Massachusetts Teacher Certification
The Massachusetts Department of Education is responsible for Massachusetts teacher certification. Massachusetts offers educators licenses in the following areas: teacher licenses, specialist teacher licenses, vocational technical licenses, administrator licenses, and professional support personnel licenses. The remainder of this article will focus on the licensing requirements to teach elementary and/or secondary school.
Massachusetts offers the following types of licenses allowing individuals to teach at the elementary or secondary school levels:
- Preliminary License. This license is valid for five years and is not renewable. It is intended for individuals with a Bachelor's or higher degree who have not completed a formal teacher preparation program.
- Initial License. This license is valid for five years and may be extended for one additional five year period provided that certain requirements have been met.
- Professional License. This license is valid for five years and may be renewed.
- Temporary License. This is a one-year, nonrenewable, license issued to individuals certified in another state who have at least three years of teaching experience who have not satisfied the testing requirements for an Initial or Professional License.
Massachusetts allows individuals to become licensed in multiple fields. Individuals seeking additional licenses will have to pass the appropriate Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) Subject Tests in addition to potentially meeting other requirements.
The Process for Massachusetts Teacher Certification
The process to become licensed in Massachusetts is relatively straightforward. To obtain a Preliminary License, an individual must:
- Satisfy the educational requirements of at least a bachelor's degree.
- Successfully pass the MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills test.
- Successfully pass the MTEL subject test appropriate for the license sought.
- Pass a competency review if teaching students with disabilities, or teaching in a field for which there is not subject test.
- Meet additional requirements if seeking a license in early childhood, elementary, students with moderate disabilities, or teacher of the visually impaired. These include:
- Seminars or coursework that address the teaching of reading, English language arts, and mathematics.
- Seminars or coursework on ways to prepare and maintain students with disabilities for general classrooms.
- Pass the MTEL Foundations of Reading test.
- Provide evidence of sound moral character.
To obtain an Initial License, an individual must:
- Satisfy the educational requirements of at least a bachelor's degree from a Massachusetts-approved teacher preparation program or a similar degree from a college or university in a state that has signed the NASDTEC Interstate Contract. Certain licenses have requirements for coursework concentrations that should met.
- Successfully pass the MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills test.
- Successfully pass the MTEL subject test appropriate for the license sought.
- Meet the professional standards for field-based experience in varied settings and a supervised practicum. This is usually completed as part of a teacher preparation program.
- Provide evidence of sound moral character.
To obtain a Professional License, an individual must:
- Hold an Initial license prior to beginning any of the program options.
- Successfully complete a one-year induction program with a mentor.
- Have at least three years of full-time experience in the role indicated on their initial license.
- Have 50 hours of mentored experience beyond the induction year.
- Complete one of the following requirements:
- A department sponsored performance assessment program.
- A district-based program of at least 50 contact hours of content-based seminars. This must be in addition to any such work that would have been completed in the induction year.
- An approved Master's degree program in the same field as the individual's Initial License from an education school.
- A Master's degree program in a field relevant to the field on the individuals Initial License from a college or university other than an education school.
- A program leading to eligibility for Master Teacher status such as that provided by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).
- An 18 credit program in a discipline relevant to their license for individuals who have already completed an advanced degree program.
Certification for Teachers Certified in Other States
Individuals who are certified in states who are part of the NASDTEC Interstate Contract, may apply for a Massachusetts license through reciprocity. If they have a license or certificate from such a state, and three years experience in the last seven years, they simply have to pass the MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills test and appropriate subject test or tests. There is no exemption from testing. Other tests may not be substituted for the MTEL tests. Individuals can obtain a one-year, non-renewable, Temporary License allowing them to teach while they are fulfilling the testing requirement. Massachusetts will grant the closest comparable Massachusetts license upon meeting the testing requirement.
Massachusetts License Renewal
A Massachusetts Initial License may be extended for one five year period provided that the holder has:
- Been employed for five years under a valid Initial License.
- Presents evidence of moral character.
- Submits a plan for fulfilling the requirements for a Professional License.
Professional Licenses must be renewed every five years. During the five year validity period of a Professional License, an individual must earn the appropriate number of professional development points (PDPs) by engaging in any of a number of professional development activities. Individuals must earn at least 150 PDPs, with an additional 30 PDPs for each additional certificate to be renewed. At least 120 of the PDPs need to be in the content area or pedagogy related to their primary license area. Valid professional development activities include: undergraduate and graduate courses; seminars or institutes; department-sponsored initiatives; initiatives sponsored by districts, collaboratives or registered providers; educator designed activities; and continuing education units.
