Office of Educator Licensure

Extension to the Bilingual Education Endorsement Grandfather Clause

As a result of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board) passing an emergency regulation to address regulatory timelines due to the COVID-19 state of emergency, the Commissioner Riley has the ability to suspend, extend or waive certain timelines and due dates. When the Board promulgated regulations in June of 2018 establishing the Bilingual Education Endorsement (BEE) following the LOOK Act, a "grandfather clause" was part of the regulations allowing those that have been employed in a bilingual capacity the ability to earn the endorsement.

The grandfather clause established June 30, 2020 as the deadline for educators to demonstrate that they have been employed for at least three years in a two-way immersion, transitional bilingual education or other bilingual education setting; passed a foreign language test in the relevant foreign language and demonstrated that they met the subject matter knowledge and skills set forth in 603 CMR 7.14(3)(b). Due to the state of emergency, the Commissioner has extended the deadline to qualify for the grandfather clause allowing educators up to 90 days following the state of emergency in order to pass the required foreign language test.

In order to qualify for this extension applicants for the BEE grandfather clause must:

1. Apply for the BEE by June 30, 2020;
2. Have three years of employment in a two-way immersion, transitional bilingual education or other bilingual education setting; and
3. Passed a foreign language MTEL or American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) test in the relevant foreign language within 90 days from the end of the state of emergency associated with COVID-19.

Please note that employment for the 2019-2020 school year can count as a year of employment for an educator employed a two-way immersion, transitional bilingual education or other bilingual education setting, even if their role shifted to some degree with remote learning as a result of the Governor's state of emergency.

For additional information about the BEE, please visit Bilingual Education Endorsement and you can contact our Licensure Call Center at 781-338-6600. The Call Center is open each business day from 9-1 and 2-5.

Bilingual Education Endorsement Memo October 2019