MTEL Results

The Importance of MTEL Results

The MTEL program consists of a number of tests the results of which are essential in order to issue the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure to deserving candidates. Aspiring educators need to take one or more MTEL tests according to the licensure requirements. The tests include multiple-choice questions and open-response questions. Multiple-choice items require the test takers to choose one appropriate answer from the given four answer options whereas the open-response items need to be addressed in the form of written composition or as an oral response.

Once your tests are evaluated, the test results are reported to you, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the institution(s) that you had mentioned at the time of test registration. More information about the results of MTEL is explained in detail below.

How is Your MTEL Test Scored?

The multiple-choice items gain a score for every right answer and there are no negative scorings for wrong answers. The open-response items are evaluated based on the written or oral responses provided by the test taker. These scores of the individual tests undergo a conversion before they are reported on the score report.

Test Score Conversion

The Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education sets a passing score for each MTEL test which a candidate needs to achieve in order to qualify in the test. However, if the score reporting method is uniform for all the tests, it can be a lot more convenient to both test takers and Evaluation Systems. Hence, in order to maintain consistency in score reporting across tests, scores of individual tests are converted to a scale which is common to all tests. The scores obtained in the tests are converted to a new scale of the range 100 to 300. This converted score is referred to as the scaled score.

How is Your Test Performance Evaluated?

Your results are reported based on the scaled score that you obtain in each MTEL test. The passing score for all tests is 240, that is, your scaled score for a test needs to be 240 or above in order for you to qualify in the exam. For tests such as the Communication and Literacy Skills test, the Vocational Technical Literacy Skills test and the General Curriculum test which include two subsets each, the total test score for each subset must be 240 or above in order to qualify for a particular subset.

More test performance details can be procured from the score report. The score report is analyzed as follows:

  • Status: The status at the top of the test results’ area indicates whether your score met the qualifying score or not. For example, if you achieved the target score, the status area reads ‘Met the Qualifying Score’.
  • Test Score: Next to the status, the minimum qualifying score for the test and your actual total test score are mentioned.
  • Performance on Subareas: The score report lists the subareas and indicates how well you have performed on each subarea. In the ‘Description of Your Subarea Performance’ column, check marks appear on the appropriate performance level for each subarea.
    • Multiple-Choice Items: Depending on the number of multiple-choice questions that you answered correctly in each subarea, the check marks indicate one of the following levels of performance; namely, ‘Most or all items’, ‘Many of the items’, ‘Some of the items’ and ‘Few or no items’.
    • Open-Response Items: Similarly, depending upon your performance in the open-response items, the check marks indicate your response as ‘Thorough’, ‘Adequate’, ‘Limited’ or ‘Weak, Blank/Unscorable’.

How do You Access Your Test Scores?

At the time of test registration, you can get information about the exact score report date. Access to your score report is provided from 10.00 p.m. on the score report date. In order to view your test results, you need to log in to your account through the official website (www.mtel.nesinc.com). You must remember that your score reports will be available for only 45 days in the form of PDF documents within which you can view, print and save your reports. The score report dates for paper-based tests can be checked by following this link www.mtel.nesinc.com/MA16_testdates.asp?pagetype=PBT and through this link www.mtel.nesinc.com/PDFs/MTEL_2012_2013_testDates.pdf for computer-based tests.

Needless to say, your test scores are one of the main criteria that decide the obtaining of your teaching license. Hence, it is important to realize that your MTEL test results carry high significance for your teaching career in Massachusetts.