Source: https://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/maryland-policy-summary/
Timestamp: 2020-03-28 21:26:12
Document Index: 529580077

Matched Legal Cases: ['§13', '§13', '§13', '§13', '§13', '§13']

Maryland Policy Summary | CEEDAR
Maryland Policy Summary
Maryland Policy Profile
Teacher Professional Practice, which accounts for 50 percent of each teacher’s evaluation in Maryland, aligns with the Danielson Framework for Teaching. It includes the domains: Planning and Preparation, Instruction, Classroom Environment and Professional Responsibilities. The Teacher State Model for professional practice was designed to promote rigorous standards of professional practice and outlines expectations that address the special needs of students.
Teachers demonstrate knowledge of child and adolescent development; students’ skills, knowledge, and language proficiency; students’ interest and cultural heritage; and students’ special needs. (1b)
Teachers set suitable instructional outcomes for diverse learners. (1c)
Teachers organize physical space and resources to ensure safety and accessibility. (2e)
Source: Maryland State Department of Education (MSDOE), Teacher Professional Practice
Principal Professional Practice accounts for 50 percent of each principal’s evaluation in Maryland. It is comprised of the eight outcomes contained in the Maryland Instructional Leadership Framework and the four outcomes in the Interstate School Leadership and Licensure Consortium (ISSLC) standards. The Principal State Model for professional practice measures two main components: (1) Providing effective instructional leadership and (2) Providing a safe, orderly, and supportive learning environment. While the principal professional practices do not specifically require knowledge of working with students with disabilities, they expect principals to “promote the success of every student and teacher by acting within a framework of integrity, fairness, and ethics.” Further, the ISLLC standards state that, “an education leader promotes the success of every student.”
MSDOE, Principal Professional Practice
Maryland Institutional Performance Criteria require preparation programs to prepare teacher candidates to teach a diverse student population (e.g. ethnicity, socio-economic status, English for Speakers of other Languages, giftedness, and inclusion of students with special needs in regular classrooms).
Preparation programs must:
Document how [the] institution provides instruction in how to teach a diverse student population for all prospective teachers.
Provide evidence of teacher candidates’ ability to develop and implement specific integrated learning experiences that address diverse student population needs.
Provide evidence of teacher candidates’ ability to plan instruction, adapt materials, and implement differentiated instruction in an inclusive classroom, to use functional behavior assessments, and to provide positive behavior support for students with disabilities. Similarly, provide evidence of teacher candidates’ ability to differentiate instruction for gifted and talented students.
Provide evidence of teacher candidates’ ability to collaboratively plan and teach with specialized resource personnel for a diverse student population.
Identify how the performance assessment system measures candidate proficiency in all of the above.
MSDOE, Redesign of Teacher Education—Institutional Performance Criteria, (page 6)
Maryland State Department of Education, The Maryland Plan for Title II Reporting Requirements Of the Higher Education Act Sections 207 and 208, (page 21)
Teaching candidates must complete a teaching experience in one of the following ways:
A supervised experience in a public or accredited nonpublic school setting at the appropriate age or grade level and in the subject area for which the applicant is seeking certification; or
1 year (2 years for Early Childhood) of satisfactory full-time teaching experience in a public or accredited nonpublic school setting at the appropriate age or grade level and in the subject area for which the applicant is seeking certification.
Teacher education candidates must have extensive field-based preparation in a specially designed Professional Development School, which includes an internship within two consecutive semesters that represents, at a minimum, 100 full days in a school.
Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR), Certification in Early Childhood Education §13a.12.02.03 (3)
COMAR, Certification in Elementary Education §13a.12.02.04 (3)
COMAR, Certification in General Secondary Content Areas §13a.12.02.06 (3)
MSDOE, The Maryland Plan for Title II Reporting Requirements Of the Higher Education Act, Sections 207 and 208, page 21
Maryland Higher Education Commission, Teacher Education Task Force Report, page 15
Maryland collects some performance data on its alternate route programs, including principal and teacher satisfaction ratings. The state does not collect this or any other kind of objective, program-specific data for its traditional preparation programs, nor has it established minimum performance standards that can be used for accountability purposes. Further, Maryland does not publish indicators of program performance. Through Maryland’s Race to the Top initiative, the state plans to use student growth measures in its teacher preparation program approval process. The state indicated that it would begin to publish these data, would use the data for program improvement, including closing those programs with poor track records.
National Council on Teacher Quality, 2012 State Teacher Policy Yearbook: Improving Teacher Preparation in Maryland
2014 State Teacher Policy Yearbook: Maryland
Our policy analysis did not identify required coursework in leading a school that serves students with disabilities. However, preparation programs seeking approval for a new or modified supervisor and principal preparation program must demonstrate how the program will meet the Maryland Instructional Leadership Framework performance criteria which expect that principals will “promote the success of every student and teacher by acting within a framework of integrity, fairness, and ethics.”
MSDOE, Proposal Guidelines for New/Modified Educator Preparation Programs
MSDOE, Maryland Instructional Leadership Framework
Through Maryland’s Race to the Top initiative, the state plans to link student achievement and student growth to principals, as well as to the in-state programs where they were prepared, and publicly report these data. This plan expands preparation and credentialing options and programs that are successful at producing effective principals.
