Maryland has a number of different certifications. You need to decide what level and what subject you would like to teach. Early childhood certification is for teaching Pre-K through grade three. Elementary certification is for teaching grades one through six. Middle school certification is for teaching grades four through nine. Secondary certification is for grades seven through 12.
Additionally, there are certification areas that allow you to teach nursery through grade 12 (ex. art, music), and certification in special education at various ages and in various areas.
If you do not have a degree in the field you want to teach, you will probably need some content courses along with education courses to become certified. If you choose a secondary discipline or an area that certifies you to teach grades nursery through 12, you need to have 36 credits in the discipline (24 specifically in the content area of certification and 12 related); for early childhood education and elementary education, you need to have 12 credits each of math and science, and 9 credits each in English and social studies (geography, history, economics and/or political science). Special education does not require any particular content other than the special education courses.
Check this Maryland State Department of Education site for a listing of certification areas:
What’s your current situation?
Are you recently retired? A stay-at-home mom? A recent college graduate? A paraprofessional working in a school? A foreign-born degreed individual? A recent college graduate?
Who you are, the education that you currently have, and the time you have to complete certification, all affect your decision on determining the best certification pathway for you.
First, if you do not have a bachelor’s degree, you want to get a bachelor’s degree and certification. You can do this by starting at Harford Community College and obtaining an Associate of Art in Teaching degree and then transferring to a four-year institution, or you can begin your education at a four-year institution in Maryland.
For more information about the education programs at Harford Community College, check the following site, scroll to Educational Studies, and click on the teacher education program of interest to you:
http://www.harford.edu/Academics/programs.asp
If you already have at least a bachelor’s degree, you
have other options:
We will have a course offering late Fall 08 for interested career changers. You will need to have at least a bachelor's degree to enter the exploratory course. The course will provide you with information about all of the pathways and what what it is like to teach diverse populations in the public schools.
If your degree is in the field that you wish to teach, and it is in a critical shortage area (chemistry, computer science, earth/space science, English for speaker for another language, mathematics, physical science, physics, special education, and technology or technical education) you may be hired as a provisional teacher. A provisional teacher is one who has a degree in the content field but has not taken the education courses or completed the student teaching for certification.
If you have a degree in a critical shortage area and would like to teach that discipline, you may qualify for the Certification Pathway offered at Harford Community College. This pathway begins each summer. Students complete four three-week education courses during the summer, then take one three-credit course during each of the fall and spring semesters along with a one-credit mentoring course to support teachers in their first year of teaching. The pathway is completed the following summer. If you are interested in this pathway, please contact Professor Sheila Allen, Teacher Education Coordinator at sallen@harford.edu .
If you are interested in teaching a level or discipline that is not a critical shortage area in the county, you may be interested in a Master’s of Art in Teaching (MAT). You can acquire this at a four year institution. Check this link for programs offered at four-year institutions in the state of Maryland. Choose the area of certification in the "Program" box on the left menu. Keep "No Value" in the institution box to view all state institutions with this degree.
http://directory.msde.state.md.us/map/LocalFrames.asp
If you are a conditional teacher, and you need to complete course work in education, Harford Community College offers all of the course work for certification. If you need many or all of the education courses for certification, contact Professor Sheila Allen at sallen@harford.edu for information on a the Certification Pathway created for provisional teachers.
Other Maryland community colleges also offer many, if not all, of the courses needed by provisional teachers. Click this link: Other Maryland Community College Teacher Education Courses for Provisional Teachers to view other community colleges in Maryland and the courses they offer.
The Praxis tests are required of all prospective teachers in Maryland. Praxis has two parts. Praxis I is a test of reading, writing, and mathematics skills. If you have at least a bachelor’s degree, you should take this part as soon as possible. If you are an undergraduate, you should take this part of Praxis after completing the English and mathematics courses in the first two years of your program, probably sometime after completing 45 credits. All AAT majors are required to pass Praxis I as part of the graduation requirement. Qualifying scores on the SAT, GRE, and SAT are taken in lieu of Praxis I; check this MSDE site for those scores: http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/certification/certification_branch/testing_information/praxis1
For more information and a look at some sample questions, go to the following site http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.1488512ecfd5b8849a77b13bc3921509/--Select%20a%20Praxis%20test--, click on the drop-down menu, then click on the Praxis I test you would like to review, and then Tests At a Glance. Then use the left side menu to view topics covered and sample questions.
You may also want to visit a site that provides practice for Praxis I. Go to the following free site: http://www.testprepreview.com/praxis_practice.htm.
