How to Become a Teacher as a Career Changer or Recent College Graduate

Transcription

1 How to Become a Teacher as a Career Changer or Recent College Graduate Deciding to become a teacher even though you didn t think about it in college can be a daunting task. Perhaps you ve heard from friends that you might as well forget it. There is just too much hassle. Well, Maryland has worked hard in the past few years to open some doors just for you and for others like you who may have decided to change careers or who have just graduated from college and find you now wish to teach. Maybe you are in the armed forces and due to separate from the service and begin to serve again, as the Troops to Teachers motto suggests. You have come to the right place as Maryland has many programs from which to choose. By the way, if you are a separating serviceperson, you might want to start by contacting Ms. Melissa Fantozzi, Program Coordinator, Office of Certification and Induction-Troops to Teachers, New Jersey Department of Education, P.O. Box 500, Trenton, NJ The telephone numbers are: Toll Free: Fax: tttnj@doe.state.nj.us She may be able to answer your questions even more effectively. Now then, if you already have a bachelor s degree, you are ready to begin looking at choices. There are basically three ways to proceed. They are as follows: Transcript analysis. The link provided below gives the regulatory requirements for looking at what you have in terms of coursework and you may use both undergraduate and graduate coursework to assess. o Traditional College/ University-based teacher education programs. Maryland Approved Alternative Preparation Programs. This document concentrates on the latter two, but transcript analysis does remain a viable option for some. In Maryland, one way to acquire and maintain certification or to enhance your ability to apply for and obtain other positions in education is to obtain the Master s degree. Given that fact, you may want to enroll in a post-baccalaureate program that concludes with

2 both your certification (your license to teach) and a master s degree! You might start your search for the perfect fit by reviewing the list of Maryland Approved Programs (MAP) at the following link, You will want to type in the search box the area for which you will want to seek certification or in other words, what subject you want to teach. That search will give you a listing of all of Maryland s programs, but you will be looking for those colleges and universities that offer the Master s of Arts in Teaching, or the MAT. There will also be telephone numbers and links for you to access a real person to see if a particular program interests you. These programs are considered traditional routes to teacher education, may be full time, or may be offered on a part-time basis, and are available all over the state. It is also quite possible to enroll in a post-baccalaureate program that will result in certification but that does not require that you complete the master s degree. The directory will list each of these. However, it is possible that your available time or your available funds for immediate use may be limited and you are seeking a more direct and less expensive route, to acquiring that certificate you desire. Or, perhaps you already have an advanced degree and are not currently interested in another degree. The Maryland Approved Alternative Preparation Program (MAAPP) option may better suit your needs. A listing of all MAAPPs can be found at When you open the directory, which is updated yearly, you will find a listing of all of the programs offered across the state that enable you to acquire initial certification through alternative means. Now, some of these programs will encourage you to complete a master s degree as a part of the course of study. They will be the same cost as programs you found on the MAP listing. However, you will receive what is called the Resident Teacher Certificate early on in the program, and will be entitled to teach with a fully recognized license. So, you are teaching and getting paid as a teacher with full benefits while you are completing the master s degree. For the most part, the programs in partnership with a four-year college or university fall into this category. Some MAAPPs are less costly and provide a quicker entry into teaching with fewer requirements for program completion. You will see several programs in partnership with a four-year institution, a community college or a private provider such as The New Teacher Project or Teach for America, or programs offered by school systems themselves. These programs may or may not include post-employment coursework that may conclude with the degree; however, all programs do require post-employment training during the first two years. In all cases, the applicant you will receive the Resident Teacher Certificate and will be eligible to teach within a few months in the schools in the local school system that is shown as the partner on the listing of programs. What does this partnership business mean? Well, MAAPPs are very specific to a school system. As you look at the list, you will see that each program lists partners. If a particular program seems to suit you because of your location relative to the program location, or you know someone who completed the program, please understand that the ability to be hired as a teacher is specific to the county school system listed as a partner in that program. For example, you could not decide that you would like to work with The

