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The Massachusetts SEI endorsement (Sheltered English Immersion) certifies that a teacher can teach academic content in English to English Learners. Core academic teachers who are assigned English Learners must hold it, or earn it within a year of the assignment, and educators who missed their RETELL cohort deadline cannot renew a license until they earn it. Separately, every educator renewing a Professional license needs at least 15 professional development points (PDPs) in SEI, ESL or bilingual education. This guide covers both rules and what districts should plan.
Table of contents
Executive Summary
Massachusetts built English Learner preparation into licensure through the RETELL initiative. Two requirements now apply. The SEI Endorsement is a credential that core academic teachers of English Learners, and the administrators who supervise them, must hold. The 15 PDP rule applies to all educators renewing a Professional license, whether or not they teach English Learners.
Since July 1, 2016, districts must assign English Learners to core academic teachers who hold the SEI Endorsement or who will earn it within a year. For district leaders, that makes the endorsement a staffing question as much as a professional development one.
Key Takeaways
- Core academic teachers, vocational teachers and administrators who supervise core academic teachers must obtain an SEI Endorsement.
- An unendorsed core academic teacher assigned an English Learner has one year to earn it.
- Routes: a DESE-approved SEI course (at least 45 hours of instruction), an approved preparation program, the SEI MTEL, or an ESL or ELL license.
- Professional license renewal requires 150 PDPs every five years for the primary license.
- Those 150 PDPs include at least 15 in SEI, ESL or bilingual education, 15 in content, 15 in pedagogy and 15 on students with disabilities and diverse learning styles.
- PDPs are awarded by DESE, districts, educational collaboratives and registered providers, or earned through educator-designed activities that meet DESE guidelines.
What District Leaders Need to Know
- Assignment is regulated. 603 CMR 14.07 governs which teachers may be assigned English Learners; track endorsement status before building schedules.
- Renewal can be blocked. Under 603 CMR 44.03 and 14.07, educators assigned to a RETELL cohort between 2012 and 2016 who did not earn the endorsement by their cohort deadline cannot renew or advance a license until they earn it.
- The 15 PDPs apply to everyone. Even endorsed teachers need 15 SEI, ESL or bilingual PDPs at each renewal.
- Districts can award PDPs for professional development they sponsor, which keeps SEI learning tied to district priorities.
- Outside providers must be registered with DESE’s PD Provider Registry to issue PDPs on their own.
Funding Options
| Funding source | Eligible uses | How to access |
|---|---|---|
| Title II, Part A | Professional development, including SEI and ESL learning | Formula grant through DESE (Fund Code 0140) |
| Title III, Part A | Supplemental PD for teachers of English Learners | Formula grant; supplement, not supplant |
| Title IV, Part A | PD on the effective use of technology | Formula grant through DESE |
| Educational collaboratives | Shared SEI courses and PDPs | Membership agreements |
See what Title II funds can be used for and what Title III funds can be used for.
District Benchmark
A district with 500 educators renewing Professional licenses on five-year cycles has about 100 renewals a year. Each renewal needs at least 15 SEI, ESL or bilingual PDPs: 1,500 PDPs a year for the district as a whole.
If the district sponsors one 15-hour SEI course a year and awards PDPs for it, it can cover the requirement for every renewing educator in one offering, and keep the content aligned with its English Learner program.
What Is the SEI Endorsement?
Definition. The SEI Endorsement is a Massachusetts credential added to a teaching or administrator license. It shows that the educator is prepared to make grade-level content accessible to English Learners while they develop English, using sheltered English instruction.
The teacher endorsement is required of core academic teachers of English Learners, which include early childhood and elementary teachers, teachers of students with moderate or severe disabilities, and teachers of English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, civics and government, economics, history and geography, as well as career vocational technical teachers of English Learners. Principals, assistant principals and supervisors or directors who supervise or evaluate core academic teachers of English Learners need the SEI Administrator Endorsement or the teacher endorsement.
How to Earn the SEI Endorsement
| Route | What it involves |
|---|---|
| DESE-approved SEI course | At least 45 hours of direct instruction, offered by approved vendors |
| Approved preparation program | Massachusetts program that includes SEI coursework |
| SEI MTEL | Pass the Department-approved SEI assessment |
| ESL or ELL license | Holders of a Massachusetts ESL or ELL license, or of an equivalent credential from a state with a NASDTEC or other accepted agreement, qualify, and apply through ELAR |
Teachers apply for the endorsement through ELAR, DESE’s licensure portal, once they complete a route.
