Frequently Asked Questions
about the
Meritorious New Teacher Candidate And Pre-Candidate Designation

WHAT IS THE MERITORIOUS NEW TEACHER CANDIDATE DESIGNATION?
The Meritorious New Teacher Candidate (MNTC) designation is a symbol of excellence and recognizes meritorious performance in teacher preparation. It is an optional designation, not a license, similar to the Merit Scholar designation or Distinguished Diploma for high school students. It is voluntary. Candidates apply for this recognition with their teacher education program. It is honored currently by four states of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Teachers Project – Delaware, District of Columbia, and Maryland. MNTC teachers are eligible to teach in any one of the four Mid-Atlantic states for the duration of their license without having to meet any additional state requirements.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE MERITORIOUS NEW TEACHER CANDIDATE DESIGNATION?
The Meritorious New Teacher Candidate (MNTC) designation is designed to attract academically high-performing students into teaching, to encourage excellence in teacher preparation, and to enhance the supply of high quality teachers in the Mid-Atlantic region. Additionally, it is hoped that states and districts use this designation to create incentives for these exceptionally well-prepared teachers to work in high-need and low-performing schools.

The MNTC Pre-Candidate designation is intended for those students who have not yet graduated but who have met all criteria possible to date, and are within nine months of graduation. Since they will begin applying for their first teaching job before they graduate, if their institution verifies that they have met the high MNTC criteria, they will receive a Pre-Candidate certificate to use with their resume, and their qualifications and contact information will be provided to school district recruiters throughout the region.

WHY SHOULD I APPLY FOR THIS RECOGNITION?
Simply put, it will help you secure the position of your choice, will bring you lasting professional recognition, and will give you hassle-free reciprocity. This designation provides future employers and families with the highest validation available that you excelled academically and in your teaching preparation. You will be eagerly recruited by districts and welcomed into the teaching force of Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. You will enjoy license reciprocity in the region for the duration of the license. In addition, some districts may also award signing bonuses for teacher candidates who have earned this designation, and many universities are honoring MNTCs at graduation ceremonies.

WHEN SHOULD I APPLY?
Pre-Candidates should apply a few weeks before they begin applying for jobs (within nine months of graduation). Recent graduates must apply before receiving their initial licensure.

TO WHICH MNTC STATE SHOULD I APPLY FOR THIS DESIGNATION?
You may apply either to the state in which you completed teacher preparation or the state in which you plan to teach. In either case, as soon as the designation is granted, you will be approved to teach in all cooperating states with no additional requirements.

WHAT CRITERIA MUST I MEET IN ORDER TO BE RECOGNIZED AS A MERITORIOUS NEW TEACHER CANDIDATE?
Educational research reveals that those teachers with strong verbal skills, who have a high level of mastery of their subject matter (especially in science and mathematics), and who have engaged in well-designed and supervised field experiences are most likely to be successful in improving student learning.

The Meritorious New Teacher Candidate must graduate from a state-approved teacher preparation program, of traditional or alternative format. The candidate must meet criteria in three areas:

Evidence of content knowledge

Evidence of verbal skills

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WHAT CRITERIA MUST I MEET IN MY PERFORMANCE IN THE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM?
The candidate must earn a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA in his or her undergraduate studies. A minimum 3.7 cumulative GPA must be earned in a graduate professional studies program.

The Meritorious New Teacher Candidate must have a minimum of 400 hours of supervised clinical experience, of which at least 300 hours are directed instructional student teaching. Such clinical experience may occur within any state-approved model, including “total immersion” experiences as teachers of record.

The Meritorious New Teacher Candidate must achieve the highest standard of both the university supervisor and the cooperating teacher on the institution’s formal student teaching (or “immersion”) component of the required clinical experience, based upon state and/or state-recognized standards.

The Meritorious New Teacher Candidate must meet the highest standard on the institution’s professional preparation assessment.

The Meritorious New Teacher Candidate must receive a recommendation by the teacher preparation program that he or she be awarded the designation of “Meritorious New Teacher Candidate.” (NOTE Each teacher preparation program may determine the indicators to be used in making this determination. They are encouraged to use the performance assessments required for national accreditation and must provide the State with a description of the indicators used. The institution is NOT required to recommend for the MNTC designation every student who meets the criteria, as factors such as disposition, dedication, and commitment to high expectations for all students are also important.)

