Application Process
Our Summer 2013 application has now closed.
Are you looking to make a difference in the lives of Baltimore's students? If you would like to apply in the future, our Summer 2014 application will be available this fall. Please watch www.tntp.org/teach for more information.
1. Read this website carefully.
2. Check your eligibility status. Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements to be considered for the program, so please make sure that you're eligible before you apply.
3. Apply! Applying is easy using our online application. Candidates are considered on a rolling basis, so we strongly encourage you to apply as early as possible.
Please note: Our program requires the submission of a $25 processing fee. Before your application is considered complete and ready to be reviewed, you must download our Processing Fee Guide and follow the instructions to submit your processing fee payment.
All prospective Residents will apply using a common application. When completing the application, you may indicate a preference for more than one program site; you will be considered independently for each site you select. We hope you will choose the Baltimore City Teaching Residency!
You will need to be familiar with the site-specific eligibility requirements and available subjects offered at each of your preferred site(s). A complete application includes the electronic application form, your résumé, and responses to three application questions.
Please take particular care with your responses to each of the application questions; they enable us not only to evaluate your writing and critical thinking skills, but also to gain a sense of your commitment to teaching high-need students. Your application will only be reviewed when all of these elements are completed.
You must provide a 200 - 400 word response for each of the questions below:
· Nearly all Residents are hired to teach in 'high need' schools that are located in low-income communities. Why do you want to teach specifically in a high need school? What challenges do you expect raising student achievement in your classroom and what experiences have prepared you for overcoming these challenges? How will you translate that experience to prepare for your first year of teaching in a high need school?
· You are a first year teacher in a high need school, with two months left until the end of the academic year. You implement fun and engaging activities in class and offer tutoring 3‐4 times a week; however, one third of your students failed the last grading period. Several of these students consistently break established classroom rules by listening to their iPods, not turning in work, or engaging in off‐topic conversation. Many of your students worry that because of all the distractions in class, they will not be prepared to pass the end‐of‐year standardized exam, which is required to move to the next grade level. You reach out to your principal for help. The principal states that other teachers with the same level of experience are more effective and you assure her that you already reached out to them, as well as more experienced teachers, for advice.
o What are the likely causes of the challenges in your classroom?
o Explain your top two priorities for addressing these challenges, including why you chose these priorities.
o Given the strategies you've identified, what is the likelihood you could ensure high academic achievement for all of your students, and why?
· Three weeks into the school year at a high need school, you notice that one of your third grade students is consistently disengaged during lessons. She rarely answers questions, and when you call on her, she typically shrugs her shoulders and says, "I don't know." Even when other students are engaged, you often find her looking out the window or putting her head down on her desk. Your assessments show that the student is well-below grade level in reading and mathematics. To address this situation, you arrange a meeting with the student and her mother after school.
o What academic outcomes do you expect for this student?
o What messages will you share with the student and her mother?
o Are there any other steps you would take outside of this meeting to address the situation?
Prospective Residents who demonstrate strong potential to be an effective teacher for a preferred program site will be contacted directly by that program within 3-4 weeks of submitting their application.
4. Register and take PRAXIS exams. Residents must pass the Praxis I and Praxis II tests administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) prior to starting Pre-service training. You can learn more about these exams by visiting the Testing Requirements section of this website. Failure to take and pass required tests within the required time frame will prevent candidates from moving through the application process or being able to enroll in the program. It is therefore imperative that you are proactive about registering and taking required tests.
5. Request your transcripts. If you are invited to an Interview Event, you will be required to bring at least one transcript, official or unofficial, from every college or university attended. Please do not have official transcripts sent to the BCTR office; if selected for an interview with our program, you will receive instructions on when and how we’ll accept them. Two sets of official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended will be required if you are accepted into the program. Please note: Graduates of foreign universities must have transcripts evaluated by a foreign credential evaluation agency. Please visit the Eligibility Requirements section for additional information.
6. Participate in a Phone Interview. Candidates who demonstrate strong potential to be effective teachers based on their written application materials will be invited to participate in a phone interview via email notification. The phone interview is the first of the two-part interview process. During the 20 minute phone interview, candidates will be asked a series questions to assess fit with the Baltimore City Teaching Residency.
7. Attend an in-person Interview Event. Interview events are designed to give us a strong sense of candidates’ attitudes and the talents they would bring to the classroom.The interview process varies from site to site; more information will be sent to those prospective Residents who demonstrate strong potential in the application. You will be required to bring official transcripts and transcripts and proof of test registration to your interview event.
8. Wait for a Decision. Admission to the Baltimore City Teaching Residency is highly competitive and will be based on the strengths of the submitted application materials and successful participation in an Interview Event. All interviewees will be notified of their status within two to three weeks of their interview date. Candidates who received an offer to join the program will have an additional two weeks to enroll. We understand that being denied admission is disappointing, and it is natural to want to know the reasons behind the decision. Unfortunately, because of the large number of applications we receive, we cannot accommodate requests for personalized feedback on individual applications or performance during an Interview Event.
For questions specific to your application, please contact teachingfellows@tntp.org. For more information specifically about the Baltimore City Teaching Residency, please contact us at bctr@bcps.k12.md.us.