To obtain Maryland teaching certification at the secondary level, grades 7-12, undergraduate students major in one of the following academic fields: art (preK-12), biology, chemistry, English, French (preK-12), history, mathematics or Spanish (preK-12). Post-baccalaureate students must have or take the requisite content coursework for the desired certification area. Three phases comprise the teacher certification program in secondary education, each of which has specific course requirements and field experiences based on the content area standards, the Maryland State Department of Education's "Redesign of Teacher Education", and InTASC Standards.
Requirements for the Secondary Education Program
- Completion of a baccalaureate degree at Hood that includes Core requirements or completion of a liberal arts or science baccalaureate at another accredited institution.
- Completion of a major at Hood, or at another accredited institution, in one of the academic fields in which Hood offers secondary teacher certification. (Students from other institutions with related majors such as zoology, environmental science, journalism, etc., must present courses that are equivalent to all courses required for the Hood major in the discipline in which the student is pursuing teacher certification.) Additional content-area coursework may be required of post-baccalaureate candidates to ensure compliance with professional standards.
- Completion of additional general education requirement courses as specified by each department at Hood. (For example, biology majors must also take PHYS 101 or PHYS 203, and English majors must also take specified communication arts courses.)
Prerequisite Phase:
All candidates seeking secondary or art certification must have an introductory psychology course (PSY 101 or its equivalent). This can be taken prior to or concurrently with the education courses in the prerequisite portion of the secondary education program. Along with the EDUC 204 prerequisite course, secondary education students must complete one-half day per week of field experiences in a designated professional development school (PDS).
| PSY 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3.0 |
| EDUC 204 | Foundations of Education in a Diverse Society | 3.0 |
| EDUC 308 | Student Development, Differences and Learning | 3.0 |
Post-baccalaureate teacher certification candidates must pass Praxis Core or MSDE accepted equivalent (e.g., SAT, ACT) as a prerequisite for admission into EDUC 204.
NOTE: Prior to enrolling in EDUC 204, the student must have a conference with the coordinator of secondary education.
Phase I:
Entry to Phase I is contingent upon (1) successful completion of prerequisite courses with no grade lower than a "C" and an Education GPA of at least 2.75, (2) a Major GPA of at least 2.75 (any content course grade lower than a C will be reviewed), (3) a Composite GPA and Hood Overall GPA of at least 3.0* or a Hood Overall GPA of 2.75 and a qualifying score on Maryland’s Basic Skills Assessment, (4) successful performance in prerequisite field experiences, (5) submission of the Phase I application, (6) endorsement by the Program Advisory Council, and (7) being in good campus judicial standing.
* If a student elects to meet Maryland’s Basic Skills requirement via a 3.0 GPA, the student must maintain a Composite GPA and an Overall GPA of at least 3.0 at all times. If either GPA drops below 3.0, the student will need to submit qualifying test scores before the student may advance to the next phase of the program. Furthermore, it is the student’s responsibility to monitor the GPA.
| EDUC 409 | Literacy in the Content Areas Part I | 3.0 |
| EDUC 412 | Literacy in the Content Areas Part II | 3.0 |
| EDUC 413 | Teaching and Learning in Content | 3.0 |
| EDUC 445 | Secondary Instructional Assessment | 3.0 |
Phase II:
Entry into Phase II is contingent upon (1) successful completion of the Phase I courses with no grade below a "C", (2) successful performance in the Phase I field experiences, (3) an overall G.P.A. of 2.75 or higher, (4) a G.P.A. of 2.75 or higher in all education courses completed and no grade lower than a “C,” (5) a G.P.A. of 2.75 or higher in all courses completed in the content area. Any grade lower than a "C" in a content area course will be reviewed by the Program Advisory Council and may result in the candidate not advancing to the next phase, (6) submission of the Phase II/III application, (7) being in good campus judicial standing, (8) endorsement by the Program Advisory Council. Along with the courses in Phase II, the secondary education interns must complete the equivalent of one and one half days per week of field experience in a designated secondary PDS. Secondary Education interns may not enroll in the following courses until officially accepted into Phase II.
| EDUC 400 | Phase II Internship and Seminar on Classroom Management | 3.0 |
| EDUC 411 | Educational Methods in Student's Teaching Field | 3.0 |
| EDUC 469 | Inclusion & Instruction | 3.0 |
Phase III:
Entry into Phase III is contingent upon (1) successful completion of the Phase II courses with no grade below a C-, (2) successful performance in the Phase II internship, (3) an overall G.P.A. of 2.75 or higher, (4) a G.P.A. of 2.75 or higher in all education courses completed and no grade lower than a "C," (5) a G.P.A. of 2.75 or higher in all courses completed in the content area. Any grade lower than a "C" in a content area course will be reviewed by the Program Advisory Council and may result in the candidate not advancing to the next phase, 6) endorsement by the Program Advisory Council, and 7) being in good campus judicial standing. The secondary education teaching intern will be engaged in a full-time teaching internship in a designated PDS. Toward the end of Phase III and in partial fulfillment of program requirements, the teaching intern submits the Exit Folio, which must meet the rating score of "Proficient" or higher. Completion of Phase III and the certification program is contingent upon meeting Maryland’s minimum passing scores on the Praxis II tests. Teaching interns in the secondary education program have one year from the completion of the teaching internship to pass the Praxis II tests and to complete all other program requirements in order to be designated an official program completer. It is the responsibility of the intern to inform the education department upon completion of all requirements. Secondary education interns may not enroll in the following courses until official acceptance into Phase III.
| EDUC 401 | Phase III Seminar on Becoming a Teacher | 3.0 |
| EDUC 419 | Teaching Internship | 9.0 |