Massachusetts Teacher Requirements

Teacher Requirements

Requirements For Obtaining Your Initial Massachusetts Teacher License

Below are all the requirements necessary to become a Massachusetts teacher.

Bachelor’s degree in your field of teaching or the subject area for licensure
Completion of a teacher preparation program
Completion of the state exams
Background check

Exams to Complete

MTEL Communications and Literacy Skills Test
MTEL exam surrounding your content area of teaching

Requirements For Upgrading Your Massachusetts Teacher License

Three or more years of teaching
Completion of a Teacher Induction Program; this includes fifty hours of mentorship

Requirements For Renewing a License

Completing 150 PDPs in the five years, you hold a license; these include a minimum number of PDPs in specific study fields.

Who Provides Teacher Certifications In Massachusetts?

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education provides teacher certifications in the commonwealth. The organization also dictates the rules for how teachers may be certified. It is also responsible for the production and administration of testing standards for prospective teachers in Massachusetts.

The Main Massachusetts Teacher License Types

You must hold an accredited license in Massachusetts before you can begin teaching. There are four license types you will find in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts:

Preliminary License: for people who have a bachelor’s degree and have completed the state’s education license tests but have not completed an educator preparation program
Temporary License: for people who have licenses in other states and have three years or more experience, the license requires people to complete further training in state-specific activities.
Initial License: available to those who meet all the education and teacher training standards in the commonwealth
Professional License: for those who have had their Initial Licenses for a few years and have completed the necessary teaching and continuing education requirements.

People with preliminary or temporary licenses may teach in the commonwealth, but they will not be eligible for long-term positions. Acquiring your Initial License is critical to ensuring you can find secure employment in the commonwealth.

Attaining Your Initial Massachusetts Teacher License

You can receive your Initial License to teach in Massachusetts by holding a bachelor’s degree and completing an educator preparation program. You may participate in various programs when meeting the teacher preparation requirement, including:

Student teaching sessions
Internship at a school
Volunteer teaching activities at rural schools

You must complete the MTEL exams and undergo a criminal background check. You can then finish by supplying your application to the ESE Security Portal, although you can submit a hard copy of your documents if you wish.

Subject Areas For Licensure

The commonwealth provides licenses for various fields of study. These include licenses for teaching various foreign languages, sciences, English concepts, and liberal arts programs. There are also licenses available for teachers who wish to support those with learning, mental, or physical disabilities. Your bachelor’s degree should include suitable courses for whatever subject area you will support in the classroom.

Exams For Licensure

The commonwealth of Massachusetts uses the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure system for evaluating prospective teachers. There are multiple tests available for different content areas.

All prospective teachers must complete the MTEL Communications and Literacy Skills Test. This is a basic skills test that focuses on reading and writing.

You must then complete the MTEL test surrounding the subject and grade level you wish to teach.

The state also provides preparation courses for all MTEL exams. The Department of Education website has information on where you can complete these courses.

Upgrading to a Professional License

Your Initial License will be good for ten years. You must meet the requirements for attaining a Professional License after that ten-year period ends.

Your Professional License is valid for five years and can be renewed after that time ends. The license confirms your ability to handle various classroom settings and activities.

You must complete at least three years of teaching in the commonwealth and a Teacher Induction Program. You can also complete twelve credits of post-graduate study in your license area.

The Teacher Induction Program will last for a year and cover various points surrounding your studies and how you can manage various classroom scenarios and events. You will require fifty hours of mentoring during this program.

You can apply for your Professional License after you complete all these requirements. The application process will be similar to what you went through when managing your Initial License.

Renewing Your Massachusetts Teacher License

The license renewal process takes place through the Department of Education. You must complete 150 professional development points or PDPs during the five-year period where you hold your license.

The PDPs are measures of the classes you complete. An average course hour of study will be valid for 15 PDPs, although the standards may vary surrounding whatever classes you complete. Check with the Department of Education to see what the standards are when completing these courses for your study needs.

The state has specific rules surrounding where your PDPs will come from:

15 or more PDPs must be from programs surrounding the needs English language learners hold. Your PDPs may entail studies in bilingual education or working on teaching English as a Second Language.
15 or more PDPs are for supporting students with disabilities. These include studies that have learning styles different from what most others may hold.
15 or more PDPs should be in whatever content area your license serves. These include continuing education courses surrounding your subject matter of value.
You also require at least 15 PDPs in pedagogy or the study of learning.
You may complete graduate course work when attaining your PDPs. One credit for a graduate course is equal to 22.5 PDPs.

All PDPs you earn must be in the five years between when you get your license and expiring. Anything older than the data of the original application will not be accepted.