Retell Update: 12/19/2014

Spring 2015 Course Registration Deadline

The registration deadline has been extended to January 15, 2015 for all eligible educators seeking to enroll in a no-cost SEI Endorsement course offered by DESE. Registration is open for any Core Academic Teacher who is currently teaching an ELL and any administrator who supervises or evaluates teachers of ELLs. Online registration is now open at http://masstea.ch/1zUWpDZ.  Educators who also need to withdraw from an SEI Endorsement course for any reason may do so without penalty until January 15, 2015. Not sure what course you need? If you have questions about which SEI Endorsement course you should enroll in, DESE has created a resource to help you understand the options. Please visit http://masstea.ch/1FLCzyg.

Instructional Coaches and SEI Endorsement

SEI Endorsement for Literacy or Math Instructional Coaches Option 1: SEI training and the Endorsement is now available to instructional coaches who have access to ELLs in their district. Educators who are employed as Instructional Coaches are encouraged to take advantage of the no-cost SEI Endorsement course offered by DESE. Coaches who have access to ELLs are eligible to enroll in a full, long bridge or short bridge course. Coaches who successfully complete the appropriate course will be eligible for the SEI Endorsement, if they are not already qualified for the endorsement. Participating in the no-cost course may also count towards the 30 elective PDPs and/or the 15 PDPs in ESL/SEI that are required as part of renewing a Professional License after July 1, 2016.   DESE has created a special registration pathway for coaches at: http://masstea.ch/1zf2lY2. Instructional coaches in Cohort 1 districts can still enroll in spring 2015 (SY15) SEI Endorsement courses. DESE is extending the option of no-cost Endorsement courses to all instructional coaches through SY16. Option 2: DESE will create two graduate level courses specific for literacy and mathematics coaches who support teachers of ELLs. These courses are expected to become available during the 2015-2016 school year. The second pathway to earning the SEI Endorsement for instructional coaches is to take the appropriate 45 hour (3 graduate credits) SEI teaching course (at cost) and the 15-hour Short Bridge SEI Endorsement course which will be available at no cost through spring 2016. Enrollment in the SEI professional development for instructional coaches is currently voluntary. For more information on the opportunities for instructional coaches, please visit the RETELL course registration page at http://masstea.ch/1zUWpDZ.

Transitional Bilingual Learning Endorsement In 2005, DESE ended the Transitional Bilingual Educator license and replaced it with a Transitional Bilingual Learning Endorsement. The TBL Endorsement is available to educators who a) hold an ESL license and b) obtain a passing score on the appropriate foreign-language MTEL exam. TBL endorsed educators who teach ELLs in content-courses (other than English language development) in two-way bilingual education programs, sheltered English immersion programs or other language acquisition programs are required to hold the appropriate license in the content area. The TBE License remains valid and is renewable under the same terms and conditions of all Professional licenses. TBE-licensed educators are still required to qualify for and obtain an SEI Endorsement if employed as a Core Academic Teacher of ELLs after July 1, 2016.

Ongoing Professional Development for Teachers of ELLs Educators and districts can find courses that have been vetted by the Office of English Language Acquisition and Academic Achievement at DESE. A list of these available online graduate courses and professional learning opportunities can be found on the DESE website. DESE Extending the Learning:  http://www.doe.mass.edu/retell/courses.html Educators who are seeking to qualify for the SEI Endorsement but are not eligible for a no-cost course may enroll in one of the approved SEI Endorsement courses for a fee through one of DESE's approved providers. Successful completion of an approved SEI Endorsement course will qualify an educator for the SEI Endorsement. For-cost SEI Endorsement courses: http://www.doe.mass.edu/retell/For-Cost.html Educators may be eligible for tuition reimbursement or other compensation for obtaining the SEI Endorsement if available in your collective bargaining agreement.

Applying for the SEI Endorsement

100% of educators who qualify for the SEI Endorsement must apply for the Endorsement via ELAR - no matter which route you follow. It is free to apply and only takes a minute. Complete your SEI Endorsement application online by logging in at https://gateway.edu.state.ma.us/elar/.