TEC - Professional Development & Licensure

The DESE requires that candidates for administrative licensure document a pre-practicum experience of 25 hours and a practicum of 300 hours in the role and level sought. (Levels apply only to licenses for Principal and Supervisor/Director.) Through the practicum, the candidate will document experiences that demonstrate successful application of the Professional Standards for Administrators. The DESE requires a Performance Assessment for licensure and TEC uses a portfolio as a component of that assessment. TEC requires that candidates maintain a time log to document the hours of their pre-practicum and practicum.

Candidates may engage in the practicum in the first year of the program while they are taking courses or they may wait until the second year. The practicum should be completed in this time period. Any candidate who does not complete the practicum in a timely manner may run the risk of being removed from the licensure program.

In the TEC program, candidates generally do their practicum in their own district. They complete the practicum under the guidance of a supervising practitioner (mentor) and a program supervisor. The supervising practitioner is the in-district person, selected by the candidate, who works closely with the candidate on a daily basis. The TEC program supervisor works with one or more candidate/mentor pairs and conducts at least three on-site visits with the candidates and their mentors during the practicum experience. After each visit, the program supervisor prepares advisement notes. At the completion of the practicum, the program supervisor and the supervising practitioner prepare a practicum endorsement document. Supervising practitioners and TEC program supervisors are successful school and program leaders who guide the candidate by tailoring the practicum to the candidate’s background and career goals while helping them meet the Massachusetts Department of Education’s Professional Standards for Administrators.

TEC has a practicum coordinator who ensures that all candidates are placed appropriately and receive the support they need. There is also a program administrator who oversees all aspects of the program. Both the practicum coordinator and the program administrator also serve as advisors to the candidates.