School of Education
Madelyn Ball, M.Ed.
Kelly Byrne Bull, Ph.D.
Juliann Dupuis, Ph.D
Christa de Kleine, Ph.D.
Patricia Dwyer, Ph.D.
Melissa Falen, M.A.
Mark Fenster, Ph.D.
Mary Fitzgerald, SSND, Ph.D.
Andrew Moore, Ph.D.
David Morrocco, Ed.D.
Rosemary Poling, M.Ed.
Lisa Pallet, Ph.D.
Carol Rabin, M.Ed.
Joan Sattler, Ed.D.
Stephanie Savick, Ph.D.
Ryan Schaaf, M.S.
Patty Silver, M.Ed.
Angela Snyder, Ph.D.
Evelyn Spratt, Ph.D.
Summary
The School of Education offers full-time and part-time, four-year and five-year Programs of Study that integrate academic and professional studies and lead to Certification in Secondary Education, Certification in Secondary and Special Education, Certification in Elementary Education, Certification in Elementary and Special Education, or Certification in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. Each Program of Study requires the creation of an electronic portfolio throughout the course of study; it is to be completed with each course of study. An ePortfolio license fee is required.
All Programs of Study leading to a Bachelor of Arts in Education are designed to provide a balance among liberal arts courses in a variety of academic fields, a planned sequence of professional courses, and practical field experiences which may begin in the first year of college and culminate in an extended internship experience in the student's senior year. The School of Education may require a student to complete specific courses in addition to those listed as requirements. Each Program of Study aims to build competence through appropriate academic and professional course work, and to involve the student in practical classroom internship activities of steadily increasing responsibility. Internship placements are in professional development school environments through collaborative arrangements between Notre Dame and area school systems.
Graduates of the School of Education are educators in virtually every public school district throughout the State of Maryland, as well as in many private, independent and parochial schools. Not only do they ably serve Maryland's students, they are recognized as outstanding leaders. Many have been honored as "Teacher of the Year" in their respective districts; e.g, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Caroline County, Carroll County, Harford County, St. Mary's County.
To schedule course work effectively, each student is expected to meet regularly each semester with her advisor.
To be eligible for the extended teaching internship in a professional development school, a student must attain a 3.2 cumulative grade point average, a 3.0 or higher in methods courses, and a grade of C or higher in each of her professional courses. Students must pass PRAXIS Core* prior to enrolling in internship. Students in Secondary Education, Art and Music Education also must have the recommendation of their academic departments. To be eligible for Maryland State Certification through one of the approved programs at the University, the student must attain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average, must earn a grade of B or higher during the internship and pass PRAXIS Core Academic Skills* and PRAXIS II examinations. PRAXIS II must be taken during the internship semester and passed before approval for certification.
Note: Taking and passing PRAXIS Core: Any student who is actively considering making application to the School of Education to pursue a career in teaching is required to pass the PRAXIS Core exam as a condition of admission to the School of Education. Students should take the PRAXIS Core as early as possible during their college experience so that they have time to assess and (if need be) remediate any area of concern (reading, writing or mathematics). Participation in the student internship will not be permitted until the PRAXIS Core has been passed. There are a variety of resources available for students who perceive the need for additional support: e.g, texts in the Education Lab, on-line tutorials, PRAXIS prep seminars, etc. For more information regarding testing opportunities and preparation, consult www.ETS.org.
The Maryland State Department of Education will allow candidates to waive Praxis Core if they present one of the following test scores. These MSDE-acceptable test scores will also be accepted by NDMU
- Praxis I with a composite score of 527
- ACT with a composite score of 24
- SAT -- taken before 1995 with a composite score (math + verbal) of 1000
- SAT -- taken between April 1995 and December 2018 with a composite score (math + verbal) of 1100
- SAT -- taken January 2019 and later with a composite score (math + verbal) of 1180
- GRE -- taken before September 2011 -- composite score (math + verbal) of 1000; taken since September 2011 composite score (math + verbal) of 297
Certification candidates in all Programs of Study complete a professional electronic portfolio using guidelines developed by the education department in accordance with Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Core Standards. Approved Program graduates benefit from interstate reciprocity agreements in all states.
