Licensure Test: Communications & Literacy Alternatives

BESE approved regulations to allow candidates for teacher licensure to waive or substitute the ComLit MTEL test. It was a one month delay, but passed in time for hundreds of teachers to complete license requirements before the end of the school year.

At the April 26, 2026 Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting, regulations to allow certain educators to waive (or substitute) the Communications and Literacy MTEL test were approved. The new regulations and presentation materials from the BESE meeting are available here.

The Office of Educator Licensure at the Department of Elementary has posted an update on the approved regulations here and an FAQ here. DESE expects the ComLit waiver options to be available on or around May 14.

Here is where the new Alternative Pathways (as they are called in the legislative language) fit in the scope of the testing requirements for academic teacher licenses:

License Application Requirements	MTELs and approved Alternative Assessments	Alternative Pathways
Communications and Literacy	Communications and Literacy MTEL Alternative Assessments for ComLit	Eligible to satisfy the ComLit requirement with ONE of the following: i. Hold eligible out-of-state license/certification ii. Hold a master’s degree or doctorate from an accredited institution iii. Completion of an Approved Preparation Program iv. Completion of two years of full time experience in a Massachusetts district
Subject Matter	Subject Matter MTELs Subject Matter Alternatives: – Ed Prep Attestation – MTEL Flex – Content Alternative Tests	Not Available yet.
Foundations of Reading Reading Specialist	Foundations of Reading MTEL Reading Specialist MTEL	Not applicable.
Competency Review (for subjects with no current MTEL subject test available)	See guidelines for Competency Review Guide and Forms	Not applicable.

What are the eligibility requirements?

The alternative path option for the Communications and Literacy MTEL is available to candidates who meet one of the following under 603 CMR 7.04(2)(f):

1. Obtained certification equivalent to an initial or professional Massachusetts license in another state or territory in the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as approved by the Department; or
2. Obtained a master’s degree or doctorate from an accredited institution; or
3. Completed an Approved Preparation Program; or
4. Completed two years of full-time equivalent instructional experience in a MA school district with a recommendation from a school or district leader.

Anyone who does not meet one of the four eligibility criteria will require a passing score on the Communications and Literacy MTEL or accepted alternative assessment as part of their license application.

Who can use this option?

Anyone applying for a first Provisional or Initial academic teacher license or a first Preliminary Career Vocational Technical Teacher license. This includes teachers who are working under Waivers, Emergency licenses, as substitute teachers as well as anyone else applying for a first Provisional, Initial or Preliminary license.

How do applicants elect to use this option?

Candidates for licensure will need to apply in ELAR for the appropriate license, pay the applicable fee ($100 for the first license at a stage and $25 for each additional license field) and submit the documents directly to ELAR. The Office of Educator Licensure will be updating the ELAR system and providing guidance on additional documents in May 2026.

For the purposes of documenting the “two years of full-time equivalent instructional experience in a MA school district with a recommendation from a school or district leader” DESE has indicated a form or template letter will be provided for districts or school leaders to complete. (Note: We will link the updated information here once it becomes available.)

Educators can start the license process by creating an ELAR account, submitting copies of requirements such as transcripts and applying for the license. If there are additional documents required the application will be marked as Pending. Candidates for licensure can continue to add documents to the ELAR account and link them to the open and pending application.

When will the license be issued?

Once all the requirements are submitted to ELAR, the license is generally issued within two weeks. If DESE needs additional documents, a license evaluation letter will be sent by email and will be saved in your ELAR account.

Will this option to substitute the ComLit test be available forever?

Not as written. The regulations have only authorized a three-year pilot program for the ComLit alternative pathways. It is possible the Department will extend the pilot or make changes in three years. However, the license issued using this pilot will be valid the same as if they passed the ComLit MTEL and the educator will be considered to have met the ComLit requirement for all future applications.

Are the content tests still required?

Yes, the subject matter knowledge test requirements have not changed. Individuals can use the appropriate subject matter knowledge MTEL test or accepted alternative test towards the license requirements. The subject matter test alternative pathway options were part of the original draft regulations but were not approved (yet) by BESE.