Section:
Adopted by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education: June 23, 2026 Effective date of these regulations: September 1, 2027
603 CMR 57.00 establishes standards for the provision of interpretation and translation services to parents and legal guardians with limited English proficiency of all public school students.
Advanced Education Interpreter. An individual who satisfies the requirements set out in 603 CMR 57.03 (2) and facilitates communication between school staff and parents and legal guardians with limited English proficiency on matters relating to special education and other specialized meetings such as meetings for safety plans, meetings for English Learner Education program placement, due process or student discipline hearings, meetings addressing bullying complaints, and meetings addressing the use of physical restraint or seclusion.
Board. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Commissioner. The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Department. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Education Interpreter. An individual who satisfies the requirements set out in 603 CMR 57.03 (1) and facilitates communication in matters not requiring an Advanced Education Interpreter between school staff and parents and legal guardians with limited English proficiency.
Interpretation. The accurate conversion of spoken or signed language from one language to another language.
Parents and legal guardians with limited English proficiency. Parents and legal guardians of public school students who primarily communicate in a language other than English and have a limited ability to read, speak, write or understand English.
Public school student. A student who is enrolled in a Massachusetts public school, including a career technical education school, charter school, collaborative education program, recovery high school, virtual school, or the day school of a special education school approved under 603 CMR 28.09: Approval of Public or Private Day and Residential Special Education School Programs.
School Translator. An individual who facilitates written communication between school staff and parents and legal guardians with limited English proficiency and who satisfies the requirements set out in 603 CMR 57.04.
Translation. The accurate conversion of written text from one language into another language.
(1) Education Interpreters shall successfully complete either (a) a training course approved by the Department regarding the provision of interpretation services in an educational setting, or (b) other measure approved by the Department. The course or other measure must include information relating to knowledge of specialized terms and concepts used in schools, the role of an interpreter in school settings, ethics and the need to maintain confidentiality. To be eligible for the course or other measure approved by the Department, an applicant must demonstrate proficiency in English and another language, as determined by the Department.
(2) Advanced Education Interpreters shall successfully complete either (a) a training course approved by the Department for Advanced Education Interpreters regarding the provision of interpretation services in a specialized educational setting, or (b) other measure approved by the Department. The course or other measure must include information relating to knowledge of specialized terms and concepts used in schools and specialized terms and concepts related to special education, safety plans, English Learner Education plans, discipline, bullying, and physical restraint or seclusion. The course or other measure must also include information on the role of an interpreter in school settings, ethics and the need to maintain confidentiality. To be eligible for the course or other measure, an applicant must demonstrate proficiency in English and another language, as determined by the Department.
(3) An individual whose primary job responsibilities have included serving as an interpreter in a school district for at least two years prior to September 1, 2027, may meet the requirements for an Education Interpreter by providing a letter of endorsement from the school’s superintendent or executive director certifying the applicant’s demonstrated proficiency in English and another language.
(4) An individual who has been employed as an interpreter in a school district prior to September 1, 2027 and whose primary job responsibility has been to provide interpretation in special settings, including interpretation services for Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team meetings or other meetings relating to special education; meetings for safety plans; meetings for English Learner Education program placement; due process or student discipline hearings; meetings addressing bullying complaints; or meetings addressing the use of physical restraint or seclusion, may meet the requirements for an Advanced Education Interpreter by providing a letter of endorsement from the school’s superintendent or executive director certifying the applicant’s demonstrated knowledge of specialized terms and concepts and proficiency in English and another language.
(5) The Department may develop alternative pathways that allow interpreters who have been trained and qualified in non-school settings to satisfy the training requirements for becoming an Education Interpreter or Advanced Education Interpreter.
(1) A School Translator shall:
Demonstrate written proficiency in English and at least one other language, including knowledge of specialized terms and concepts used in schools, through a formal assessment approved by the Department.
Demonstrate an understanding of the ethics of translation in an educational setting, and the need to maintain confidentiality through successful completion of a training course or other measure approved by the Department.
Successfully complete an assessment regarding the provision of translation services in an educational setting, or other measure approved by the Department. The assessment or other measure must include information relating to knowledge of specialized terms and concepts used in schools, the role of a translator in school settings, ethics and the need to maintain confidentiality.
(2) An individual whose primary job responsibility has been to serve as a translator in a school district for at least one year prior to September 1, 2027, may meet the requirements for a School Translator by providing a letter of endorsement from the school’s superintendent or executive director certifying the applicant’s demonstrated written proficiency in English and another language.
(1) Education Interpreters or Advanced Education Interpreters provide interpretation services for communications between school staff and parents and legal guardians with limited English proficiency related to matters that do not require a specialized vocabulary, including but not limited to spontaneous conversations, and discussions at parent/teacher conferences and open houses.
(2) Advanced Education Interpreters provide interpretation services for scheduled meetings including but not limited to Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team meetings or other meetings relating to special education; meetings for safety plans; meetings for English Learner Education program placement; due process or student discipline hearings; meetings addressing bullying complaints; or meetings addressing the use of physical restraint or seclusion.
(3) Machine translation may be used to translate a document so long as the translation is reviewed and edited as needed by a School Translator before the document is provided to a parent or legal guardian with limited English proficiency. Multilingual communication applications or tools that support translated communication between parents or legal guardians and school staff may be used without review and editing by a School Translator for informational notifications that do not include any specialized terminology.
(1) Implementation: The effective date of these regulations shall be September 1, 2027.
(2) Waiver: A public school, by its superintendent or executive director, may make a written request to the Commissioner for a waiver of any requirement in 603 CMR 57.00 based on good cause. No such waiver shall be effective until approved by the Commissioner. Waivers shall be effective for no longer than one school year. All waiver requests shall be:
(a) Submitted in a manner and form prescribed by the Department;
(b) Specify the provisions of 603 CMR 57.00 to be waived, the duration of the waiver (not to exceed one year), the circumstances to which the waiver applies, and the specific reason that a waiver is sought; and
(c) Be accompanied by supporting documentation to support the need for relief.
(3) Severability: If any section or portion of a section of 603 CMR 57.00, or the applicability of 603 CMR 57.00 to any person, entity or circumstance is held invalid by a court, the remainder of 603 CMR 57.00 or the applicability of such provisions to other persons, entities or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.
M.G.L. c. 69, § 1B
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: July 17, 2026