Maryland Approved Alternative Preparation Programs

Local school systems determine who to recruit into the program based on the staffing needs of that district.

The Resident Teacher License is issued to candidates in alternative programs when they enter their residency. The license is not transferable or portable across school districts in Maryland or across states.

Candidates complete a 4 week internship under the daily supervision of a mentor or master teacher. The candidate then completes a minimum of one year of supervised residency depending on the program requirements. Each candidate has a mentor and is monitored closely during the residency. At the end of a successful residency, if the candidate successfully completes the required coursework and assessments, one of the state's professional licenses will be awarded.

The Resident Teacher program was designed to attract and recruit into teaching liberal arts graduates and career changers. The first Resident Teacher License regulation was adopted by the Maryland State Board of Education on December 19, 1990, and became effective on April 1, 1991. It provided direction for local school systems to create an alternative route into the teaching profession. The regulation and guidelines were amended in 2005 to provide greater rigor and flexibility. These programs are known as Maryland Approved Alternative Preparation Programs (Alternative Programs) and are evaluated by the same program approval process uses to evaluate traditional educator preparation programs.

The 2005 amendment by the State Board of Education reflected a continued effort to endorse and support multiple alternative preparation pathways to teacher certification. The revisions were focused on improving Maryland’s alternative route to certification by aligning alternative program requirements with traditionally approved preparation programs, ensuring that the Resident Teacher License is a viable option for providing qualified teachers to Maryland schools. In addition to the amended regulation, both the State Board of Education and the Professional Standards and Teacher Education Board adopted Guidelines for Implementing Approved Alternative Preparation Programs. In recent years, all Alternative programs undergo a rigorous state approval process similar to the process for Traditional programs in an effort to have two very different processes for preparing teachers, each rigorous and effective in preparing teachers.

A directory of all the MAAPP programs, with details of each, can be found on the web site listed below.