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DESE Educator Licensure

MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)
Website: MA DESE Website
Address: 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148
Directions: Directions to DESE



Office of Educator Licensure (DESE)

Website: Office of Educator Licensure Website

Educator Licensure Call Center:
Hours of Operation
     Monday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (Effective 01/06/2020, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.)
     Monday - Friday: 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Phone Number: (781) 338-6600
Fax Number: (781) 781-338-3391

Walk-In Welcome Customer Service Counter:

Hours of Operation:
     Monday - Friday: 8:45 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Address: 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148 (office located on 1st floor)

Please Note: Be sure to bring an original form of photo identification which includes your name when visiting DESE.




Educator Licensure Instruction Areas


Academic (Grades: PreK-12):

Educators and administrators in Massachusetts are required to hold an academic educator or administrator licenses issued by the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in order to be eligible to work in a public school system.  For additional information regarding academic educator and administrator licenses, please click here.

Vocational Technical Education:

Vocational educators and administrators in Massachusetts are required to hold vocational educator or vocational administrator licenses issued by the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in order to be eligible to work in a public school system.  For additional information on vocational education licenses, please click here.

Endorsements:
Sheltered English Immersion (SEI)
Educators seeking licensure in core academic areas or some administrator licensure must hold the SEI endorsement.  For additional information on the SEI endorement, please click here.

Autism
Educators who hold the Autism endorsement have acquired specialized knowledge and skills to meet the educational needs of students on the Autism Spectrum.  Click here for additional information on the Autism endorsement.

Transition Specialist
Transition Specialists provide services to students with disabilities who have individualized education programs (IEP).  For additional information on the transition specialist endorsement, click here.

Bilingual Education
Educators seeking an educator license in a core academic area must hold the bilingual education endorsement if providing instruction to an English Learner in a language other than English.  Click here for more information on the bilingual education endorsement.

Adult Basic Education (ABE):
ABE teacher work with academically underprepared and limited English speaking adults.  Literacy, basic skills, secondary education and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) are some areas in which ABE teachers work.  For additional information on the ABE license, please click here.



Educator Licensure Resources

How to Become an Educator in MA: click here

aMAzing Educators (DESE): click here

How to Advance, Extend, or Renew a License: click here

Educator License and Renewal (ELAR) Portal: click here

Online License Requirement Tool: click here

MA Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL): click here

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