Addressing Licensure Requirements

I applied for the Initial School Psychologist license prior to February 1, 2023 and received a panel review evaluation conveying requirements in effect prior to February 1, 2023. Do I now have to satisfy requirements that were implemented as of February 1, 2023, to obtain the School Psychologist license?
Individuals who received a panel review evaluation for Initial School Psychologist licensure prior to February 1, 2023 and have since then documented compliance with any of the "panel review coverage of" requirement(s) may qualify for review under the Commissioner's Determination option. The Commissioner's Determination (CD) is a regulatory provision designed to provide relief for applicants who applied prior to a change to the licensure regulations and have submitted evidence that they have either substantially met the requirements for licensure prior to the change or that they would have met the requirements but were unable to do so due to extreme hardship.

• School Psychologist Commissioner's Determination Advisory

What happens if I do not meet all of the requirements for a license?
If you do not meet all of the requirements for a license, you will receive notification via e-mail (or via traditional mail if there is no e-mail address on file) regarding any remaining additional requirements.

I received a letter from DESE asking me to verify that I completed a practicum/practicum equivalent or an internship of 150 hours in the role of the license sought in an appropriate classroom. How do I verify this requirement?
If you received an evaluation letter requesting documentation verifying the completion of a practicum/practicum equivalent, or internship it is because the Office of Educator Licensure has not received the required documentation or has received inadequate documentation.

A practicum/practicum equivalent is 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. If you have completed a practicum/practicum equivalent please forward an official transcript and a copy of the practicum/practicum equivalent report form from your practicum/practicum equivalent provider.

An Internship is 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. If you have completed an internship in the role of this license in an appropriate classroom, then please submit a letter that has been signed by a superintendent, head administrator, or principal that states you have completed an internship of 150 hours in the role (field and grade level) of the license sought. The letter must be written on official school letterhead and should confirm the start and end dates of the internship, the setting and role, and indicate the name and license number of the mentor. Please refer to the Office of Educator Licensure's Internship Verification Template for additional guidance.

• Internship Verification Template

How do I document that I have demonstrated knowledge of all eleven Massachusetts SEI Teacher Endorsement Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) requirements through the successful completion of coursework within a bachelor's degree?

• SEI Teacher Endorsement Bachelor's Degree Template Letter

How do I document that I have satisfied requirements for the Massachusetts SEI Teacher Endorsement through the successful completion of graduate coursework?

• SEI Teacher Endorsement Graduate Level Training Template Letter

Last Updated: September 27, 2024