Your Maryland Certificate

Who needs a Maryland certificate?

• Everyone employed as a teacher, instructional specialist, instructional supervisor, or administrator of instruction in a public school system in Maryland. Although you may hold, have held, or are applying for a teaching certificate out of the state of Maryland, as an employee you are required to hold a valid Maryland teaching, specialist, supervisor, or administrative certificate. This is your license to teach in an accredited public school in Maryland.

When does my certificate begin?

• All Maryland certificates have issuance date of July 1 or January 1. If your employment begins between the dates of July 1 and December 31, you will have an issuance date of July 1. If your employment begins between the dates of January 1 and June 30, you will have an issuance and date of January 1.
• A copy of your annual teaching evaluation(s) verifying satisfactory teaching performance during the validity period of your certificate: 1 year for Conditional Certificate holders, and 3 years for Standard Professional I, II, and Advanced Professional Certificate holders.
  

As an employee of the BCPSS, how do I get my initial certificate?

• You must have on file with the Department of Human Resources, Office of Employment, at the time of your employment processing (if not on file then bring all documents with you) any of the following that are applicable:


• two official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended* that bear the seal of the institution or the appropriate color-coding and are signed by the registrar from all colleges/universities attended*,
• original or copies of certification test score reports,
• original out-of-state certificates,
• verification of previous teaching experience, and
• an Application for Certificate
• BCPSS will request your certificate, pay the certificate fee, and send the certificate to you

*If you earned credit and/or a degree outside of the United States, you are required to have an acceptable translation of the transcript and a course-by-course evaluation from an agency approved by MSDE. A list of approved agencies is available from the Office of Certification.

How does my certificate get renewed?

It is your responsibility to maintain an accurate record of post-baccalaureate course work. Within 90 days of the expiration date of your certificate, it is your responsibility to advise the Office of Certification of your request for renewal by submitting:

• a letter of request stating your name, social security number, school name, e-mail address and/or home address, and
• official transcripts, original grade reports, copies of all CPD's (in-service credits) completed for renewal, and praxis score report(s) as applicable.
• BCPSS will request the renewal, pay the fee and send the certificate to you.

How can I get a duplicate certificate?

MSDE is phasing out the printing of Maryland certificates. You are now able to view, download, and print your certificate by logging onto http://www.marylandpublicschool.org/MSDE/divisions/certification/certification-branch/. You will need to establish an access account and create a user ID and password by selecting New Login. The Educator Information System (EIS) also allows you to check the status of the certification request and track the progress of the request from initial submission to final approval.

What does my certificate tell me?

Your Maryland certificate contains information specific to you and your certification status. Upon receipt of your certificate, READ IT and the accompanying letter that outlines the certification regulations for the certificate you are receiving.

On your certificate you will see your name, social security number, validity period of your certificate, your highest degree earned (submitted), type of certificate, and areas or fields in which you are certificated. Under the area(s) you will also find an 'R' for reading credits and a number indicating semester hours identified in reading (See reading requirements). The 'S' indicates that you have completed the required three semester hour course in, Introduction to Special Education. On the actual certificate it states, "It is the responsibility of the holder of this document to know the current certification regulations and to renew this certificate prior to the expiration date."

Report any errors on the certificate to the BCPSS's Office of Certification. Remember, this is your license to teach in an accredited school in Maryland. It is recommended that you keep your certificate and any accompanying information in a place where you can refer to it easily.