Yes – Maryland law requires all first-time drivers to complete 30 hours of classroom and 6 hours of Behind the Wheel Lessons with a licensed driving school in the State of Maryland in order to obtain a Maryland driver’s license. This rule applies to all drivers (regardless of age) who wish to obtain a driver’s license in the State of Maryland.

The student must be at least 15 years of age to begin the program.

No, the student can take the classroom portion of the program without the learner’s permit. The student will need to obtain the learner’s permit before starting the required behind the wheel lessons.

The course consists of 2 individual parts. The first part consists of 30 hours of classroom instruction which takes place over 10 days. Each class session is 3 hours and 15 minutes in duration.

The second part consists of 6 hours of Behind the Wheel Lessons. In order to start the Behind the Wheel lessons, the student must have a valid learner’s permit and have at least 5 hours of practice driving with a parent and/or driving coach. All Behind the Wheel lessons are taught by an MVA certified instructor and each in-car session lasts 2 hours. All students must demonstrate proficiency in their driving skills and must pass the course with a score of 80% or above.

Day 1 of the virtual class session is mandatory and all students that do not login on the first day will not be permitted to continue and will need to register for a later session. NO EXCEPTIONS!

All classes start at the time stated! But, the student may arrive no more than 15 minutes late to a class or may leave no more than 15 minutes early, with a valid excuse. A note must be provided excusing the student. Three hours must be completed each day to receive credit for that class.

Students are permitted to miss up to three (3) days after Day 1 and those specific missed days must be made up during a later session of your choosing. The student or parent must email the main office at office@driversedmd.com or call the main office AFTER the class session concludes (AFTER END OF DAY 10) to be provided with available makeup dates. The student must be enrolled in a class session to make up the specific day(s) the student missed.

Please keep in mind all makeup students must bring the workbook on the makeup day, therefore the student must keep the workbook that was provided on the initial class session.

YOU CANNOT SCHEDULE MAKEUP DATES ONLINE! STUDENT/PARENT DO NOT NEED TO NOTIFY THE CLASSROOM INSTRUCTOR OR THE MAIN OFFICE IF THE STUDENT IS GOING TO BE ABSENT! If the student is not in class, he/she will be marked absent.

On the first day of class, please bring proof of age documentation (birth certificate, learner’s permit, passport or any government issued ID).

The student must be at least 15 years and 9 months to obtain the learner’s permit. The student must schedule an appointment at MVA to take the knowledge test.

Click here to get started.

Once the student has 

  1. completed the entire 30 hours of classroom, 
  2. passed the final exam, 
  3. obtained their learner’s permit, 
  4. at least 5 hours of practice driving with a parent or mentor – 

Please follow the instructions listed in the email you received prior to the first day of class, under the section titled “Behind the Wheel Instruction – learner’s permit plus five (5) Practice Hours Required” OR follow the same instructions that are provided below: 

The requested information below must be sent in a separate email to office@driversedmd.com and the subject line must read BTW LESSONS REQUESTED – student’s last name. If the subject line is incorrect the assigning department will not receive your request. If directions are not followed correctly as requested in this email, it may delay the process in setting up the BTW lessons for the student.

Each student must also acquire at least 5 hours of on-the-road or parking lot practice with a parent or mentor before they may be assigned to an instructor

Preferably, the above requested information must be emailed to the office. If you do not wish to send the information by email, please call the main office 一 (443) 355-4238 一 to provide the information over the phone to one of the staff members. Calling into the office does not process the setup request any faster.

The classroom sessions are offered both in-person or virtual.

For in-person classroom sessions, the student can register at any of the high school locations. The student does not have to attend the high school to enroll.

For virtual classroom sessions, the following rules apply with NO exceptions!

  • The student must have access to the internet to connect by computer, tablet or phone to utilize the Zoom software. The device must have a camera and audio to participate in class.
  • The student must stay on camera with the instructor for the entire class session each day. The instructor must see the student’s full face – no hoods, hats or caps. The student CANNOT be in a bed or laying down, they must be stationed in a sit up position in front of the camera. The student CANNOT be in a vehicle, walking, or in a public/work/school setting. The student will be terminated without notification if the above stated rules are not followed.
  • The student must connect with audio and will need to participate if called upon by the instructor. The student will be terminated without notification if the student does not answer or participate in class.
  • Should the student have any connection issues and gets disconnected or walks away without notifying the instructor for any reason, the student will be terminated. There are exceptions and will be explained by the classroom instructor on the first day of class.
  • If the student is terminated from a particular unit of the class session, they will be marked absent. The student must make-up the class unit at a later session. Further instructions are provided regarding make-up class/es in the email prior to the first day of class.
  • Should the student need to walk away (such as having to use the restroom) please make sure the student utilizes the chat feature for permission from the instructor. The student will be timed while away from the camera. The student may NOT turn the camera off. If their absence is deemed to be excessive, they may be terminated from that particular class and will need to make up the class at a later session.
  • Same as in-person class sessions, all virtual class sessions will also end with a quiz and there will be a final exam on day 10. All exams are randomized and no 2 tests are the same. This is done to prevent any cheating. With that being said, any student caught cheating will be disenrolled from the online session and from the driver’s education program with Street Smarts of Maryland. No refunds will be provided should you be disenrolled for cheating.
  • Whether virtual or in-person, the school policy and the MVA rights and responsibilities policies will be followed by all students.

Further instructions will be provided prior to the first day of class by email to all the students and parents.