Frequently Asked Questions

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Subject Matter Knowledge Requirements

• What are the SMK requirements for specific licenses?
  • The Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) Guidelines describe the expectations for candidates' content knowledge in each licensure program. The SMK matrices for each license also serve as a helpful resource to understand how content fluency is developed within each program at your organization.
• What is content fluency and how is it different from functional content knowledge? Can we use MTELs as our evidence that candidates are meeting SMK requirements?
  • According to the Subject Matter Guidelines:
    • The MA Curriculum Frameworks for students anchor the expectations of content knowledge for educators. While they serve as an anchor, the intent and expectation are not that educators should simply know the content included in the Frameworks. Rather, educators must move beyond a basic or functional knowledge of the Frameworks to a level of fluency or expertise with the academic standards such that they can teach and support students in mastering the content. The MTEL measures functional content knowledge, which is whether a candidate can apply essential content effectively in a range of contexts. Initial Licensure programs are expected to develop content fluency such that candidates can apply content in a range of contexts and vertically connect content to build students' knowledge.
  • For each content area, additional information about content fluency can be found in the SMK Matrices.

Last Updated: August 23, 2024