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The Department has moved to 135 Santilli Highway in Everett. The Department's office and Licensure Welcome Center are open. The new location has free parking and is a short walk from the Wellington station on the MBTA's Orange Line.
Educator Effectiveness

Pre-Practicum Gateway Tasks

The Pre-Practicum Guidelines require that, beginning in the 2020-2021 school year, Sponsoring Organizations evaluate initial licensure teacher candidate performance in early field-based experiences (the "pre-practicum") by administering at least two licensure-specific performance tasks, or "gateways." Gateways provide SOs with an opportunity to 1) identify at-risk candidates and provide them with the necessary supports and guidance to improve or exit the program (The Candidate Criterion 4) and 2) monitor individual licensure programs to ensure that each is effective (Continuous Improvement Criterion 1).

Model Gateway Task Templates

The following pre-practicum gateway task templates represent model tasks aligned to the Professional Standards for Teachers that have been designed to be adaptable to any licensure area and are available for optional use by Sponsoring Organizations. Each task template includes instructions for adapting, administering, and scoring the task.

  • Adapting Instructional Materials: Candidates will adapt high-quality instructional materials to meet the needs of all learners.

  • Analyzing Student Data: Candidates will use a student data set to identify patterns, draw conclusions, and propose next steps for instruction that will improve learning for all students.

  • Addressing Student Misconceptions: Candidates will use content and pedagogical knowledge to analyze student work, identify a misconception, and describe an instructional strategy to address the misconception.

Mixed Reality Gateway Tasks

The following pre-practicum gateway tasks are designed to assess candidates' performance using mixed reality simulations. Each task is aligned to specific indicators from the Professional Standards for Teachers and content knowledge specific to a defined set of licensure fields. Both include instructions for administering and scoring the task and are available for optional use by Sponsoring Organizations.

Last Updated: September 28, 2021

 
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149

Voice: (781) 338-3000
TTY: (800) 439-2370

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