Higher Education Partnerships Offering Information Sessions

The Office of Human Resources and Development provides higher education partnership opportunities to MCPS employees who are seeking teacher certification or licensure, continuing professional development, or who are pursuing career advancement. Register on Professional Development Online. Below, get more information on interest meetings for several programs:

Towson University Master's of Education (M.Ed.), Focus on Multilingual Language Learners
Thursday, Sept. 28, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
RSVP on PDO, course #91964

Towson University offers a Master's of Education in Special Education with a focus on Multilingual Language Learners at The Universities at Shady Grove. This new program is designed specifically for MCPS special education teachers and ESOL teachers so that MCPS professionals can meet the state and county’s growing demographic needs. For more information, email Eric Kuhn or visit the Higher Education Partnerships website.

Trinity Washington University, Master’s Degree in Educational Administration
Thursday, Oct. 5, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
RSVP on PDO, course #92077

Trinity Washington University offers a master’s degree pathway for Educational Leadership leading to Administrator I certification. This Master’s of Science in Administration (M.S.A.) prepares participants for a leadership position in an elementary, middle or high school. Attendees will learn to promote high student achievement through instructional planning, use of educational assessments, data analysis, problem-solving, consensus-building and coaching, professional development, and strategies for retaining teachers and staff. The program also includes coursework on equity and trauma-informed practices. This cohort meets one weekend a month for 20 months. To be eligible, employees should have three or more consecutive years of successful classroom teaching experience and tenure. A flyer for the program is available here. For more information, contact Dr. Gladys Williams.

Bowie State University, Reading/Literacy Master’s Program
Tuesday, Oct. 10 and Thursday, Oct. 26; 4:30–5:30 p.m.
RSVP on PDO, course #91696

This online program in Reading/Literacy Education from Bowie State University leads to a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree. The program is designed to prepare graduate candidates to focus on all aspects of literacy instruction and to complete leadership experiences that prepare for transitioning into the role of a reading specialist. 

Classroom teachers who are not interested in a specialist leadership position may also consider the program to gain current research-based information to assist with effective literacy instruction with a focus on racially, culturally, linguistically and socioeconomically diverse students. For more information, contact Dr. Jacquelyn Sweeney or visit the Higher Education Partnerships website. A flyer for this information session may be found here.

Moreland University, TEACH-NOW
Oct. 10 and Oct. 24 (Tuesdays); 5-6 p.m.
RSVP on PDO, course #91498

Moreland University's TEACH-NOW certification program helps conditionally certified teachers earn their teaching licensure. This is an asynchronous online program that provides a flexible, affordable and accelerated pathway to certification. During this information session, participants will:

• Learn about the TEACH-NOW program – schedule, learning goals and requirements.
• Take steps to complete the application and learn about the licensing process.
• Meet the Moreland team and an MCPS graduate of the program.

A flyer about Moreland’s information sessions can be found here. For more information, contact Dr. Susanne Thompson or visit the Higher Education Partnerships website. 

University of Maryland, Master’s of Education in Mathematics Education
Tuesday, Oct. 10, 5-6 p.m. 
RSVP on PDO, course #91659

The University of Maryland, College Park is offering a continuing education opportunity for MCPS teachers certified in elementary education, special education or ESOL—a master’s degree in mathematics for middle grades. These teachers should be teaching or planning to teach in 4th through 9th grade classrooms.

This is a 30-credit, three-year master’s degree program that prepares teachers to become highly qualified in middle grades mathematics. Applications are processed on a first come first serve basis. All courses are offered at The Universities in Shady Grove. Classes are once a week during the school year and twice in the summer. The tuition is fixed for in-state and out-of-state teachers at the same rate. No GRE is required. A flyer for the program is available here. For more information, visit the Center for Mathematics Education’s website or see the program’s Prezi. For more information, contact Dr. Beatriz Quintos.

Johns Hopkins University Special Education Teacher Immersion Training (SET-IT) Program
Tuesday, Oct. 10, 6–7 p.m.
RSVP on PDO, course #87107

The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Special Education Teacher Immersion Training (SET-IT) master’s degree program has two focus areas: elementary/middle school (grades 1–8) and secondary/adult levels (grades 6–12) in special education. For this two-year program, participants will work for MCPS as special education paraeducators during the day and take JHU courses in the evening. A flyer is available here. For more information, email Alexandra Shelton or visit the Higher Education Partnerships website.

Montgomery College, Culturally Responsive Educators Aspiring for Teaching Excellence (CREATE)
Wednesday, Oct. 11; 4:30-5:30 p.m.
RSVP on PDO, course #89298

To be eligible for Montgomery College’s CREATE Teacher Cohort Program, MCPS employees should be current support professionals who hold permanent positions. Members of this cohort will earn an associate of arts in teaching degree (AAT), the first two years of the required four-year degree. MC will assist employees who are new to college, or who have some college credits, in developing an academic plan that allows students to graduate in two to three years and seamlessly transfer to partner universities to complete the bachelor’s degree required to become a certified teacher. For more information, send an email here or visit the Higher Education Partnerships website. 

Notre Dame of Maryland University
Thursday, Oct. 12, 6-7 p.m.
RSVP on PDO, course #87163

Notre Dame of Maryland University will give an overview of its programs in the Department of Education. The bachelor’s degree pathway for certification in ESOL or special education and the graduate-level pathway (a non-degree, graduate-level, state-approved teacher education program leading to initial certification in ESOL, special education, math, computer science or Spanish) are the two MCPS partnership programs at NDMU. For more information, contact James Mayo or visit the Higher Education Partnerships website.