Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL)

Updated MTEL Revisions and Timeline and the Foundations of Reading Test

In July, we posted a notice of revisions to the MTEL development timeline as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we noted at the time, the development timeline continues to be subject to change due to the ongoing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At this time, we are making further shifts to the MTEL development timeline for most tests. Importantly, the Foundations of Reading MTEL will move forward as was previously communicated. Please see below for more information about the Foundations of Reading timeline and the shift in timelines for the remaining Group A MTELs.

While we had hoped to continue with the timeline outlined in the advisory from July, we are making these changes in order to be responsive to candidates who may have been unable to take certain tests due to the constraints of the pandemic before the new versions are to be launched. We have also faced challenges recruiting sufficient PK–12 committee members for some tests currently under development. Partly as a result of the recently launched Mass Literacy initiative, however, we have had high engagement of committee members from the field for the Foundations of Reading test.

Foundations of Reading (FOR):

• Registration for the updated FOR test (test code: 190) opens tomorrow, December 1.
  • Individuals can continue accessing the current version of FOR (test code: 90) until February 7, 2021.
  • The updated FOR test (test code: 190) is the only FOR test that can be taken after February 7, 2021.
  • Individuals currently registered to take the current FOR test (test code: 90) on a date after February 7, 2021, will receive an email from Pearson indicating their appointment is cancelled. Candidates can then choose to identify a new appointment before February 7, 2021 to take the current test (test code: 90) or they can identify an appointment after February 7, 2021 to take the updated FOR test (test code: 190).
• As a reminder, the FOR has been available via Online Proctoring since October, thus alleviating a backlog of candidates for this area. The December, January, and February online appointments will include the current FOR (test code: 90). The March (and beyond) online appointments will include the new FOR (test code: 190).

Additional shifts to Group A tests:

As shown above, we are prioritizing the development of the Digital Literacy/Computer Science test, as we have a highly engaged committee to support the test's development, and there is no content MTEL currently available for DLCS licensure.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to navigate these shifts in the schedule that we are making in an effort to be responsive to educator candidates and the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

We will release updates for the remaining MTEL groups as soon as possible when additional information is available. Those groups will be:

• Group B: General Science, Math (1–6), Physics, and Technology/Engineering),
• Group C: Biology, Chemistry, Earth & Space Science, Middle School Math/Science, and Reading Specialist
• Group D: Early Childhood, General Curriculum, History/Social Science, and Middle School Humanities

We are still recruiting PK–12 educators for MTEL Development committees. If you, or someone you know, is interested in becoming involved in the test development process, particularly for upcoming committee work, please fill out an application.

Please also see MTEL Tests Undergoing Redevelopment on the Evaluation Systems of Pearson site with the timeline information for each test.

Please note that only one version of an MTEL can be made available at any given time. As such, as soon as an updated version of an MTEL is live, the previous version is considered retired and will no longer be made available.

If you should take and pass an MTEL that becomes retired before meeting other licensure requirements, you can still use the retired MTEL passing score towards the earning of your license. There is no expiration date on the validity of a passing score on an MTEL.

MTEL Revisions:

As noted in our earlier update, as a result of the updated SMK Guidelines, the content and structure needs to be updated and reflected for many of the MTELs. The content updates are in process according to the timeline outlined above and based on our test development process for the MTELs.

The General Curriculum (GC) MTEL is one test that is changing structurally. The changes to the structure of the test are based on the content shifts in the SMK Guidelines and were made in close consultation with content specialists at DESE and Pearson. Currently the GC MTEL is split into two subtests; 1) Multi-Subject (ELA, STE, and HSS) and 2) Math. This current configuration was based on the subject matter knowledge requirements at the time they were developed (2009), which included a significant emphasis and a separate set of guidelines that outlined the math content expectations. The new GC MTEL set to be operational in winter 2022 will be configured differently to reflect equal distribution of content expectations for Math, ELA, HSS and STE outlined in the SMK Guidelines, and will be split into the following two subtests; 1) ELA and HSS and 2) Math and STE. We believe that this new structure is representative of the content expectations outlined in the SMK Guidelines for elementary and special education teachers.

Please continue to visit this page on the Evaluation Systems of Pearson website where updated information regarding the test and structure will be posted.