Office of Educator Licensure

Extensions for "Old" Emergency Licenses

On December 16, 2022, the Department announced that Commissioner Riley was extending the validity of some "old" Emergency licenses through June 30, 2024. Applications to extend these "old" Emergency licenses requires modifications to ELAR and we are pleased to announce that the applications to extend "old" Emergency licenses will be available for most applications on Monday, March 20, 2023.

As of Monday, March 20th individuals with an "old" Emergency license (one that was originally issued between June 2020 and December 12, 2021) can apply for an extension of their "old" Emergency license and when granted (see requirements below) will be valid to June 30, 2024. The application fee is $25.00 per field and grade level. Note: If you are interested in applying for an extension or a second extension for an "old" Special Education Emergency license or an "old" ESL Emergency license, please read the "Important note" section of this announcement since you will be unable to do so in ELAR and will have to submit a hardcopy/paper application .

Requirements to earn a first extension to an "Old" Emergency (except SPED/ESL):

To qualify for an extension, an individual must have demonstrated progress towards obtaining a license since earning the "old" emergency license. An example of an academic teacher demonstrating progress for their first extension would be:

Since obtaining the Emergency license, the educator must confirm participation in an induction program provided by their school district, see Participation in Induction Program Form and verify completion of one of the following:

• Attempted or passed the C&L test
• Attempted or passed a required content test
• Enrolling in an approved preparation program
• Having completed coursework within an approved preparation program

For clarity on the meaning of "since obtaining the emergency license", please see the following examples:

1. Akeno obtained an Emergency license on July 25, 2020, in Early Childhood. He passed the Communication & Literacy Skills test on June 30, 2020. Although Akeno has passed a test that is required to obtain an Early Childhood license, since the Communication & Literacy Skills test was passed prior to when he obtained the Emergency license, that test will not be accepted as progress towards obtaining an extension.

2. Martina obtained an Emergency license on August 1, 2020, in Chemistry. She passes the Chemistry MTEL test on September 23, 2022. Since Martina passed the Chemistry MTEL test after she obtained the Emergency license, that can be counted towards making progress towards an Emergency Extension.

Important note for those with an "old" Emergency license in special education or English as a Second Language (ESL). To have these licenses extended to June 30, 2023, individuals had to apply for their first extension and demonstrate subject matter knowledge in their respective field. As a result, ELAR is unfortunately unable to accommodate an application for a second extension.

Individuals will need to mail a paper application to the Department along with documentation to support the award of the second extension of their Emergency license. Please note that the requirements to obtain a second extension are the same as the extension process for non-special education and ESL teachers to obtain an extension to June 30, 2024 (see the above section on "Requirements to earn a first extension to an "Old" emergency (except SPED/ESL)."

There is no deadline to apply for or qualify for an extension, however, "old" Emergency licenses that are not extended will expire on June 30, 2023.

If an educator with an "old" Emergency license is unable to meet the requirements to obtain an Emergency license extension, the district can pursue a Hardship Waiver in order to employ that educator in the 2023-24 school year. School districts can begin applying for a Hardship Waiver for 2023-24 through ELAR as early as April 1, 2023. In addition to applying for the waiver, the district must submit evidence of having advertised the position, submit a list of all appropriately licensed candidates that applied for the job, and state the reasons they are not qualified and reasons the candidate is qualified.

Additional Questions. If you have any additional questions about the extension of Emergency licenses, please contact the Licensure Call Center at 781-338-6600. The Call Center is open each business day from 9am–1pm and 2pm–5pm.