TEACHER PREPARATION
1. Admission into higher education teacher prep programs, particularly in graduate programs, should be limited to high performing students
a. Limiting entry into teacher prep programs must be
accompanied by other changes such as compensation,
school day structure, working conditions, and career
ladders
2. The number of teacher preparation programs offered at Maryland colleges should be reduced but not limited to research institutions
a. Should use a data driven process to select which teacher preparation programs should be offered based on
producing successful teachers
3. Some sort of tuition forgiveness or other incentive program should be developed to encourage top tier high school graduates to enter the teaching profession
4. Alternative pathways into the teaching profession should not be eliminated, but modified and strengthened
a. A mechanism is still needed to allow for people who come into teaching later in life
b. Must be careful to allow local school systems to maintain autonomy in their own screening processes for hiring
qualified teachers
CONTENT OF TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS
5. Colleges should establish programs for elementary teachers to specialize in math or English a. This would also require restructuring of the elementary school day for subject matter experts and elimination of the “teach-it-all” model
6. Teachers must be trained to better analyze data as well as develop and implement best practices
7. Teachers should be trained to teach the course as required by Maryland’s new curriculum standards and to implement a system for making sure all students reach college and career readiness
8. Maryland should develop more rigorous exit standards in both content and practical skills
9. Maryland should increase/alter teacher certification requirements
a. Use the new authority within MSDE or PSTEB
b. Maryland should study the licensing model of Massachusetts or EdTPA as a possible model
CAREER LADDER
10. A career ladder that includes a rigorous assessment of teaching performance should be created in each district. The ladder should lead to a top performance level, perhaps entitled “Master Teacher.” Such teachers would have duties that include induction support for new teachers and assessment of existing teachers
a. Need to find ways to incentivize the creation and adoption of a career ladder
b. Will need substantial “buy in” for this to work, therefore, would need many and lengthy discussions with
stakeholders
c. The system must be developed in a way to support the existing teachers in terms of appropriately placing them
within the ladder to recognize their experience and talent
d. The career ladder should have a statewide framework but then allow flexibility in implementation so that the
districts can determine where their own job descriptions and salary levels fit within the statewide framework
e. Having pilot programs for career ladders might be a good way to start
11. A salary structure that is comparable with high-status professions should be developed in support of a rigorous career ladder
a. The salary structure should have a minimum pay with room to grow for advancements and COLAs
b. A formula for calculating a comparable salary should be put in statute as this would help recruit personnel
c. Salaries should be based on regional averages of other professional careers
d. Perhaps a 5-year phase in to these higher salaries
12. A teacher mentoring program that is consistent among all districts and all schools should be developed a. Data should be collected by districts to establish best practices based on student outcomes
13. The structure of the school day and perhaps the school year should be altered to allow teachers more professional time for team work, mentoring, etc. This would likely mean larger class sizes
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
14. Maryland should encourage (but not require) districts to implement a system to identify teachers who show promise to become strong leaders.
15. Depending on the role of a principal within a school (which can vary depending on the district and size of the school), the principal must have also been a strong teacher
1. Admission into higher education teacher prep programs, particularly in graduate programs, should be limited to high performing students
a. Limiting entry into teacher prep programs must be
accompanied by other changes such as compensation,
school day structure, working conditions, and career
ladders
2. The number of teacher preparation programs offered at Maryland colleges should be reduced but not limited to research institutions
a. Should use a data driven process to select which teacher preparation programs should be offered based on
producing successful teachers
3. Some sort of tuition forgiveness or other incentive program should be developed to encourage top tier high school graduates to enter the teaching profession
4. Alternative pathways into the teaching profession should not be eliminated, but modified and strengthened
a. A mechanism is still needed to allow for people who come into teaching later in life
b. Must be careful to allow local school systems to maintain autonomy in their own screening processes for hiring
qualified teachers
CONTENT OF TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS
5. Colleges should establish programs for elementary teachers to specialize in math or English a. This would also require restructuring of the elementary school day for subject matter experts and elimination of the “teach-it-all” model
6. Teachers must be trained to better analyze data as well as develop and implement best practices
7. Teachers should be trained to teach the course as required by Maryland’s new curriculum standards and to implement a system for making sure all students reach college and career readiness
8. Maryland should develop more rigorous exit standards in both content and practical skills
9. Maryland should increase/alter teacher certification requirements
a. Use the new authority within MSDE or PSTEB
b. Maryland should study the licensing model of Massachusetts or EdTPA as a possible model
CAREER LADDER
10. A career ladder that includes a rigorous assessment of teaching performance should be created in each district. The ladder should lead to a top performance level, perhaps entitled “Master Teacher.” Such teachers would have duties that include induction support for new teachers and assessment of existing teachers
a. Need to find ways to incentivize the creation and adoption of a career ladder
b. Will need substantial “buy in” for this to work, therefore, would need many and lengthy discussions with
stakeholders
c. The system must be developed in a way to support the existing teachers in terms of appropriately placing them
within the ladder to recognize their experience and talent
d. The career ladder should have a statewide framework but then allow flexibility in implementation so that the
districts can determine where their own job descriptions and salary levels fit within the statewide framework
e. Having pilot programs for career ladders might be a good way to start
11. A salary structure that is comparable with high-status professions should be developed in support of a rigorous career ladder
a. The salary structure should have a minimum pay with room to grow for advancements and COLAs
b. A formula for calculating a comparable salary should be put in statute as this would help recruit personnel
c. Salaries should be based on regional averages of other professional careers
d. Perhaps a 5-year phase in to these higher salaries
12. A teacher mentoring program that is consistent among all districts and all schools should be developed a. Data should be collected by districts to establish best practices based on student outcomes
13. The structure of the school day and perhaps the school year should be altered to allow teachers more professional time for team work, mentoring, etc. This would likely mean larger class sizes
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
14. Maryland should encourage (but not require) districts to implement a system to identify teachers who show promise to become strong leaders.
15. Depending on the role of a principal within a school (which can vary depending on the district and size of the school), the principal must have also been a strong teacher