What is the SEI Endorsement?
Closing the proficiency gap depends on teachers having the skills and knowledge necessary to instruct English Language Learners (ELLs). Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) is an approach to teaching academic content in English to ELLs. Generally, but not always, ELLs are in the same classrooms as native English-speaking students. To better serve these students, core academic teachers, vocational teachers and those administrators who supervise and evaluate core academic teachers are required to obtain an SEI teacher or SEI administrator endorsement.
While core academic teachers are required to earn the SEI Endorsement, all licensed teachers interested in strengthening their skills working with ELs who have access to students in a classroom may enroll in an SEI Endorsement course. Similarly, administrators other than those described above may enroll in the teacher or administrator SEI Endorsement courses.
CES offers SEI Endorsement open enrollment courses, but will also bring the SEI Endorsement course on-site to you at your school or district. Due to DESE restrictions, SEI courses are only offered during the school year.
Who must earn the SEI Endorsement?
As of July 1, 2014, educators applying for their first Initial license (specifically core academic teachers of ELLs and principals/assistant principals and supervisors/directors who supervise or evaluate such teachers) must obtain the SEI endorsement.
- Core Academic Teachers – early childhood, elementary, teachers of students with moderate and severe disabilities, English, reading, language arts, mathematics, science, civics and government, economics, history, and geography
- Academic Administrators – principal/assistant principal or supervisor/director only
- Vocational Educators – beginning July 1, 2021, educators applying for their first Professional Vocational license or certain Initial Vocational Administrator licenses (specifically Vocational Principal/Assistant Principal and Vocational Supervisor/Director) must obtain the SEI endorsement.
As of July 1, 2016, school districts must ensure that ELLs are assigned to core academic teachers who have obtained the SEI Endorsement, or are required to obtain the Endorsement within a year of the assignment.
Starting July 1, 2021, school districts must ensure that ELLs in Chapter 74 Vocational programs are assigned to teachers who have obtained the SEI Endorsement. If an ELL is assigned to a teacher without the endorsement, the teacher is required to obtain the endorsement within a year of assignment.
Course Details and Registration
Teacher Course
This SEI Teacher Course equips participants with strategies to support ELLs’ access to content instruction through evidence-based reading, writing and vocabulary interventions. Anyone who satisfactorily completes this course will be eligible for the SEI Teacher Endorsement.
Course delivery includes 12 synchronous online sessions, an online capstone presentation, asynchronous online work between sessions, and three make-up sessions. Participants must have daily access to students in a virtual or in-person classroom during the semester the course is taken.
Administrator Course
The SEI Administrator Course prepares Massachusetts school administrators with the knowledge and skills necessary to be effective reviewers and instructional leaders so that our growing population of ELLs can access curriculum, achieve academic success, and contribute their multilingual and multicultural resources as participants and future leaders in the 21st century global economy.
Course delivery includes 5 synchronous sessions, asynchronous online work between sessions, and three make-up sessions.
SEI Special Topics
We will sometimes offer follow-up training for those who have taken the SEI Endorsement Full Teacher course. These workshops provide a “deeper dive” into specific topics, as they relate to SEI.
- SEI Special Topic: Mathematics and Academic Language
- SEI Extension: Teaching Beginning English Learners
District Cohort Inquiry
If you are a district or school and would like to bring an SEI Endorsement course to you, please complete the form to the right to let us know you are interested or contact Allisonn Church.
Allisonn Church
Allie Church supports CES Licensure Programs course participants in the online learning environment, serves as a liaison to our partner institution (Fitchburg State University), oversees the SEI Endorsement Center, and tracks relevant data for continuous improvement. Allie has been with CES Licensure since 2013. She previously worked as a teacher in New Haven, CT and Holyoke, MA.
Position: Course and Accounts Manager
Email: achurch@collaborative.org
Phone: (413) 497-4533