BPS Teaching Fellowship

You’re ready to do whatever it takes to help the city’s students achieve. We equip you with the skills and know-how to help your students get there.

The BPS Teaching Fellowship is a free accelerated program that prepares novice teachers within the Boston community to lead our students to academic success. Teachers spend 12 months acquiring knowledge and developing strong instructional practices in actual Boston classrooms, with personalized training and expert coaches to guide them along the way.

For More Information

If you have questions, please email: bpsteachingfellowship@bostonpublicschools.org

Criteria

The Fellowship is designed to ensure that BPS Teaching Fellows are equipped to deliver high-quality instruction to all students and build equitable learning communities.

To ensure we are developing educators who will have an immediate impact in Special Education and English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms, candidates must meet the following criteria:

  • Be passionate about creating multiple classroom opportunities to cultivate the genius of the young people of Boston

  • Be hired into a full time teaching position for the SY 2024-2025 at a BPS school

  • Be committed to preparing for and achieving a passing score on all required MTELs

Why Join?

Our innovative training model is designed to help Fellows lead their students to success from the moment they step into their classrooms.

One on One Coaching

BPS Teaching Fellows receive rigorous instructional coaching, mentoring and advising from doctorate-level, BPS Teaching Specialists. Our coaching model will help you see exponential growth in your practice over time. You will receive immediate feedback from experienced BPS coaches in real time to support the growth and development of you and your students.

Summer Enrollment and Early Fall Pre-Practicum

In September, Fellows begin their 2-month pre-practicum, coursework and an orientation to the Fellowship. Throughout the pre-practicum, Fellows receive intensive in-person coaching and support from our Specialists. Fellows are also required to participate in biweekly Academy Sessions.

School Year Practicum

Candidates who demonstrate foundational teaching proficiency during the pre-practicum will be allowed to advance to the practicum phase of the program, where they receive continuous coaching, feedback, and professional development as BPS teachers of record.

Assessment Performance

At the end of the school year, candidates are assessed on the state’s Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) rubric to ensure that they have met program competencies to earn licensure to continue their career as BPS teachers.

Accelerated Path to Initial Licensure

The BPS Teaching Fellowship is the states’ only district-based, state-approved, “grow your own” educator preparation program. Upon completion of this program, Fellows who meet the program requirements are endorsed for initial license in Moderate Disabilities (K-12) or English as a Second Language (ESL) (K-12).

 

Available subjects

We are recruiting teachers for the following subjects for the 2024-25 school year:

  • English as a Second Language (K-12)

  • Special Education (Moderate Disabilities) (K-12)

Learn more about licensure requirements here. Candidates who enroll in the Fellowship will be able to take part in free MTEL preparation courses in January and/or March of 2023. 

Note: Eligibility and academic requirements are established by the Massachusetts Department of Education and are therefore non-negotiable and subject to change.

Salary & Program Costs

This is a free program.

As a full-time employee of BPS, you will earn the same starting salary as other first-year teachers. First-year teachers earn more than $65,000 and can make well over $90,000 by their sixth year. You will also have access to the same comprehensive benefits as all new teachers in BPS, including medical, dental, vision and life insurance coverage.

Waiver Policy

The BPS Teaching Fellowship may waive the requirement for courses met through the successful completion of prior coursework that substantially addresses the content of program courses.  As documentation for the waiver, the participant needs to submit the syllabus of the prior coursework and official transcript of the grade received for the coursework completion.

In all other program areas without exception, all candidates must meet the admission criteria outlined in the admission policy above in order to be granted acceptance into the program. Candidates must maintain good standing in order to advance through the program by meeting all program requirements, including attending all required Academy Sessions, completing all coursework on time, and engaging in reflective practice by shifting instructional strategies during observation and feedback cycles. A final requirement is completing all components of the state’s Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP), indicating full candidate readiness for teaching. 

Advising Policy

During the BPSTF program, candidates will work closely with the specialists to receive support in the following ways:

  • Onboarding to the program

  • Maximizing professional growth opportunities and learning outcomes

  • Supporting induction into school and district policies and instructional vision and practice

  • Support with passing MTELs

Additionally, candidates will receive coaching support from program supervisors and mentoring from supervising practitioners during their induction to teaching and throughout the practicum. Between  the Director of Teacher Pipeline Programs, program supervisors, and supervising practitioner, and the specialists, and the MTEL coaches, BPS Teaching Fellowship candidates will be fully supported and advised throughout the program to ensure their successful completion of the program and obtaining endorsement for licensure.

Admission Policy

The BPS Teaching Fellowship (BPSTF) is a rigorous teacher preparation program genuinely, uniquely and energetically committed to diversity where individuals of all backgrounds and experiences are welcomed, included, encouraged, and can succeed and flourish. We admit candidates who:

  • Meet the basic admission criteria:

    • Possess a bachelor’s degree

    • Demonstrate eligibility to work in the United States

    • Pass a background check

  • Demonstrate the defining attributes necessary to successfully complete our program and succeed as teachers in diverse educational settings

  • Have the potential to become effective teachers to meet the diverse needs of learners

When considering candidates for admission, we use a selection model to admit candidates who have the background to teach our highest need students based upon their completed application file and interview process. Furthermore, candidates must demonstrate effective teaching practices and professional growth during field teaching experiences to maintain good standing, advance through the program, and receive recommendation for licensure.