Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL)

Intent to file an RFR for the 2010-11 MTEL Contract

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education expects to post a Request for Response (RFR) on the Commonwealth Procurement Access and Solicitation Site (Comm-PASS) by April 16, 2010 to seek a vendor to provide products and services associated with test registration, administration, score reporting and customer service for the Commonwealth's educator licensure testing program, the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL), from July 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011. The MTEL includes the Communication and Literacy Skills Test (CLST), 36 tests of subject matter knowledge for academic (PreK-12) licenses, the Adult Basic Education test, and the Vocational Technical Literacy Skills Test. The Department will approve and participate in all major aspects of MTEL activities. Expenses for contract activities must be recovered by the contractor from the fees charged to licensure candidates who register for the tests. The purpose of the testing program is to ensure that newly licensed educators have the communication and literacy skills necessary for effective instruction and communication with students, parents/guardians and others, as well as the content knowledge required to teach their subjects. The academic (PreK-12) tests are based on requirements in the Massachusetts Regulations for Educator Licensure and Preparation Program Approval (603 CMR 7.00) and have been aligned with the student learning standards in relevant Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. There are approximately 15,000 Communication and Literacy Skills test takers annually. Subject matter test examinees range in number from fewer than five to a few thousand annually for tests such as General Curriculum and Foundations of Reading. Numbers of test takers by test date are available on the Department's website at: http://www.doe.mass.edu/mtel/results.html. The Department plans to post an RFR on Comm-PASS in late 2010 or early 2011 to seek a vendor for the MTEL for the contract period July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2016; at that time a more comprehensive RFR will be issued for conducting and enhancing test development, registration, administration, score reporting and customer service activities for the next five years of the Commonwealth's educator licensure testing program.

Last Updated: April 16, 2010