SEI Endorsement and License Renewal: The 15 PDP Rule
Under 603 CMR 44.06, an educator renewing a Primary Professional license must earn at least 150 PDPs in five years, distributed as follows:
| Area | Minimum PDPs |
|---|---|
| Content | 15 |
| Pedagogy | 15 |
| SEI, ESL or bilingual education | 15 |
| Students with disabilities and diverse learning styles | 15 |
| Electives | Up to 90 |
| Each additional license | 30 (at least 15 in content) |
A minimum of 10 PDPs must be earned in a topic for those PDPs to count toward renewal.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Consider a high school that schedules new English Learners into science and history sections. The principal checks endorsement status in ELAR, finds two unendorsed teachers and enrolls them in an approved SEI course within their one-year window. The district could also offer a 15-hour, PDP-bearing course on oral language for all content teachers, covering the 15 SEI or ESL PDPs for everyone renewing that year.
Common Mistakes
- Assigning English Learners to unendorsed teachers without tracking the one-year deadline.
- Assuming the SEI Endorsement satisfies the 15 PDP renewal requirement for life.
- Taking PD from providers who are not registered and cannot issue PDPs.
- Splitting SEI learning into pieces smaller than 10 PDPs per topic.
- Forgetting the administrator endorsement for supervisors of core academic teachers.
Recommended Actions
Immediate (this month)
- Run an ELAR check of SEI Endorsement status for all core academic teachers with English Learners.
- List educators renewing in the next 18 months who lack 15 SEI, ESL or bilingual PDPs.
Medium-Term (this year)
- Sponsor one PDP-bearing course on English Learners each year.
- Coordinate SEI course seats with your collaborative.
Long-Term (strategy)
- Fold SEI expectations into hiring, scheduling and evaluation.
- Track English Learner outcomes by teacher endorsement status.
Questions District Leaders Should Ask
- How many core academic teachers of English Learners are unendorsed, and when are their deadlines?
- Do our renewing educators have their 15 SEI, ESL or bilingual PDPs?
- Which of our PD providers are registered to issue PDPs?
- Does our SEI learning change what happens in content classrooms?
FAQ
Who needs an SEI endorsement in Massachusetts?
Core academic teachers and vocational teachers of English Learners, and administrators who supervise or evaluate core academic teachers of English Learners.
How do I get my SEI endorsement?
Complete a DESE-approved SEI course, an approved preparation program that includes SEI, pass the SEI MTEL, or hold an ESL or ELL license, then apply through ELAR.
How many PDPs do I need in SEI to renew?
At least 15 PDPs in SEI, ESL or bilingual education within the 150 PDPs required for a Primary Professional license.
How long is the SEI endorsement course?
DESE requires approved stand-alone SEI courses to include at least 45 hours of direct instruction, not counting the field-based component.
What happens if a teacher is assigned an English Learner without an SEI endorsement?
The teacher must earn the endorsement within one year of the assignment, and the district must take all reasonable steps to assign the student to endorsed core academic teachers in later school years.
Related Resources
- Teacher Professional Development Requirements by State
- CTLE Credits in New York
- Colorado Teacher License Renewal
- The SIOP Model
- What Can Title II Funds Be Used For?
Conclusion
Massachusetts treats English Learner preparation as part of being licensed, not an optional specialty. The SEI Endorsement sets a floor for core academic teachers, and the 15 PDP rule keeps every educator learning. Districts that plan both, rather than reacting to deadlines, build content classrooms where English Learners can keep up with grade-level work.
Sources: DESE, Sheltered English Immersion Endorsement; 603 CMR 44.06; 603 CMR 14.07; 603 CMR 7.14; DESE, License Renewal FAQ; DESE, SEI stand-alone course requirements; DESE, PD Provider Registry.
Endorsed on Paper, Supported in Practice
A history teacher may have completed her SEI course years ago and still face a class where four students are at different levels of English and one arrived in October. We ask content teachers to plan for that range every day, and an endorsement earned once cannot carry all of it.
A district can use renewal PDPs to give teachers practical routines they try with their own students. Telo AI’s 15-hour course for a whole staff, AI for Every Teacher, is one example: eight weeks with three live sessions, core modules on safe AI use, planning and feedback, an English Learner track on lessons for each proficiency level and speaking practice, and three classroom cycles. Whether it carries PDPs, and in which category, depends on how the district sponsors it.
An endorsement opens the classroom door to English Learners; what happens next depends on the routines a teacher can actually run on a Tuesday morning.
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