MA Endorsement & Licensure

Upon completion of your program, you will be endorsed from Boston College which signifies that you have successfully completed a state-approved program leading to licensure in Massachusetts. It is important to note that your actual license will be granted by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in accordance with state law and regulations.

To be eligible for endorsement from Boston College, teacher candidates need to attend to the following requirements:

• Full Practicum Experience
  Teacher candidates must successfully complete the full practicum experience, which includes, but is not limited to, all of the state-required hours of instruction and full responsibility, meeting DESE’s readiness thresholds on the CAP, earning the designation of being “ready to teach” by the Supervising Practitioner and Program Supervisor, and submitting all of the required paperwork to the Office of Field Placement.
  
  

• Licensure Courses
  Teacher candidates must successfully complete all of the required undergraduate and/or graduate licensure courses outlined on the state-approved programs of study.
  
  

• Graduate from Boston College
  In order to be eligible for endorsement, candidates must successfully complete the state-approved teacher education program and graduate from Boston College.

After the teacher candidate has graduated from Boston College, the Assistant Dean for Field Placement will electronically apply the endorsement to each Program Completer’s ELAR account. Endorsements from LSEHD are formally processed by the Office of Field Placement three times per year and coincide with Boston College’s graduation cycle (e.g., June, September and February). Upon completion of the endorsement, Student Services will formally add the appropriate endorsement (for both level and/or content area and SEI) to the official transcript.

As of July 1, 2014, educators applying for their first Initial license in Massachusetts must obtain the Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement. Teacher candidates can qualify for the SEI Endorsement by successfully completing the state-approved teacher education programs at Boston College that lead to initial licensure in Massachusetts. The requirements for endorsement are embedded into the undergraduate and graduate Programs of Study. Candidates earn this endorsement by completing the approved Program of Study for the designated initial licensure program and graduating from Boston College.

After the teacher candidate has graduated from Boston College, the Assistant Dean for Field Placement will electronically apply the SEI Endorsement to each Program Completer’s ELAR account. It is important to note that in order to receive the license, teacher candidates need to formally apply for the SEI endorsement through DESE's online Educator Licensure And Renewal (ELAR) portal.

DESE will issue your license in Massachusetts once the following elements are attended to:

• Graduate from an approved teacher education program

• Complete and pass the required Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTELs)

• Endorsement electronically applied by Boston College

• Submit an official undergraduate and/or graduate transcript with the endorsement

• Apply and pay the fee for the appropriate Initial License within ELAR

• Apply for the SEI Endorsement (if applicable) in ELAR

To help you navigate the ELAR portal and apply for licensure in Massachusetts, please see Appendix B (page 36) for a step-by-step guide with screenshots. Please note that DESE no longer furnishes applicants with a hard copy of the teaching license. School districts and/or employers can verify your license online through the Public Lookup for Educator Licensure (https://www.doe.mass.edu/licensure/lookup/). If you have questions about the process, please contact the Office of Field Placement by phone (617-552-4206) or email (prac@bc.edu).

In addition to the license application in ELAR, teacher candidates must formally apply for the SEI Endorsement. It is important to note that DESE does not require an additional fee for this endorsement as it a required component of licensure. To help you navigate the ELAR portal and apply for SEI Endorsement, please see Appendix C (page 33 and 48) for a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

Letter of Good Standing
If you are actively searching for a teaching appointment and are in good standing in the teacher education program, you can request a letter from the Office of Field Placement (prac@bc.edu). This letter is intended for undergraduate and graduate teacher education candidates who have completed a majority of the program requirements and field experiences required for endorsement and scheduled to graduate in the near future. This letter can be packaged with formal job applications and signify to employers that will be eligible for an initial license in Massachusetts upon graduation from Boston College.

Program Completion Letter
If you have successfully completed all of the program requirements and matriculated from Boston College, you can request a Program Completion letter from the Office of Field Placement (prac@bc.edu) while your license is pending from DESE. Employers, particularly those outside of Massachusetts, may request such verification from Boston College.