Alternative Licensure Pathways

On April 28, 2026, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board) approved a set of changes to the regulations for Educator Licensure and Preparation Program Approval (603 CMR 7.00). The regulatory changes created an alternative licensure pathway that allows an aspiring educator and/or existing educator, the ability to waive the Communication and Literacy Skills test required for licensure should they meet one of the four eligibility criteria.

To meet the Communication and Literacy Skills test requirement, applicants for licensure will have the option to pass Communication and Literacy Skills MTEL or an approved alternative assessment, or they can utilize this new pathway. The new pathway is applicable only for the Communication and Literacy Skills (C&L) test.

For information about approved alternative assessments to the MTEL, please see Alternative Assessments to the MTEL - Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL).

Demonstrating Communication and Literacy Skills

Path 1 — Approved licensure assessments

• Communication and Literacy Skills MTEL

• Approved alternative assessments to the C&L MTEL

Path 2 — Alternative licensure pathway

Waive the assessment requirement by meeting one of the following:

• Obtained certification equivalent to an initial or professional Massachusetts (MA) license in another state or territory in the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as approved by the department; or
• Obtained a master's degree or doctorate from an accredited institution; or
• Completed a MA approved preparation program; or
• Completed two years of full-time equivalent experience in a MA school district with a recommendation from a school or district leader .

Implementation:

Similar to applying for a license, a candidate will apply for the C&L waiver via their Educator Licensure and Renewal (ELAR) account. There is no cost to submit this application and pursue this pathway. When submitting the application in ELAR, the candidate will need to select which pathway applies to them (see 1–4 above for applicable pathways).

DESE will review the application to determine if the “waiver” can be granted. If so, the applicant will be considered to have satisfied the requirements of the C&L test, and this requirement will be considered for this application and any future applications where this test is required. Instructions for applications are available when you log into ELAR. Please see the following link to the licensure page for an FAQ on the new alternative pathway.

Last Updated: May 28, 2026