Program Approval Guidelines Updates

The Massachusetts Guidelines for Educator Preparation Program Approval detail expectations for preparation providers in the Commonwealth. The guidelines include requirements for expected outcomes of training new educators as well as the process providers go through to demonstrate their capacity and sustainability in preparing individuals in alignment with those expectations.

After a transformative and effective overhaul of this accountability system in 2012 that all providers have now gone through, DESE will further deepen and evolve these expectations and procedures in the coming years. Read more in the below memos:

• June 2021 memo: Shifts and timelines for updates
• December 2021 memo: Preliminary decisions and stakeholder engagement for this process
• June 2022 memo: Review timelines and initial revisions to the Guidelines
• November 2022 memo: Key Updates and Summer 2022 Public Comment Feedback

DESE also provided an update on the progress towards the revisions at the MACTE Convening on December 8, 2022.

During the 2022-2023 academic year, DESE will be partnering with the Principal and Teacher Advisory Cabinet, Educational Personnel Advisory Council, and Ed Prep Advisory Group to collect feedback to inform the program approval revisions.

Information about the agenda for each Ed Prep Advisory Group session will be posted below following each meeting:

• November 1, 2022
• December 6, 2022
• February 7, 2023
• March 7, 2023
• April 4, 2023

The anticipated academic year for each Sponsoring Organization's next review can be found in this Anticipated Review Timelines document.

Guidelines for Program Approval Rollout Plan

• Late January/early February 2023: Guidelines will be released for Public Comment. These Guidelines will contain all high-level updates, including revised program approval criteria and an overview of the revised formal review process.
• February – March 2023: DESE will host in-person and virtual Roundtables for Educator Preparation personnel, families, and students to encourage and facilitate robust public comment on the Guidelines.
• April 2023 – May 2023: DESE will host domain-specific Information Sessions for Educator Preparation personnel from all Sponsoring Organizations to present and clarify the expectations of each criterion and provide a high-level overview of evidence collection.
• Late Summer/Early Fall 2023: DESE will host a Bootcamp for Cohort A Sponsoring Organizations. Cohort A will receive more detailed information about the review process, key dates and timelines, and types of evidence that will be collected for each criterion.

Please reach out to EducatorPreparation@mass.gov with any questions.

Last Updated: January 23, 2023