Massachusett DESE's Candidate Assessment of Performance program, or CAP program, is a measurable way new teachers are accredited as "ready to teach" and to acquire an Initial Teaching License. The CAP program uses rubrics to grade a teacher's performance throughout their student teaching on the 7 essential elements, which are listed below. After a teacher candidate's last observed day of teaching, a mentor and supervisor will decide if the candidate is proficient in all 7 elements and consequently "ready to teach". Each essential element's title below is a clickable link to individual pages. Click on each link below to learn more about all 7 elements and how I became proficient in each over the course of my student teaching. (1)