Check with your state certification agency for up-to-date teacher certification renewal/continuing education requirements.

At the ADR Academy professional development programs are online and are completed at your pace. The programs are guided by an experienced educator who will guide you from start to finish. Upon completion students receive a certificate of completion and are eligible for an American College on Education (ACE) or a transcript from our higher education partners. Contact for assistance.
School districts across the country provide varying scales for teacher salary based on the number of years an individual has taught, as well as participation in graduate-level professional development.

A total of six semester hours of credit are required for renewal of a 5-year certificate. Up to three CEUs may be used to renew a 5-year certificate. CEUs will count as lower-division credits toward the renewal of a 5-year certificate. Three upper-division or graduate level credits are required for renewal. One continuing education unit (CEU) may be awarded for a minimum of 15 contact hours at a single activity sponsored by:

A regionally accredited institution of higher education, or An organization that has been approved to grant CEUs by the national or state organization that represents the field, or An Alaska public school district or The Alaska Department of Education & Early Development

Renewing Standard Certificates

Provisional Teaching Certificate is valid for three years and must be converted to a six-year Standard Teaching Certificate at least two months prior to it expiring.

Renewable certificates may be renewed with proof of 15 clock hours of professional development activities for each year of the certificate term. One semester hour of college coursework is equivalent to 15 clock hours of professional development activities. The clock hours or semester hours may be completed in various increments per year.

Professional development must relate to Arizona academic or professional educator standards or apply toward the attainment of an additional Arizona certificate, endorsement or approved area, and may include training regarding suicide awareness and prevention; child abuse, human trafficking of children, and the sexual abuse of children, including warning signs that a child may be a victim of child abuse, human trafficking, or sexual abuses; screening, intervention, accommodation, use of technology and advocacy for students with reading impairments, including dyslexia; college and career readiness; or other training programs explicitly permitted by state law.

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) requires teachers to complete 6 semester hours of college credit or 90 clock hours of professional development training to renew an expired teaching certification. https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeprof/professional_nextsteps  | Colorado Ongoing Professional Development | Summary Report PDF

Offering Professional Development, Training or Continuing Education Units (CEUs). CDE no longer pre-approves CEUs, training or professional development workshops, conferences or in-services. The entity that holds the professional development/training/inservice can issue a certificate or letter that specifically states the following and we would accept it for renewal credit if it is applicable to the educator’s license:

* applicant’s name

* date of the workshop, conference or inservice

* name of the workshop, conference or inservice

* contact/clock hours earned

* representative’s signature

The Florida Department of Education requires 6 semester hours of college credit to include at least 1 semester hour in teaching students with disabilities during each renewal period. The Florida Department of Education has guidelines concerning acceptable college credit equivalencies for Renewal, including guidelines for obtaining an approval on the fldoe.org website. Acceptable College Credit Equivalencies for Renewal that apply to Courses:

College-level credits used for certificate renewal must be awarded by an accredited or approved institution, or the American Council on Education (ACE), and must be reflected on an official transcript. Regional Accrediting Associations Acceptable According to Florida Department of Education

What is the new Florida Reading Requirement for certificate renewal?

As of December 22nd, 2019, there is a new requirement for FL certificate renewal. An educator whose application for renewal of a certificate with a beginning validity date of July 1, 2020, or thereafter, must have earned at least 2 college credits in the use of explicit, systematic reading instruction, developing phonemic awareness, and implementing multi sensory intervention strategies IF the educator is any of the following coverages:  Elementary Education (K – 6), Prekindergarten/Primary Education (Age 3 – Grade 3), Elementary Education (1 – 6), Primary Education (K – 3), English (1 – 6), Middle Grades English (5 – 9), Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum (5 – 9), Reading (K – 12), Reading Endorsement ESOL (K – 12)

Certificate renewal requirements are determined by the type of certificate and, in some cases, the year in which the certificate expires. Click to see renewal requirements for each certificate type. 

Massachusetts Requirement: An educator’s five‐year cycle may run five years forward from the date of issue of the Professional level license for educators renewing for their first time, or five years forward from the date the Professional level license was last renewed for educators renewing for their second or subsequent times, or five years back from the date of renewal for educators renewing inactive or invalid licenses.

Professional Development Points (PDPs): Educators must earn 150 PDPs, which include:
(a) At least 15 PDPs related to Sheltered English Immersion or English as a Second Language;
(b) 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;
(c) At least 90 PDPs in content/pedagogy, with no less than 60 PDPs in or related to the content area of the educator’s Primary area; and
(d) The remaining required 30 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

Continuing Education Unit (CEU): A unit of measurement of professional development activities that meets the requirements of the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). One continuing education unit is equivalent to ten PDPs.

The ADRA offers College Credit Courses and IACET CEUs. Upon course, completion students are eligible for an American Council on Education Transcripts or an IACET Credit Certificate. Michigan teachers need 150 professional development hours during the 3-5 year period for certificate renewal or progression or Six (6) semester credit hours appropriate to the grade level and content endorsement(s) of the certificate earned from a college or university that is regionally accredited.

