If you’ve talked with a colleague about her experience taking the English as a Second Language (ESL) MTEL, you may not be aware that the test was recently revised. The newest version of the MTEL contains the following sections:

Multiple Choice (100 Questions)

• Foundations of Second Language Instruction
• Second Language and Content Learning

Open Response (2 Questions)

• Integration of Knowledge and Understanding

Pearson offers many resources to help you prepare for the test. Check out the links below to get a better sense of what you can expect when taking the ESL MTEL. 

Overview of Test and Objectives

Practice ESL MTEL

WIDA standards

 

 

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recently redesigned their Educator Licensure homepage. The new site features a number of useful links for current educators, or for anyone interested in earning a teaching license in Massachusetts.

One particularly useful link is the Licensure Requirements Tool.  Through this tool, you can learn what is required to earn any license, in any field, at any grade level — this includes adding a new license if you already have one (or two).

You can also click through the links to their Most Requested pages, listed on the left hand side of the Licensure homepage. Current links include Sheltered English Immersion Endorsements,  Advancing, Extending, or Renewing a License, and guidelines for Out-of-State-Applicants.

As you explore the new site, use the feedback links at the bottom of each page to make suggestions for improvement. If you still have questions about licensure in Massachusetts, CES would love to help. Email licensure@collaborative.org and we will respond to you as quickly as possible.

Candidates in the CES Licensure program come from all across the state and their diverse backgrounds bring a world of experiences to our courses. At a single course meeting, we can find a journalist turned ELL teacher, a Special Needs teacher with 20 years in the classroom, a social studies teacher, a number of elementary school teachers with one to sixteen years of experience, a math coach, and an ELA/Math Intervention teacher.

Each class becomes a heterogeneous assembly of learners, with a multitude of perspectives.  Candidates share their knowledge, experiences, goals and aspirations with each other, enriching everyone’s learning.  This diversity makes CES classes unique, relevant, and highly valuable regardless of your background.  Come and try out one of our courses, and see what we are talking about!

Registration for Fall courses is open. Courses can be taken for PDPs or for graduate credit through Fitchburg State University, and up to two courses can be credited toward future enrollment in a licensure program.

 

What is a Pre-­Practicum?

The pre­-practicum is a focused field­-based experience that addresses the Professional Standards for Teachers associated with educator preparation. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requires approved Educator Preparation programs to ensure that candidates for the Initial License complete field­-based experiences in a variety of settings, where they are able to observe diverse learners, in diverse settings, using different instructional models and within different grade levels relevant to the license being sought.

What are the requirements for the Pre­-Practicum?

All Initial licensure courses include at least one field­-based experience assignment that meets pre-­practicum requirements for the course. The course syllabus includes a detailed description of requirements for the assignment for the course.

Each pre­-practicum assignment requires spending 1-2 hours engaged in field-­based activities that are aligned with the MA DESE Professional Standards for Teachers (PST). Actual activity varies by course, and could include, but is not limited to: classroom  observation, teacher interview, one­-on­-one supervised session with a student, or observation of a school­-community event.

Visit our Pre-Practicum FAQ page to learn more.

When we look outside at our thermometers to see only single digits, it’s hard to imagine that summer will ever arrive!  But it will be here before we know it. How do I know this?  Because the Licensure Summer 2015 courses are open for registration on our website!

Whether you are working towards your Initial license or an Additional License, taking courses for graduate credit or PDPs, these courses will help you meet your professional goals.

Register online today!

For some tips for registering, see our recent blog post, Five Tips for Spring 2015 Course Registration.  Note that the registration deadline for Summer 2015 courses is May 7.  After that date, late fees apply.