RETHINKING EQUITY AND TEACHING
FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
(RETELL)
What does it mean for us?
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY
AND SECONDARY EDUCATION (ESE)
RETELL ACTIVITIES
New Curriculum Standards and Assessment
 Endorsement and Licensure Requirements
 Professional Development
 Related Supports for Core Academic Teachers of
English Language Learners (ELLs) and
Administrators who Supervise or Evaluate these
Teachers

NEW CURRICULUM STANDARDS AND
ASSESSMENT
Massachusetts joined the WIDA (World Class
Teaching and Instructional Design) consortium of
27 states. This provides English Language
Development (ELD) standards to our public
schools and replaces ELPBO (English Language
Proficiency Benchmarks and Outcomes).
 ACCESS (Assessing Comprehension and
Communication in English State-to-State) for
ELLs is an assessment tool that replaces the
MEPA and MELA-O assessment for ELLs.
 WIDA ELD standards and ACCESS are aligned
to the Common Core State Standards.

ENDORSEMENT AND LICENSURE
REQUIREMENTS

SEI Endorsement

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education (ESE) regulations that go into
effect July 1, 2014 require that all applicants for an
initial teacher license in a core academic area or as a
principal/assistant principal or supervisor/director
meet requirements for Sheltered English Immersion
(SEI) Teacher and SEI Administrator Endorsement,
respectively. Core academic area teachers include
early childhood and elementary teachers, teachers of
students with moderate disabilities, teachers of
students with severe disabilities, and teachers of the
following academic subjects: English, reading and
language arts, mathematics, science, civics and
government, economics, history, and geography.
(603 CMR 7.02)
ENDORSEMENT AND LICENSURE
REQUIREMENTS (CONTINUED)

Statement for Students

If you are matriculated into one of our initial
licensure teacher preparation programs and plan to
apply for your educator license after July 1, 2014,
you must meet the new requirements for SEI
endorsement. To be eligible for endorsement, you must
successfully complete one of our two ESE-approved courses
as a part of your program of study for initial licensure. SEI
for Teachers is the course for undergraduate students and
SEI Teacher Endorsement (course numbers pending) is the
course for graduate students (who are matriculated into
one of our initial licensure programs). Please note
that each of these courses requires students to complete a
prepracticum or field-experience of 25 hours in a setting
that includes an English Language Learner (ELL).
ENDORSEMENT AND LICENSURE
REQUIREMENTS (CONTINUED)

As of July 1, 2016, prohibit assignment of a core
academic teacher to provide SEI unless the teacher
holds an SEI Teacher Endorsement or will obtain one
within one year. (603 CMR 7.15(9)(b) 1 and 603 CMR
14.07(3))


Require a school district that assigns an ELL to a core
academic teacher who has a year to obtain an endorsement to
take all reasonable steps to ensure that the same ELL student
is assigned in subsequent school years only to core academic
teachers who have earned the SEI endorsement. (603 CMR
14.07(3))
As of July 1, 2016, prohibit assignment of a
principal/assistant principal, or supervisor/director to
evaluate or supervise an SEI teacher, unless the
individual holds an SEI Administrator Endorsement
or SEI Teacher Endorsement or will obtain one within
one year. (603 CMR 7.15(9)(b)2)
ENDORSEMENT AND LICENSURE
REQUIREMENTS (CONTINUED)

Our to do list

Put our 3 ESE-approved courses through governance.
Undergraduate course – For Initial Teacher License in a
Core Academic Area
 Graduate courses – For Initial Teacher License in a Core
Academic Area and for Initial License as a
Principal/Assistant Principal or Supervisor/Director


Put our revised programs of study for initial
licensure (undergraduate and graduate) through
governance.
Early Childhood Education
 Elementary Education
 Middle School Education
 Special Education
 Secondary Education
 Technology Education (Optional)

ENDORSEMENT AND LICENSURE
REQUIREMENTS (CONTINUED)

What about inservice teachers?
Teachers of record enrolled in one of our initial licensure
programs are considered to be preservice and can take our SEI
course as a part of their program of study.
 We are not currently allowed to offer SEI courses to inservice
teachers.
 We have responded to a RFP to be able to offer SEI courses to
inservice teachers; however, the RFP needed revision on the
ESE’s part. We will need to resubmit.
 Should we be approved to offer SEI courses/endorsement to
inservice teachers, our instructors will have to have ESE
training to deliver the ESE SEI course, not our ESE-approved
SEI courses.


Beginning September 2013, deny advancement or renewal (including
extensions) of a core academic license if an educator fails to obtain
an SEI endorsement within the time period scheduled for the
educator’s cohort training, subject to a hardship exception.
(603 CMR 7.15(9)(b)3; 603 CMR 44.03(5); and 14.07(2)b.) (See
Appendix B for the hardship policy)
THE PRE-SERVICE PERFORMANCE
ASSESSMENT (PPA) FOR PRACTICUM
Several indicators have been revised or added to
address the needs of ELLs.
 How can we help our students meet these
standards?



See PPA and WIDA Supports for brief discussion of
the revised and new indicators.
How can we educate all of our University
Supervisors and Supervising Practitioners about
these indicators so they can then help our
students meet the standards?



Program Chair emails
University Supervisor trainings
Supervising Practitioner/Mentor trainings
OBSERVATION REPORT


The Observation Report is currently being
revised by the Standard 3 Committee to
incorporate most of the revised and new
standards on the PPA.
We expect to have a draft for your review and
approval at the March Unit meeting.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT


As of July 1, 2016, require all educators renewing a
professional educator license to earn at least 15
Professional Development Points (PDPs) related to SEI or
English as a Second Language and at least 15 PDPs
related to training in strategies for effective schooling for
students with disabilities and instruction of students with
diverse learning styles – on the theory that every educator
needs basic knowledge to work effectively with these
student populations. (603 CMR 44.06(2)) For example,
while a guidance counselor does not have to obtain the SEI
Endorsement, this new distribution of PDPs is required to
renew a professional license after 7/1/16.
RFPs are out which would allow us to offer PDPs in both of
the areas indentified above. We have completed the RFP to
become ESE pre-approved vendors to be able to respond to
RFPs that offer trainings in Special Education. We have
not responded to the RFP regarding ELL trainings yet.
SUPPORTS FOR CORE ACADEMIC
TEACHERS OF ELLS
AND

ADMINISTRATORS WHO SUPERVISE OR EVALUATE THEM
www.doe.mass.edu/retell
In the future, the Department may post samples of
curriculum exemplars that demonstrate how districts can
create/align their curriculum to WIDA ELD standards and
the newer Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
 Curriculum maps and model curriculum units developed by
the ESE and their district partners are designed to
incorporate effective instruction of ELLs.





www.wida.us
ESL teachers and directors of our partner schools
Our SEI instructors
Stay tuned…more to come! Thank you for your
patience with our SEI rollout. Please let us
know if you have any questions or concerns.