
  • responsible for ensuring all instructional materials are translated accurately and completely, all
  • classes are taught in only one language, and the instructor and all students in that class are

fluent in that language . COMAR 11.23.02.08C(1)-(3) states the same rules in regulatory form.