Educator Services Licensure
Recertification

Guidelines for Massachusetts Educators

Section II:
Professional Development Options

The following options and examples outline professional development activities that count toward recertification. Additional examples are listed in Appendix B. In an effort to ensure that all activities are professionally relevant and academically meaningful, certain activities that in the past were eligible for PDPs are no longer eligible. For example, PDPs will not be awarded for attendance at a professional conference or participation in a self-directed study group. The options for this round of recertification will assist educators in developing an ongoing individual professional development plan consistent with the educational needs of the school and/or district while providing flexibility in the kinds of activities that are eligible for professional development points for recertification.

The following quote from the National Governors' Association Report, entitled "Transforming Professional Development for Teachers: A Guide for State Policymakers," serves as a guide as educators work together to strengthen district and school improvement by addressing excellent, knowledgeable instruction and high levels of student learning and achievement.

• The critical tests for all professional development activities should be: Are they intellectually challenging, do they add to the participants' repertoire of skills and content knowledge, do they enhance their contributions to the school community, and do they lead to improvement in teaching practice?

National Governors' Association Report (1995)

Colleges and universities offer upper-level undergraduate and graduate-level courses of study. School districts, collaboratives, museums, scientific institutes, cultural institutions and other providers may offer equivalent courses of study after obtaining approval from the Department. Please refer to Appendix C for specific Department guidelines regarding approval.

A graduate-level course of study or its approved equivalent in the content area (addressing topics listed under subject matter knowledge for the certificate), or an upper-level undergraduate course or its approved equivalent when the content is substantially new to the educator, will be considered Advanced Academic Study and will be awarded more PDPs. For example, an elementary teacher with limited content expertise in the area of mathematics may take an upper-level undergraduate course in mathematics and receive 22.5 PDPs per semester hour. A high school mathematics teacher taking the same course would receive 15 PDPs per semester hour, as this would not be substantially new content for the individual.

Audited Courses

Instructor of a Graduate-level Course or Approved Equivalent for Educators

An instructor of a graduate-level course or approved equivalent is eligible to receive 45 PDPs per semester hour for the first time the course is taught in a five-year renewal cycle.

Department-Sponsored Initiatives

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will offer 1.5 PDPs per clock hour for professional development programs it sponsors that:

1. total at least 10 hours;
2. include a product or pre- and post-content assessment; and
3. include a follow-up component.

For those Department-sponsored activities that do NOT have a pre- and post-content assessment only 30 PDPs can be counted toward recertification in a five-year cycle. For example, educators who successfully participate in Mentor Training Institutes may count 30 PDPs toward recertification. On the other hand, educators who participate in Summer Content Institutes may count more than 30 PDPs toward recertification since these Institutes have a pre- and post-assessment. Summer Content Institutes will provide up to 67.5 PDPs to educators who successfully complete Institute requirements.

The Department will not offer PDPs for one-day workshops or conferences, informational sessions or meetings.

Performance Assessment

Achieving a passing score on a performance assessment approved by the Massachusetts Board of Education will earn an educator 120 PDPs, 90 in the content area of the certificate and 30 in pedagogy. The Department is currently developing performance assessment options for Board review.

Content Tests

Achieving a passing score on a content-specific test approved by the Board will earn an educator 90 PDPs in the content area of the certificate. Content-specific tests for educator recertification are not available at this time.

Initiatives sponsored by Districts, Collaboratives or Registered Providers

Educators who participate in school- and district-based inservice programs that focus on strengthening professional knowledge and skills in content areas are eligible to receive 1 PDP per clock hour. Educators may receive PDPs after the successful completion of a professional development program (minimum of 10 hours on a topic) with an observable demonstration of learning that could include a written product or other documentable product.

Some professional development programs are not readily measured in clock hours or may result in a large number of hours. The Department has established the maximum number of points per year for some programs in an effort to encourage educators to participate in a variety of professionally relevant and academically meaningful activities. Educators who participate in the following professional development programs within a five-year renewal cycle are eligible to receive 1 PDP per contact hour, but may not apply more than the identified maximum number of points per year toward recertification. Educators may apply the earned PDPs toward either the content-based pedagogy/professional skill area or the elective points or both depending upon whether or not the pedagogical activities are content-based.

Team for Accreditation or Inspection

Note: PDPs for accreditation or inspection visits may be used for points not subject to supervisor approval.

Educator Designed Activities

Educators may earn PDPs through an educator designed professional development activity that results in a professional product.

ProfessionalConference

While PDPs are no longer awarded for attendance at a professional conference, educators are eligible to receive 30 PDPs the first time they make a presentation at a professional conference in a five-year renewal cycle. In addition, educators who attend a professional conference may extend their learning by developing a school-based activity or curriculum, or by publishing written material as described below. These activities will assist educators in earning PDPs for recertification.

School-Based Activity

Educators may earn PDPs for developing and implementing an activity for students, parents or teachers that incorporates the learning standards of the curriculum frameworks. Educators may earn 1 PDP per clock hour with a maximum of 30 points in all in a five-year cycle when the school-based activity is distributed or implemented within a local school, district or university. Educators may count PDPs from school-based activities toward the recertification content requirement when the activity is directly related to the content area of the certificate.

Examples:

Design and coordinate a series of Family Mathematics Nights within a school.

Design and coordinate extended learning activities for students.

Design and implement a series of seminars for teachers and/or parents. Training topics might include:

• Developing and implementing standards-based units
• Designing instructional practices that support learning in a standards-based classroom
• Supporting special needs students within a standards-based classroom
• Supporting gifted and talented students within a standards-based classroom

Presenters/Trainers

Educators who develop and present a minimum of 3 separate sessions in a professional development series are eligible to receive twice the number of PDPs given to participants, with the presenter receiving a minimum of 10 PDPs and a maximum of 24 PDPs. These points may be counted the first time the training is provided in a five-year cycle.

Curriculum Development

Educators who author a new curriculum unit that is published in a school or district guide or formally shared in other ways, including software, student text book or professional resource may earn 15 points per curriculum unit and may accrue up to 60 points in five years.

Published Written Materials

Note: When a professional development activity includes the development of a work to be used, distributed or published, legal issues concerning ownership and copyright protection may arise. Educators who write copyrightable material while "on the job" should discuss these issues with their employer.

Courses provided by professional development providers that meet specific standards are often measured in Continuing Education Units (CEUs) as defined by the International Association for Continuing Education. For more information call 202-463-2905 or visit the website at www.iacet.org.

1 CEU = 10 PDPs

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