Teacher License Content Guidelines

Should teachers know more than the students’ curriculum? The February 2018 Draft Subject Matter Knowledge Guidelines are open for public comment.

Read the full February 2018 draft SMK Guidelines and submit your comments using the survey tool here or by sending an email to smkrevisions@doe.mass.edu

Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) Guidelines will be used to determine the content area for:

• Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) for each subject area or field
• Coursework in approved educator preparation programs
• Content professional development points (PDPs)  required to renew a professional license
• 12 graduate credits in the field of the license as part of application for Professional-level license.

The proposed SMK Guidelines will require educators to demonstrate the same level of content knowledge as the student’s curriculum frameworks with limited or no requirements for advanced level coursework or applied content knowledge in many licence fields. Educators may be limited in professional development and graduate course options as coursework that is not covered in elementary and secondary education will not be eligible to advance or renew an educator license. Most content area license requirement do not require any subject-specific pedagogy knowledge or skills.

Does this sound familiar? DESE published a first set of draft SMK Guidelines in Fall 2017. The Policy Minute shared the proposed changes in this post. The Massachusetts Teachers Association submitted public comment on the draft SMK Guidelines. You can read the MTA comments in full here.