MTEL-Flex Guidelines for Acceptable Support

This document outlines policies and guidelines for supporting candidates during their completion of the MTEL-Flex. These guidelines apply to all support providers including faculty, supervisors, cooperating teachers, mentor teachers, peers, and others who may provide assistance (e.g., tutors).

The following activities constitute acceptable forms of support for candidates completing the MTEL-Flex:

• Referring candidates to the MTEL-Flex Handbook and discussing expectations related to demonstrating the depth of their subject matter knowledge
• Discussing the Massachusetts Standards available to be used in the MTEL-Flex assessment and answering candidate questions related to the standards
• Reviewing the MTEL-Flex assessment objectives and their associated descriptive statements and discussing expectations related to demonstrating the depth of their subject matter knowledge
• Referring candidates to a writing workshop or center for assistance in improving writing, as long as the assistance is not in the form of direct editing of candidate responses
• Reviewing the MTEL scoring rubrics with the candidate and providing guidance on how to use the rubric prior to submitting their MTEL-Flex assessment, without providing direct editing or feedback of candidate responses
• Supporting the candidate to develop a schedule/timeline for completion of MTEL-Flex
• Conducting "check-in" meetings to discuss timelines and progress on their submission
• Paraphrasing or answering candidate questions about the content of scoring rubrics, directions (including templates), or support documents such as the MTEL-Flex assessment materials
• Encouraging candidates to self-assess draft responses against the appropriate MTEL scoring rubric without providing direct edits or feedback to responses
• Answering common questions about the MTEL-Flex in a group setting
• Directing candidates to resources on current research and evidence-based practices, and to resources developed by experts in the field who are knowledgeable about the content MTEL-Flex objectives
• Assisting candidates in understanding how to use the electronic platform for accessing materials and uploading submissions
• Providing and discussing support documents such as these guidelines for acceptable support and the MTEL-Flex Rules of Test Participation

Although there may be many opportunities for support providers to encourage a candidate's deeper understanding and demonstration of MTEL subject matter knowledge assessed, other supports are not acceptable within the MTEL-Flex process. These unacceptable forms of support will undermine the use of the assessment as a determinant of a candidate's status with respect to the subject matter knowledge requirements for Massachusetts educator licensure. Engaging in these activities may result in the voiding of the candidate's submissions and the imposition of sanctions on his or her educator license(s).

The following activities constitute unacceptable forms of support for candidates completing the MTEL-Flex:

• Providing a candidate with the content or answer in response to the MTEL-Flex registration
• Editing or otherwise providing feedback on a candidate's response
• Offering critique of a candidate's draft responses prior to submission for official scoring that provides specific, alternative responses or answers to prompts
• Telling a candidate which descriptive statements, sources, or topics to select for submission
• Uploading a candidate's responses to publicly available websites or through social media
• Suggesting or encouraging candidates to work together to prepare MTEL-Flex submissions
• Suggesting or encouraging that a candidate provide their MTEL-Flex as an exemplar to another candidate