Teacher+Certification+in+the+State+of+Maine



__**Teacher Certification in the State of Maine**__


 * Education in the State of Maine has changed a lot in 150 years. What has also changed is the level of training that teachers need in orer to succeed and to get a job. I am here to inform you of the difference between the certification that was necessary in the 18th century and what we now require in the 21st century.**

__**In the 18th Century. . .**__
 * Teacher certification consisted of the potential teacher having received a college education and must be skilled in Greek and Latin. In 1847 the state board of education established the "teacher institutes". Thirteen years later, in 1860 they abolished the institutes and were trained as academies that added teacher training to 18 already existing academies. This notion did not last long either, They next started normals schools, The first normal school was founded in Farmington, Maine in 1863 and two more after that. The other two were called Eastern State and Western Normal. In 1878 the state opened another school called the Madawaska trainging school. This was instituted in order to prepare teachers for the french speaking population that reside in the northern part of Maine. The board of trustees were responsible for the normal schools and teacher colleges until 1949, where it was then the responsibility of the state board of education. In 1968 all of those schools became a part of the University of Maine system in the form of the University of Maine at Farmington, University of Maine at Gorham and University of Maine at Fort Kent.

__In the 21st Century__ Teacher certification in the state of Maine for 7-12th grade, now consists of needing to pass the praxis I and II and having atleast 24 credits in the concentration area. For english, the included classes must consist of composition, literature and writing. For life science, the included classes must consist of biology, ecology, botany, zoology, anatomy and physiology, environmental science, entomology, and ornithology. For mathmematics, algebra, geometry, calculus, probability, statistics, finite math, and number theory. For physical science: chemistry, physics, geology, earth science, soil science, astronomy, meteorology and oceanography. In order to teach social science one must take, geography, history, economics, goverment and anthropology. To be ETEP certified in social science, one must take six credits of U.S. history and six credits of world history and the other twelve credits in the previous list. During college, one must get atleast a C in all of the content courses and certification courses. There must be 80 hours of logged practicum experience, 15 weeks of student teaching, a formal portfolio required before student teaching, and a final portfolio after student teaching. If you would like to read more about what is required at UMF [|look here for secondary education in your chosen content area].

http://www.usm.maine.edu/cehd/TEAMS/cert_changes.pdf

http://www.coa.edu/print/teachercertification.htm

__http://www.state.me.us/education/150Yrs/150PARTI.htm__**