SEI Endorsement Requirements Extended to Career Vocational Technical Teachers

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education amended educator licensure rules at their June 26, 2018 meeting, voting to extend the “Sheltered English Immersion” (SEI) Endorsement requirements to career vocational technical teachers. 

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released an initial proposal in March, inviting comments from the public.  AFT Massachusetts submitted extensive comments in May, noting numerous flaws with the proposed implementation plan and timeline, and providing concrete recommendations for solving the identified problems. 

DESE revised their proposal in response to feedback from AFT MA and other stakeholders, addressing many of the concerns that were raised. These revisions were included in the final package of regulatory changes approved by the Board on June 26. 

One of the most important new rules affects career vocational technical teachers who instructed English learners during the 2017-18 school year. These teachers will be placed in a “cohort” by DESE, and will be required to obtain the SEI Endorsement by July 1, 2021; cohort members who fail to do so will have their teaching licenses restricted. Affected teachers will be notified of their placement in the cohort by the Department later in the summer, most likely in August. The Department plans to offer no-cost SEI courses to cohort members in Spring 2019 and then again in Fall 2019. 

There are other new SEI-related rules affecting employment, licensure, and license renewal, all of which are explained in a comprehensive PowerPoint prepared by AFT Massachusetts. Local leaders and members who have questions about the new rules should contact their field reps and/or Dan Murphy, educational policy director at AFT Massachusetts.