WHAT IS THE “HIGHEST STANDARD IN STUDENT TEACHING”?
To achieve the "Highest Standard in Student Teaching" is to meet criteria established by the teacher education program that indicates superior accomplishment in student teaching.

WHAT IS THE “HIGHEST STANDARD IN THE PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM”?
To achieve the "Highest Standard in Professional Program" is to meet all the criteria established by the teacher education program as exemplary in all aspects of the teacher education program.

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WHAT CRITERIA MUST I MEET TO PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF MY CONTENT KNOWLEDGE?
The assessment used to determine content knowledge at this time is the Praxis II. MNTC applicants must take those specific content modules required by the state to which they are applying. For a listing of the specific Praxis II assessment modules required by each state, go to /martp/criteria.cfm. You will also find the minimum score required to be in the upper quartile for each module. If you want to re-take Praxis II or have not yet taken Praxis II, a listing of test dates can be found at http://www.ets.org/praxis/prxdates.html.

The Meritorious New Teacher Candidate in Elementary Education must score in the upper quartile of students nationally in math, science, social studies, and English/language arts in the Praxis II Content Knowledge for Elementary Teachers test.

The Meritorious New Teacher Candidate in Middle School Education must have scored in the upper quartile of students nationally on the Praxis II test in his or her specialty area. He or she must have earned an academic major or minor in the subject area they will teach, with a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA in those courses.

The Meritorious New Teacher Candidate in Secondary Education must have scored in the upper quartile of students nationally on the Praxis II test in his or her specialty area. He or she must have earned an academic major in the subject area they will teach, with a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA in those courses.

WILL OTHER EVIDENCE BE ACCEPTABLE TO DEMONSTRATE CONTENT KNOWLEDGE?
Praxis II content tests are the means by which MARTP judges content knowledge. As assessments of content knowledge are developed and determined to be adequate substitutes, MARTP may add them to the list of acceptable alternatives to the tests listed in Content Knowledge criteria.

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WHAT CRITERIA MUST I MEET TO PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF MY VERBAL SKILLS?
The Meritorious New Teacher Candidate must score in the upper quartile of students nationally on the verbal portion of the SAT, GRE, or ACT. This means a score of 580 or greater on the SAT verbal section, of 560 or greater on the GRE verbal section, or a score of 25 or greater on the ACT verbal sections of English or reading.

WILL OTHER EVIDENCE BE ACCEPTABLE TO DEMONSTRATE VERBAL SKILLS?
As assessments of verbal skills are developed and determined to be adequate substitutes, MARTP may add them to the list of acceptable alternatives to the tests listed in Verbal Skills criteria. The Praxis I was not found to be an appropriate assessment of verbal skills as, according to ETS, the producers of the assessment, it was not designed to distinguish high levels of performance from minimal competency.

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WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO APPLY?
To apply as a Pre-Candidate or Recent Graduate, start here: www.aacte.org/mntc/. Your application will be processed electronically, and you will receive email notification.

WHAT WILL THE TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM’S CERTIFICATION OFFICER (ICO) HAVE TO DO?
The dean will transmit a letter of recommendation to the state certification office to make sure the “Meritorious New Teacher Candidate” designation is acknowledged by the state. For Pre-Candidates, the ICO will verify the application data. When complete, the Pre-Candidate certificate will be automatically e-mailed to the applicant. For Recent Graduates and Verified Pre-Candidates: Upon graduation, the ICO will verify that all criteria have been met for the MNTC designation. When approved, specific states' instructions (www.aacte.org/mntc/state_instructions.html) must be followed for state processing.

WHAT WILL THE STATE HAVE TO DO?
The state will expedite the processing of your application for certification and, will send you a seal for the Meritorious New Teacher Candidate designation with your license and a letter of recommendation from the state Secretary or Superintendent of Education. You may attach the seal to your license, and use the letter of recommendation when you seek employment in the region.

IF I AM NOT AN APPLICANT, HOW CAN I SEE A COPY OF THE APPLICATION?
Go to www.aacte.org/mntc/oospaperapplication.html.

IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS, please refer to the www.aacte.org/mntc contact MNTCcoordinator@aacte.org.