Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS)

Policy Memorandum 17.01: Revised ABE Licensure Explanatory Statements for FY18

To:	ABE Educators
From:	Jolanta Conway, ABE State Director
Date:	November 9, 2016

The purpose of this memorandum is to announce a change to the Adult Basic Education (ABE) Teacher Licensure process for a Professional ABE license and explain how this change applies to teachers who have already begun the process of obtaining a Professional ABE license and teachers who have not. Please note that there are no changes to the process of obtaining a Provisional ABE license.

A performance portfolio is the mechanism by which licensure candidates compile and arrange evidence to meet explanatory statements for the Professional licensure. New guidelines for the explanatory statements that describe and discuss the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to demonstrate proficiency in the licensure professional standards will go into effect on 7/1/17. The new guidelines for the explanatory statements will be available in early 2017.
Candidates for the Professional license who are already working with the current explanatory statements may continue to work on the current statements with the understanding that they must submit a completed portfolio that includes all eight of the current standards to ACLS no later than 6/30/17. Review panels will start reviewing portfolios in early 2017.
As communicated in the ACLS mailing of April 27, 2016, candidates for the Professional license need to submit a videotaped teaching demonstration. In addition, candidates need to submit lesson plans using the standardized template provided by ACLS.

Because Trish Hembrough is out of the office for an extended period, please direct any questions you have to Kathy Rodriguez in her absence. Kathy can be reached by phone (781-338-3846) or email (krodriguez@doe.mass.edu). In the words of Calvin Coolidge, "Teaching is one of the noblest of professions. It requires an adequate preparation and training, patience, devotion, and a deep sense of responsibility. Those who mold the human mind have wrought not for time, but for eternity." Thank you for choosing teaching as your profession!

Last Updated: November 10, 2016