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About

The purpose of the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure® (MTEL®) is to assess the knowledge and skills of prospective Massachusetts public school educators. The MTEL tests are designed to ensure that Massachusetts educators can communicate adequately with students, parents/guardians, and other educators, and that they are knowledgeable in the subject matter of the license sought.

The MTEL are criterion-referenced, objective-based tests designed to measure a candidate's subject matter knowledge and skills in relation to an established standard rather than in relation to the performance of other candidates.

Current test development activities include review of draft test materials for existing tests, updated tests, and new tests under development.

The involvement of PreK–12 Massachusetts public school educators and higher education faculty is critical to the success of the MTEL program. Get involved now!

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education encourages your participation.

Participants in MTEL test development activities will:

  • receive substitute reimbursement for their school (PreK–12 educators only),
  • have the opportunity to collaborate with other Massachusetts PreK–12 educators and higher education faculty in the preparation and development of educator licensure test materials for Massachusetts,
  • be awarded Professional Development Points for participation in committee meetings,
  • be reimbursed for their travel and meal expenses, and
  • be provided with hotel accommodations, if necessary.

Development

The development process may include the following activities:

Objective Development and Review

Develop and review draft test objectives in your field.

Learn about objective development

Item Development and Review

Develop and review draft test items in your field.

Learn about item development

Marker Response Selection

Identify a set of sample responses to constructed-response assignments.

Learn about marker response selection activities

Establishment of Qualifying Scores

Participate in a process to recommend a qualifying score.

Learn about standard setting

Bias Review

Review draft test materials for fairness and appropriateness.

Learn about bias reviews

Learn more about how get involved.

Test Under Development

Review the list of test currently being developed. If you are currently certified and practicing in one or more of these tests, or preparing educator candidates in one of more of these tests, then we encourage your participation!

Reimbursement


General Information

These guidelines apply to individuals who attend Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (the Department), and Evaluation Systems test development conferences/meetings for the MTEL.

Additional reimbursement instructions will be made available before each conference/meeting.

Completed forms should be submitted to Evaluation Systems as soon as possible after the conference to ensure reimbursement in four to six weeks.

Please send all correspondence regarding these policies to EvaluationSystemsCRG@pearson.com.

Please note: The Internal Revenue Service requires Evaluation Systems to have a social security number for all conference participants receiving expense reimbursements.

Substitute Teacher

During the school year (contract days), Evaluation Systems group of Pearson will reimburse a PreK–12 educator's school district for the cost of a substitute teacher.

Please note that payment will come from Pearson and will be sent directly to the committee member's designated school/district office.

Lodging

Hotel accommodations are available for those residing 50 or more miles from the meeting location, for those who are unable to travel due to adverse weather conditions, or as otherwise approved by Evaluation Systems. Hotel accommodations will be directly billed to Evaluation Systems. Although committee members will not be charged for their rooms, they will need to leave a deposit or credit card number at check-in to cover incidental expenses.

Travel

Evaluation Systems will reimburse personal automobile use at the federal mileage rate, roundtrip ground transportation, or airfare. Evaluation Systems requires prior approval for car rental and airfare expenses. Parking and toll expenses will also be reimbursed.

Meals

Depending on the conference agenda, a continental breakfast and lunch may be provided on the day of the conference. For meals that are not provided as a part of the meeting, a per diem reimbursement of $25 will be provided.

Your Reimbursement

Your expense reimbursement will be sent within approximately four to six weeks upon receipt of your correctly completed expense statement(s) and if you have submitted the following:

  • W–9 form

Please note that a new W–9 form should be completed and returned for each test development conference that you attend. This policy is in place to ensure that there is no delay in processing your reimbursement check.

FAQs

Participation in test development activities provides educators with an opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from across the state and to assist in the preparation and development of educator licensure test materials for Massachusetts.

The first step is to complete and submit an application. Once an application is received, an educator's qualifications will be reviewed in regard to open committee spaces. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (the Department) will review applications and approve educators for participation. Selected educators will then be sent an invitation.

Most meetings will take place at a conference facility located in central Massachusetts, convenient to I-495 and/or to the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90).

You will receive your substitute reimbursement form at each meeting. Expense forms will be available online.

All interested participants need to submit an application, which will be considered by the Department. Please ask your colleague(s) to submit an application from this website. You may also nominate colleague(s) by completing a nomination form available on this website.

Yes, you could be involved in the following types of test development activities:

  • Content Validation Survey. As a Massachusetts public school educator or as a higher education faculty member in an educator preparation program, you may be selected to participate in a survey to verify the importance of each test objective for entry-level teaching.
  • Pilot Testing. If you are a faculty member in an educator preparation program, you may be asked to assist in pilot testing the draft test items by encouraging your students to participate. Participating in the pilot test will allow students the opportunity to respond to the types of items that may be on future MTEL tests.

Evaluation Systems will reserve a hotel room for you, if needed. The cost of the room and tax will be directly billed to Evaluation Systems. You will be asked to provide a credit card number for incidentals. Should you need to cancel your attendance at the meeting, and/or cancel or modify your overnight accommodations reservation, please contact Evaluation Systems as soon as possible (Evaluation Systems does incur charges for no-shows and for sleeping room cancellations that occur later than 3:00 p.m. the day before check-in). If you need to cancel your accommodations after 5:00 p.m., please contact the hotel directly.

As a courtesy to other attendees and facilitators, please refrain from the use of cell phones or PDAs during the meeting. We ask that you kindly turn off your phone/PDA or set it to vibrate and not take calls during the meeting.

Evaluation Systems selects menus that we hope everyone will enjoy. We realize that some individuals have special dietary requests. Attendees who notify us about special dietary requests are provided with a meal based as closely as possible on their specific dietary needs. Due to the large number of attendees and/or the ability of the conference facility to accommodate, substitutions to the standard conference meal may not be possible. Please make alternative meal arrangements if you have very specific dietary restrictions, as our food and beverage options may not meet your needs.

Business attire is appropriate for all conference activities. We recommend that you dress in layers and bring a sweater or jacket to the meeting in case the room temperature is not comfortable for you.

Evaluation Systems strives to hold meetings that are accessible to all. If you require special assistance, auxiliary aids, or other reasonable accommodations to participate fully in the meeting, please let us know. Any information regarding your disability will remain confidential.

How to Get Involved

Apply

Please complete an online application form to be considered for MTEL development opportunities. Upon receipt, your application will be reviewed in regard to open committee spaces. If your qualifications match an opening you will be sent an e-mail invitation. If all committees are full, we will keep your application on file for future use.

Nominate

Nominate your colleagues for consideration in serving on a Content Advisory Committee or the Bias Review Committee.

Spread the Word

Share with school administrators. Share this information with district-level human resources personnel, school principals, administrators, curriculum specialists, and supervisors who may be able to nominate exemplary educators to participate in test development activities.

Share with higher education personnel. Share this information with college deans, teacher preparation personnel, and faculty in arts and sciences, and others who may be able to nominate exemplary educators to participate in test development activities.

Apply Nominate
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