Colleges of the Fenway
Massachusetts Tests for
Educator Licensure (MTEL)1
Information,
Interactive Practice Exercises, and Practice Tests
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Colleges of the Fenway |
WHAT: The Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure or MTEL has two parts. Part one is a Communication and Literacy Skills Test taken by all applicants for Initial Licensure. There are two components for Part I: a reading test and a writing test, which can be taken separately – on separate days. Part two is a test of the subject knowledge for the license area(s) chosen by the applicant. A third exam, the Foundations of Reading Test, is required of early childhood, elementary, and moderate special needs licensure candidates.
Analyses of students/ test scores indicate that scores tend to be significantly higher when test takers plan ahead, attend test information sessions, and take the subtests early and separately rather than waiting until graduation draws near and taking the entire exam at one sitting.
WHEN: The MTEL is typically given five times a year. Test dates are provided on the DOE web site at www.doe.mass.edu/educators. Undergraduate students should attend support sessions early and often. They often begin taking the MTEL in their first year of college. Graduate students are often required to pass all subtests prior to practicum or a specific point in a preparation program. Colleges of the Fenway recommend different schedules of test taking for their students. Candidates should check with their own institution for guidelines and test-taking policies.
WHY: Teacher licensure is necessary for employment s a teacher of record in most public schools and in any private schools as well. A passing score on an initial licensure exam is also a measure of reading, writing, and subject content mastery, an appropriate assessment for prospective educators.
HOW: Several of the Colleges of the Fenway offer advice and support structures for students, alumni, and applicants who are preparing to take the teachers’ test (MTEL). The Colleges help students know how to prepare for the tests and when to take them.
TEST PREPARATION SUPPORT on the COF WEBSITE: Information and practice exercises found at the site are an on-line opportunity available to all Fenway students and to the larger community. There are information passages, practice exercises, and practice tests for The Communication and Literacy Skills Tests. Supports are available for use by anyone who accesses the website. Practice tests for the Elementary and Foundations of Reading Tests are available through pass code access to students of the Colleges of the Fenway only. Some general information and sample test questions are available to the general public for the elementary and reading foundations subject tests.
CAUTION: The web site information is intended to assist educator candidates as they prepare for their licensure exams. It is not intended to replace information or advice given to students and alumni by their institution of preparation. Four of the Colleges of the Fenway have state approved educator preparation programs: Emmanuel, Mass College of Art, Simmons, and Wheelock Colleges. Education Licensure Officers at any of the four institutions can be contacted for information at the addresses listed below (click here).
B. National Specialty Organizations (standards and content themes)
The practice exercises and practice test items on this web page are designed to familiarize test takers with the format and types of exercises expected on the MTEL. No test prototypes have been released by NES for use in the development of test support materials, and the MTEL subtests continue to change. Performance on practice exercises and tests is not necessarily a predictor of performance on the actual examination.
The authors of the MTEL web pages appreciate your feedback on their content. Please email us if you experience any problems, broken links, or material that seems incomplete, incorrect, unhelpful, or vague. Unfortunately, we cannot reply to individual test takers about content questions or test preparation strategy. We encourage you to contact your institution for this sort of assistance. Thank you for visiting the MTEL web pages. We wish you success on the MTEL and throughout your teaching career!