Sheltered English Immersion Endorsements (SEI)

Background: English Language Learners (ELLs) are an important focus of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education's (BESE) Proficiency Gap Task Force. Closing the proficiency gap depends on teachers having the skills and knowledge necessary to instruct ELLs. Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) is an approach to teaching academic content in English to ELLs. Generally, but not always, ELLs are in the same classrooms as native English-speaking students. To better serve these students, core academic teachers, vocational teachers and those administrators who supervise and evaluate core academic teachers are required to obtain an SEI teacher or SEI administrator endorsement.

Who Must Hold the Endorsement?

As of July 1, 2014, educators applying for their first Initial license (specifically core academic teachers of ELLs and principals/assistant principals and supervisors/directors who supervise or evaluate such teachers) must obtain the SEI endorsement. See applicable licenses below:

Core Academic Teachers (early childhood, elementary, teachers of students with moderate and severe disabilities, English, reading, language arts, mathematics, science, civics and government, economics, history, and geography)
Academic Administrators (principal/assistant principal or supervisor/director only)
Vocational Educators beginning July 1, 2021, educators applying for their first Professional Vocational license or certain Initial Vocational Administrator licenses (specifically Vocational Principal/Assistant Principal and Vocational Supervisor/Director) must obtain the SEI endorsement.
- Vocational SEI Guidance Document

As of July 1, 2016, school districts must ensure that ELLs are assigned to core academic teachers who have obtained the SEI Endorsement, or are required to obtain the Endorsement within a year of the assignment.

Starting July 1, 2021, school districts must ensure that ELLs in Chapter 74 Vocational programs are assigned to teachers who have obtained the SEI Endorsement. If an ELL is assigned to a teacher without the endorsement, the teacher is required to obtain the endorsement within a year of assignment.

You may qualify for the SEI Teacher endorsement through one of the following pathways:

Enroll in and successfully complete a for-cost course sponsored by a DESE-approved vendor; or
Complete a Massachusetts-approved educator preparation program for the applicable license; or
Take and pass the SEI MTEL; or
Hold an ESL/ELL license in Massachusetts; or
Possess a Bachelor's degree in a DESE-approved major or DESE-approved graduate-level training. *If you believe that you may qualify for the Endorsement by virtue of having the appropriate degree or graduate level training, you may submit materials to the Office of Educator Licensure for review.

You may qualify for the SEI Administrator endorsement through one of the following pathways:

Possession of a Massachusetts SEI Teacher endorsement, or
Successful completion of a Department-approved course of study for administrators specific to SEI.

Is There Anything Else I Need to Do to Earn the Endorsement?

Yes. You must apply for the endorsement via the Educator Licensure And Renewal (ELAR) system. Log into your ELAR account and apply for the endorsement following the same steps used to apply for your license.
- ELAR: How Apply for the SEI Endorsement

Last Updated: June 4, 2021