Human Resources and Development → Department of Certification and Continuing Education → Student Teaching → FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

If my college or university has not established a Professional Development School (PDS) with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), who do I contact to explore this opportunity?

If you wish to establish a PDS with MCPS, contact Mrs. Sydney Pinkard at 301-315-7384 in the Office of Human Resources and Development.

What if I have students from my college or university that are non-core subject students such as art, music, counselors, or speech and language pathologists? Who do I contact?

Contact Mrs. Sydney Pinkard at 301-315-7384 in the Office of Human Resources and Development. She will be able to put you in touch with the department contact person or you can go to the link under General Information –Contacts- and find the office contact number.

Can any student do their student teaching in MCPS?

No. MCPS supports the state recommendation to use Professional Development Schools (PDS) as training environments for student teachers/interns. Therefore, colleges and universities are strongly encouraged to establish professional development relationships with our schools. Additionally, MCPS pays the supervising teachers. Therefore, we have a designated budget and the number of student teachers we accept is based on our available budget.

MCPS would welcome a discussion with interested colleges and universities who wish to train their student teachers in MCPS. Colleges and universities may develop a partnership agreement with MCPS that includes payment to MCPS for supervision of student teachers and/or graduates interns. If you are interested in developing a partnership, please contact Mrs. Sydney Pinkard at 301-315-7384 in the Office of Human Resources and Development.

Additionally, MCPS will use critical need staffing areas as a guide for establishing partnership agreements or seeking student teachers who have backgrounds in our areas of critical need.

My college or university has a PDS or partnership with a MCPS school. How do I go about requesting student teacher placements?

See Student Teachers/Intern Flowchart

I am currently a university that has an established PDS or partnership with MCPS. Do I still need to go through the approval process for my student teachers?

Yes. See Student Teachers/Intern Flowchart

How do I get the necessary forms to request student teacher placements?

The Student Teachers/Intern Assignment Verification Form (440-12), is located on the MCPS website.