Massachusetts Special Education Teacher Certification

Special Education Licenses in Massachusetts

Massachusetts doesn't issue a single "special education" license. Instead, DESE offers several distinct license fields under the special education umbrella, each covering different disability categories and grade ranges:

• Teacher of Students with Moderate Disabilities (PreK–2, PreK–8, or 5–12) — The most commonly sought special ed credential. Covers students in substantially separate or inclusion settings who require specialized instruction.
• Teacher of Students with Severe Disabilities (PreK–2 or All Levels) — For students with significant cognitive, physical, or multiple disabilities who need intensive, individualized programming.
• Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (All Levels)
• Teacher of the Visually Impaired (All Levels)

The grade-range split matters. If you want to teach special education at both the elementary and secondary levels, you'll need to either choose the All Levels field where available or add the second grade range as an additional field ($25 per field in ELAR).

MTEL Requirements for Special Education

Each special education field has its own assessment requirements:

• Moderate Disabilities: Early Childhood + Foundations of Reading for PreK–2; General Curriculum + Foundations of Reading for PreK–8; for 5–12, General Curriculum or an appropriate content-area test plus Foundations of Reading. A competency review is required for a Provisional License.
• Severe Disabilities: Early Childhood for PreK–2 or General Curriculum for All Levels. A competency review is required for a Provisional License.
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing: General Curriculum; ASL/Total Communication also requires the SLPI, while Oral/Aural also requires Foundations of Reading. A competency review is required for a Provisional License.
• Visually Impaired: General Curriculum + Foundations of Reading. A competency review is required for a Provisional License.

You'll also need to meet the Communication and Literacy Skills requirement — either by passing the C&L MTEL, using an approved alternative, or qualifying for the C&L waiver.

The Moderate Disabilities PreK–8 license shares the General Curriculum and Foundations of Reading tests with Elementary; Early Childhood uses the Early Childhood test instead of General Curriculum. Each field's additional requirements still apply.

Practicum and Program Requirements

Your approved Educator Preparation Program must include practicum hours in special education settings that match your target license field. For Moderate Disabilities, the practicum is 300 hours: for PreK–8, either 300 hours in an inclusive general-education setting or 75 inclusive hours plus 225 hours in a separate or substantially separate setting; for 5–12, either 300 inclusive hours or 150 inclusive hours plus 150 hours in a separate or substantially separate setting.

The Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) evaluations during your practicum will assess your ability to differentiate instruction, implement IEP goals, and manage the documentation demands that come with special education.

High Demand and Shortage Area Status

Special education consistently appears on Massachusetts' teacher shortage area list. Districts across the Commonwealth struggle to fill special ed positions, particularly in the Moderate Disabilities 5–12 field. This has practical implications for your job search:

• Faster hiring timelines — Districts with urgent vacancies may request that DESE expedite your application processing
• Signing incentives — Some districts offer bonuses, loan forgiveness, or relocation stipends for special education hires
• Provisional License viability — Districts in shortage areas are more willing to hire Provisional License holders who haven't completed a full EPP

Career Changers in Special Education

PRPIL excludes Moderate Disabilities, so career changers targeting that field need a different approved route to Initial License. Check the current PRPIL field list before committing to the Provisional pathway.

Career changers with backgrounds in psychology, social work, occupational therapy, or applied behavior analysis bring particularly relevant skills to special education. If you hold a master's in any of these fields, you also qualify for the C&L waiver, reducing the testing burden by removing only the C&L requirement; field-specific tests and any competency review still apply.

The SEI Endorsement in Special Education

Yes, special education teachers need the SEI endorsement too, if they teach any core academic content. Given that special education teachers routinely deliver instruction in reading, math, and other core subjects, the endorsement is effectively required for most special ed positions.

The Massachusetts Teacher Certification Guide includes the full special education field matrix, MTEL code mapping, and a tracker for managing dual licensure applications across general and special education.

See more Massachusetts guides →