Tag: Teaching License

I looked into education programs to go from a Preliminary to an Initial license. These programs are not trivial! They are full blown programs that may take you anywhere from 2 to 3 years to complete. The Mass Dept of Education website has this list of recognized programs in Massachusetts: Programs Directory.

I contacted a few of them, and most of them said their enrollment was already closed for 2010-2011. Too bad.

That’s when I started looking for online programs: going at my own pace, better chance of rolling enrollment, etc.

Most of these online programs are based out of state, but they can be verified and recognized by the Massachusetts DOE as long as the program is accredited by one of these organizations:
Accredited Organizations

Besides being accredited by the organizations, the institution of your choice must also be in a state that enjoys reciprocity with Massachusetts. Here is the form that needs to be filled out. Look at the last page to see the state and certification type that has reciprocity: Reciprocity Form

To find an online program, go to eLearner. On the right-hand side, use the dropdowns to select the following options:

1. Certificate Programs
2. Education and Training
3. General Education

That will take you to programs that MAY have an Initial license certification program. Make sure to read through the descriptions and contact the universities directly to find out for sure!

I contacted a couple of them, and I have phone calls pending to find out more about the tuition, pace, etc.

• Saint Joseph’s University – OATCERT Program (Pennsylvania)
  Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education
• Western Governors University – Teacher Certification (Utah)
  Accredited by NCATE.org

I actually liked what I read about Western Governors University. You pay by the semester (less than $3,000), which means that you can cram as many classes as you possibly can in one semester. The faster you finish, the more you save. That idea was really appealing to me.

I asked them more about it. They said you have to sign up for a minimum of 12 credits. If you still have time left in the semester after you are done with those, you can add more onto your load mid-semester without paying more.

Hope this helps!

ina

I got my MTEL scores on Friday. The unofficial score reporting website says the scores are available starting at 5pm, but they were ready during the day.

The website and the email will tell you exactly the same information, so don’t expect one to be more detailed than the other.

It will just tell you whether you passed or not, pretty much. The minimum passing score is a curved 240 out of 300.

I think the reason they don’t give scores beyond 240 is so that employers don’t use them as SAT scores. After all, a better teacher is not necessarily the one that got the better score.

While I agree with that reasoning 100%, it sort of killed my competitive spirit to not know my ACTUAL score.

You do get more detailed explanation of your performance in the official scores in the mail. In summary, apparently my summarizing skills suck! But the MTEL graders agree that I kick ass at writing quick short essays. Nice 🙂

Good luck with your scores!

ina

Today I took the Communications and Literacy Reading and Writing tests. When I signed up for both tests, I selected Reading in the morning and Writing in the afternoon, so I was expecting to be at the test site for 8 hours or more. To be super prepared and not have to scramble in the morning, I planned on getting up at 6am to get to the site between 7 and 7:15am. That would give me 30 min of sitting around reading up and reviewing some stuff before the test (for which we were supposed to report to the site at 7:45am). So I packed my bag last night. This is what I took with me:

• My wallet (made sure to have 2 forms of ID)
• 2 Number 2 pencils
• Pencil sharpener (bought one on Friday — didn’t know they still even sold these)
• 2 mechanical pencils with refills (I brought these for the essay portions, so I wouldn’t have to worry about sharpening)
• An eraser
• My phone
• My MP3 player (to listen to it in the break between the morning and the afternoon tests)
• My printed admission ticket
• My MTEL book and notebook

Then the day came. Woke up, had a quick breakfast (wheat toast with strawberry jelly and a banana with orange juice) while I listened to Taylor Swift’s new songs from the Platinum Fearless album (don’t judge!), made myself a turkey sandwich for lunch and put some crackers in a zip lock bag, then brushed my teeth, put lotion on my body and face, got dressed and was in the car to leave at 6:40am.

Turns out that they were serious when they said there was limited parking. I ended up parking in a Resident Permit Only – Violators will be towed spot. My nerves about the test dissolved as soon as I decided to turn a blind eye to my illegal parking situation. I spent the entire time worried about coming back to an empty, albeit snowy, spot. (Don’t worry, it was OK in the end — I didn’t even get a ticket!).

There was a line all the way out from the school entrance. I did not think there were going to be a million people there! I thought I would have time to read!

