Section:
Most Recently Amended by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education: June 27, 2023
As used in 603 CMR 7.00, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
Academic Discipline Appropriate to the Instructional Field of the License: The subject knowledge specified in appropriate provisions of 603 CMR 7.06 for teacher licenses and in 603 CMR 7.07 for specialist teacher licenses.
Administrative Apprenticeship/Internship: A comprehensive field-based learning experience of at least 300 hours in the role and at the level of the license sought, guided by a trained mentor who holds a Professional license in the same role. It shall provide seminars, workshops, and other opportunities for candidates to address the Professional Standards for Administrators set forth in 603 CMR 7.10 and prepare candidates for a Performance Assessment for Initial License. Such experience should be regularly spaced over the course of an academic year and may be completed as a paid or unpaid apprenticeship or as an internship while the candidate is employed as an acting administrator.
Aggregate Pass Rate: The number of educator preparation program completers who passed all the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure they took in a category of tests divided by the number of completers who took one or more of the tests in that category, expressed as a percent.
Alternative Preparation Organization: An organization, other than an institution of higher education, that prepares individuals for educator licensure. The organization could be sponsored by a school district, educational collaborative, professional association, or other non-higher education institution.
Alternative within an Institution of Higher Education: A non-degree post-baccalaureate educator preparation program leading to the initial license.
Apprenticeship: A paid or unpaid field-based experience of at least one semester in the role and at the level of the license sought, in a classroom with a supervising classroom teacher who holds a Professional license.
Approved Preparation Program: A program approved by the Commissioner to prepare individuals for educator licensure in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Assistive Technology: Assistive technology devices and services as defined under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC §§1401(1),1401(2); 34 CFR §§300.5, 300.6.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Methods of communication other than oral speech that enhance or replace conventional forms of expressive and receptive communication to facilitate interaction by and with persons with disabilities who are nonverbal or have limited speech, including, but not limited to: specialized gestures and signs; communication aids such as charts, symbol systems, visual supports, and language boards; mouth sticks; and electronic communication devices such as switches, head pointers, eye tracking, dynamic displays, auditory scanning, and voice output devices.
Bachelor's Degree: For an undergraduate student seeking a first teaching license, a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree from an accredited college or university resulting from the completion of an undergraduate program in which the student has satisfactorily met the requirements for a major in one or more academic subjects in the arts or sciences or for a major appropriate to the instructional field of the license sought. For a post-baccalaureate student, a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree resulting from the completion of an undergraduate program in which the student has satisfactorily met its requirements.
Bilingual Education: An educational program that involves teaching academic content in two languages, English and another language. Program types determine the varying amounts of each language used in instruction. Bilingual education programs include dual language education or two-way immersion and transitional bilingual education programs, as defined in M.G.L. c. 71A, § 2, and any other bilingual program types that may be approved by the Department.
Board: The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Career Vocational Technical Education Program: For purposes of Sheltered English Immersion, a career vocational technical education program shall include programs approved under M.G.L. c. 74; programs that meet the definition of career and technical education listed in the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006, 20 U.S.C. § 2302(5); and any other programs that may be designated by the Commissioner.
Career Vocational Technical Subjects: For purposes of Sheltered English Immersion, such subjects shall include automotive technology, carpentry, culinary arts, engineering, exploratory, masonry, information technology, and any other subjects listed by the Department in guidance.
Cohort: For Title II of the Higher Education Act and state reporting purposes, any group of candidates who complete an educator preparation program from September 1 through August 31st of any year.
Commissioner: The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education or his or her designee.
Communication and Literacy Skills Test: The test of communication and literacy skills included in the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure.
Competency Review: The process for determining whether the subject matter knowledge requirements for a license have been met in a field for which there is no subject matter knowledge test, using Department guidelines.
Core Academic Subjects: English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, and geography.
Core Academic Teachers: For purposes of Sheltered English Immersion instruction and Bilingual Education, early childhood and elementary teachers, teachers of students with moderate disabilities, teachers of students with severe disabilities, and teachers of the following academic subjects: English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, civics and government, economics, history, and geography.
Department: The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Educator: Any person employed by a school or school district in a position requiring a license.
Endorse: The action taken by a sponsoring organization when a Program Completer has successfully completed all of the approved program requirements, regardless of whether or not the individual has taken or passed the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure.
Endorsement: A supplementary credential issued to an Educator licensed under 603 CMR 7.00, or a credential issued to an individual otherwise required by law or regulation to obtain such credential, indicating satisfactory knowledge and skills to perform services in the area(s) specified.
Enrolled: The point at which an individual has met all the sponsoring organization's requirements to be formally admitted into the educator preparation program.
Field: The subject, population, or professional role specified in the title of a license issued by the Department.
