How was the MTEL Program developed?
The Department of Education, at the direction of the State Board of Education, directed the development of an educator-licensure testing program for Massachusetts. The MTEL program was created through a collaborative process involving the state (represented by the Massachusetts Commissioner of Education, Board of Education, and Department of Education); its contractor, National Evaluation Systems, Inc. (NES); Massachusetts public-school educators; and faculty from institutions of higher education. The program is aligned with the state’s licensure regulations and Curriculum Frameworks, as adopted by the State Board of Education. The MTEL are criterion-referenced and objectives-based. A criterion-referenced test is designed to measure a candidate’s knowledge and skills in relation to an established standard rather than in relation to the performance of other candidates.
