Faculty Development & Certification
Development
Bard Early College faculty are trained by Bard in early college pedagogy through pre- and inservice training. Training areas include Bard Writing and Thinking practices, classroom engagement and differentiated instruction strategies, techniques for fostering robust, productive group discussions, and how to scaffold toward college rigor, among other topics.
Faculty are also provided with resources and opportunities to engage in additional professional development activities, including attending/presenting at national conferences. In addition, the Bard Early College Research Fund, an initiative that provides funding to faculty to support scholarly and artistic projects across the early college network.
New faculty members who are full-time employees are hired at the rank of Assistant Professor within the Bard Early College network. In the sixth year of full-time employment at the rank of Assistant Professor at a Bard Early College campus, or in any year thereafter, a faculty member may choose to apply for the rank of Associate Professor, which would begin in the seventh year. In the eighth year of rank as an Associate Professor, faculty members with a Ph.D. or other terminal degree in hand may apply for the rank of full Professor, which would begin the following year.
Certification
Bard runs state-approved teacher training programs in New York, Maryland, and Ohio. For more information, contact [email protected].
Many of our certification pathways include faculty-peer mentoring, in which new faculty are paired with vetern instructors in their subject area from within the Bard Early College network. New faculty are regularly observed by their faculty mentors and given coaching and feedback to aid in their instructional development.
These programs currently exist in three states: Maryland, Ohio, and New York. See below for more information about each program.
Maryland
The Maryland Approved Alternative Preparation Program (MAAPP) is a two-year program that culminates in the obtaining of a Standard Professional Certificate, transferable across state lines, for faculty who successfully complete all program requirements. The MAAPP is operated as a partnership between Bard and Baltimore City Schools and includes pre-service and ongoing professional development workshops that cover best practices in early college pedagogy and skills necessary to teach students in 9th-12th grade, such as classroom engagement and management strategies, differentiated instruction, lesson planning, scaffolding toward college, restorative practices, grading and feedback, and analyzing student data. Workshops are facilitated by experienced instructors from the Bard Early College network, Bard Master of Arts in Teaching program, and Bard Institute for Writing and Thinking. The program also includes ongoing mentoring from experienced teachers in the subject area. The program culminates in the completion of a final portfolio.
For more information, email [email protected].
Ohio
The Bard College Professional Development Institute includes a two-week summer intensive training followed by professional development workshops on best practices in early college pedagogy and skills necessary to teach students in 9th-12th grade, such as classroom engagement and management strategies, differentiated instruction, lesson planning, scaffolding toward college, restorative practices, grading and feedback, and analyzing student data, held throughout the school year.
The workshops are held at Bard High School Early College Cleveland (13501 Terminal Avenue). Workshops are facilitated by experienced instructors from the Bard Early College network, Bard Master of Arts in Teaching program, and Bard Institute for Writing and Thinking.
Faculty will be eligible to advance from the Alternative Resident Educator License to a Professional License following the successful completion of PDI, four years of successful teaching experience, and having obtained passing scores on all state-required exams for certification.
To participate, candidates are required to have a minimum 3.0 GPA from their accredited university and be employed as a high school teacher. The cost of the program is $1,500.
To apply, please complete the online application.
For more information, contact [email protected].
New York
The alternative pathway program for faculty in New York, through the Transitional C Pathway, is a minimum of three years. Faculty candidates complete three required skills tests, four courses in pedagogy and research in the subject area, including a course taught by Bard’s signature Institute of Writing and Thinking, and three workshops around student identity and safety.
Following the successful completion of all of the pathway requirements, including two years of mentored teaching, faculty will be recommended for their professional teaching certification. Faculty will obtain their full certification at the end of their third full year of teaching.
For more information, contact the program manager, Bill Hinrichs, at [email protected].