Field-Based Experience: Experiences such as observation of a variety of classrooms, pre-practicum, practicum/practicum equivalent, internship, apprenticeship, or administrative internship that are integral components of any program for the preparation of educators. Field-based experiences shall cover a range of time periods within the school year.
Guidelines: All Guidelines identified in 603 CMR 7.00, will be issued by the Department and approved by the Commissioner following a period of public comment that shall be a minimum of 30 days.
Inclusive General Education Classroom Experience: A practicum that takes place in a classroom that serves both students with and without disabilities. The students with disabilities must be receiving some of their Individualized Education Program services in the classroom setting. The teacher candidate must address the individual and group needs of all of the students (with and without disabilities) who are assigned to the classroom and receive supervision from both a special educator and a general educator during the practicum.
Induction Program: A planned program of professional support for new teachers and administrators provided by the school district, including orientation, opportunities for classroom observation and conferencing, and peer group meetings. An induction program should be an integral part of a school district's professional development plan.
Initial License: An educator license issued to a person who has completed a bachelor's degree, passed the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure, completed an educator preparation program approved by the Commissioner, and met other eligibility requirements established by the Board. The Initial license is valid for five years of employment and may be extended at the discretion of the Commissioner for an additional five years. This license is equivalent to a provisional educator certificate with advanced standing as defined in M. G. L. c. 71, § 38G.
Institution of Higher Education: A college or university sponsored degree-granting educator preparation program.
Interim Review: An on-site review conducted by the Department to determine whether an approved preparation program is meeting the standards and benchmarks set forth in 603 CMR 7.03 (2) and (3) and the Guidelines for Program Approval.
Internship: A paid or unpaid, supervised, and mentored field-based experience, outside of an approved program, in the role and at the level of the license sought. Interns must be evaluated through a Performance Assessment for Initial License, using Department guidelines.
Level: The range of grades within which a given license is valid.
License: Any credential issued to an educator as specified in 603 CMR 7.04(1). The terms "license" and "licensure" as used in 603 CMR 7.00 are equivalent to the terms "certificate" and "certification" as used in M. G. L. c. 71, § 38G.
Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL): Examinations required of all candidates for Provisional or Initial license. The MTEL examines communication and literacy skills, and subject matter knowledge appropriate to the license sought.
Mentor: An educator who has at least three full years of experience under an Initial or Professional license and who has been trained to assist a beginning educator in the same professional role with his or her professional responsibilities and general school/district procedures. In addition, a mentor may assist an experienced educator who is new to a school, subject area, or grade level. A mentor may also assist an educator who is participating in a performance assessment or a district-based program for licensure.
Military Spouse: An individual who is the spouse of a military service member who is: (1) in the armed forces of the United States, a reserve unit of the armed forces of the United States or the National Guard of another state; and (2) serving in the Commonwealth or in a bordering state while living in the Commonwealth.
Military Spouse License: An educator license issued to a Military Spouse who has a bachelor's degree, holds a valid educator license from another state, and has not satisfied the testing requirements for a Massachusetts educator license. The Military Spouse License is valid for three years of employment.
NASDTEC Interstate Agreement: The agreement sponsored by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) concerning reciprocal licensing of educational personnel among participating jurisdictions.
Panel Review: The process used by the Department for reviewing and recommending candidates for Initial licensure who have substantial experience and formal education relevant to the license sought but have not met the specific license requirements.
Performance Assessment for Initial License: Assessment of educator performance for Initial licensure using Department guidelines.
Performance Assessment Program: A Department-sponsored Performance Assessment Program for the Professional license that includes a series of seminars and a performance assessment.
Performance Review Program for Initial Licensure (PRPIL): A performance review that satisfies the requirements for a practicum/practicum equivalent based on eligibility requirements, portfolio review, supervision and mentoring during an internship, and the completion of a Performance Assessment for Initial License.
Practicum/Practicum Equivalent: A field-based experience within an approved program in the role and at the level of the license sought, during which a candidate's performance is supervised jointly by the sponsoring organization and the supervising practitioner and evaluated in a Performance Assessment for Initial License. See 603 CMR 7.04 (4) for practicum hours. The duration of any equivalent to a practicum shall be no fewer hours than provided for the practicum in 603 CMR 7.04 (4). An equivalent to a practicum may include an apprenticeship, the initial five-month period of service as teacher or administrator of record under a Provisional license, or others approved by the Department.
Pre-practicum: Early field-based experiences with diverse student learners, integrated into courses or seminars that address either the Professional Standards for Teachers as set forth in 603 CMR 7.08 or the Professional Standards for Administrative Leadership as set forth in 603 CMR 7.10, in accordance with the Pre-practicum Guidelines. For candidates serving an apprenticeship or employed as educator of record, these experiences may occur simultaneously with the practicum or practicum equivalent.
