The Guidelines for the Professional Standards for Teachers and Candidate Assessment of Performance

In accordance with DESE's Educational Vision, we are pleased to announce updates to guidance and tools for defining, developing, and supporting effective teaching practice in the Commonwealth that center evidence-based, culturally and linguistically sustaining practices necessary to advance equitable learning opportunities for all students.

The PSTs define the pedagogical knowledge and skills required of all teachers as they complete preparation programs in Massachusetts. The PSTs and corresponding performance assessment (CAP) have been updated to ensure continued alignment with the Standards of Effective Practice for K–12 educators so that beginning teachers are well-prepared with the knowledge and skills needed to serve all of their students, particularly those from systemically marginalized groups and communities.

Together, these frameworks reflect a critically important shift in focus towards the evidence-based, culturally and linguistically sustaining practices necessary to support all students to attain academic knowledge and skills, understand and value themselves and others, and engage with the world. We look forward to continuing to partner with you in support of this work.

• June 2024 Memo: Updated Standards of Effective Practice, PST Guidelines, and CAP Guidelines

• 2024 Guidelines for the Professional Standards for Teachers

• 2024 Guidelines for the Candidate Assessment of Performance

All Initial Teacher preparation programs are expected to fully implement the 2024 PST Guidelines and 2024 CAP Guidelines beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year. In 2024-2025, each sponsoring organization must employ an implementation plan to prepare its personnel and candidates for full implementation by 2025-2026. An overview of the implementation timeline is below; additional information regarding implementation resources will be provided in the coming months.

Implementation Timeline Overview

Context for the PSTs and CAP

The PSTs define the pedagogical knowledge and skills required of all teachers as they complete preparation programs in Massachusetts. They determine which practices are emphasized and evaluated in teacher preparation coursework and field-based experiences. The PSTs are aligned to the Standards of Effective Practice that define effective teaching and leading in the Commonwealth. This alignment enables educators to complete preparation programs with the knowledge and skills they will be expected to demonstrate as effective beginning teachers who well-serve all students in their care.

All Initial Teacher candidates in Massachusetts educator preparation programs are required to successfully complete CAP before they are endorsed for licensure. CAP measures teacher candidates' practice across a set of key elements from the PSTs determined to be most essential for beginning teachers to well-serve all students, particularly those from systemically marginalized groups and communities. CAP is structured to provide all candidates with high-quality feedback to support their growth, assess essential knowledge and skills, and prepare them for the Model Educator Evaluation process as early teachers.

Updates to the PST and CAP Guidelines

During the 2023-2024 school year, DESE gathered survey feedback from over 200 representatives from educator preparation programs and PK–12 districts across Massachusetts. DESE also convened a working group of educator preparation program leaders and faculty, program supervisors, supervising practitioners, recent completers, and other PK–12 representatives to inform the updates to these Guidelines. Each member of the working group was selected for their commitment to anti-racist teaching practices as well as their recent, nuanced, and varied experiences with the Candidate Assessment of Performance.

DESE used this input from the field alongside the research base showing the importance and developmental trajectory of specific evidence-based skills that foster culturally and linguistically sustaining practices in beginning teachers to inform updates to these Guidelines. Updates were also informed by research on the predictive validity of CAP¹, as well as ongoing research on teacher quality and impact in Massachusetts².

Revisions to the Guidelines were directly informed by updates to the Standards of Effective Practice, which reflect input from educators, students, and families across Massachusetts on anti-racist, inclusive, and equitable practices. The Essential Elements remain aligned with the core language and expectations described in the Standards of Effective Practice and articulated in the PST Guidelines.

2023-2024 PST/CAP Working Group Members:

• Valerie Annear, Springfield College
• Ellen Ballock, Gordon College
• Carminia Lissette Castillo, BlackPrint Education Consulting
• Carmelo Chiello, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Linda Davis-Delano, Springfield College
• Lisa Doherty, Teach Western Mass
• Marian Dyer, Billerica Public Schools
• Katherine Jensen, Hopkinton Public Schools
• Rebekah Louis, Stonehill College
• Audra Marini, Worcester Public Schools
• Rashaun Martin, Boston Public Schools
• Tamy-Fee Meneide, Neighborhood House Charter School
• Marisa Olivo, Boston Public Schools
• Raphael Rogers, Clark University
• Juan Manuel Rosendoza, Teach For America Massachusetts
• De'Shawn Washington, Lexington Public Schools
• Ruth Whalen Crockett, New Teachers Collaborative, Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School

Please reach out to EducatorPreparation@mass.gov with any questions.

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¹ Chen, B., Cowan, J., Goldhaber, D., & Theobald, R. (2023). Assessing the Predictive Validity of the Massachusetts Candidate Assessment of Performance. Educational Policy, 0(0).

² See the Continuous Improvement page on DESE's Educator Preparation website for additional information.

Last Updated: June 28, 2024