While we waited in line (which moved pretty quickly), I tried to make a new friend… but the girl next to me would just answer questions, didn’t ask any back. I was a bit overly friendly, so maybe I just freaked her out a little bit. Especially when I asked her which school she went to, and then told her which school I went to, and then said “I just wanted to see if you were nearby…” — yeah, kinda weird. I stopped talking at that point.

Inside, it was chaos. People getting signed in, and giving up their cellphones. Yup, they took our cellphones away at the door. The lady behind the cellphone table was a bit rough, but I just stayed quiet not to anger her.

I went up to the room and sat at the wrong desk. Yes, the desks are assigned. The proctor signed me in, checked my 2 forms of ID, and even made me put my thumb print on the test answer sheets before I realized the answer sheets had the wrong name on them. Way to be thorough! The lady even called me Elizabeth once, and I corrected her… and that still didn’t raise any concerns for her. I won’t say more about her, though, she was extremely nice, and if I ever see her on the street I’ll give her a big hug 🙂 If I pass the test, that is.

As soon as you are in the room, you can’t walk out again or open a book. So I really should have sat outside with my book for the remaining 40 minutes before the test actually began (which was 8:30am… I didn’t find this out until that moment). So I just sat there waiting patiently for the test to begin.

On a side note, they were also not kidding when they said “dress in layers.” Even though it was 30 degrees outside, the room was SO hot I had to take off my turtleneck shirt and ended up taking most of the test in a wife beater. So yes, dress in layers: assume it’s going to be AWFULLY hot, and assume it might be BRUTALLY cold.

I got the test booklets for both tests at once (Reading and Writing), which I thought was strange. The proctor read the instructions and asked if there were any questions. I asked her if there was going to be a break in between the tests for those of us who were going to be there for 8 hours. She seemed confused and said that we only had 4 hours, and we’d have to come back in the afternoon for the second test. (???) Another guy who understood my concern said that we actually had 4 hours to finish BOTH tests. This surprised me, but didn’t really worry me. The practice tests were so short that I laughed at the thought that I’d have to spend 4 hours on them.

The test began. I raced through the Reading section. It wasn’t bad at all. Mostly it asked you to read a passage and to answer:

• Based on the passage, what does the underlined word most likely mean?
• What is the main idea of the passage
• What is the author’s opinion
• Which paragraph contains most information to support the author’s main idea

It really wasn’t that bad. I finished in one hour!!! Then took a little break and continued onto the Writing section.

Most of the test was multiple choice on correcting sentences. Some typical questions were:

• Which part contains an apostrophe error
• Which part contains a capitalization error
• Which part could be reordered for the paragraph to make more sense
• Which part contains a sentence structure error

That was actually kind of fun. I read the questions first and then went searching for the mistakes.

The part I didn’t like so much was the one where you have to rewrite a sentence to replace one that has mistakes.

Then came summarizing a passage. I could have done better, but I really went a little long. I wrote exactly 150 words (the instruction said 100-150). Oh well.

Then came the essay. The one we got was to argue one side of the argument of whether teachers should get a bonus if their students perform better on standardized tests. I’m sure everyone got a different topic, but I had fun with this one. I can write long essays in no time: I’ve had a lot of practice with 30-min BS essay writing during the MBA.

I was done with the Writing section in 2.5 hours. I left the test site at 12 noon (30 min before time was up).

I feel really good about it. I hope this helped you prepare for your own experience in this test.

I’ll leave you with one thing that was hanging up in the classroom, and made me smile the entire time. I just kept thinking to myself “Is that why they call it mooning?” LOL 🙂

ina

I’m on my way to the MTEL. I’m starting to get a little nervous about the test, but I know it will be OK. I studied during my commute all this week, but never took a practice test. Just didn’t have time.

Last night my husband and I had a pizza night with our next door neighbors (let’s call them Fred and Ethel), so I got to pick both their teacher brains about teaching. They reassured me that I will not have any free time when I change careers, contrary to popular belief. Also, that the test is going to be a breeze. Cross my fingers!

So far the hardest thing has been finding parking!!!

Ok, here goes nothing…

ina

I started doing vocab drills this past weekend. The test is this coming Saturday, and I’m still not worried (should I be?). The verbal section does not appear to be any harder than the GMAT verbal section, which I did OK in.

