Accelerated Certification in Teaching
Certification
The Accelerated Certification in Teaching Program (ACT) is designed to prepare women and men with non-teaching degrees for teaching careers. It is a non-degree, graduate-level, state-approved teacher education program.
Program Locations
Maryland Certifications
- Art (PreK-12)
- Music (PreK-12)
- World Languages (PreK-12)
- English for Speakers of Other Languages (PreK-12)
- Early Childhood Education (PreK-3)
- Elementary Education (1-6)
- Special Education (1-8 or 6-Adult)
- Secondary Education (7-12) in the following content areas:
- Business
- Computer Science
- English
- History
- Mathematics
- Science
- Social Studies
- Theatre
To satisfy state certification requirements, candidates must successfully complete the coursework, internship, ePortfolio and Praxis II exams in the area of certification. During the internship semester, candidates will complete an edTPA portfolio to be submitted for national scoring. Certain certification areas also have prerequisite course requirements specific to that content area. If you are interested in one or more of the above areas for certification but are not sure if your educational background meets the prerequisite requirements, you may contact enrollment manager Lindsey Robinson at lrobinson@ndm.edu to have your transcripts reviewed prior to the application process.
Dual Certifications
Unlike many other teacher preparation programs, many of our program completers are certified in multiple content areas.
Dual or multiple certifications also increase the marketability of our graduates, furthering opportunities for meaningful employment.
Types of Dual Certifications Available
- Art/Music/World Languages and Special Education
- Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education
- Early Childhood Education and Special Education
- Elementary Education and Special Education
- Secondary Education and Special Education
Additional Study Options
- Cohort Programs
- Credits earned in the ACT program can be transferred to NDMU's MA in Leadership in Teaching program.
Faculty
- Assistant Professor
- Associate Professor
- Associate Professor & Associate Dean
- Assistant Professor
Required Courses
- EDU 519 - Human Development and Learning
- EDU 556 - Technology for Instruction and Management
- SPE 526 - Special Education for the Classroom Teacher
- EDU 544 - Educational Assessment
- EDU 580 - Reading and Writing in the Content Areas Part I
- EDU 551 - Reading and Writing in the Content Areas Part II
- EDU 538 - English Language Learners for the Classroom Teacher
Select One Methods of Teaching in Secondary School Course
- EDU 530 - Art
- EDU 532 - World Language
- EDU 520 - Curriculum and Instruction in Secondary Schools (taken for music certification)
Internship Requirements (Select One)
- EDU 605 - Internship: Teaching Art OR
- EDU 601 - Internship: Teaching in Secondary School (music and world languages)
Required Courses
- EDU 519 - Human Development and Learning
- EDU 556 - Technology for Instruction and Management
- SPE 526 - Special Education for the Classroom Teacher
- EDU 509 - Processes and Acquisition of Reading
- EDU 510 - Elementary Reading Materials
- EDU 511 - Assessment of Reading
- EDU 542 - Instruction in Reading
- EDU 592 - Mathematics in the Elementary School
- EDU 515 - Curriculum and Methods for Early Childhood Education
- EDU 538 - English Language Learners for the Classroom Teacher
Internship Requirements
- EDU 603 - Internship: Early Childhood
- EDU 602 - Internship: Teaching in the Elementary School (Required for dual certification with elementary education)
Required Courses
- EDU 519 - Human Development and Learning
- EDU 556 - Technology for Instruction and Management
- SPE 526 - Special Education for the Classroom Teacher
- EDU 509 - Processes and Acquisition of Reading
- EDU 510 - Elementary Reading Materials
- EDU 511 - Assessment of Reading
- EDU 542 - Instruction in Reading
- EDU 513 - Science and Social Studies in the Elementary School
- EDU 592 - Mathematics in the Elementary School
- EDU 538 - English Language Learners for the Classroom Teacher
Internship Requirements
- EDU 602 - Internship: Teaching in the Elementary School
Dual Certification
Elementary education candidates may pursue a dual certification in early childhood education (preK – 3) with the following additional class:
EDU 515 - Curriculum and Methods for Early Childhood Education
EDU 603 - Internship: Early Childhood*
*Dual certification candidates will complete both a 3 credit elementary school placement and a 3 credit early childhood placement during the internship semester.
Required Courses
- EDU 519 - Human Development and Learning
- EDU 556 - Technology for Instruction and Management
- SPE 526 - Special Education for the Classroom Teacher
- EDU 544 - Educational Assessment
- EDU 580 - Reading and Writing in the Content Areas Part I
- EDU 551 - Reading and Writing in the Content Areas Part II
- EDU 538 - English Language Learners for the Classroom Teacher
Select One Methods of Teaching in Secondary School Course
- EDU 531 - English
- EDU 533 - Mathematics
- EDU 537 - Science
- EDU 539 - Social Studies
Note: A methods course for business, computer science, and theatre candidates will be chosen in collaboration with an academic advisor.
