Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 603 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION › Title 603 CMR 47.00 - Licensure Of Adult Basic Education Teachers And Preparation Program Approval › Section 47.02 - Definitions

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
As used in
				603 CMR 47.00, the following
				terms shall have the following meanings:
Adult Basic Education (ABE)
: Includes
				the many forms of instruction provided to academically underprepared and
				limited English proficient adults, including adult literacy, secondary
				education, and English for speakers of other languages.
Adult Basic Education Field Supervisor
: A teacher or other educator holding a Professional license in ABE, or who
				meets one of the sets of criteria as outlined in guidelines set forth by the
				Department, under whose immediate supervision the candidate for licensure
				practices during a practicum.
Adult Basic Education Panel Review
: A
				process for reviewing and recommending for licensure teachers of adult basic
				education who have not participated in and graduated from an approved ABE
				teacher preparation program, as set forth in
				603 CMR
				47.04. The Panel consists of experienced ABE
				practitioners recommended by their peers, and others who are trained and
				convened by the Department to evaluate their performance.
Adult Basic Education Subject Matter
				Test
: The test of adult basic education subject matter knowledge
				included in the MTEL.
Adult Basic Education Teacher
: Any
				person employed in or volunteering in an ABE context (
e.g
.,
				community adult learning centers, corrections, family literacy, homeless
				shelters, workplace education).
Aggregate Pass Rate
: The number of
				educator preparation program completers who passed all the Massachusetts Tests
				of Educator Licensure they took in a category of tests divided by the number of
				completers who took one or more of the tests in that category, expressed as a
				percent.
Bachelor's Degree
: A bachelor's degree
				from an accredited college or university.
Board
: The Massachusetts Board of
				Education.
Commissioner
: The Massachusetts
				Commissioner of Education or his or her designee.
Communication and Literacy Skills Test
: The test of communication and literacy skills included in the Massachusetts
				Tests for Educator Licensure.
Department
: The Massachusetts
				Department of Education.
Educator Preparation Program
				Supervisor
: The supervisor from the ABE teacher preparation
				program, who meets one of the sets of criteria as outlined in guidelines set
				forth by the Department, under whose immediate supervision the candidate for
				licensure practices during the practicum.
English for Speakers of Other Languages
				(ESOL)
: English language acquisition in oral fluency, reading,
				writing, and numeracy for speakers of other languages.
Field-based Experience
: Experiences
				such as observations of a variety of ABE classrooms, prepracticum or practicum,
				that are integral components of any approved program for the professional
				preparation of educators.
Individual Professional Development
				Plan
: A five-year plan completed by licensed ABE teachers that
				outlines the professional development activities to be undertaken for the
				renewal of the teacher's license.
License
: Any credential issued to an
				educator under
				603 CMR 7.00 and
				603 CMR 47.00.
Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure
				(MTEL)
: Examinations required of applicants as designated by the
				route to the Adult Basic Education Teacher's License. The examination covers:
				communication and literacy skills, and subject matter knowledge.
Master's Degree
: A master's degree
				from an accredited college or university.
Performance Assessment
: Assessment of
				educator performance as a component of an approved preparation program for
				licensure, or as part of the Adult Basic Education Panel Review for
				Licensure.
Performance Criteria
: The measures by
				which teachers may demonstrate proficiency in the Professional Standards set
				forth in
				603 CMR
				47.08. The performance criteria are outlined
				in guidelines provided by the Department.
Performance Portfolio
: Assembled
				materials, exhibits, and documentation from a candidate's practice that
				evidences proficiency in the Professional Standards for ABE teachers.
Practicum
: A supervised field-based
				experience in the role of an ABE teacher, as set forth in
				603
				CMR 47.05(3)(a)2.
Practicum Equivalent
: A period of
				supervised teaching in an ABE program. The duration of any equivalent to a
				practicum should be no fewer hours than provided for the practicum in
				603
				CMR 47.05.
Pre-practicum
: Early field-based
				experiences in a variety of ABE settings, integrated into courses or seminars
				that address the Professional Standards for Teachers as set forth in
				603 CMR
				47.08.
See
603
				CMR 47.05(3)(a)1. for
				pre-practicum hours and requirements.
Professional License
: A teacher's
				license issued to a person who has met the eligibility requirements for the
				license, passed a performance assessment, and met other requirements
				established by the Board set forth in
				603
				CMR 47.05. The Professional license is valid
				for five years and renewable for additional five-year terms as set forth in
				603
				CMR 47.10.
Professional Standards
: The
				Professional Standards for ABE teachers as set forth in
				603 CMR
				47.08.
Program Approval
: State authorization
				of an educator preparation program or its sponsoring organization to endorse
				and recommend program completers for ABE teacher licensure. Also, the process
				through which a program or sponsoring organization may receive state
				approval.
Program Completer
: An individual who
				has completed all the requirements of a state-approved preparation program
				(
i.e
., instruction/course work and practicum), regardless of
				whether that person has taken and passed state tests or assessments for
				licensure or has been recommended for licensure by the program or its
				sponsoring organization.
Provisional License
: A teacher license
				issued to a person who holds a bachelor's or a master's degree and has passed
				the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) and met other eligibility
				requirements established by the Board in
				603
				CMR 47.05(2)(a). The
				Provisional license is valid for five years from the date of issue.
Routes to Licensure
: The four routes
				through which prospective and experienced ABE teachers may pursue an Adult
				Basic Education Teacher's License, as set forth in
				603
				CMR 47.06.
Single Assessment Pass Rate
: The
				number of educator preparation program completers who passed a MTEL test
				divided by the number of all completers who took that test, expressed as a
				percent.
Sponsoring Organization
: College,
				university, school district, professional association, or other organization
				that provides, or seeks to provide, an approved ABE teacher preparation
				program.
Subject Matter Knowledge Requirements
: Topics that form the content of a discipline or field as set forth in
				603
				CMR 47.07. These topics do not necessarily
				coincide with academic courses or imply a specific number of credit
				hours.
Summary Pass Rate
: The number of a
				sponsoring organization's teacher preparation program completers who passed all
				the MTEL tests they took divided by the number of the sponsoring organization's
				completers who took one or more tests, expressed as a percent.
Teacher Preparation Program
: An ABE
				teacher preparation program approved by the Commissioner to prepare individuals
				for the Adult Basic Education Teacher's License.