Empower Your Teachers with Expert-Led Professional Development

Transform your teachers and school with personalized, research-based training in MTEL preparation, executive function strategies, and inclusive teaching practices.

Whether preparing to enter the classroom or looking to strengthen their impact, we’re here to help teachers grow with confidence and clarity. Our programs are designed to support real educators facing challenges—without the pressure, or one-size-fits-all advice.

A Smarter Way to Support Today's Educators

Making the Grade Project believes great educators deserve great preparation. Our mission is rooted in real-world teaching experience and a deep understanding of the systemic gaps that impact underrepresented educators, especially ESL professionals, neurodivergent individuals, and those navigating special education professional development pathways.

What Makes Us Different

Expert-Led Instruction by Seasoned K–12 Educators

Every course, workshop, and coaching session is led by professionals who have taught in public school classrooms and coached educators at every stage of their careers. We blend content knowledge with hands-on strategies that resonate with real-world teaching.

Flexible Learning Formats That Fit Your Schedule

Choose the best learning option – from in person to virtual, synchronous to asynchronous, self-paced to teacher led. Our approach is built to support busy professionals and adult learners with varying time constraints.

Emphasis on Practical, Transferable Skills

We focus on what works in the classroom. That includes executive function training for educators, SEL integration, inclusive teaching strategies, and support for managing testing demands, cognitive load, and professional stress.

Inclusive, Impact-Driven Support

Our programs are especially effective for educators who’ve often been left behind in traditional training—neurodivergent professionals, ESL teachers, and those struggling with licensure barriers. We meet each teacher where they are, and guide them forward with care and clarity.

Programs That Move Teachers Forward

We offer a range of professional development for new teachers built to support both individual educators and institutional teams. Whether you’re working toward licensure, leading a cohort of student teachers, or running professional development for your school district, we have something built for your goals.

For K–12 School Districts

We partner with school systems to improve teacher retention, instructional quality, and equity in educator development.

Available offerings include:

Research-based MTEL preparation and educator licensure support for teachers at all experience levels, including select programs offered in partnership with Study.com
Comprehensive training in executive function certification skills that support time management, task initiation, and goal-setting—especially valuable for overwhelmed or new teachers.
Social-emotional learning (SEL) modules help teachers build stronger relationships with students and reduce behavioral challenges.
Inclusive teaching and classroom management strategies tailored for diverse and multilingual student populations and.

For Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs)

We work with colleges and universities to help aspiring teachers succeed academically, emotionally, and professionally as they transition into classroom roles.

Our support includes:

MTEL study guides and prep courses, including foundational content reviews, practice exams, and personalized study plans, enhanced by our collaboration with Study.com.
Workshops, small-group coaching or one-on-one sessions for test-takers needing customized support, including ESL candidates and neurodivergent learners.
Training modules on executive function and self-regulation to help students stay organized, manage deadlines, and build sustainable study habits.
Executive function training that complements existing licensure programs and adds lasting career value.
Free teacher resources designed to supplement educator preparation coursework and make test prep more accessible.

Workshops & Training Session Details

Engaging and informative teacher professional development courses, ideal for districts, individual schools, or educator training events.

Session details:

60–90-minute workshops delivered in-person, online, or hybrid formats to suit your team’s needs and schedule.
Topics include SEL, early education support, special education integration, executive function coaching, and teacher burnout prevention.
All sessions are customizable to meet the needs of your staff, with options to incorporate follow-up coaching or resource toolkits.
Effective for teacher orientation programs, mid-year PD, and strategic planning days for school leadership.

Recent Client Success

“Our partnership with Making the Grade has been instrumental in advancing our mission to remove barriers for our scholars and strengthen the para-to-teacher pipeline. By providing targeted professional development and MTEL preparation, this collaboration supports our efforts to address the teacher shortage by helping paraprofessionals transition into certified teaching roles, while also increasing teacher diversity in high-need districts. This kind of impact underscores how valuable this partnership is in helping our scholars achieve their goals and, ultimately, in shaping a stronger and more representative teacher workforce.”

-Jazmine Benoit, Co-Director JET

Targeted MTEL Success Tools – Inspired by Bridgewater State University, the target group of educators improved pass rates on content area MTELs after multiple failed attempts.
Executive Function Growth Strategies – Following JET Into Teaching’s success in enhancing teacher organization, the program provides tools to strengthen memory, planning, self-monitoring, and organization skills for professional growth.
Inclusive Teaching – Modeled after Curry College’s Early College Pilot Study, the methodology and multimodal instruction informed the framework for a 1-credit college course.

Who We Serve

Our offerings are designed for a wide range of educators and educational institutions:

Aspiring teachers preparing for MTEL exams or state licensure requirements in Massachusetts.

Classroom educators who want to improve their practice, manage stress more effectively, or stay current on research-based teaching strategies.

School districts and EPPs actively seeking to strengthen their support systems for staff and students.

Neurodivergent professionals or adult learners returning to the field who need executive function support and personalized coaching.

Teacher licensure programs for ESL educators navigate licensure exams and certification barriers, often with limited preparation resources.

Career changers and paraprofessionals moving into certified roles who need extra structure and flexible, real-world strategies.

Testimonials

Cambridge College Director of Learning & Teaching

Christine Zuppa built the MTEL Support Program, which started from student needs for support and grew into a team. She worked directly with the Dean of Education to improve student pass rates & overall student success. This program improved licensure rates & created a successful test prep model. It was one of the most successful programs built under my direction in over 8 years.

Lesley University Faculty

Your presentation yesterday was great. You managed to pack so much helpful information into a short time and did it in such a warm and enthusiastic way! I know that those who attended learned a lot. Thank you both for your thoughtful and articulate presentation.

Field Placement Director

In the world of standardized teacher examinations, many candidates come with notable apprehension and previous negative experiences with test taking. Christine bases her work with students on a context of support and a growth mind-set, while holding students to high expectations. Christine asks relevant and thoughtful questions and is always forward thinking when considering how changes to testing and testing objectives would impact students, programmatic quality and evaluation.

How It Works

We’ve simplified the journey so you can focus on supporting your teachers without being overwhelmed.

1 Explore

Review our full catalog of courses, coaching services, and workshops. Everything is designed for real-world impact and flexible timelines.

2 Connect

Book a free consultation to share the needs of your teachers and what kind of support you’re looking for.

3 Learn

Choose a training format that fits your needs.

4 Succeed

See your educators pass their licensure exams, reduce burnout, and become the educator they’ve always wanted to be.

Meet the Founders

Christine Zuppa

Christine Zuppa co-founded the Making the Grade Project with one goal: to create the kind of teacher preparation they wish they’d had. They’ve been in the classroom, led educator prep programs, and spent their careers helping teachers succeed in overwhelming environments.

Christine specializes in executive function strategies, special education support, and test preparation for adult learners.

Georgia O'Keefe

Georgia O’Keefe co-founded the Making the Grade Project with one goal: to create the kind of teacher preparation they wish they’d had. They’ve been in the classroom, led educator prep programs, and spent their careers helping teachers succeed in overwhelming environments.

Georgia focuses on inclusive teaching strategies, SEL training for educators, and systems-level support for schools and EPPs.

They bring over seven decades of combined experience to their training and are known for making Professional development for teachers feel personal, practical, and powerful.

Ready to Empower Your Educators

The right support can make all the difference. Whether teachers are taking their first steps toward licensure or needing to renew their passion in the classroom, we’re here to walk with them every step of the way.

Equip your teachers with the personalized, inclusive support that has helped thousands of educators transform their practice and careers.

Empower Your Teachers with Expert-Led Professional Development​