Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Language Learners (RETELL)

Upcoming Release of SEI Endorsement Reports

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is pleased to report that over 50,000 teachers and administrators in the Commonwealth have earned the teacher or administrator Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement since the requirements took effect in 2012. This is a monumental accomplishment in service of strengthening instruction for English Learners in the Commonwealth, and I appreciate the work and commitment of so many people who have brought us this far. The purpose of this memo is to outline next steps and upcoming data reports that will help to ensure that all teachers and administrators who should have the SEI Endorsement obtain it on a timely basis.

The Department's May 26, 2016 Memorandum explains that school districts with English Learners are responsible for monitoring their compliance with the current SEI Endorsement requirements listed in 603 CMR 14.07 and 603 CMR 7.15(9)(b). To assist with this effort:

• On June 29, 2017, the Department will release to district's DropBox up to six SEI Endorsement Reports.¹ Please see section II of this memo for a description of these data reports.

• On July 10, 2017 at 1:00 p.m., the Department will hold a call for all superintendents, principals, charter school leaders, and other interested parties to discuss how the SEI Endorsement Reports can be used to help districts monitor for compliance with the regulatory requirements. To participate in this call, please dial 720-279-0026 or 1-877- 820-7831, and enter pass code 812776.

1. Key Responsibilities for School Districts Relating to the SEI Endorsement

   Since July 1, 2016, school districts (including charter schools) have had a basic responsibility to assign English Learners only to those core academic teachers who have the SEI Endorsement.5 If circumstances arise that make it necessary for a district to assign an English Learner to an unendorsed core academic teacher, that teacher must earn the SEI Endorsement "within one year from the date of the assignment." 603 CMR 14.07(3). In those cases, the district also needs to take all reasonable steps so that:

   • The English Learner assigned to an unendorsed core academic teacher on one occasion is thereafter assigned only to core academic teachers with the SEI Endorsement. Id.
   • The unendorsed core academic teacher who is assigned an English Learner is informed that, upon assignment, he or she must obtain the SEI Endorsement within one year from the date of the assignment.

   With respect to school administrators, "no principal, assistant principal, or supervisor/director shall supervise or evaluate a core academic teacher who provides sheltered English instruction to an English Learner" unless he or she has the SEI Endorsement, or will earn the SEI Endorsement "within one year of the commencement of such supervision or evaluation." Id. at (4).

2. Description of SEI Endorsement Reports

   To assist districts with English Learners in monitoring their compliance with the current SEI Endorsement requirements, the Department will release to district's DropBox up to six SEI Endorsement Reports on June 29, 2017:

   • Report 1: aggregate data regarding the SEI Endorsement status of core academic teachers within the district as of March 1, 2017, who, according to the data provided by the district, were assigned to teach English Learners at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year.

   • Report 2: list of core academic teachers within the district who had not obtained the SEI Endorsement as of March 1, 2017 and according to the data provided by the district, were assigned to teach English Learners at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year.6

   • Report 3: list of core academic teachers within the district who had not obtained the SEI Endorsement as of March 1, 2017 and according to the data provided by the district, were assigned to teach English Learners at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, but who appear to have passed the SEI MTEL or SEI Endorsement course.

   • Report 4: aggregate data regarding the SEI Endorsement status of principals within the district as of March 1, 2017, who, according to the data provided by the district, had English Learners in their schools at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year.

   • Report 5: list of principals within the district who had not obtained the SEI Endorsement as of March 1, 2017 and according to the data provided by the district, had English Learners in their schools at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year.

   • Report 6: list of principals within the district who had not obtained the SEI Endorsement as of March 1, 2017 and according to the data provided by the district, had English Learners in their schools at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, but who appear to have passed the SEI MTEL or SEI Endorsement course.

   These reports are based upon information that districts submitted to the Department regarding the assignment of English Learners as of October 3, 2016, and SEI Endorsement status information reflected in the Educator Licensure and Renewal (ELAR) system as of March 1, 2017. Districts should not rely solely on these preliminary reports to monitor their compliance with the current SEI Endorsement requirements. For example, the district may want to confirm the current SEI Endorsement status of educators by checking ELAR, and its own records regarding the assignment of English Learners. Similarly, since reports 4 through 6 contain information only about principals, the district should check its own records to ensure that any other administrators who should have the SEI Endorsement obtain it on a timely basis.

   The Department expects to provide more detailed reports to districts in the future, based on updated information. We appreciate your efforts to ensure that data submitted to the Department regarding the assignment of English Learners is accurate.

3. Pathways to Earning the SEI Endorsement

   Educators may earn the SEI Endorsement through a number of different pathways:

   • Taking a course through an approved provider: A list of currently approved providers can be found on the RETELL For-Cost Courses page. Districts may apply to the Department to become approved providers of SEI Endorsement courses. In order to be approved, the district must meet all of the requirements listed in this RFR.

   • Passing the SEI MTEL (MA Tests for Educator Licensure) and applying for the SEI Endorsement: Educators who take and pass the SEI MTEL are eligible for the SEI Endorsement, provided that they apply to receive the endorsement. Information about the SEI MTEL can be found on our website.

   • Earning the ESL License and applying for the SEI Endorsement: Educators who hold an ESL license are automatically eligible for the SEI Endorsement, provided that they apply to receive it. Information about licensing can be found on the Executive Office of Education website.

   • Requesting a transcript review: Educators who have previously completed graduate- level coursework that they believe may qualify them for the SEI Endorsement may request a transcript review from the Licensure Office. To request a transcript review, an educator must apply for the SEI Endorsement and select path 2, which is a transcript review based on a related degree or graduate level training. Instructions for applying for the SEI Endorsement can be found on our website.

4. Monitoring by the Department

   In addition to monitoring by districts, the Department will monitor for compliance with the current SEI Endorsement requirements during its Coordinated Program Reviews. The Department expects that districts will take all reasonable steps to comply with the requirements. Reasonable steps may include, for example:

   • Offering an SEI Endorsement course to increase the number of core academic teachers, principals, assistant principals, supervisors, and directors who have earned the endorsement. Districts may apply to become approved providers of SEI Endorsement courses by following the steps listed on our website.

   • Planning teacher schedules so that English Learners are assigned to core academic teachers who hold the SEI Endorsement.

   • Providing incentives for core academic teachers to earn the SEI Endorsement before English Learners transition into their classrooms.

   • Ensuring that newly hired teachers for classes in which English Learners will be enrolled hold the SEI Endorsement at the time of hire.

If you have questions about the policy information in this memo, please contact ELL@doe.mass.edu. If you have questions about your district's data once you receive it, please contact data@doe.mass.edu. Thank you for your work to strengthen teaching and learning for English Learners and all students.

¹ Those districts that did not have any English Learners in the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year will not receive any SEI Endorsement Reports.

² Core academic teachers include "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." 603 CMR 14.07(5).

³ Some districts will not receive reports 2, 3, 5, or 6, because they do not appear to have any core academic teachers or principals that fall within the categories described in those reports.