Educators, including teachers, support personnel, and administrators are required to hold a license issued by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in order to be eligible to teach in Massachusetts Public Schools.
Types of Teaching Licenses
Temporary
Issued to a person who holds a valid license from another state or jurisdiction and has been employed under this license for a minimum of three years, but has not satisfied the Massachusetts testing requirements.
Provisional
Issued to a person who holds a bachelor’s degree and has passed the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL).
Initial
Issued to a person who holds a bachelor’s degree, has passed the MTEL and has completed a an approved educator preparation program.
Professional
Issued to a person who has met the requirements for an Initial license, and has completed a Performance Assessment program or an appropriate master’s degree program and has received a rating of proficient in Standard 1 and 2 and an overall rating of proficient in the Massachusetts Educator Evaluation Framework.
Renewal
For a teacher with a professional license who has earned the required number of Professional Development Points (PDPs) and an SEI Endorsement (K-5 & core content teachers only).
Emergency
(EXTENDED UNTIL JUNE 2023) Issued to a person in-state or out-of-state who does not have a MA DESE Temporary, Provisional, Initial or Professional license. Consult the DESE Emergency License FAQ and the DESE Website for more information. They also provide additional flexibility options on a case by case basis for Educator Licensure and Staffing for the 2020-21 School Year.
For out of state applicants
From the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) website:
What Type of License Should I Apply For?
Out-of-state applicants seeking their first license in the State of Massachusetts could qualify for one of three (3) types of Academic PreK-12 educator licenses: Temporary, Provisional, or Initial. To figure out for which type you should apply for, consider the following…
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Required Paperwork
Official Transcripts: Bachelor's degree
Official Transcripts: Master's degree (if applicable)
MTEL Test Results
SEI Endorsement or ESL License