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Section:
Most Recently amended by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education: May 20, 2025
Administrator Performance Assessment: The assessment required for the Initial Career Technical Education Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent and the Initial Career Technical Education Principal/Assistant Principal licenses pursuant to 603 CMR 4.08.
Bilingual Education: An educational program that involves teaching academic content in two languages, English and another language. Program types determine the varying amounts of each language used in instruction. Bilingual education programs include dual language education or two-way immersion and transitional bilingual education programs, as defined in M.G.L. c. 71A, § 2, and any other bilingual program types that may be approved by the Department.
Board: The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Career Technical Education: For purposes of Sheltered English Immersion, career technical education shall include programs approved under M.G.L. c. 74; programs that meet the definition of career and technical education listed in the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006, 20 U.S.C. § 2302(5), as amended by the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act and its implementing regulations; and any other programs that may be designated by the Commissioner.
Career Technical Education Framework: Framework approved by the Commissioner, consisting of six strands representing all aspects of the industry that students in the career technical education program are preparing to enter.
Career Technical Education Teacher: For purposes of Sheltered English Immersion, a teacher of a career technical education subject in career technical education at the secondary level.
Career Technical Literacy Skills Test: The test of communication and literacy skills required pursuant to 603 CMR 4.07(2), 4.08(6) and 4.09(2) and (3) and 4.13(4) and approved by the Board.
Career Technical Subjects: For purposes of Sheltered English Immersion, such subjects shall include automotive technology, carpentry, culinary arts, engineering, exploratory, masonry, information technology, and any other subjects listed by the Department in guidance.
Certificate of Occupational Proficiency: The Certificate issued pursuant to M.G.L. c. 69, § 1D (iii). The Certificate of Occupational Proficiency shall include a determination that the recipient has demonstrated mastery of a core set of skills, competencies and knowledge in a particular trade or professional skill area set by established industry standards.
Commissioner: The Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education or their designee.
Communication and Literacy Skills Test: The test of communication and literacy skills required pursuant to 603 CMR 7.00: Educator Licensure and Preparation Program Approval and 603 CMR 4.08 and approved by the Board.
Cooperative Education: A career technical education program for students enrolled in programs approved pursuant to M.G.L. c. 74 that alternates study in school with a work-based learning opportunity in a related occupational field.
Department: The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
District of residence: The school district of the city or town where a student resides.
Inactive Career Technical Education Educator License: A professional career technical education educator license that is not renewed within the five-year validity period. A license that is not renewed is deemed inactive for five years.
Individual Professional Development Plan: A five-year plan developed by an educator that outlines the professional development activities for the renewal of the career technical education educator's professional license(s).
Induction Program: A planned program of professional support with a trained mentor for beginning educators during their first year of employment with a new license provided by the school district and approved by the Department.
Initial Career Technical Educator License: A career technical education educator license issued to a person who has met the requirements established by the Board for an Initial Career Technical Administrator or Cooperative Education Coordinator license. The Initial license is valid for five years of employment.
Internship: A planned program providing the candidate for the Initial Career Technical Education Supervisor/Director license and the Initial Career Technical Cooperative Education Coordinator license with on the job training with a trained mentor in the role of the license sought.
Invalid Career Technical Education Educator License: A professional career technical education educator license that is not renewed within the five-year validity period and that is not renewed within the five-year inactive period.
Mentor: An educator who has at least three full years of experience under an Initial or Professional license under 603 CMR 4.00 or 7.00: Educator Licensure and Preparation Program Approval and who has been trained to assist a beginning educator in the same professional role with their professional responsibilities and general school district procedures. In addition, a mentor may assist an experienced educator who is new to a school, subject area, or grade level. A mentor may also assist an educator who is participating in a performance assessment or a district-based program for licensure.
National Occupational Program Approval Standards: Those standards established by an organization that is nationally recognized by a specific industry or industry cluster, and that is involved in the accreditation, approval and/or certification of career technical education programs.
Non-resident student: A student who has been, or seeks to be, admitted to a state-designated program outside of their district of residence.
Occupational Clusters: A group of career technical education programs that share certain common skills.
Pilot Career Technical Education Program: A program approved by the Commissioner for the purpose of determining the feasibility of establishing a new career technical education program under M.G.L. c. 74.
Postgraduate Students: Adults who enroll in the technical education portion of a secondary state-designated career technical education program.
Postsecondary Program: A career technical education program at the grade 13 and/or grade 14 level.
Preliminary Career Technical Education Teacher License: A Career Technical Education Educator license issued to a person who has met the requirements established by the Board for the Preliminary Career Technical Education Teacher license. The Preliminary Career Technical Education Teacher license is valid for five years of employment and may be extended at the discretion of the Commissioner for one additional five-year employment period.
Professional Career Technical Education Educator License: A Career Technical Education Educator license issued to a person who has met the requirements established by the Board for a Professional Career Technical Education Teacher, Administrator or Cooperative Education Coordinator license. The Professional Career Technical Education Educator license is valid for five years and renewable for additional five-year terms pursuant to 603 CMR 4.12.
Professional Development Point (PDP): A unit of measurement of professional development activities. One clock hour of new employment experience is equivalent to one PDP. One semester hour is equivalent to 15 PDPs. One continuing education unit is equivalent to 10 PDPs. Professional development activities sponsored or approved by the Department and advanced academic and career technical education subject matter studies will receive 1.5 PDPs per clock hour. Refer to 603 CMR 4.12(8).
Receiving school: The school in which a nonresident seeks to enroll or enrolls.
Related Instruction: Instruction that introduces, explains and amplifies the conceptual and theoretical foundations of the knowledge and skills in the Career Technical Education Frameworks and the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
School Committee: A school committee or board of trustees of a school district or agricultural school or a board of trustees of an educational collaborative.
Scope: Curricular scope refers to the depth and breadth of skills and content addressed in that curriculum in total.
Sequence: Curricular sequence refers to the order in which the skills and content addressed in a program's curriculum are taught.
Sheltered English Immersion (SEI): Shall have the meaning set forth in M.G.L. c. 71A, § 2.
State-Designated Career Technical Education Educator: A person employed in a school or school district under a Career Technical Education Educator license issued pursuant to 603 CMR 4.00.
State-Designated Career Technical Education Program: A program approved by the Commissioner pursuant to M.G.L. c.74 that provides instruction based on the Career Technical Education Frameworks and the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
State-Designated Exploratory Program: A program approved by the Commissioner that provides students an opportunity to explore career technical education programs.
Waitlist: A list of students who have completed the admissions application process to a school offering programs approved pursuant to M.G.L. c. 74 and are not selected for admission. A completed application means the student has submitted an application to the career technical education school or program, and the career technical education school or program has received the information it requires that is available.
Weighted lottery system: a lottery for admission to a career technical education school or program in which all students are entered, and students who meet additional permitted criteria are given one additional weight per criterion. A student with a weight of two has twice the chance of being selected in the lottery as a student with a weight of one.
Written and Performance Tests for Prospective Career Technical Education Teachers: Tests in the subject matter the candidate for a career technical education teacher license will teach based on the applicable Career Technical Education Framework and the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
Disclaimer:For an official copy of these regulations, please contact the State House Bookstore, at 617-727-2834 or visit Massachusetts State Bookstore .
Last Updated: June 13, 2025