Source: Executive Summary of Maryland’s Race to The Top Application
Special educator certification in Maryland is based on Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Standards. Maryland offers three types of special education certification: birth-grade 3, 1-8, and 6-12. Educators who hold this certificate are not required to hold certification but they also may not be the teacher of record unless they are dually certified. Maryland Approved Alternative Preparation Programs (MAAPP) prepare teachers to be dually certified in a content area and in special education.
Email communication with MSDOE, October 6, 2014
All beginning teachers must present qualifying scores on Praxis I and Praxis CORE, or meet the SAT Reasoning Test, ACT test or GRE General Test requirements. Teacher candidates must also take the appropriate Praxis II tests for each area of certification they seek. All candidates for an initial teaching license are required to take one of the four Principles of Learning and Teaching tests (Early Childhood, K-6, 5-9 and 7-12).
ETS, Maryland Test Requirements
Maryland offers the Professional Eligibility Certificate (PEC), the Standard Professional Certificate I (SPC I), the Standard Professional Certificate II (SPC II), and the Advanced Professional Certificate (APC). The SPCs and APC require additional coursework (acceptable credit hour), but do not specifically require additional training in working with special populations.
Source: MSDOE, Certification Overview
Maryland requires school leaders to obtain a master’s degree, have prior teaching experience, complete a state-approved preparation program, and pass a test. Educators certified in Administrator I or Administrator II—the certification for needed supervisory positions, including principal—must have a three-credit course in special education.
Principals: Candidates must have a master’s degree and 27 months of satisfactory teaching performance or satisfactory performance on a professional certificate or satisfactory performance as a certified specialist. Candidates must also have completed a department-approved program which leads to certification as a supervisor of instruction, assistant principal, or principal that includes the outcomes in the Maryland instructional leadership framework, an approved program which leads to certification as a supervisor of instruction, assistant principal, or principal in accordance with the interstate agreement, or 18 semester hours of graduate course work that includes an internship or practicum. Candidates must also present evidence of a qualifying score as established by the State Board on a Department-approved principal certification assessment.
Superintendents: Candidates must meet the requirements for certification in early childhood education, elementary education or a secondary education area, have a master’s degree from an IHE, have 3 years of successful teaching experience and 2 years of administrative or supervisory experience; and have successfully completed a 2-year program with graduate courses in administration and supervision in an institution or institutions approved by an accrediting agency recognized by the State Superintendent of Schools. Graduate work may be applied toward the requirements of this section, provided that a minimum of 60 semester hours of graduate work is presented.
COMAR, Certification in Early Childhood Education §13a.12.02.03
COMAR, Certification in Elementary Education, §13a.12.02.04
State policy requires each local school district to “establish and maintain a comprehensive induction program for all new teachers.” New teacher means a teacher who is new to the profession or a veteran who is new to the district. All teachers new to the profession are required to participate in induction activities “until they receive tenure.” The probationary period or teachers new to the profession encompasses their first three years. [COMAR, 13A.07.01.03; 13A.07.01.04; and 13A.07.01.05]
State regulations require local school systems to include their comprehensive induction program report in their Bridge to Excellence Master Plan Annual Update to the MSDOE. The report must include a description of the mentoring program; data, including the number of probationary teachers and the number of mentors who have been assigned; and the effectiveness of the program is measured.
COMAR, Reporting Requirements, §13.A.07.01.09
State regulations require each local school district to operate a “comprehensive induction program for new principals.” Such programs must be differentiated based on the needs of the individual principal and must include:
(1) A locally designed orientation program for all principals new to the principalship and/or local school system;
(2) Ongoing support from a mentor; and
(3) Appropriate levels of staffing to plan and coordinate all induction activities.
COMAR, Comprehensive Principal Induction Program
Email communication with MSDOE, October 6, 2014;
The Maryland Teacher Professional Development Standards outline expectations for the context, content, and process for high-quality teacher professional development.
Maryland has cross-walked the Maryland Teacher Professional Development Standards and Learning Forward’s Professional Learning Standards. Since 2010 Maryland has been strategically moving toward full alignment with the Learning Forward Standards. For example, Maryland is in the process of revising the procedures for awarding Continuing Professional Development credit to align with the Learning Forward Standards and building stakeholder buy-in through a needs assessment, followed by the establishment of statewide stakeholder focus groups. Maryland also has used the Learning Forward Standards to develop statewide professional learning opportunities.
Email communication with MSDOE, October 7, 2014
Our policy analysis did not identify professional development standards for school leaders.
Maryland intends to revisit the development of principal professional development standards when the ISLLC Standards are revised. Presently, the Maryland Instructional Leadership Framework informs professional learning for principals/administrators. In addition, since 2010, Maryland has aligned to Learning Forward’s Professional Learning Standards. These standards include professional learning geared toward principals/administrators. All certificate holders in public schools must have a professional development plan and take 6 credits to renew their certificate every five years.
Source: Email communication with MSDOE, October 7, 2014