Teacher Licensure
Successful completion of graduation requirements as well as approved majors in Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle School and Secondary Education provide Lesley undergraduates with eligibility for Initial licensure in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The requirements of each licensure program are outlined under the degree requirements for Education majors. Students must also pass state examinations in order to be licensed.
Massachusetts has a multi-stage licensure process. Initial licensure is obtained upon successful completion of a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) approved program. The second stage, professional licensure, is reached after additional coursework and at least three years of appropriate teaching experience.
Educator Licensure Regulations
The educational programs at Lesley fulfill the Massachusetts educator licensure regulations overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE). Because of this approval, Lesley programs are also recognized by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) Interstate Agreement 2020-2025. Massachusetts is a member state of the NASDTEC and a signatory of the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement, which facilitates the transfer of educator licensure between member states (not necessarily immediate reciprocity). Depending on your professional goals, where you plan to reside or teach, and the licensure structures that exist within that state, there are different pathways to licensure that may be relevant, including additional coursework, required tests, assessments, and classroom experience.
We strongly encourage prospective applicants who intend to pursue licensure to review Licensure Information documents for their respective programs of interest prior to applying to the program. This is in accordance with Lesley University’s participation in SARA (State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement) and with federal regulations.
The Lesley Educator License and Certification website, www.lesley.edu/certification is the primary source for information on educator licensure. This website has MTEL workshop and math course schedules and registration instructions. The process for applying for Initial and Professional license, and frequently asked questions for both licensure and Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) are highlighted. Information regarding license renewal and licensure regulations outside Massachusetts is also available, along with the latest MTEL information and study resources. Specific links to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education keep the Lesley community aware of changes to regulations and procedures.
The Lesley Certification and Educator Licensure Office is located in University Hall, 1815 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 617.349.8427. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is at 135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149, or call 781.338.6600, M-F, 9am – 1 pm and 2 pm – 5 pm.
Massachusetts Educator Licensure Requirements:
Educator Licensure and Renewal (ELAR) Account
ELAR is the state's online portal for completing most licensure-related transactions. Through ELAR, candidates apply for or advance a license online, renew a Professional license, check the status of a license/application, make a payment, upload transcripts, view what documents are scanned into the file, review Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL) history, request a hard copy license, update contact information, view correspondence from the MA Office of Educator Licensure, and print unofficial license information.
Required Immediately: Upon starting a program leading to a license, each candidate creates a personal password-protected ELAR account at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, https://gateway.edu.state.ma.us/elar/common/EducatorWelcomePagePageControl.ser, and receives a unique Massachusetts Educator Personnel ID number, or MEPID, which must be reported to Lesley. For more detailed information about how to set up the required electronic account, obtain a MEPID, and submit it to Lesley, visit Lesley's Certification and Educator Licensure website.
Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement
Because candidates for Initial teacher and reading specialist licenses are required to have an SEI endorsement, all of Lesley's Initial licensure programs include a MA ESE approved Sheltered English Instruction course.
Professional license renewals require at least 15 Professional Development Points (PDPs) related to SEI or English as a second language and at least 15 PDPs related to training strategies for effective schooling for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles. Remaining PDPs may be earned through a combination of subject-related activities.
Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL)
Candidates seeking Initial license as a teacher, specialist, or counselor are required by the state to pass Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL), a series of pass/fail tests designed to measure readiness for educator licensure. The Communication and Literacy Skills MTEL (or equivalent) has a reading subtest and writing subtest, is required for all educator licenses, and is offered year-round as a computer-based test and through online proctoring. Candidates can opt to take both subtests in the same test administration (4 hours), or each subtest can be taken in a separate 4-hour administration. As of July 2021, there are additional test options available to meet the Communication and Literacy reading and writing test requirement, as well as an MTEL Flex oprion for some individuals within one standard error of measurement to the passing score (available for some, not all, MTELs).
Subject matter tests are required for teaching and specialist licenses (not for counseling or Instructional Technology Specialist), and some licenses require the Foundations of Reading MTEL. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) website contains a list of required MTEL exams for each license area, as does Lesley’s MTEL Student Guide.