I’m still in the Reading section of the study guide, but I’m sure the Writing piece won’t be too difficult. Maybe I’m just downplaying this way too much… so far I have learned nothing more than a few more vocab words I didn’t know before. Take from that what you will.

I’ll let you know how things go this week. Hopefully I’ll be able to tell you that things went peachy keen with the studying (I don’t have time to study at night, so I’m just doing it on my commute on the train). I’ll give you one more update before the test.

As for the subject-specific test, I have decided not to take it in March. I have way too many things going on in February and March, and I won’t be able to get in any kind of shape for the test. I’ve decided to take that in May.

I don’t know if I will be applying for teaching jobs in the Spring for the Fall semester. I think I might be putting this off for another year. The reason is LIFE. I hope to be getting a raise this year, and my husband and I have grand plans for how to use the extra cash. I don’t think it will help anybody for me to lower my pay this year. Plus, I’m changing roles and things are bound to look differently at work this Spring.

Confession: I know I’m not supposed to feel this way, which is why this is a confession rather than a passing thought. Here it goes: I have to admit, I’m dreading subbing again. The kids were totally out of line last time, and I am having difficulty getting excited to sub again in the future. I have heard that teaching full time is FAR better because you do get to establish a certain routine and respect with the kids, but subs get the shaft every time. I know this in my head, but my whole body shakes at the thought of putting myself in that position again. I shiver all over. Not a great sign, but again, teaching would be different… right?

If anyone out there is reading this, do you have any thoughts or words of encouragement for me?

ina

I haven’t started studying for the Communication & Literacy MTEL yet… it’s in a week and a half.

ina

I signed up for my very first MTEL. I like their website a lot. It has all the information you possibly need: how to register, checklists, even study guides.

MTEL site: http://www.mtel.nesinc.com/

I signed up for the Communications & Literacy one, which has more test dates than the rest. I might sign up for math, because of the need for math teachers, but I’m still thinking about it. I think my degree might be more suitable to teach business (even though that’s really scary to me, since I’ve never actually worked in “business”). I’ll let you know what I decide.

The test is Jan 23rd. I have 1 month an a week to study for it. Wish me luck 😉

ina

There are certain things that might conspire against my obtaining my license in the spring:

• MTEL results may not be ready in time for me to apply and obtain the license on time
• I won’t have that course/seminar requirement fulfilled for the Technology subjects
• I finish the MBA in August, which might be required to teach the Business subject
• There may be no openings in the public schools I would be eligible for

Anyways, it is possible that I will not be ready or qualified for Fall jobs. In that case, I need a Plan B. I am going to look for jobs in Private schools as well.

There is another limitation to being a specialized teacher: there might not be a need for full-time teachers in those topics. See, core teachers (Math, English, Elementary, etc) are essential full-time workers, and these positions would be the absolute last to cut if the school was in trouble. Specialized subjects may be cut at any time, and may not be needed all day long every day.

If I ended up in part-time assignments, I might end up making less than half than I make now after the change. I might have to find multiple jobs in multiple schools to complete a full-time schedule.

Although it is possible to work for multiple schools at the same time, it is not allowed to work in different school systems at once. For example, I could work in a town’s high school and middle schools, but I can’t work there and in another town’s high school.

This might take more juggling of unwanted jobs than I initially expected, but we won’t know until we try!

ina

This entry focuses solely on what I have found out about the process of becoming a teacher in Massachusetts.

Please note that these requirements are only relevant to teach in the public school system. Private schools do not have these requirements, but they also pay less in salary and benefits.

The best resource is the website of the Department of Education. I have heard that getting somebody on the phone to help you is harder than squeezing a camel through the eye of a needle, so the DoE made it up to you by having all of the information you could possibly need on their website.

The first thing I did was make myself a spreadsheet (of course) of the different subject matters I might be qualified to teach or interested in teaching, and summarized the requirements for each subject. Click here for the list of requirements.

Through this process, I found out about the different licensing types: Preliminary, Initial, Professional and Temporary.

