Pathways to Teaching: Getting Certified

In order to teach at a public school, and sometimes private schools, you need to get your teaching certification from the state department of education. Since I live in Maryland, the information presented here will apply to this state. You will need to check with your state's board of ed to find out the specific details.

So for Maryland, it makes sense to start with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). The MSDE website has a lot of information on it, however it is not easy to find what you are looking for, especially if you are not exactly sure what you are looking for.

Let's start with what it takes to become certified. There are different types of certification available in MD, and different ways to become certified. For general information about certification in MD, see the MSDE FAQ's.


You can complete a traditional teaching program through an accredited university as an undergraduate, or if you already have a Bachelor's degree, you can get a Master's of Arts in Teaching (MAT). For people not interested in more schooling, you can participate in an Alternative Preparation Program, which can include programs like Teach for America or those through The New Teacher Project. These are programs aimed at people like me, who majored in something other than education in college, but who are wanting to now become teachers.

For Maryland, this web page has the information you are looking for for Maryland Approved Alternative Preparation Programs (MAAPP). There is a complete list of all the programs available in the state, as well as a handy little document helpfully called “How to Become a Teacher as a Career Changer or Recent College Graduate”.

To qualify to participate in MAAPP you need to meet educational and testing requirements. Educational requirements are that you have a Bachelor's degree with sufficient coursework and GPA to qualify to teach in your subject area. To teach secondary math, for example, you need a degree in Math or a technical field like engineering. The MSDE or the particular MAAPP program you are applying to will assist you by reviewing your transcripts to determine if you are considered qualified to teach your desired subject area. See here for more information about transcript review from MSDE.

The testing requirements are that you pass the Praxis I and II exams. The Praxis I is a test of basic skills and it can be taken anytime throughout the year at an approved testing center. If you have taken the SAT, ACT, or GRE, and you scored sufficiently high on one of these tests, you can submit those test scores in place of taking the Praxis I. The score requirements are listed here.

The Praxis II exam you take will be specific to the subject you are going to teach. For math, you take the Mathematics Content Knowledge exam, etc. Here is the site with information regarding the Praxis II tests and the passing scores required for MD.

The Praxis exams are administered through the Educational Testing Services (ETS), and I will discuss the Praxis II Mathematics Content Exam more at a later date.

Once you meet the requirements for MAAPP and are accepted into a program, you will get a Resident Teacher Certification that is valid for 2 years. As you complete the requirements of the particular MAAPP program, you will earn a Standard Professional Certificate at the end of 2 years.

A few other helpful links on the MSDE website:
Resident Teaching Certification (RTC)

Troops to Teachers for ex-military who want to teach.