Professional License: An educator's license issued to a person who has met the requirements for an Initial license in that field and met requirements established by the Board set forth in 603 CMR 7.04 (2)(c), 7.09, or 7.11. The Professional license is valid for five years and renewable for additional five-year terms as set forth in 603 CMR 44.00. This license is equivalent to a standard educator certificate as defined in M. G. L. c. 71, § 38G.
Program Approval: State authorization of an educator preparation program or its sponsoring organization to endorse program completers prepared in Massachusetts for educator licensure in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Also, the process through which a program or sponsoring organization may receive state approval.
Program Completer: An individual who has completed all the requirements of a state-approved preparation program (i.e., instruction/course work and practicum), regardless of whether that person has taken and passed state tests or assessments for licensure or has been endorsed for licensure by the program or its sponsoring organization.
Program of Study: The coursework, seminars, workshops, webinars, field experiences, and other program components that are required for the completion of an approved program.
Program Supervisor: The supervisor from the sponsoring organization, under whose immediate supervision the candidate for licensure practices during a practicum.
Provisional License: A license issued to a person who holds a bachelor's degree and has passed the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) and met other eligibility requirements established by the Board in 603 CMR 7.04 (2) and 7.09 (1). The Provisional license is valid for five years of employment. An educator who holds one or more provisional licenses may be employed under said license(s) for no more than five years in total.
Sheltered English Immersion (SEI): Shall have the meaning set forth in M.G.L. c. 71A, §2.
Single Assessment Pass Rate: The number of educator preparation program completers who passed a MTEL test divided by the number of all completers who took that test, expressed as a percent.
Sponsoring Organization: Institution of higher education or alternative preparation organization that provides, or seeks to provide, approved preparation programs.
Subject Matter Knowledge Requirements: Topics from the content of a discipline or field. These topics do not necessarily coincide with academic courses or imply a specific number of credit hours. The subject matter knowledge requirements for each license will be outlined in the Subject Matter Knowledge Guidelines.
Summary Pass Rate: The number of a sponsoring organization's teacher preparation program completers who passed all the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure they took divided by the number of the sponsoring organization's completers who took one or more tests, expressed as a percent.
Supervising Practitioner: The educator who has at least three full years of experience under an appropriate Initial or Professional license and has received an evaluation rating of proficient or higher, under whose immediate supervision the candidate for licensure practices during a practicum. For the educator of record, a comparably qualified educator will function as the supervising practitioner during the practicum equivalent.
Teacher: Any person employed in a school or school district under a license listed in 603 CMR 7.04 (3) (a).
Teacher of Record: One or more teachers who are assigned primary responsibility for a student's learning in a subject, grade or course.
Temporary License: An educator license issued to a person who holds a bachelor's degree and valid license or certificate from another state or jurisdiction, and who has been employed under such license for a minimum of three years and has met the requirements set forth in 603 CMR 7.04 (2) (d). It is valid for one year of employment and is nonrenewable. Service under a Temporary license shall be counted as service in acquiring professional teacher status, contingent upon the educator passing the applicable licensure tests.
Temporary Substitute Teacher: An educator who is employed, on a temporary basis, for less than 90 consecutive school days in the same role, to take the place of a regularly employed educator who is absent. Any educator who is employed on a temporary basis for more than 90 consecutive school days in the same role must either be licensed for the role or working under a hardship waiver. In addition, as a result of the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, during the 2020-2021, 2021-2022, and 2022-2023 school years, an educator who holds a bachelor's degree may be employed as a temporary substitute teacher for up to a full school year in the same role, except in a role requiring any of the following licenses: Teacher of Moderate Disabilities, Teacher of Severe Disabilities, Teacher of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ASL/TC), Teacher of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (Oral/Aural), Teacher of Visually Impaired, Teacher of Speech, Language and Hearing Disorders, or English as a Second Language, to take the place of a regularly employed educator who is absent. Service of an employee as a temporary substitute teacher shall not be counted as service in acquiring professional teacher status or other rights under section 41 of chapter 71 of the General Laws; provided, however, that if the employee holds a license in another field or level during the time employed as a temporary substitute and obtains an emergency, temporary, initial, provisional or professional license in the appropriate field and level by June 30, 2023 and continues to serve as a teacher with the same employer under a license for two additional consecutive years, the full year of service as a temporary substitute shall be counted as service toward professional teacher status.
Transition Services: This term shall have the meaning given it in federal law at 20 USC 1401(34).
Regulatory Authority: M.G.L. c. 69, § 1B; c. 69, §§ 1J and 1K, as amended by St. 2010; c. 12, § 3; c. 71, § 38G, as amended by St. 2022, c. 154, § 10; c. 71, 38G ½; c. 71A, § 10; c. 76, § 19.
Disclaimer: For an official copy of these regulations, please contact the State House Bookstore, at 617-727-2834 or visit Massachusetts State Bookstore.
Last Updated: July 17, 2023
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149
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