Michigan teachers can use IACET programs for their SCECH renewal hours. Upon completion of the coursework, teachers will receive certificates that have the IACET logo and CEUs. SCECH sponsors will change IACET hours to SCECHs and add the hours to their professional development accounts. For more information, here is a great link from the Michigan Department of Education on Standard Teaching Certificate Renewal.

The North Carolina State Board of Education requires Teachers renew their Professional Educator’s Continuing license every 5 years. The State Board of Education has different standards and requirements for different subject areas but generally, to renew a Professional Educator’s Continuing License, teachers must earn 8 units of credits.

Teachers must earn 8 renewal credits or 80 contact hours for license renewal. One renewal credit = 10 contact hours.

*As a condition of employment per NC State Board of Education Policy LICN-005 employing school systems reserve the right to assign literacy requirements for any educator.

CEUs must be approved by one of the following bodies:

• regionally accredited college

• regionally accredited university

• local school (LEA)

• organization approved by the International Association for Continuing Education & Training

*Renewal requirements are subject to change based on NC State Board of Education policy updates.

The ADR Academy is an approved Pennsylvania State Act-48 Provider.

Pennsylvania Department of Education requires Act 48 Providers to transmit PDE credits directly into educators’ continuing education records via a secure web portal roster submission uploaded into PERMS. Upon completion, ADR Academy will provide the student with a certificate of completion with the appropriate credits and upload the credits earned to PERMS.

ADR Academy has partnered with Colleges and Universities for College Credits. College credits can be earned from our Higher Education Partners.

Requirement Report Course Work

Every five years, educators must complete either:
Six college credits (graduate or undergraduate)
Six credits of continuing professional education courses (available through Intermediate Units)
180 hours of continuing professional education programs, activities, or learning experiences (i.e., noncredit programs)
Any combination of credits or activity hours that equal 180 hours (each credit equals 30 hours)

 What Counts?

Credit courses that were completed after January 1, 2000 and noncredit programs that were attended after June 1, 2000, are eligible for meeting Act 48 requirements if taken from an approved provider. Only courses taken after you have been certified will qualify to fulfill Act 48 requirements. To ensure that a particular course or program will meet Act 48 requirements for you, please check with your school employer or if you are not currently employed as an educator in Pennsylvania, contact the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).

 Act 48 of 1999 requires all Pennsylvania educators holding Pennsylvania public school certification (including Instructional I and II, Educational Specialist I and II, Administrative, Supervisory, Letters of Eligibility, and all vocational certificates) to participate in ongoing professional education. https://www.education.pa.gov/Educators/ContinuinEd/Pages/default.aspx

All certified educators must complete 180 hours of professional development every five years. The 180-hour requirement can be met with: six college credits; six credits of continuing professional education courses; 180 hours of continuing professional education programs, activities or learning experiences; or any combination of collegiate studies, continuing professional education courses, or other programs, activities or learning experiences equivalent to 180 clock hours. For the purposes of calculating hours and credits, one-semester credit of collegiate study or continuing professional education coursework is equivalent to 30 hours of professional development, and one quarter semester credit of collegiate study is equivalent to 20 hours of professional development

Teachers can earn 120 renewal credits every 5 years. 1 hour = 1 renewal credit.

The Academy’s courses fall under 2 options: IACET or Professional Training.

The ADRA is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and is authorized to issue the IACET CEU.

Renewal Credit Matrix Certificate Renewal Plan SC RenewalCreditMatrix2019-Acc

ADRA is Approved by the State Board of Education and the Texas Education Agency.

The appropriate number of clock-hours of continuing professional education (CPE) must be completed during each five-year renewal period (TAC §232.11). 

Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is required for all Texas educators holding a standard certificate. 

Classroom teachers must complete 150 CPE hours.  No more than 150 CPE hours are required, even if the educator holds multiple classroom certificates.   

The ADR Academy is a Virginia Community College System Contractor. Our Higher Education partners (Colleges/Universities) college credits satisfy the Virginia Teachers’ re-licensure requirement.

ACCEPTABLE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

There are several activities that may be acceptable for Virginia teacher’s professional development requirements including, course work, professional conferences, publications, mentorship, education projects, and general professional development activities.

Course work through a regionally-accredited institution is accepted for a maximum of 180 professional development points

1 semester credit = 30 points  | 1 quarter credit = 30 points

The Virginia Department of Education provides a 10-year renewable teaching license. This license must be renewed every 10 years. Virginia no longer offers a 5-year renewable license. To update your 10-year license, teachers are required to complete up to 360 professional development points, including specific statutory renewal area requirements such as child abuse, neglect recognition, and intervention. If you hold a 5-year license, you must complete 180 professional development points for renewal to a 10-year license.

License Level II

For educators renewing a seven-year Level II  license, each endorsement is required to have nine credits (or 135 hours) of new professional learning. At least three credits (or 45 hours) of new learning must apply directly to the knowledge and performance standards of the endorsement to be renewed.

The remaining six credits need to fall within the Core Teaching and Leadership Standards for Vermont Educators. For educators renewing a five-year Level II  license, each endorsement is required to have six credits or 90 hours of new professional learning. At least two credits (or 30 hours) of new learning must apply directly to the knowledge and performance standards of the endorsement to be renewed.

The remaining four credits need to fall within the Core Teaching and Leadership Standards for Vermont Educators.