3 New Teacher Project in acquiring your certification unless you enroll in the one specific program offered in the state in Baltimore City Public School System. You could not be associated with The New Teacher Project in Montgomery County Public Schools because there is no partnering relationship between Montgomery County and The New Teacher Project. You may now be wondering what qualifications you need to have to get into one of these kinds of programs. To enroll in a MAT program (remember the first list of programs you looked at, the MAP list), you will need to have a bachelor s degree and meet the college or university entrance requirements in terms of grade point average. If you are at the point of considering such a move, you will want to contact the institution directly and discuss your various options. If you are more inclined toward the MAAPP (alternative route), there are three ways to qualify for entry. First, you might begin by looking at your own undergraduate transcript because these programs require a bachelor s degree, as well. In May 2010, the Maryland State Board of Education voted to accept a test-in only process for candidates seeking to enter a MAAPP. That means that, if you have at least a bachelor s degree with an overall GPA of 2.75, and meet qualifying scores on both a Basic Skills test such as Praxis I (see below) and a state-approved content test such as Praxis II Content or ACTFL (for foreign languages), you qualify to apply for a MAAPP! Perhaps you can t quite get the 2.75 GPA from the overall transcript, but if you look at your transcript for the major that is clearly imprinted on your transcript, and that major is in the subject area for which you would like to be certified to teach, you have the second means of entry into a program. Finally, although the subject area in which you wish to be certified to teach is NOT the imprinted declared major, but you discern 30 hours or so in that area of study or areas related to that area, AND you do have a 2.75 in that concentration by itself, you may also be eligible once you pass the basic skills and content tests. To reiterate, there are three options for meeting the requirements for entry into a MAAPP: Option 1: The candidate meets the qualifying score on a state-approved content test as a legitimate means of establishing content competency. If a program chooses to use the test-in option for a candidate(s), evidence of a major or core area of study is no longer required for admission, although an overall GPA of 2.75 is required. Option 2: The candidate provides a transcript on which a clear, printed, declaration of a major matching the area for which the individual seeks certification is found, along with a GPA of 2.75 in that identified major area of coursework. Option 3: The candidate s transcript demonstrates a 30-hour core area of study matching the area for which the individual seeks certification regardless of the stated major, again with a 2.75 GPA in that content area required. If the MAAPP continues to look like your best approach, your best next step is to contact the program director of the partnership in which you are interested. The names and contact information for program directors is found at the bottom of the pages of the program descriptions found in the Directory. While MSDE staff is always happy to talk with prospective teachers, the most definitive information about what subject areas are

4 being recruited or about approaching deadlines will come directly from those directors at the local level. Both the MAP and the MAAPP require internships supervised experiences in the classrooms with kids prior to entering the profession. All programs will offer mentoring and support. Maybe analyzing your own transcript is not your strong suit. That is okay, too, because a potential program provider will most certainly assist you in this. The do-it-yourself approach just gives you a chance to make an educated guess as to where you may stand when you meet with your program provider. One thing is certain for all programs MAP or MAAPP - as stated above, you will need to demonstrate basic skills competencies through the Praxis I, SAT, GRE, or ACT. These tests measure competency in mathematics, reading and writing. There are no exceptions. If you are serious about teaching, begin by meeting Maryland s basic skills requirement. Click on the following link to see information about basic skills testing. Pleasce note that, while this is a big list, you will see or between many of the tests listed. Read carefully. Click on the link below to view the content testing requirements by certification area. You will need to successfully complete a content test prior to entering a program, in most cases. The regulation supporting this program insists on completion of the content test prior to engaging in the residency; however, most programs require it prior to entry since, in many cases, programs are subsidized and the managers want to be sure their recruits will be eligible to move into the residency. Again, read carefully. There are both Praxis tests and ACTFL tests listed. ACTFL supplies content testing for foreign language certification. Maryland is working hard to provide online opportunities for those not already located in the state. At this time, there is one MAT program offered in Maryland but no opportunities for those seeking a MAAPP. We hope that will change very soon. Finally, MSDE staff often makes presentations at various locations in an effort to assist groups of people in understanding the processes available for acquiring certification. One of these presentations included a power point which we have included on our website with the thought that perhaps the language or a different arrangement of information might facilitate understanding better from individual to individual. The link to that presentation can be found below.

5 Good luck in your search. Please do not hesitate to contact the Maryland State Department of Education with any questions you may have. Our contact information is located on the Home Page, or you may or call Michelle Dunkle at