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Educator Effectiveness

Pilot of Alternative Assessments to the MTEL

All candidates required to take the Communication and Literacy Skills (CLST) MTEL may take one of the below assessments approved by the Department. Candidates must meet the passing score required for each alternative assessment in Massachusetts. Candidates may combine reading and writing subtests from different assessments to meet the overall assessment requirement. The assessment may be taken through the end of the pilot on June 30, 2025. Only listed approved assessments are accepted. As candidates register and take these alternative assessments, results will be electronically and securely sent to the Department.

Please keep in mind that if you previously passed one of the below approved alternative assessments, or registered for and took an approved alternative assessment in another state, you will need to contact the applicable vendor and arrange to have your score electronically and securely sent to the Department. There may be a fee associated with this request. The information in your score report request must exactly match your ELAR profile information in order to have your scores reported to the Department, including your MEPID. If your information is not an exact match in the score report, your score report will be rejected and you will have to make a second request with the corrected information, and pay the fee again.

Please click on an assessment below for more information.

Praxis Core (Massachusetts Communication and Literacy Praxis Test)

This test is administered by Educational Testing Services (ETS)

The two subtests required for the Massachusetts Communication and Literacy Praxis Test are:

  1. Massachusetts Communication and Literacy Praxis Test: Reading 
  2. Massachusetts Communication and Literacy Praxis Test: Writing 

The Praxis Core Mathematics subtest is not required for the purposes of the alternative. 

In order for your scores to be automatically reported to the Department, please register using the Massachusetts specific registration link: Praxis: Massachusetts. If you are requesting older Praxis Core scores, or registered for and took the test in another state, you will need to ensure that your score report request information is an exact match to the information in your ELAR profile, including your MEPID. If your information is not an exact match in the score report, your score report will be rejected and you will have to make a second request with the corrected information, and pay the fee again.

National Evaluation Series — Essential Academic Skills (NES-EAS)

This test is administered by Evaluation Systems Group (ES) of Pearson

The two subtests required for the NES-EAS are:

  • NES-EAS: Reading
  • NES-EAS: Writing

These tests and preparation materials were added to the MTEL website Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) (nesinc.com), effective July 20, 2021. 

In order for your scores to be automatically reported to the Department, please register using the Massachusetts specific registration link: Essential Academic Skills

Missouri General Education Assessment (MoGEA)

This test is administered by Evaluation Systems Group (ES) of Pearson

The two subtests required for the MoGEA are:

  • MoGEA: Reading Comprehension and Interpretation subtest
  • MoGEA: Writing subtest

In order for your scores to be automatically reported to the Department, please register using the Massachusetts specific registration link: MoGEA (866/867)

The MoGEA is offered via Online proctoring only.

Washington Educator Skills Test (WEST-B)

This test is administered by Evaluation Systems Group (ES) of Pearson

The two subtests required for the WEST-B are:

  • WEST-B: Reading subtest
  • WEST-B: Writing subtest

In order for your scores to be automatically reported to the Department, please register using the Massachusetts specific registration link: WEST–B: Reading, Writing (895/896)

The WEST-B is offered via Online proctoring only.

Core Academic Skills Assessment (CASA)

This test is administered by Evaluation Systems Group (ES) of Pearson

The two subtests required for the CASA are:

  • CASA: Reading subtest
  • CASA: Writing subtest

In order for your scores to be automatically reported to the Department, please register using the Massachusetts specific registration link: CASA: Reading, Writing (801/803)

The CASA is offered via Online proctoring only.

Please see the chart below for a comparison of the available options.

The Department will provide information about the additional CLST alternative assessments as they become available. Please continue to check back to this page for additional information.

Test/RegistrationLength of Time to take the testCostStructure
MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills Test: Reading 4 hours for one or both subtests $69.50 for the reading subtest, or $112 for both subtests 42 multiple-choice questions
MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills Test: Writing 4 hours for one or both subtests $69.50 for the writing subtest, or $112 for both subtests 35 multiple-choice questions, 7 sentence correction items, 2 open-response items

CASA: Reading subtest

*Online Proctoring Only

75 minutes testing time$38 for one subtest40 multiple-choice questions

CASA: Writing subtest

*Online Proctoring Only

105 minutes testing time$38 for one subtest42 multiple-choice questions and 1 constructed-response question
NES Essential Academic Skills Subtest I: Reading Up to 1 hour

$50 for one subtest, or $75 for both subtests

Free After Three Retake Policy — For registrations on or after December 5, 2023, candidates who have taken the same National Evaluation Series™ test with the same test code three times and have not yet passed will be able to reregister for the same test at no cost.

Please see more here: Testing Policies

Approximately 45 multiple-choice questions
NES Essential Academic Skills Subtest I: Writing Up to 75 minutes

$50 for one subtest, or $75 for both subtests

Free After Three Retake Policy — For registrations on or after December 5, 2023, candidates who have taken the same National Evaluation Series™ test with the same test code three times and have not yet passed will be able to reregister for the same test at no cost.

Please see more here: Testing Policies

Approximately 46 multiple-choice items, 1 written assignment
Massachusetts Communication and Literacy Praxis Test: Reading85 minutes$90 for the reading subtest, or $110 for both subtests56 selected-response questions
Massachusetts Communication and Literacy Praxis Test: Writing100 minutes, divided into a 40-minute selected-response section and two 30-minute essay sections$90 for the writing subtest, or $110 for both subtests40 selected-response questions and two essay questions

MoGEA: Reading Comprehension and Interpretation subtest

*Online Proctoring Only

75 minutes testing time$25 for one subtest39 multiple choice questions

MoGEA: Writing subtest

*Online Proctoring Only

60 minutes testing time$25 for one subtest1 written assignment

WEST-B: Reading subtest

*Online Proctoring Only

2 hours testing time$32 for one subtest60 multiple choice questions

WEST-B: Writing subtest

*Online Proctoring Only

3 hours testing time$32 for one subtest50 multiple choice questions and 2 constructed-response questions

Last Updated: September 27, 2024

 
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