I thought I would naturally fall into the Professional one: I am a professional, after all. Wrong! I am not a Professional teacher. Here is a description of each license available (these are extracted exactly from the requirements page):

Preliminary License – A teacher license issued to a person who holds a bachelor’s degree and has passed the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) and met other eligibility requirements. (Preliminary Vocational Technical Teacher license is a teacher license issued to a person who has met certain educational, employment experience and for certain areas occupational license/certification requirements and passed a performance test and other required tests).
Initial License – An educator license issued to a person who has completed a bachelor’s degree, passed the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure, completed a professional preparation program approved by the Commissioner, and met other eligibility requirements. (Initial Vocational Technical Administrator license is a license issued to a person who has a bachelor’s degree and another educator license, certain employment experience and who has passed certain tests). (Initial Vocational Technical Cooperative Education Coordinator license is a license issued to a person who has a Vocational Technical Teacher/Administrator license or certain business/industry experience and who has completed an internship and passed a communication and literacy test).
Professional License – An educator license issued to a person who has met the requirements for an Initial license, completed a Performance Assessment Program or an appropriate master’s degree program, and met other requirements. (Professional Vocational Technical Teacher license is license issued to a person who possesses a Preliminary license has completed certain college courses, employment and induction program requirements). (Professional Vocational Technical Administrator and the Cooperative Education Coordinator license is issued to a person who possesses an Initial license and who has completed employment and induction program requirements).
Temporary License – An educator license issued to a person who holds a valid license or certificate of a type comparable to at least an Initial license in Massachusetts from another state or jurisdiction, and who has been employed under such license for a minimum of three years but has not satisfied the Massachusetts testing requirements.

I also found this nifty video where a private industry professional asks questions about career change. It was really helpful!

Now that I know which license applies to me (Preliminary), I can go back to the requirements page and select the subjects and find out the requirements for them. This is what my spreadsheet looks like:

Requirement	Instructional Technology	Technology/Engineering	Business
MTEL Communication and Literacy (01)	x	x	x
IT Proficiency	x
Internet Proficiency	x
Bachelor’s Degree	x	x	x
Ethical and Social Issues Training	x
Access devices	x
Classroom support through technology	x
Selection of Technology for Classroom use	x
Prep Course	x	x
MTEL Technology/Engineering (33)		x
MTEL Business (19)			x

So it appears that teaching Business is the fastest license to get for me. It doesn’t require credited courses or anything else beyond the corresponding MTEL.

Now let’s talk about the MTEL. The MTEL website is also very helpful. They even have a checklist of things you need to keep in mind. First you must know the requirements for your area. For example, to get my license on the three topics I want to become licensed in, I need to take these tests:

Communications & Literacy (Field 01)
Technology/Engineering (Field 33)
Business (Field 19)

Total cost: $350

The next thing is knowing when the tests are offered. They each take 4 hours to complete. Some are offered only in the morning, others only in the afternoon, so you MIGHT be able to fit two tests in one day, but you might not. The Communications & Literacy test is comprised of two tests: Reading and Writing (4 hours each), so you would take a full day for that test alone (half in the morning, half in the afternoon).

The tests are offered every 2 or 3 months, with the exception of the Communications & Literacy test, which is offered more often, since it’s a requirement for all license types.

The grades are released a month or so after the test, with some pre-announced delays possible.

You might or might not have a requirement to take a teaching/curriculum course/seminar recognized by the DoE to get your license, as it is required for my Instructional Technolody and Engineering licenses. This is a confusing requirement that I have not figured out yet. I found an entire list of credited programs on the DoE site, but these are for obtaining the Initial license so they are 36-credit programs that cost from $5K to $18K and take 18 months or longer to complete. I haven’t found out exactly what the credits/seminar requirement is for the Preliminary, but I’ll let you know when I do. Here’s a place to start.

Once you’ve gathered your requirements, you can go back to the DoE website and create an account on the ELAR system. You can apply for your license there.

If I actually manage to get my license (for any of hte topics) by March/April, I’ll be able to apply for jobs for the fall semester. That’s when the postings start to appear. A good site to look for jobs is SchoolSpring.com. I hear that retiring teachers don’t have a deadline to annoucne whether they are going abck or not the following year, so openings due to retirmenet can appear at any time. Regular teachers who leave due to transfers, moves, or career changes have to announce it in the spring. Keep in mind that schools will look internally first, so jobs might not be easy to get for outsiders.

That’s it for the requirements. I hope you found this helpful an stick around t hear how this actually played out.

ina