PDP’s

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):

  1. ongoing participation in job-embedded activities (e.g. mentoring/coaching, etc).
  2. Attending a series of short-term activities on a given topic that equal 10 hours (e.g., workshops, seminars).
  3. Leading PD sessions for other teachers within the district (this gets twice the PDPs as just attending a session).
  4. Attending university courses within your discipline.
  5. 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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