Praxis II consists of two parts, a content test (e.g., mathematics, earth science, Spanish) and a pedagogy test (knowledge of teaching). Again, if you have at least a bachelor’s degree in the area you want to teach, you should take the content test as soon as possible. If you are an undergraduate, you should take the content test after completing your content courses. Information about these tests can be found at the same site and in the same manner as the Praxis I tests (see two paragraphs above).
You can also link to the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) site for test information to find out who must take the tests and how to submit scores. when you reach this site, click on the links under "Testing Information" on the right side of the screen.
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/certification/certification_branch/
If you are interested in teaching for the Harford County Public School System, check their site: http://www.hcps.org/
for information about the school system and positions
available.
If you are not sure where you would like to teach,
follow this link to look at information provided by each of the
local school systems in Maryland. Scroll
down to "Local School Systems" and click on the link of
the county that interests you. The information you view
will differ by county; many offer information on positions available, some give
salary information, and all tell you a little about the school system.
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/certification/certification_branch/links
How
are you going to pay for the coursework?
Many scholarships and incentives exist for current and prospective teachers. Check the Maryland State Department of Education Incentive page for this information (scroll down for scholarship information):
Check Harford Community College for information on available scholarships/financial aid for teachers. http://www.harford.edu/FinancialAid/default.asp?FA=Apply
How
do you know you’re ready to make this change?
*Watch for a new course beginning this late Fall 08; it will include information about becoming a teacher and provide you will an opportunity to be in the schools to see how teaching is done today
Shadow a teacher
in the discipline/grade you want to teach
*Substitute in the
discipline/grade you want to teach
*Take Introduction
to Education EDUC 101 at Harford Community College
*Volunteer in a
school
*Investigate a school system.
This Maryland State Department of Education site lists all of the school systems in Maryland. Scroll down to the list of local county schools at this site:
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/certification/certification_branch/links
Be sure to get into a school and talk to a teacher.
It is important for you to have the opportunity to view the teaching
profession and decide if this is what you truly want to pursue.
The best method of trying this profession is to substitute in a school at
the grade and in the discipline you are thinking of teaching.
If you have the time to do this, call a local school and put your name on
the substitute list.
How
do you get information about the programs and/or courses?
If you do not have a bachelor’s degree, call or email Professor Sheila Allen 443-412-2192 or sallen@harford.edu to get information on the education programs at Harford Community College.
If you are interested in attending a four-year institution, check this link of colleges and universities offering teacher education. Find the area of certification in the drop down menu on the left and leave the "Institution" box at "No Value." This will give you a list of state undergrad and graduate programs in that particular area. For undergraduate programs, look for the "Baccalaureate" programs.
http://directory.msde.state.md.us/map/LocalFrames.asp
If you already have a bachelor’s degree, you have other options:
1. Currently, Harford Community College is working on developing a joint Maryland Approved Alternative Preparation Program with Harford County Public Schools. We will have a course offering late Fall 07 for interested career changers. You will need to have at least a bachelor's degree to enter the exploratory course and the program, which will hope to begin Spring 08. If the program is approved and all goes well, the career changer will be placed as the teacher of record into a classroom in Fall 08. Please call (443-412-2192) or email (sallen@harford.edu) Sheila Allen for more information about this new program, still being developed.
2. If your degree is in the field that you wish to teach, and it is in a critical shortage area (chemistry, computer science, earth/space science, English for speaker for another language, mathematics, physical science, physics, special education, and technology or technical education) you may be hired as a provisional teacher. If this description fits you, you may qualify for the Certification pathway offered at Harford Community College. This pathway begins each summer, and students complete four three-week education courses during the summer, then take one three-credit course during each of the fall and spring semesters along with a one-credit mentoring course to support teachers in their first year of teaching. The pathway is completed the following summer. If you are interested in this pathway, please contact Professor Sheila Allen at sallen@harford.edu
3. If you live in another county and would like information from a local community college, click on the following link to find the community college and the Director of Teacher Education: Maryland Community College Directors of Teacher Education
4. If you are interested in teaching a level or discipline that is not a critical shortage area in the county, you may be interested in a Master’s of Art in Teaching (MAT). You can acquire this at a four year institution. Check this link for programs offered at four-year institutions in the state of Maryland. Click on the link for "complete listing." Then, place your area of certification in the "Program" box and "No Value" in the "Institution" box. This will give you a list of all undergrad and graduate programs. You will be looking for the "Post-Baccalaureate" programs.