Professional Development Requirements
(1) Educators applying to renew a Primary license are required to complete at least 150 PDPs including:
(a) At least 15 PDPs related to SEI, English as a Second Language, or Bilingual Education.
(b) At least 15 PDPs related to training in strategies for effective schooling for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles.
(c) At least 15 PDPs in the content area of the license.
(d) At least 15 PDPs in pedagogy.
(2) A minimum of 10 PDPs must be earned in a topic to count the PDPs toward license renewal.
(3) Professional development plans must include an additional 30 PDPs for each license that an educator renews in addition to the Primary License, with at least 15 PDPs in the content area(s) of any additional license(s) to be renewed.
(4) Additional requirements for the teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing (American Sign Language/Total Communication) license: a passing score on a test of sign language proficiency approved by the Department.
(5) Additional requirements for the school nursing and speech, language, and hearing disorders teacher licenses: possession of the relevant registered nurse or speech language pathologist license in good standing.
Professional licenses are valid for five (5) calendar years and must be renewed in order to remain active. Professional licenses that are either one (1) year from expiring or currently on inactive status can be renewed only if the required number of Professional Development Points (PDPs) has been earned.
Regardless of when an educator is expected to renew their professional license, if employed the educator must obtain final approval of their individual professional development plan by their supervisor; the educator must have a minimum of 10 PDPs in a topic area in order to use the PDPs towards license renewal. Each additional license that an educator renews requires 30 PDPs in the content area of each license to be renewed.
How to Renew a Professional License:
The quickest way to renew your Professional license is through the Educator Licensure And Renewal (ELAR) system. After you log into the ELAR system, select the Apply to renew your professional level license link on your Welcome to ELAR home page. Follow all of the prompts, pay the required fees ($100 for primary license, $25 for additional licenses), and your license(s) will be renewed automatically.
Do not send in any of your supporting documentation (verifying the attainment of the required PDPs) unless you are selected for an audit. If selected for an audit, you will be required to submit documentation in support of the license(s) that you renewed.
Please note that the Office of Educator Licensure no longer sends out hard copies of newly approved or renewed licenses.
Professional development activities shall be identified by the educator and supervisor during the development of, and review of, the Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP)* in order to better support student achievement. Individual professional development plans must include at least 150 PDPs that break down as follows:
- At least 15 PDPs in content (subject matter knowledge)
- At least 15 PDPs in pedagogy (professional skills and knowledge)
- At least 15 PDPs related to Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) or English as a Second Language (ESL)
- At least 15 PDPs related to training in strategies for effective schooling for students with disabilities and the instruction of students with diverse learning styles
- The remaining required 90 PDPs may be earned through either “elective” activities that address other educational issues and topics that improve student learning, or additional content, and/or pedagogy.
Information on SEI/ESL and Special Education course offerings can be found at: New DESE Resource: Free Online Courses on Inclusive Practice and Guidebook for Inclusive Practice
*As indicated in 603 CMR 44.04(1)(c), the same plan can be utilized to satisfy license renewal and educator evaluation.