Teacher Education Programs are offered in Elementary Education, Elementary and Special Education, Elementary and Early Childhood Education, and Art N-12. Notre Dame also offers Secondary Education Programs in Art, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Computer Studies, English, ESOL, Mathematics, Modern Foreign Languages (French, Spanish)**, Physics and Social Studies.
** Because NDMU’s World Languages Program is nationally recognized by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), teacher candidates who are seeking certification in Maryland for Spanish or French are required to achieve a passing score of “Advanced Low” or better on BOTH the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and the Written Proficiency Test (WPT), both of which are administered by an interviewer/proctor who is certified by ACTFL. Note that some teacher candidates in lieu of the OPI may elect to take the OPI(c) which is a computer version of the OPI. Teacher candidates may take these two assessments at any time during their Program of Study but prior to their Methods course of study. Teacher candidates are encouraged to explore opportunities that will enable them to meet the “Advanced Low” standard/score, including participation in study abroad, volunteer and service learning opportunities, language clubs, and film festivals and by viewing films and television programs in the world language they will be studying. More information about these assessments can be found at www.languagetesting.com
Students should confer with their School of Education advisor to confirm they have completed all the requirements for the MSDE approved program(s) as well as the Notre Dame's degree requirements.
Pathways to Dual, Triple or Four Certifications
The NDMU School of Education strives to prepare teacher candidates to respond to the supply and demand of the teacher education workforce and endeavors to prepare candidates who are highly skilled and equipped to teach children regardless of learning style, differentiated or special needs, and racial or socio-economic status. As such, candidates are encouraged to pursue certification in more than one content area or specialization; e.g, Certification in Biology and Special Education; or in English and TESOL; or in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education. In some cases, candidates can even obtain three or four certifications (e.g, elementary, special education, early childhood education and/or TESOL).
Having more than one certification yields several benefits: 1) Most important of all, candidates are exposed to specific content and instructional strategies that may be unique to targeted individuals or groups of students (e.g, second language generation students whose parents speak only in their native language). 2) Candidates acquire a deeper, richer background in the vast variety of instructional strategies that one might employ, irrespective of the student's classification (e.g, a student in a Gifted and Talented class might respond just as readily to a 'reward and praise' technique as would a student with special needs). 3) Candidates find that, when seeking employment, they are more marketable because principals are afforded greater flexibility in assigning them to teaching positions that fit the needs of their school and student population (e.g, if given two equally qualified candidates from which to select, a principal is more likely to hire a candidate who has more than one certification, thereby giving them more flexibility to assign highly qualified teachers to classrooms based on that certification).
In essence, the teacher candidates enter the education profession with a larger and more diverse skill set of instructional strategies and content knowledge to better meet the needs of the school system, where employed, and the children whom they are entrusted to teach.
Pathways to obtain dual, triple, or even four certifications are outlined in the following tables, based on professional courses needed, content areas, programs and degrees.
Course Matrix for Women's College Elementary Education BA Degrees
Required Professional Courses | Bachelor of Arts Degrees** - Elementary Education | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elem Education | Elem & Special Education | Elem & Early Childhood | Elem & TESOL | Elem, Special, and ECE | |
| EDU-300 Technology for Instruction and Management | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-303 Elementary Reading Materials | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-357 Processes & Acquisition of Reading | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-252 or EDU-253 or SPE-373 Clinical Field Experience | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-491 Human Development and Learning | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-307 Social Studies in the Elementary School | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-308 Issues in ESOL | (3 credit) | ||||
| EDU-309 Instruction in Reading | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-310 Mathematics in the Elementary School | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-312 Science in the Elementary School | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-315 Curriculum Methods/Mat. for the Young Child | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | |||
| EDU-346 Methods and Materials ESOL | (3 credit) | ||||
| EDU-347 Assessing Second Language | (3 credit) | ||||
| EDU-360 Techniques of Teaching Reading & Writing to Students with Limited English Proficiency | (3 credit) | ||||
| EDU-402 American Education in Historical Perspective | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-409 Internship: Teaching ESOL K-12 | (6 credit) | ||||
| EDU-410 Internship: Teaching in Early Childhood Educ. | (6 credit) | ||||
| EDU-411 Internship: Teaching in the Elementary School | (16 credit)* | (10 credit) | (10 credit) | (10 credit) | (10 credit) |
| EDU-440 English Grammar for ESOL Teachers | (3 credit) | ||||
| EDU-460 Assessment of Reading | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| PSY-203 Child and Adolescent Development | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| SPE-326 Special Education for the Classroom Teacher | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| SPE-337 Communication Skills for the Special Educator | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | |||
| SPE-321 Methods of Teaching Students with Special Needs | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | |||
| SPE-344 Assessment in Special Education | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | |||
| SPE-421 Elementary Curriculum Design and Adaptation | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | |||
| SPE-475 Student Teaching in Special Education | (6 credit) | (6 credit) | |||
| EDU-XXX English Language Learners for the Classroom | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| TOTAL | 48 credit | 70 credit | 61 credit | 70 credit | 73 credit |
