Educational Administrator I Certificate

Program Website: https://www.towson.edu/coe/departments/leadership/grad/educational-administrator-certificate/

Program Director: Dr. Katherine Orlando
Phone: 410-704-4623
Email: korlando@towson.edu

The Educational Administrator I Certificate prepares educational leaders who are equipped to facilitate equitable access to engaging, rigorous and productive learning for all students and colleagues. Our view of leadership includes leading from the classroom as well as the traditional school administrator pathway. This six-course (18 unit), post-Master's program leads to Administrator I certification in the State of Maryland.

Program pathways include face-to-face on Towson's main campus, fully online and through cohort partnerships with several local school districts.

Admission Requirements

Application deadlines and a full listing of materials required for admission can be found on the website. 

This is a six-course (18-unit) certificate comprised of the courses required for Administrator I certification for students who already have a master's degree. This certification is required in Maryland to become an assistant principal and principal and for many other positions with the responsibility of evaluating teachers. 

Degree Requirements

This certificate includes the six courses (18 units) required by MSDE for certification as Administrator I (assistant principal or above and any position requiring the evaluation of personnel):

ILPD 603LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION3
ILPD 667CURRICULUM & ASSESSMENT FOR INSTRUCTIONAL DEVELOPMENT3
ILPD 716LEADERSHIP OF THE SCHOOLS3
ILPD 740EVIDENCE-BASED DECISION MAKING FOR CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION3
ILPD 781SEMINAR IN SUPERVISION3
ILPD 797INTERNSHIP IN INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP3
Total Units18

The Instructional Leadership and Professional Development Department offers three MSDE-approved programs for Administrator I preparation:  (1) the post-Master's certification in Educational Administrator 1; (2) a Master of Science in Transformational Educational Leadership; and (3) a Certificate of Advanced Studies (Organizational Change). All fulfill the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards required for beginning educational leaders. NELP standards are aligned with the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL) for current educational leaders.

Students who successfully complete a building-level educational leadership preparation program understand and demonstrate the capacity to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills and commitments necessary to:

  1. Collaboratively lead, design, and implement a school mission, vision, and process for continuous improvement that reflects a core set of values and priorities that include data use, technology, equity, diversity, digital citizenship, and community.
  2. Understand and demonstrate the capacity to advocate for ethical decisions and cultivate and enact professional norms. 
  3. Develop and maintain a supportive, equitable, culturally responsive, and inclusive school culture.
  4. Evaluate, develop, and implement coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, data systems, supports, and assessment. 
  5. Engage families, community, and school personnel in order to strengthen student learning, support school improvement, and advocate for the needs of their school and community.
  6. Improve management, communication, technology, school-level governance, and operation systems to develop and improve data-informed and equitable school resource plans and to apply laws, policies, and regulations.
  7. Build the school’s professional capacity, engage staff in the development of a collaborative professional culture, and improve systems of staff supervision, evaluation, support, and professional learning.  
  8. Synthesize and apply the knowledge and skills identified in NELP standards 1–7 in ways that approximate the full range of responsibilities required of building-level leaders.