UMass Amherst and its University Without Walls program have partnered with Holyoke Public Schools to offer HPS paraprofessionals and teachers of record a pathway to earn early-childhood teacher licenses at almost no cost to them while they continue working for the district.
Since fall 2024, five HPS employees are working their way through the Para-to-Teacher program—and there’s room for more participants when the next cohort begins their studies in fall 2025.
Three HPS employees who began the program in fall 2024 have almost completed their coursework and are on track to begin student teaching in the fall. Two employees began the program in January; they should be ready to start student teaching in fall 2026.
HPS paraprofessionals and teachers of record who have completed at least 12 college credits already—and ideally have a two-year associate degree—should consider applying for the program, said Dr. Bev Bell, assistant dean for educator prep at UMass Amherst.
An online informational session for interested applicants has been scheduled for 6-7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, April 15. HPS employees can register here.
Following the Informational session on April 15, interested staff members should apply to the internal posting on TalentEd. If an interested applicant is approved by HPS, the next step would be to arrange for pre-admission advising through a University Without Walls team member who will review the applicant’s transcript and determine how many credits they will need to complete in order to earn teacher licensing. Applicants must also meet with a financial aid advisor and complete a FAFSA form for college financial aid. While most of the program will be free to participants, they may need to pay tuition for courses taken during summer and winter sessions, as well as approximately $300 to purchase books, Dr. Bell said.
The program is intended to meet the needs of working professionals, factoring in both their schedules and their lived work experiences. Students learn online from the same faculty who teach in-person classes at UMass, and they receive support from a mentor teacher from Holyoke Public Schools, as well. Participants enroll in a three-credit portfolio course—and can then earn up to 15 college credits for their prior professional learning and work accomplishments, Ms. Bell explained. Participants receive classroom support to write their portfolios and then an assessment team evaluates their work to determine how many credits their portfolios will earn them.
After participants complete their coursework and begin student teaching, they work in a classroom with a qualified teacher as their supervising practitioner (mentor teacher). Mentor teachers are paid a stipend of $500 per semester and receive a tuition voucher for additional university courses, as well as professional development credits for mentoring. The program also provides support to help participants pass the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (commonly referred to as MTEL).