Click here to download our handy-dandy PDP calculator; it will help you track your PDPs!
[accordion style=”icons” align=”full”][pane title=”I am still on a Preliminary or Initial license. Do I need to be thinking about PDPs?” icon=”icon-ok”]
No, though forming a system now (so you have one in place once you *do* need to be tracking them) would be a wise practice, so when you do acquire professional licensure you have a good tracking method in place.
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[pane title=”I *do* have a Professional license. How many PDPs am I required to accrue over the course of a 5-year span?” icon=”icon-ok”]
Assuming you have a single license, 150.
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[pane title=”If I attend every PD offered to me by Chicopee Public Schools, how many PDPs will I have over the course of 5 years?” icon=”icon-ok”]
It really depends on your specific school, and your position within that school. For teachers, about 120. For guidance counselors, nurses, etc – these numbers sometimes come in much lower. Each person is unique; the best thing to do is to check your PDP folder/tracking system to ensure that you have something nearing 150 as you near the conclusion of your 5th year.
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[pane title=”Am I required to seek out any PDPs on my own (outside the district-sponsored ones) to maintain my Professional Licensure?” icon=”icon-ok”]
Chances are, you will need to accrue about 30 PDPs on your own to meet the DESE mandate of 150 PDPs every 5 years (assuming you attended *all* PDs offered by Chicopee Public Schools during the 5-year period in question).
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[pane title=”When in the 5-year cycle should I start asking questions about how many PDPs I have?” icon=”icon-ok”]
Ideally, in year #1 – so you can make a plan and not get slammed having to come up with a ton of points in your final year. But definitely take a close look at the # of PDPs you have at the beginning of your 4th year, so you can make a plan for the coming 20 months to accrue what’s needed before the end of year 5.
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[pane title=”Will the state/district be tracking the PDP points I have earned, or is it my responsibility?” icon=”icon-ok”]
Neither the state nor Chicopee tracks PDPs; it is the educator’s responsibility to keep meticulous records. Make sure you always get signed PDP slips (or agendas – more below) every time you participate in a PD, and file that information away!
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[pane title=”Will the state/district ask me to see my PDPs when I renew my professional license?” icon=”icon-ok”]
Neither the state nor Chicopee will ask you for proof of your PDPs at the time of your renewal. Much like the IRS, the state conducts random “audits” of educators – and gives very little turnaround time to produce proof of PDPs.
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[pane title=”What types of activities are eligible for PDPs?” icon=”icon-ok”]
Ultimately, anything that lends itself to expansion of your knowledge as an educator – in or out of your subject matter. This also includes the instruction of others. There is a wide range of PD activities that can qualify for PDPs, including (but not limited to):
- ongoing participation in job-embedded activities (e.g. mentoring/coaching, etc).
- Attending a series of short-term activities on a given topic that equal 10 hours (e.g., workshops, seminars).
- Leading PD sessions for other teachers within the district (this gets twice the PDPs as just attending a session).
- Attending university courses within your discipline.
- Teaching graduate-level university courses within your discipline.
For more, information – or if you have something you think qualifies which isn’t listed above – contact DESE or read their FAQ here:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/pd/faq.html
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[pane title=”How many PDPs do I get for each activity?” icon=”icon-ok”]
It depends on the activity, who sponsors the activity, and if there is a follow-up component. For the most part, it breaks down like this:
- Typically, District- & Site-based & DESE-sponsored PD programs = 1PDP per clock hour (so a 4-hour afternoon session = 4 PDPs)
Additional PDPs may be offered (1.5>2 PDPs per clock hour) for facilitating a PD or producing a follow-up component (something written or a presentation).
- Upper level undergraduate course in your area of licensure = 15>22.5 PDPs per semester hour
- Graduate course = 22.5 PDPs per semester hour
- Instructor of a graduate-level course = up to 45 PDPs per semester hour (only the first time the course is taught in a five-year renewal cycle)
- Audited undergrad/grad course = 7.5 PDPs per semester hour
- Achieving a passing score on a performance assessment approved by the Mass Board of Education = 120 PDPs (90 in the content area of the certificate and 30 in pedagogy)
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[pane title=”I taught a course outside of Chicopee, or attended a conference where they weren’t handing out PDP slips as I was exiting. How do I earn PDPs for that, and how do I track those?” icon=”icon-ok”]
File the materials in your PDP folder, and give yourself credit for those PDPs according to the below.
- For a conference: keep the agenda, and track the hours you were at the conference: 1 hour in a session = 1 PDP.
- For a non-semester class (like a summer intensive, etc) that you taught: keep your lesson plans, and track the # of hours your class met. 1 PDP for each class hour, and .5 PDP *prep* for each class hour. So a class that met for 30 hours of class time = 30 PDPs class, 15 PDPs prep (45 total PDPs).
- For a semester-long class you taught, see above question (How many PDPs do I get for each activity).
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[pane title=”Who do I contact if I have more questions about PDPs?” icon=”icon-ok”]
You can contact DESE by phone or e-mail:
Licensure Hotline: 781-338-66000
DESE’s PD office: profdev@doe.mass.edu
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