*16 credits for Women's College, 12 credits for CAUS
** Some programs may require coursework during the summer and/or winterim.
Course Matrix for Women's College Secondary Education BA Degrees
Required Professional Courses | Bachelor of Arts Degrees* - Secondary Education | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary Education | Secondary & Special Education | Secondary & TESOL | |
| EDU-300 Technology for Instruction and Management | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-253 Clinical Field Experience: ESOL | (3 credit) | ||
| EDU-491 Human Development and Learning | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-308 Issues in ESOL | (3 credit) | ||
| EDU-344 Teaching Reading & Writing in the Secondary Schools Content Areas I | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-346 Methods and Materials ESOL | (3 credit) | ||
| EDU-347 Assessing Second Language | (3 credit) | ||
| EDU-360 Techniques of Teaching Reading & Writing to Students with Limited English Proficiency | (3 credit) | ||
| EDU-376 Clinical Field Experience Secondary | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-402 American Education in Historical Perspective | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-409 Internship: Teaching ESOL K-12 | (6 credit) | ||
| EDU-430 - EDU-439 Methods of Teaching in the content area | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-413 Student Teaching in Secondary School | (12 Credit) | (6 Credit) | (6 Credit) |
| EDU-440 English Grammar for ESOL Teachers | (3 credit) | ||
| EDU-451 Teaching Reading & Writing in the Secondary Schools Content Areas II | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| PSY-203 Child and Adolescent Development | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| SPE-326 Special Education for the Classroom Teacher | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| SPE-337 Communication Skills for the Special Educator | (3 credit) | ||
| SPE-345 Methods of Teaching Students with Special Needs | (3 credit) | ||
| SPE-344 Assessment in Special Education | (3 credit) | ||
| SPE-373 Field Experience in Special Education | (3 credit) | ||
| SPE-475 Student Teaching in Special Education | (6 credit) | ||
| EDU-XXX English Language Learners for the Classroom | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| TOTAL | 45 credit | 54 credit | 60 credit |
* Some Programs may require coursework during the summer and/or winterim.
Course Matrix for Women's College Elementary Education BA/MAT Degrees
Required Professional Courses | Bachelor of Arts Degrees - Elementary Education | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Notes - Some 100, 200, 300, and 400 level classes may be taken as an undergraduate student | Elem. Educ. | Elem. & Special Educ. | Elem. & ECE | Elem. & TESOL | Elem, ECE, & Special | Elem, ECE, Special, & TESOL |
| EDU-300 or EDU-556 Technology for Instruction and Management | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-303 or EDU-510 Elementary Reading Materials | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-357 or EDU-509 Processes & Acquisition of Reading | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
EDU-491 Human Development and Learning AND PSY-203 Child and Adolescent Development (for 6 credits) OR EDU-519 Human Development and Learning | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
EDU-307 Social Studies in Elementary School AND EDU-312 Science in Elementary School (for 6 credits) OR EDU-513 Science and Social Studies in Elementary School | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-308 or EDU-508 Issues in ESOL | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | ||||
| EDU-309 or EDU-542 Instruction in Reading | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-310 or EDU-592 Mathematics in the Elementary School | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-312 Science in the Elementary School | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-315 Curriculum Methods/Mat. for the Young Child | (3 credit) | |||||
| EDU-346 or EDU-546 Methods and Materials ESOL | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | ||||
| EDU-347 or EDU-547 Assessing Second Language | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | ||||
| EDU-360 or EDU-586 Techniques of Teaching Reading & Writing to Students with Limited English Proficiency | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | ||||
| EDU-402 American Education in Historical Perspective | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-440 or EDU-596 English Grammar for ESOL Teachers | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | ||||
| EDU-460 or EDU-511 Assessment of Reading | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-602 Internship in the Elementary School | (6 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| EDU-603 Internship in Early Childhood Education | (3 credit) | |||||
| EDU-604 Analytic/Reflection/Research Seminar | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | |
| EDU-611 Internship in TESOL Education | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | ||||
