Educator Preparation in Massachusetts

The resources on this page are primarily for Massachusetts approved educator preparation programs.

If you are an individual hoping to become an educator in Massachusetts, visit our Careers in Massachusetts page.
If you are from an organization seeking to become an approved educator preparation program, visit our Informal Review toolkit.

Quick Links:

Ed Prep Frequently Asked Questions (For quick access to frequently asked questions and an extensive library of resources.)
Educator Preparation Review and Approval
Guidelines and Advisories
PST and CAP Guidelines and Implementation Support
Early Literacy in Educator Preparation
Other Educator Preparation Resources

DESE Educator Preparation Resources and Opportunities

We are excited to share upcoming opportunities to learn from and collaborate with the DESE team and your colleagues from other educator preparation programs. We will continue to update this list as opportunities become available. If you have additional questions about any of these opportunities, please contact educatorpreparation@mass.gov .

In addition to the opportunities below, our team will continue to communicate and collect feedback through our Monthly EE Newsletter and regular attendance at SCOPE, MACTE Board, and COMTEC meetings.

Updates to Guidelines or Foundational Resources

The Guidelines and resources below have recently been updated or will be updated in the near future. We will update this page regularly regarding the anticipated release of drafts, memos, or requests for feedback on these materials.

Guidelines/Resources	Anticipated Timeline
Guidelines for Pre-Practicum Experiences for Teacher Candidates The Pre-Practicum Guidelines have been updated to align with the 2023 Guidelines for Educator Preparation Program Approval and 2024 Guidelines for the Professional Standards for Teachers.	The updated Guidelines were released in December 2025. Organizations should fully implement the updated Guidelines by September 2027.
Revised Guidelines for Educator Preparation Program Approval Including Two New Addenda: Approved Professional Teacher Program Criteria Approved Endorsement Area Criteria We are updating our Guidelines for Educator Preparation Program Approval to include: An updated formal review calendar with timelines differentiated based on organization size Clarification regarding the relationship between program-level and organization-level approval designations An updated policy related to virtual course delivery setting limits on the proportion of asynchronous course delivery across a program Updated expectations for approved Professional Teacher programs and approved Endorsement programs. New Professional Teacher programs will not be accepted for review in the current Informal Review window. We anticipate beginning to accept Professional Teacher programs for approval in early 2027.	Spring-Summer 2026: We are reviewing the public comment we received earlier in the Spring and working to finalize the updates to the Guidelines. We anticipate final Guidelines being released by the end of the summer.

Guidelines/Resources

Anticipated Timeline

Guidelines for Pre-Practicum Experiences for Teacher Candidates
The Pre-Practicum Guidelines have been updated to align with the 2023 Guidelines for Educator Preparation Program Approval and 2024 Guidelines for the Professional Standards for Teachers.

The updated Guidelines were released in December 2025.

Organizations should fully implement the updated Guidelines by September 2027.

Revised Guidelines for Educator Preparation Program Approval

Including Two New Addenda:

Approved Professional Teacher Program Criteria
Approved Endorsement Area Criteria

We are updating our Guidelines for Educator Preparation Program Approval to include:

An updated formal review calendar with timelines differentiated based on organization size
Clarification regarding the relationship between program-level and organization-level approval designations
An updated policy related to virtual course delivery setting limits on the proportion of asynchronous course delivery across a program
Updated expectations for approved Professional Teacher programs and approved Endorsement programs.

**New Professional Teacher programs will not be accepted for review in the current Informal Review window. We anticipate beginning to accept Professional Teacher programs for approval in early 2027.**

Spring-Summer 2026: We are reviewing the public comment we received earlier in the Spring and working to finalize the updates to the Guidelines. We anticipate final Guidelines being released by the end of the summer.

Last Updated: June 15, 2026