Professional Development School (PDS)
Internships 

Professional Development School (PDS)
A Professional Development School (PDS) is a collaboratively planned and implemented partnership for the academic and clinical preparation of teacher candidates and the continuous professional development of both school system and institution of higher education faculty. The focus of a PDS partnership is improved student performance through research-based teaching and learning.

The university enjoys a long-standing PDS partnership with elementary, middle and high schools in Frederick County, Md. It is possible, but not mandatory, that early field experiences take place in one of our PDS sites. However, the standards for Maryland PDSs hold that all teacher candidates are provided equitable access to an extensive internship (at least 100 consecutive days) in a PDS. Our field placement coordinator, working in concert with our PDS coordinator and building principals, arranges internship placements in PDSs. A mentor teacher and university supervisor support candidates’ professional development toward meeting our benchmarks. Upon graduation, students are expected to demonstrate standards-based teaching that is measured through evaluation of teaching performance and portfolio assessment. The department uses the standards of the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) for evaluating student performance. Teacher candidates are also expected to demonstrate the personal dispositions that relate to successful teaching.

Internships 
Some graduate courses require several field experiences. The field experience course requirements will usually be met at one of the established Professional Development Schools (PDS) in Frederick County, Maryland.

All teacher internships are unpaid.

Teacher Internship- MAT-Elementary Education
MSDE (Maryland State Department of Education) requires 100-day internships in Professional Development School sites.

Teacher Internship- MAT-Dual Certification in Elementary and Special Education
MSDE requires 100-day internships in PDS sites. All students will be required to complete the 100-day internship. The dual certification internship requires a summer internship in addition to regular semester hours.

Teacher Internship- MAT-Secondary/Art/Music
Prior to Internship I students must complete a minimum of 4 of the following core courses: MEDUC 501, 502, 504, 505, 508; maintain a GPA of 3.0; have completed all undergraduate content courses as identified in the admissions process; have successfully fulfilled all Praxis I requirements and Praxis II Content Knowledge and met the two-semester residency requirement. Internship I is a semester-long placement to be taken in the spring semester and requires 2 full days or 4 half days in a PDS placement accompanying courses 514, 526, 536 (alternate Art: 530, Music: 540).

Internship II is to be taken in the following fall semester. This is a week-long, all-day placement in a PDS site beginning mid-August and ending mid-December. The accompanying courses are: 521 or 520 Teacher Internship, 523 Teacher Research Seminar and 527 Reading in the Secondary Content Areas II (secondary students only).

Incomplete Grades in Internship Courses
Note: Students who have taken an I in MEDUC 518, MEDUC 520, MEDUC 521 or MSPED 519 may retake the internship only after petitioning and obtaining the permission of the Graduate Committee to do so. Be advised that given the nature of the teacher internship, incompletes are rarely awarded. The receipt of an Application for Teacher Internship from a student reflects a serious commitment to the internship experience.