*This advisory replaces Charter School Technical Advisory 17-1: Educator Qualifications in Commonwealth Charter Schools
Charter School Technical Advisory 20-1 was last updated June 18, 2020
This technical advisory provides guidance regarding educator qualifications in Commonwealth charter schools1. It is intended to clarify the requirements of the charter school statute in Massachusetts, G.L. c. 71, § 89; the charter school regulations, 603 CMR 1.00; the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); and the state statute governing the education of English Language Learner (ELL) students, G.L. c. 71A, as amended in 2002; and the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) as they apply to Commonwealth charter schools.
Qualifications and Licensure Requirements for Massachusetts Charter and Traditional Public Schools
The term administrator includes, but is not limited to, principals, assistant principals, directors, coordinators, and other supervisors.
Traditional public school and Horace Mann charter school administrators must possess an appropriate Massachusetts administrator license for the role. Commonwealth charter school administrators are not required to be licensed but must be qualified to perform all duties.
All principals, assistant principals, directors, coordinators, and supervisors who evaluate and/or supervise core academic teachers2 who provide sheltered English instruction (SEI) to students who are English learners (EL), must earn a SEI Teacher or SEI Administrator Endorsement within one year of commencing such supervision or evaluation. This ensures that educational leaders have essential knowledge and skills necessary to support SEI classrooms and the academic success of students who are ELs.
Except at Commonwealth charter schools, an ELE (English learner education) administrator whose primary responsibility3 is oversight of ELE programs must possess a teacher license in English as a Second Language (ESL), English Language Learners (ELL)4, or a Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) endorsement.
A special education administrator is required to be licensed in a traditional public school and in a Horace Mann charter school. A Commonwealth charter school must employ an administrator of special education who is qualified to perform all duties, regardless of whether the administrator is supervising a teacher who is not independently qualified to administer special education services. To be qualified, an administrator of special education must either:
In addition, if the special education administrator is supervising or evaluating a teacher who provides SEI to a student who is an EL, the administrator must either:
This ensures that educational leaders have essential knowledge and skills necessary to support SEI classrooms and the academic success of students who are dually identified as ELs with disabilities.
Must possess appropriate license for role and level of position.
For example:
A principal or assistant principal who supervises or evaluates a core academic teacher*, who provides SEI instruction to an English learner, must hold an SEI Teacher or Administrator Endorsement, or earn the endorsement within one year of commencing such supervision or evaluation.
*See definition of Core Academic Teacher under the teacher section below
No license required.
A principal or assistant principal who supervises or evaluates a core academic teacher* who provides sheltered English immersion (SEI) instruction to an English learner must hold a SEI Teacher or SEI Administrator Endorsement or earn the endorsement within one year of commencing such supervision or evaluation.
A special education administrator is required to be licensed.
An administrator who supervises or evaluates a core academic teacher* who provides SEI instruction to an English learner must hold an SEI Teacher or SEI Administrator Endorsement or earn the endorsement within one year of commencing such supervision or evaluation.
A special education administrator is not required to be licensed.
The administrator of special education must be qualified to perform all duties, regardless of whether the administrator is supervising a teacher who is not independently qualified to administer special education services.
To be qualified to perform all duties as an administrator of special education, an administrator of special education must hold either:
An ELE (English learner education) administrator whose primary responsibility11 is oversight of ELE programs must possess a Supervisor/Director - Non-Core license with a teacher license in:
Supervisors who evaluate core academic teachers* providing SEI to ELs must have or obtain their SEI endorsement.
An ELE Administrator is not required to be licensed.
Supervisors who evaluate core academic teachers* providing SEI to ELs must possess or obtain their SEI endorsement.
Principals, assistant principals, or supervisor/directors who supervise or evaluate teachers of Career Vocational Technical Subjects* assigned to teach English learners must:
* See definition of Career Vocational Technical Teacher under the teacher section below
Effective July 1, 2021Passed by BESE June 26, 2018
Not Applicable
1 Please note that this advisory does not address educator qualifications in Massachusetts Horace Mann charter schools because, pursuant to G.L. c. 71, § 38G, employees of a Horace Mann charter school are employees of the school district and are therefore subject to the same licensure and other requirements as other district public school educators. The table below includes some educator qualification requirements for Horace Mann charter school, but it not comprehensive.
2 "Core academic teacher" shall mean early childhood and elementary teachers, teachers of students with moderate disabilities, teachers of students with severe disabilities, and teachers of the following academic subjects: English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, civics and government, economics, history, and geography. (603 CMR 14.07)
3 Primary responsibility is at least 50 percent of time on oversight of the ELE program.
4 This license is no longer obtainable, but is valid in the field.
5 Employment after August 10, 2000.
6 If this person is under direct supervision of a qualified teacher, they need not be licensed. If this person is acting as a teacher, they are subject to these requirements.
7 603 CMR 1.06(4); see also G.L. c. 71, § 89(ii).
8 603 CMR 14.07
9 See the Paraprofessionals, Aides, Instructional Assistants, etc. section for requirements of staff working under the direct supervision of a qualified teacher.
10 34 CFR 300.156(a)
11 Primary responsibility is at least 50 percent of time on oversight of the ELE program.
12 This license is no longer obtainable, but it is valid in the field.
13 This license is no longer obtainable, but it is valid in the field.
14 This license is no longer obtainable, but it is valid in the field.
Last Updated: June 18, 2020
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