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Student Assessment
In accordance with DESE's Educational Vision, the 2024 Professional Standards for Teachers (PSTs) and 2024 Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) define and evaluate effective teaching practices for teacher candidates in Massachusetts.
Both the PSTs and CAP are aligned with the Standards of Effective Practice for PK–12 educators so that beginning teachers are well-prepared with the knowledge and skills needed to serve all of their students, particularly those from systemically marginalized groups and communities.
Together, they reflect a critical shift in focus towards the evidence-based, culturally and linguistically sustaining practices necessary to support all students to attain academic knowledge and skills, understand and value themselves and others, and engage with the world.
All Initial Teacher preparation programs are expected to fully implement the 2024 PST Guidelines and 2024 CAP Guidelines beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year. We look forward to continuing to partner with you in support of this work.
June 2024 Memo: Updated Standards of Effective Practice, PST Guidelines, and CAP Guidelines
The PSTs define the pedagogical knowledge and skills required of all teachers as they
2024 Guidelines for the Professional Standards for Teachers
2024 PST Matrix
CAP is a performance assessment designed to evaluate a set of seven essential PSTs (Essential Elements) that novice teachers must demonstrate in order to be ready to well-serve students. Successful completion of CAP is required to complete all Initial Teacher preparation programs.
2024 Guidelines for the Candidate Assessment of Performance
Introduction Videos
Information Session — SO Personnel and Program Supervisors
Information Session — Supervising Practitioners and PK–12 Partners
Information Session — Ed Prep Faculty and Department Heads
Family Engagement — Facilitated by National Center for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE)
Delivering High-Quality Feedback — Facilitated by Jeff Pera (DESE)
Adjusting Coursework to the PSTs and CAP — Facilitated by Rachel Theodorou (Brandeis University)
Gathering and Applying Evidence for CAP - Facilitated by Carmelo Chiello (UMass Amherst)
Please reach out to EducatorPreparation@mass.gov with any questions.
During the 2023-2024 school year, DESE gathered survey feedback from over 200 representatives from educator preparation programs and PK–12 districts across Massachusetts. DESE also convened a working group of educator preparation program leaders and faculty, program supervisors, supervising practitioners, recent completers, and other PK–12 representatives to inform the updates to these Guidelines. Each member of the working group was selected for their commitment to anti-racist teaching practices as well as their recent, nuanced, and varied experiences with the Candidate Assessment of Performance.
DESE used this input from the field alongside the research base showing the importance and developmental trajectory of specific evidence-based skills that foster culturally and linguistically sustaining practices in beginning teachers to inform updates to these Guidelines. Updates were also informed by research on the predictive validity of CAP1, as well as ongoing research on teacher quality and impact in Massachusetts2.
Revisions to the Guidelines were directly informed by updates to the Standards of Effective Practice, which reflect input from educators, students, and families across Massachusetts on anti-racist, inclusive, and equitable practices. The Essential Elements remain aligned with the core language and expectations described in the Standards of Effective Practice and articulated in the PST Guidelines.
2023-2024 PST/CAP Working Group Members:
1 Chen, B., Cowan, J., Goldhaber, D., & Theobald, R. (2023). Assessing the Predictive Validity of the Massachusetts Candidate Assessment of Performance. Educational Policy, 0(0).
2 See the Continuous Improvement page on DESE's Educator Preparation website for additional information.
Last Updated: August 13, 2025