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DESE's Office of Licensure is a valuable resource for license information for professional educators. Other licensure resources include a Call Center (781-338-6600), available weekdays, 9:00am to 12:00pm and 2:00pm to 5:00pm and Walk-in Service Counter (135 Santilli Highway, Everett, weekdays, 8:45 am to 4:45 pm). You will need a photo ID.
Resources:
Licensure 101: How to Obtain a Massachusetts Educator License
To apply, renew or check the status of your licences, login into your ELAR account at DESE.
You can also check your licensure status using the Public Lookup for Educator Licensure
PDPs vs Credits
PDPs - Professional Development Points (PDPs) are used by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to track professional development requirements for recertification. PDPs are used only to renew a professional license.
Frequently Asked Questions - PDPs
Graduate Credits - A college or university issues graduate credits for coursework taken beyond a degree. There is often an additional fee for graduate credits, which is the responsibility of the participant.
Tracking PDPs
It is the individual educator's responsibility to keep track of activities and accumulation of PDPs toward renewing a license. The district does not keep track of this information. You should keep records of workshops, courses, etc. that you complete and keep samples of the resulting work products. This documentation will be necessary in the event of an audit by DESE. Vector Solutions Professional Development is a useful tool to track this information.
Types of Licenses Include (DESE website):
Temporary: An option for educators who are licensed in another state and have three years of experience working in the role of that license in that state.
Provisional: General Requirements — A Provisional License is appropriate for individuals who:
Have a Bachelor's degree
Passed all required MTEL tests
Some licenses may have additional requirements, such as relevant subject matter knowledge — Competency Review.
Tip: The Provisional license could be an option for someone seeking a core academic teacher license that completed a prep program but does not hold the Sheltered English Immersion Endorsement (SEI).
Please note not all Academic PreK-12 licenses can be obtained at the Provisional level
Initial: General Requirements. An Initial License is appropriate for individuals who:
Have a Bachelor's degree
Have passed all required MTEL tests
Hold the SEI endorsement (core academic teacher, principal/assistant principal, or supervisor/director only)
Have completed one of the following:
An approved educator preparation program in Massachusetts
Performance Review Program for Initial Licensure (PRPIL)
For out-of-state applicants:
Hold a valid/comparable license from another state, or
Have completed an approved alternative educator preparation program and hold a valid comparable license, or
Have completed an educator preparation program comparable to the license sought, sponsored by a college or university outside of MA that has been approved/accredited by the state, CAOP, TEAC or NCATE.
Professional: General Requirements. A Professional License is appropriate for individuals who:
Possess a MA Initial license in the same field as the Professional license sought
Have been employed under the Initial License for at least three (3) years and have completed an induction and mentoring program and
Completion of one of the following:An approved licensure program for the Professional license sought as set forth in the Guidelines for Program Approval.
A program leading to eligibility for master teacher status, such as those sponsored by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and others accepted by the Commissioner.
For those who have completed any master's or higher degree or other advanced graduate program in an accredited college or university, at least 12 credits of graduate level courses each of which includes subject matter knowledge or pedagogy based on the subject matter knowledge of the Professional license sought; these may include credits earned prior to application for the license.
Additional requirement for the teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing license (American Sign Language/Total Communication): Passing score on a test of sign language proficiency approved by the Department.
Military Spouse License: An educator license issued to a Military Spouse who has a bachelor's degree, holds a valid educator license from another state, and has not satisfied the testing requirements for a Massachusetts educator license. The Military Spouse License is valid for three years of employment.
Eligibility:
Bachelor's Degree, and
Valid educator License from another state that is comparable to the license sought
Is the spouse of an active military service member who is stationed in the Commonwealth or residing in the Commonwealth and stationed in a border state
Specific Licensure Requirements for each license category, type, and grade level can be found in the Licensure Requirements Tool.
License Validity by Type:
License Validity by Type:
Temporary license — valid for one year of employment (cannot be extended; must advance to Provisional or Initial)
Provisional — valid for five years of employment (cannot be extended, must advance to initial). Starting on July 1, 2019, individuals who hold more than one Provisional license will have no more than five total years of prospective employment under the Provisional licenses.
Initial — valid for five years of employment (may be extended once, must be advanced to Professional)
Professional — valid for five calendar years (renewable every five years thereafter)
Educators are expected to take note of the amount of time for which each license is valid and work toward advancement of each license to its next stage, i.e., from Provisional to Initial or from Initial to Professional. Licenses at the Professional stage must be renewed every five years or else they become inactive/invalid.
Calculating Years of Employment
Calculating Years of Employment
Information on calculating years of employment and advancing or renewing a license can be found at Advancing or Extending a License webpage.
Professional Development Audit
Purpose of an Audit
The current process for license renewal does not require educators who hold Massachusetts professional licenses to verify their Professional Development Points (PDPs) with their renewal application submission. Since the process now operates on the honor system, a sampling of applications is selected periodically at-random via ELAR (Educator Licensure and Renewal online system), for a Professional Development Audit to ensure the integrity of the process.
The audit process is a key indicator of successful completion of the minimum requirement of earned Professional Development Points (PDPs). The audit process continues to be a success.
Professional License Renewal: Audit FAQ
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