Health Teacher Certification in Massachusetts

<p>Health teachers in Massachusetts must first obtain their Initial Educator License in Health/Family and Consumer Sciences to be fully certified. This is an all levels license that qualifies health teachers to educate students in all grades. Continue reading to discover more about the requirements for this license. </p> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><td> Education Required </td><td> Bachelor's degree; health education teacher preparation program approved by the state</td></tr> <tr><td> Exams Required </td><td> MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills; MTEL Health/Family and Consumer Sciences</td></tr> <tr><td> License Validity Period </td><td> Initial license valid for five years; can be extended one-time for five years</td></tr> <tr><td> Advancement Requirements</td><td> 50 hours with a mentor, completion of a graduate or other education program to advance to professional license, three years of teaching experience,</td></tr> <tr><td> Mean Salary (2018, Massachusetts) </td><td> $82,600 (all elementary school teachers), $79,030 (all middle school teachers), $80,020 (all high school teachers)*</td></tr> <tr><td> Estimated Job Growth (2016-2026, nationwide) </td><td> 7% (all elementary school teachers), 8% (all middle and high school teachers)*</td></tr> </table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)</i> </p> <h3 id="section---FulfillEducationRequirements">Fulfill Education Requirements</h3> <p>Massachusetts teachers must possess a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited university or school. Prospective health teachers typically obtain a degree with a health-related major, such as public health, community health, or health science. The major may include courses in subjects such as anatomy and physiology, human disease, and health promotion. </p> <h3 id="section---CompleteTeacherPreparationProgram">Complete Teacher Preparation Program</h3> <p>Those wishing to teach health must also complete a health education preparation program that has been approved by the state, either as part of the bachelor's degree or as a standalone program. the teacher preparation program generally includes courses in a field such as foundation for health education and curriculum development for health. As part of the program, candidates typically also complete fieldwork in a public-school classroom under the direction of a licensed health educator. </p> <h3 id="section---MeetExamRequirements">Meet Exam Requirements</h3> <p>Prospective health teachers must pass two required tests before becoming licensed: the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL): Health/Family and Consumer Sciences exam and the MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills exam. The minimum score for each is 240. </p> <p>The Health/Family and Consumer Sciences exam includes multiple-choice questions covering four main subareas: a healthy lifestyle, family and emotional health, safety and prevention, and resource management and community health. It also includes two open response questions on the integration of health knowledge and understanding. </p> <p>The Communication and Literacy exam contains two subtests (reading and writing), which contain multiple-choice and open-response questions on topics such as relationships among ideas, grammar, critical reasoning, and sentence usage. </p> <h3 id="section---FulfillAdvancementRequirements">Fulfill Advancement Requirements</h3> <p>Once a health teacher receives the initial license, it is valid for five years, after which they must advance to a professional license. To be eligible for advancement, teachers must complete a one-year induction program, 50 hours with a mentor, and a graduate-level degree or certificate program. Teachers must also have at least three years of full-time teaching experience. </p> <p>Those who can show they plan to advance, but have not completed all requirements after five years, may apply once for a five-year extension of their initial license. To do so, they must be employed at a school, reapply for the initial license, and pay a fee.</p>