| PSY-203 Child and Adolescent Development | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| SPE-326 or SPE-526 Special Education for the Classroom Teacher | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| SPE-337 or SPE-576 Communication Skills for the Special Educator | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | |||
| SPE-321 or SPE-546 Methods of Teaching Students with Special Needs | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | |||
| SPE-344 or SPE-544 Assessment in Special Education | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | |||
| SPE-421 or SPE-570 Elementary Curriculum Design and Adaptation | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | |||
| SPE-475 or SPE-601 Internship in Special Education | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | |||
| EDU-XXX English Language Learners for the Classroom | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) | (3 credit) |
| TOTAL | 48 credit | 60 credit | 51 credit | 60 credit | 60 credit | 78 credit |
ECE = Early Childhood Education TESOL = Teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages
Some Programs of Study may require coursework during the summer and/or winterim. These six certification pathways do not cover the full range of possibilities.
Women's College or College of Adult Undergraduate Studies?
Although many Programs of Study are offered through both the Women’s College and the College of Adult Undergraduate Studies (CAUS), there are significant differences in their populations and scheduling. To determine whether the Women’s College or CAUS is the most appropriate for you, see the college descriptions under Academic Information.
Option: B.A.
The School of Education offers the Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education/Liberal Studies to students in the Women's College and College of Adult Undergraduate Studies. For students in the Women's College, the School of Education also offers a program of professional courses for Certification in Secondary Education. Additionally, the School offers a sequence of courses in special education and early childhood education that provides the opportunity for elementary education/liberal studies majors to meet certification requirements in special education, early childhood education or ESOL in addition to elementary education. The special education sequence also may be taken by students in a secondary education program. All programs are NCATE accredited and MSDE approved.
Elementary Education/Liberal Studies
The Elementary Education/Liberal Studies Major provides a balanced program of liberal arts courses in a variety of academic fields, a planned sequence of professional courses, and practical field experiences that culminate in an extended teaching internship experience. Completion of the program qualifies graduates for Maryland State Department Certification in Elementary Education. Each student works closely with an academic advisor to ensure that the student obtains all the credits needed for the degree, as well as the requirements of the State Department of Education for Certification in Elementary Education. All students must complete the Application for Teacher Education through the School of Education prior to methods courses. Women's College students interested in Elementary Education are encouraged to declare the Elementary Education/Liberal Studies Major in spring semester of the first year.
For students in CAUS, the practical field experiences, including the teaching internship, are the only parts of the Program of Study offered during the day. These must be taken during the academic year when elementary schools are in session. The teaching internship must be completed in the fall semester.
Secondary Education
(Women's College only)
A student seeking to be certified in Secondary Education (e.g., Art, Biology, Chemistry, English, etc.) must Major in one of the academic departments offering a Maryland State Department of Education-approved program in secondary education and complete the sequence of professional courses listed in the education program listings. Students interested in Secondary Education declare the Minor after acceptance as Majors in their academic disciplines, preferably by the end of sophomore year.
Option: BA/MAT
(Women's College only)
This option enables a full-time student to complete the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees and to fulfill state certification requirements within four or five years. For the Elementary Education option, students complete the liberal arts Major for their baccalaureate degree and the Master of Arts in Teaching in Elementary Education in the final year. (See liberal arts program listings for a description of the liberal arts Major.)
For the secondary education option, students complete a Major in an academic discipline for their bachelor's degree and the Master of Arts in Teaching in the final year.
If a student wishes to pursue the four-year B.A./M.A.T. option, she must meet with the advisor of the School of Education at the time of entrance or before beginning the second semester of the first year to plan her program appropriately. In the five-year option, the student meets with the chair in the second semester of the sophomore year.