Charter School Technical Advisory 20-1: Educator Qualifications in Commonwealth and Horace Mann Charter Schools

To:	Charter School Leaders
From:	Jeffrey C. Riley, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education
Date:	March 3, 2020

*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

Section 1: Overall Qualification Requirements
Section 2: Qualifications for Principals, Administrators, and Supervisors
Section 3: Qualifications for Teachers
Section 4: Qualifications for Student Support Personnel
Section 5: Waivers for Qualifications
View all

Qualifications and License Requirements for Massachusetts Charter and Traditional Public Schools

Section 4: Qualifications for Student Support Personnel

Student Support Personnel	Traditional Public and Horace Mann Charter Schools	Commonwealth Charter Schools
School Social Worker/ School Adjustment Counselor All grade levels	Must hold a DESE license as School Social Worker/School Adjustment Counselor Professional Support Personnel Licenses Public Lookup for Educator Licensure	Must hold appropriate license issued by Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Work or Massachusetts Board of Allied Mental Health Professionals A DESE license as School Adjustment Counselor is not required Professional Support Personnel Licenses
School Psychologist All grade levels	Must hold a DESE license as School Psychologist Professional Support Personnel Licenses Public Lookup for Educator Licensure	Must hold appropriate license issued by Massachusetts Board of Allied Mental Health Professionals as Educational Psychologist, national certification from the National Association of School Psychologists, or receive a passing score on the National School Psychology exam. A DESE license as School Psychologist is not required Professional Support Personnel Licenses
Related Service Provider All grade levels (e.g. OT, PT, SLP, LCSW)	Must hold current Massachusetts professional license issued by appropriate licensing board Check a Commonwealth Licensee	Must hold current Massachusetts professional license issued by appropriate licensing board Check a Commonwealth Licensee
Nurse All grade levels	Must hold current Massachusetts professional license issued by appropriate licensing board Must hold a Professional Support Personnel license as a school nurse Professional Support Personnel Licenses Check a Commonwealth Licensee	Must hold current Massachusetts professional license issued by appropriate licensing board Nurse must hold a registered nurse's license but does not need to hold a Professional Support Personnel license as a school nurse Check a Commonwealth Licensee
Mental Health Counselor Intern All grade levels	Pre-masters: May see clients only when there is an approved supervisor or contract supervisor *on site*. In the temporary absence of either, a supervisee may see clients so long as an emergency contact is on site Post-masters: approved supervisor or contract supervisor does not always have to be onsite; provision of emergency contact must be in place Supervisors must conduct regular evaluations of the intern's internship or practicum performance Supervisor must be Licensed Mental Health Counselor who is employee of, or has contract with, district Requirements for Licensure as a Mental Health Counselor (262 CMR 2.00)	Pre-masters: May see clients only when there is an approved supervisor or contract supervisor *on site*. In the temporary absence of either, a supervisee may see clients so long as an emergency contact is on site Post-masters: approved supervisor or contract supervisor does not always have to be onsite; provision of emergency contact must be in place Supervisors must conduct regular evaluations of the intern's internship or practicum performance Supervisor must be Licensed Mental Health Counselor who is employee of, or has contract with, district Requirements for Licensure as a Mental Health Counselor (262 CMR 2.00)
Substitute Teacher All grade levels and subjects, including special education and English learner education Temporary (≤ 90 days) Long-term (> 90 days)	Massachusetts has no minimum qualifications for substitutes covering fewer than 90 consecutive days in the same role; local district determines qualifications. After a substitute has served 90 days in a position, the district may assign a different substitute to the same position for 90 additional days. Long-term substitute teacher license requirements are the same as those applicable for a permanent teacher in the same position unless granted a hardship waiver. Substitute Teacher Definition	Massachusetts has no licensure qualifications for substitutes covering fewer than 90 consecutive days in the same role. All teachers, including long-term or permanent substitutes, must be licensed or pass required MTEL(s) within first year of employment. Charter School Regulations — Staff See 7.02: Definitions of temporary substitute teacher See Charter School Staff 1.06(4) Charter School Technical Advisory 20-1
Paraprofessionals, Aides, Instructional Assistants, etc.	Local district determines qualifications. There are no specific educator qualification requirements for educational support staff who are not lead core academic teachers. All educational support staff must receive direct supervision from a licensed teacher.	Local district determines qualifications. There are no specific educator qualification requirements for educational support staff who are not lead core academic teachers. All educational support staff must receive direct supervision from a qualified teacher.

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