How to Become a Principal in Massachusetts

Massachusetts principal requirements, step by step

School Principal/Assistant School Principal (PreK–8 or 5–12). Each requirement is stated as Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Document three full years in a supervisory, teaching, or administrative role

   Complete three full years of employment in a supervisory, teaching, or administrative role in a setting 603 CMR 7.00 accepts. This experience is required for the Initial Principal/Assistant Principal license.

   Source: doe.mass.edu

2. 2

   Complete an approved post-baccalaureate program or a 500-hour apprenticeship

   Finish an approved post-baccalaureate program that includes a 500-hour practicum, or complete a 500-hour administrative apprenticeship or internship with a trained mentor. The hour requirement is the same on both delivery models.

   Source: doe.mass.edu

3. 3

   Pass the Performance Assessment for Leaders (four tasks)

   Complete PAL, which consists of four tasks. DESE’s PAL page publishes an overall passing score of 2.75 beginning July 1, 2016. For the 2025-2026 program year, PAL is updated to align with the 2021 Guidelines, including anti-racist leadership competencies. A Provisional license option exists without PAL; Initial is the standard professional-track license.

   Source: doe.mass.edu

4. 4

   Pass Communication and Literacy Skills and hold SEI Administrator or Teacher Endorsement

   Satisfy the Communication and Literacy Skills Test or an alternative pathway DESE accepts, and hold the SEI Administrator Endorsement or the SEI Teacher Endorsement.

   Source: doe.mass.edu

5. 5

   Apply for Initial Principal/Assistant Principal in ELAR, choosing PreK–8 or 5–12

   File in the Educator Licensure and Renewal system for School Principal/Assistant School Principal at PreK–8 or 5–12. The two grade spans are separate licenses.

   Source: doe.mass.edu

6. 6

   Advance to Professional after induction and three years under the Initial license

   Professional licensure requires the Initial license, a one-year induction with a trained mentor, and at least three full years of employment under the Initial principal or assistant principal license.

   Source: doe.mass.edu

Massachusetts splits the principalship by grade span. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education issues School Principal/Assistant School Principal as PreK–8 or as 5–12, and 603 CMR 7.00 treats those as different licenses. A middle-school teacher who wants a K–5 principalship cannot assume the PreK–8 license appears automatically after a 5–12 program. Choose the span before the 500-hour practicum is designed, because the practicum setting should match the license sought.

PAL is the performance core of the Initial license. It is four tasks, not a single sitting, and DESE’s PAL page sets the overall passing score at 2.75 beginning July 1, 2016. For the 2025-2026 program year the assessment is updated to align with the 2021 Guidelines, including anti-racist leadership competencies. Candidates recycling task responses from an earlier PAL year should verify they are submitting against the current guideline set. A Provisional principal license exists and does not require PAL; it is not the standard professional-track license. Anyone who intends to move to Professional should be on Initial, which does require PAL.

The 500-hour field requirement can be a practicum inside an approved post-baccalaureate program or an administrative apprenticeship/internship with a trained mentor. The hour count is the same; the mentor qualification is not optional on the apprenticeship side. Communication and Literacy Skills—or an alternative pathway DESE accepts—and an SEI Administrator or Teacher Endorsement sit alongside PAL. Teachers who already hold the SEI Teacher Endorsement do not automatically hold the Administrator Endorsement, but the regulation allows either endorsement to satisfy this particular Initial principal requirement.

Professional licensure is a second employment clock. After Initial is issued, the educator needs a one-year induction with a trained mentor and at least three full years of employment under that Initial principal or assistant principal license. Years as a teacher after Initial is issued do not count unless the employment is under the principal/AP license. File everything in ELAR. Mixing a Provisional application, a PreK–8 practicum, and a 5–12 job offer is the combination that most often produces an ELAR deficiency letter.

Required exams and fees

Massachusetts uses PAL / Communication and Literacy Skills Test. Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (as of September 2026).

Institutions with educational leadership programs

The table lists educational leadership CIP codes and award levels from IPEDS. This extract reported no completion counts, so none are shown. An award conferred does not mean the program is approved to recommend candidates for School Principal/Assistant School Principal (PreK–8 or 5–12). Verify approval with Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

Moving an administrator credential to Massachusetts

Confirm out-of-state administrator evaluation rules directly with Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). This site does not republish NASDTEC interstate-agreement text.

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)