Internship Requirements
- EDU 601 - Internship: Teaching in Secondary School
Required Courses
- EDU 519 - Human Development and Learning
- EDU 556 - Technology for Instruction and Management
- SPE 526 - Special Education for the Classroom Teacher
- EDU 509 - Processes and Acquisition of Reading
- EDU 510 - Elementary Reading Materials
- EDU 511 - Assessment for Reading Instruction
- EDU 542 - Instruction in Reading
- EDU 592 - Mathematics in the Elementary School (required for dual certification with elementary education)
- EDU 538 - English Language Learners for the Classroom Teacher
- SPE 544 - Special Education Assessment
- SPE 546 - Methods of Teaching Students with Special Needs
- SPE 570 - Individualizing the Curriculum: Strategies for Holistic Intervention
- SPE 576 - Communication Skills for the School-based Professional
Internship Requirements
- SPE 601 - Internship: Teaching in Special Education
- EDU 602 - Internship: Teaching in the Elementary School (required for dual certification with elementary education)
Required Courses
- EDU 519 - Human Development and Learning
- EDU 556 - Technology for Instruction and Management
- SPE 526 - Special Education for the Classroom Teacher
- EDU 53(_) - Methods of Teaching in Secondary School (required if pursuing a dual certification in special education and a secondary content area – take the course matching the content area)
- EDU 580 - Reading and Writing in the Content Areas Part I
- EDU 551 - Reading and Writing in the Content Areas Part II
- EDU 538 - English Language Learners for the Classroom Teacher
- SPE 543 - Special Education Assessment
- SPE 546 - Methods of Teaching Students with Special Needs
- SPE 571 - Vocational Skills
- SPE 576 - Communication Skills for the School-based Professional
Internship Requirements
- SPE 601 - Internship: Teaching in Special Education
- EDU 601 - Internship: Teaching in Secondary School (required for dual certification with secondary education)
Required Courses
- EDU-508 Issues in TESOL
- EDU-545 Principles of Linguistics
- EDU-546 Methods and Materials for Second Language Acquisition
- EDU-547 Assessing Second Language Acquisition
- EDU-548 Language Learning
- EDU-586 Teaching Reading and Writing to Students with Limited English Proficiency
- EDU-556 Technology for Instruction and Management
- EDU-519 Human Development and Learning
- SPE-526 Special Education for the Classroom Teacher
- EDU-611 Internship: ESOL
Student Outcomes
As a student in this program, you will be able to:
- Use the knowledge of students to inform your teaching practice.
- Plan assessments to monitor and support student learning.
- Demonstrate skill in checking for student understanding and using feedback to assess.
- Utilize formative and summative assessments to inform your instructional practice.
- Deepen student learning by providing scaffolded opportunities for higher level, deeper learning.
Program Outcomes
At the completion of the program, you will be able to:
- Pass all national testing requirements, as applicable, achieving a 100% pass rate for NDMU.
- Enhance career and professional development opportunities for employment pathways in the profession, e.g., elementary or secondary education teacher, highly qualified with a dual or triple certification, professional developer, preparation for teaching in higher education, etc.
- Document an ability to design a thorough lesson plan that addresses the needs of all students and which provides for both formative and summative measurable student outcomes.
- Utilize classroom management skills to effectively engage students and maximize learning opportunities for all students.
What to Expect Studying at Notre Dame of Maryland University
As a nationally recognized NCATE-accredited teacher preparation program and the #1 private institution in Maryland for initial teacher certification, you can expect to benefit from small class sizes, expert faculty, and practical field experiences.
Flexible Class Schedules
Work with an advisor to develop a personalized program plan:
- Courses offered in the evenings at times convenient for working adults.
- Occasional courses available on Saturdays or online.
High Quality Programs
All of NDMU's award-winning teacher certification programs are nationally recognized by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and by the individual specialized professional associations; e.g., the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics.
Internship Opportunities
As part of the program requirements, you will complete a full-time internship semester with the support of a mentor teacher and an internship supervisor.
Internship Semester Features
- Speak to human resources representatives from local school systems.
- Get insight into the application and interview process.
- Find out what qualifications and content areas are most desired in local schools.
- Participate in on-campus interviews.
Candidates who already have a full-time teaching position in their intended certification area may use their current teaching job to satisfy the internship requirement.
Teaching Positions
Graduates of NDMU are highly recruited for employment; we partner with local school systems to help our students navigate the hiring process.
See Our Award-Winning Teachers
Maryland Teacher Shortage Areas
Notre Dame offers more programs in critical shortage areas (PDF) than any other institution in Maryland. By providing programs in these much-needed areas, we help our local schools systems find new teachers and our graduates find teaching jobs.
For the 2017-2018 school year, the declared critical shortage areas are:
- Family and Consumer Sciences, Technology Education (not offered at NDMU)
- Computer Science (Grades 7–12)
- English (Grades 7–12)
- English for Speakers of Other Languages (Pre-K–Grade 12)
- Mathematics (Grades 7–12)
- Middle School Education in English, Math, Science and Social Studies (Grades 4-9)
- Science Areas (Grades 7–12) Biology, Chemistry, Earth/Space Science, Physical Science, Physics
- Special Education Areas Generic: Elementary (Grades 1-8) and Secondary/Adult (Grade 6–Adult)
- World Language Areas (Pre-K–Grade 12) French, Spanish
- Art (Pre-K–Grade 12)
- Dance (not offered at NDMU)