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The Center for Education Policy + Practice has curated a variety of documents to support the application process for licenses issued by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Resources available on this page include original materials created by the Massachusetts Teachers Association and documents from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Educator Licensure.
DESE Office of Educator Licensure Links
- DESE Licensure home page
- Educator Licensure and Renewal (ELAR) Portal
- MTEL Updates
- License Requirements Tool
- FAQ and Glossary of Terms
- Foreign/International Degree Transcript Evaluation Services
- Educator Preparation Program Search
Check List Licensure Summaries
MTA Check List Academic Licensure 2023-24
MTA Check List Vocational Licensure 2023-24
Emergency Licensure
IMPORTANT New applications for Emergency Licenses will end on November 7, 2023.
- DESE Emergency Licenses Home Page
- 2022 DESE Emergency License FAQ
- Academic Educator 2022 Emergency License
- Vocational Technical Educator 2022 Emergency License
- Extension of Emergency Licenses
Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTELs)
All candidates for educators licensure must create an ELAR account before registering for any MTEL test. All license applications, payments and supporting documents are processed through the ELAR account.
- Academic Licensure MTEL
- Vocational Technical Licensure Exams
- MTEL Alternative Assessments Pilot
- CEPP/MTA Check List MTEL Alternatives
- DESE MTEL Preparation Resources
- DESE Competency Review Guide September 2023
Provisional Teacher
Educator Preparation & Initial Licensure
- DESE Educator Preparation Program Search Tool
For non-degree programs, use the Post-Baccalaureate filter. - Performance Review for Initial Licensure (PRPIL)
- SEI Endorsement
- DESE Out-of-State Educator Preparation Program Verification
- DESE Foreign Teacher Panel Guidelines – for educators who completed a teacher preparation program outside of the United States
Initial License Extension
Educators who have completed five years of employment under the Initial license may be eligible for a one time extension to grant an additional five years of employment.
Professional Licensure Application
- 12 Credit Requirement:
2023 Version – DESE Subject Matter Knowledge Educator Reference Guide
2021 Version – DESE Subject Matter Knowledge Educator Reference Guide
* This document outlines the subject matter or content for each license field. - DESE Master’s and 12 Credit Advisory and Course Pre-Approval Request Form
- DESE Employment Verification & Induction/Mentoring Form
- DESE Transcript/Degree Verification Overview
- DESE Request for Updated Evaluation for a Professional Teacher License
- See our post on the 12-Credit Option here.
Professional Licensure Renewal
- DESE License Renewal Guidelines for Massachusetts Educators – 2017
- Quick Reference Guide to PDPs – MTA
- PDP Activity Log – MTA
- IPDP and IPDP Signature Page – MTA
- DESE Professional Development Directory
- DESE PDPs for Supervising Practitioners and Host Teachers
- MTA Supervising Practitioner ToolKit for Logging PDPs
Audit of Professional License Renewal
Ch 74 Vocational Technical Educator Licensure
Preliminary and Emergency VTE Licenses
- Ch 74 Vocational Technical educator licenses are issued through DESE. All license applications are submitted through the ELAR system.
- Vocational Teacher Testing – NOCTI
- Vocational Technical Educator 2022 Emergency License
- Preliminary License Guidance – Ch 74 Vocational Technical Teacher
- DESE VTE Employment Verification Template
- DESE VTE Self-Employment Verification Template
- DESE Preliminary License Extension Guidance – Ch 74 Vocational Technical Teacher
VTE Professional Licensure Requirements and Application
- DESE Professional License Guidance – Ch 74 Vocational Technical Teacher
- DESE Employment Verification & Induction/Mentoring Form
- DESE SEI Endorsement for VTE Teachers
- DESE VTE Course Substitution for Professional License
Professional License Renewal for VTE Licenses
Administrator VTE Licenses
Retirement & MTRS for Ch. 74 Vocational Technical Educators
Vocational Education Credit – MTRS
Additional information about MTRS Creditable Service is available here.
Special Topics
Teacher of Students with Moderate Disabilities
DESE Competency Review Guide September 2023
English as a Second Language
Instructional Technology Specialist Teacher
Digital Literacy and Computer Science Teacher
The Digital Literacy and Computer Science PreK-6 license is available through a Competency Review process.
The Digital Literacy and Computer Science MTEL will also satisfy the content knowledge requirements for either the PreK-6 and/or 5-12 DLCS license.
NOTE: Cambridge College – Digital Literacy/Computer Science Massachusetts MTEL Preparation Course SCI 6017 January/February 2024 Dates TBD
The Cambridge College Digital Literacy/Computer Science MTEL Preparation Graduate Course is targeted at assisting teacher candidates in preparing to take and pass the Massachusetts DLCS 5-12 MTEL test. The five modules are in direct support of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for DLCS:
- Computational Thinking: Data Structure and Algorithms
- Computers Software and Networks
- Computer and Society
- Computer Programming
The course runs for a 5-week period and awards 3 graduate credits.
Cost: $600.00 (with minimum of 10 enrolled)
Contact: Professor John N. Papadonis [john.papadonis@cambridgecollege.edu]
DESE is offering a limited number of scholarships for those teachers who have taught digital literacy and computer science topics.
SEI Endorsement
- DESE SEI Endorsement for VTE Teachers
- CEPP/MTA SEI Endorsement Explainer
MTA Licensure Workshop Handouts
Please note, handouts from MTA licensure workshops are only available for a short time after the workshop session has ended. Please download and save copies of any resources for your own files. If you are looking for a document that is no longer posted online, please send an email to licensure@massteacher.org.
Quincy Education Association Licensure Basics 11/2023