Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL)

Update: Alternative Assessments to the Communication and Literacy Skills (CLST) MTEL

We are excited to share an update on the availability of the MTEL alternative assessments that the Department will be piloting through June 30, 2024. Based on a regulatory amendment, this pilot aims to create and evaluate increased flexibility in assessments for educator licensure. This regulatory amendment is designed to identify and pilot alternative mechanisms for assessing knowledge and skills and be responsive to feedback from the field while continuing to maintain a high bar for all educators. Please see more information about the regulatory pilot below.

Two vendors submitted alternative assessments to the Communication and Literacy Skills (CLST) MTEL and were subsequently approved; Evaluations Systems Group (ES) of Pearson, and Educational Testing Service (ETS). The assessments that will be accepted through the pilot period as approved alternatives to the CLST MTEL include:

ETS — Praxis Core (Massachusetts Communication and Literacy Praxis Test)

• The two subtests required for the Massachusetts Communication and Literacy Praxis Test are:
  • Massachusetts Communication and Literacy Praxis Test: Reading
  • Massachusetts Communication and Literacy Praxis Test: Writing
• The Praxis Core Mathematics subtest is not required for the purposes of the alternative.
• Please visit Praxis for more information and to register for this assessment. The specific Massachusetts link for registration will be: https://www.ets.org/praxis/ma.

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

• The two subtests required for the NES-EAS are:
  • NES-EAS: Reading
  • NES-EAS: Writing
• MTEL candidates will be able to register for NES-EAS beginning on July 20, 2021. These tests and preparation materials were added to the MTEL website Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) (nesinc.com), effective July 20, 2021. Candidates must register from the MTEL website for their scores to be automatically reported to the Department and to Massachusetts educator preparation programs.
• Multiple alternative assessments were approved for ES. The NES-EAS is the first alternative to be available to candidates and we will share information about these additional alternative assessments as they become available.

Candidate Eligibility: All candidates required to take the CLST MTEL can take one of the above assessments approved by the Department. The assessment may have been taken, or be taken, any time between when the pilot was approved by BESE on October 20, 2020 through the end of the pilot on June 30, 2024. As candidates register and take these alternative assessments, results will be electronically and securely sent to the Department. Please keep in mind that if a candidate previously passed one of the above tests after October 20, 2020, they will need to contact the applicable vendor above and arrange to have their score electronically and securely sent to the Department. There may be a fee associated with this request.

The Department will provide information about the additional CLST alternative assessments as they become available. In addition, the Department is continuing to work on additional alternatives for the subject matter knowledge MTELs. Please continue to check Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) for more information on the upcoming alternatives.

For questions about the alternative assessments to the MTEL, please contact testhelp@doe.mass.edu. For licensure questions, please contact the Licensure Office:

Licensure Call Center: 781-338-6600
Hours: Monday–Friday 9am–1pm & 2pm–5pm.

Additional Information about the Regulatory Pilot

The regulation states:

The Department may conduct a pilot of alternative assessments identified or developed to satisfy the requirements of 603 CMR 7.04 (2) (a) (2) and (3), and 603 CMR 7.04 (2) (b) (2) and (3), and 603 CMR 1.06 (4) (a). Any alternative assessment identified or developed for this purpose shall be determined by the Commissioner to be comparable to the MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills test or subject matter knowledge test. The alternative assessment pilot period shall continue through June 30, 2024. Any candidate who passes an alternative assessment during that period will be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of 603 CMR 7.04 (2) (a) (2), or (a) (3), or 603 CMR 7.04 (2) (b) (2) or (b) (3), or 603 CMR 1.06 (4) (a), as applicable. During the period of the alternative assessment pilot, the Commissioner will report to the Board at least annually on any alternative assessments, including the number of candidates taking the alternative assessments, any evaluative information regarding these candidates, patterns of employment, and feedback from school districts and educator preparation programs. Prior to making any recommendations following the conclusion of the pilot, the Commissioner shall conduct or contract for an evaluation of the alternative assessment pilot.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) voted on this amendment in October 2020, and the Commissioner, on behalf of the Department, approved an initial set of three different alternative assessments to pilot. One of these pilots is to accept alternative assessments that are aligned to the CLST MTEL. For more information about the other two pilots, please see Regulatory Pilot — Information about the Alternative Assessments to the MTEL.

All educator licensure candidates (teachers, specialist teachers, administrators, or professional support personnel) must pass the CLST. The CLST includes reading and writing subtests and assesses skills such as reading comprehension, summarizing, sentence construction, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation and writing. The purpose of the CLST is to ensure that newly licensed educators have the communication and literacy skills necessary for effective instruction and communication with parents/guardians and others.