Family & Community Adult Education Adult & Community Learning Services
ABE Teacher's License Update
Volume 3 Number 4 - April 2001

Developing an Adult Basic Education Licensure Process for Massachusetts

The ABE Teacher's License Update [formerly the "ABE Certification Update" and recently renamed to reflect changes in preK-12 licensure terminology] is published by the ESE (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) in coordination with SABES (System for Adult Basic Education Support) in an effort to keep practitioners and interested parties apprised of the status of the ABE Teacher's License. This Update, past issues, and other relevant documents are posted on the ESE Website www.doe.mass.edu/acls and the SABES Website www.sabes.org.

Public Comment on the Proposed Regulations:
The public comment period for the Proposed Regulations for the Licensure of Adult Basic Education Teachers closed on March 23rd. The Department is in the process of reviewing the public comment and revising the Regulations where appropriate. The new draft of the Regulations will be presented to the Board of Education at their April 24th meeting.

In the meantime, during the public comment period a couple of areas drew a number of questions so we are focusing this issue specifically on inactive and expired pre-K-12 licenses, and the MTEL tests.

Expired and Inactive preK-12 Licenses: : [not an ABE licensure issue, but may affect some ABE teachers who hold a preK-12 license(s)]
On June 18, 1999 all Massachusetts educator certificates issued prior to October 1, 1994 expired, unless renewed by the educator. The term "in-active" relates to people who have not been using their certificates and have let them expire. If individuals are using their certificates but have let them expire, their certificates become "invalid" and must be renewed in order to be employed by agencies requiring a teaching license. Such individuals can be employed for up to two years while completing their re-certification requirements. If these teachers apply for recertification before 12/31/01, they will need to comply with the current regulations, which require them to complete 120 PDPs. If they apply after 12/31/01, they will need to comply with the new regulations, which require them to complete 150 PDPs. For more information on how to reactivate your expired or inactive license, please contact the Office of Teacher Certification and Administration at 781-338-6600 or check their web-site at www.doe.mass.edu/cert.

ABE Teacher Licensure Tests:Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure, also known as the MTEL tests, will be required of some applicants under the Proposed Regulations for Licensure of Adult Basic Education Teachers, depending upon the route to licensure used. The MTEL tests are composed of two parts. The first part is the Communication and Literacy Skills Test and the second is a test of subject matter for the license sought.

ABE Licensure Applicants with five or more years of ABE teaching experience will not be required to take the ABE licensure tests. Other licensure candidates, however, may be required to take one or both of the tests, again, depending upon the route used to pursue ABE licensure. For example, practitioners who do not hold a current preK-12 teacher's license and who have less than five years of ABE teaching experience (Route 1) will be required to take both the Communication and Literacy Skills Test and the ABE Subject Matter Test (when it is developed). Teachers who hold a preK-12 teacher's license, but have less than one year of ABE teaching experience (Route 2), will be required to take only the ABE subject matter test (when it is developed). However, the Proposed Regulations include a "sunset" clause whereby all teachers pursuing the ABE license, regardless of previous experience, will be required to take both of the MTEL tests beginning five years after the effective date of the license, presumably October 1, 2006.

       If you would like to register to take the Communication and Literacy Skills test, or any of the other MTEL tests, the next test is:

       Test Date: June 16, 2001
       Registration Deadline: May 4, 2001

       Registration Bulletins contain sample test questions, information about registration, and related fees. The bulletin can be viewed on-line at www.doe.mass.edu/mtel and can be ordered from:

COMMENTS,        QUESTIONS,        CLARIFICATIONS NEEDED?

Contact:
Mary Jayne Fay, ABE Licensure Specialist, at MJFay@doe.mass.edu
or
Carey Reid, SABES Staff Development Specialist, at 617-482-9485 or CReid@worlded.org