is a teacher preparation program through Frederick County Public Schools and Frostburg State University for career changers and recent graduates. The program provides an alternative route to a career in teaching. It consists of coursework through FSU and a supervised, eight-week internship in FCPS. Candidates who complete the coursework and internship, and have qualifying scores on the required Praxis tests, are eligible to interview for positions in FCPS. Acceptance and participation in the program does not guarantee employment in the school system. Applications will be accepted from September through March in preparation for teaching in the following school year.
Who is eligible? To enroll in the program, you need:
ü
a bachelor’s degree in
one of the critical shortage areas (listed below) with a GPA of at least 3.0
from an accredited college or university.
or
ü
a bachelor’s degree in
another field including 30 credit hours in one of the critical shortage areas
from an accredited college or university. At least 50 % of the coursework must
be from the same institution, and 12 credits must be at the 300 level or above.
No credits with grades less than “C” will be considered. “Pass/fail” credits
will not be considered unless accompanied by a transcript statement that “Pass”
equates to “C” or better.
ü
GPA of 3.0 or better
ü
Maryland qualifying
scores on Praxis I and the content portion of Praxis II. (You may apply for
acceptance and enroll in the program prior to receiving your Praxis scores, but
you may not interview for positions or be considered for employment without
qualifying scores.) For information on Praxis tests, refer to http://www.ets.org/praxis
Critical Shortage areas in
Maryland:
Mathematics
Physics
Chemistry
English
Foreign
Language
How do I apply?
The first step is to complete
and submit an application for teaching in Frederick County Public Schools. The
application is available on http://www.fcps.org/content/hrforms.cfm
. Check the box labled “Resident Teacher” on the application. Be sure to
complete all parts of the application and submit all required documentation.
Send your application to:
Department of Human
Resources
Frederick County
Public Schools
7630 Hayward Rd.
Frederick, MD 21702
What happens next?
1. Applications will be
screened and evaluated.
2. Qualified candidates will
be interviewed by the appropriate curriculum specialist.
3. Candidates who are recommended
for acceptance by the curriculum specialist will be advised to contact
Frostburg State University to enroll in the program and register for classes.
4. Candidates who complete
the program and present qualifying scores on Praxis I and the content portion
of Praxis II interview for positions in FCPS as they become available.
5. Candidates who are
selected for employment become Resident Teachers and are issued a Resident
Teacher Certificate to teach for one year.
6. Resident teachers complete
remaining coursework and take the pedagogy portion of the Praxis II test.
7. At the completion of a
successful year of teaching, all required coursework and all required Praxis
tests, Resident teachers are eligible for an SPC 1 teacher certificate.
Questions?
For more information about
the coursework or internship, or information on other preparation programs for
teachers, please contact: Kim H. Rotruck, Ed. D.
For more information and assistance with the application process, please contact Kathryn Crawford at 301-644-5099 or email kathryn.crawford@fcps.org.