Program Approval Guidelines Public Comment

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is seeking feedback on updates to the Guidelines for Educator Preparation Program Approval, including two new addenda. We hope you will weigh in to shape these policies. 

The updates include: 

Revised Formal Review timeline (see pages 32-41):

• To improve clarity: After going through the Formal Review process over the last two years, we have made edits to the Formal Review timeline in Guidelines to improve clarity and efficiency, particularly in the early stages of the review. These updates, informed by feedback from sponsoring organization personnel, ed prep reviewers, and from our internal team, clarify the components of the Formal Review process that require active involvement from the sponsoring organization or DESE and the external review team.  
• To differentiate timing based on the size of the sponsoring organization: Recognizing that the evidence base for large organizations requires more time for the organization to compile and for DESE and the review team to analyze, the Formal Review timeline has been differentiated for large versus small sponsoring organizations. DESE will determine the timeline for each sponsoring organization based on the number of completers and approved programs.  

Clarifications about sponsoring organization and individual program approval determinations in the Formal Review (See pages 43-45) 

Updated expectations for virtual program delivery (See page 82): 

• Based on evidence collected through Formal and Interim reviews, including feedback from candidates, completers, and personnel about the efficacy of virtual, asynchronous programs, DESE will not accept programs that are delivered fully asynchronously for approval. 

Addenda for specific program types (separate documents: 

• Professional Teacher Program Criteria: These criteria reflect the role of professional licensure programs in advancing candidates’ content knowledge and pedagogy, leading to educators who are increasingly prepared to create experiences that deepen students’ learning.  
• Endorsement Area Criteria: Courses of study designed to lead to an endorsement only (e.g., Autism Endorsement) will be held to a narrower set of criteria better aligned to the scope of the endorsement. 

You may download the draft Guidelines in .docx format for your review.
 
Please share your feedback on these updates, including your questions, concerns, and/or support. Your input will inform final revisions to the Guidelines and ultimately impact the effective preparation for all future educators in Massachusetts.  

This survey will remain open through Sunday, April 5, 2026.