Professional Development Requirements
Act 48 Information
Understanding Pennsylvania's Act 48 continuing professional education requirements for educators.
What is Act 48?
Important Information About Your Certificate
Beginning July 1, 2000, Act 48 of 1999 required persons holding Pennsylvania professional educator certification to complete continuing education requirements every five years to maintain their certificates as active.
Keep Your Contact Information Current
Who is affected by Act 48?
All 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, employed or not. Also included are non-certified teachers and administrators employed by charter schools.
When did Act 48 go into effect?
The effective date was July 1, 2000.
Act 48 Requirements
What must educators do to remain in compliance?
Educators must maintain their certificates as active by earning six collegiate credits or six (6) PDE-approved in-service credits or 180 continuing education hours or any combination of the above every five calendar years.
Credit Conversion
Multiple Certificate Areas
Must an educator who holds a certificate listing multiple areas maintain active status in all of those areas? Meeting the requirements every five years will maintain active status for all areas on the certificate.
Excess Hours Carryover
If an educator exceeds the 180 requirement in the current compliance period, up to 50 excess hours, or credit-equated hours earned within the last two years of the current compliance period may be attributed to the succeeding five-year period.
Compliance Periods
When does the five-year period begin?
For all educators issued certificates prior to July 2000, the five-year period began on July 1, 2000 and ended June 30, 2005. For those issued certificates after July 1, 2000, the five-year period begins the effective date of issuance of the initial certificate. The requirements will be renewed at the end of each five-year period.
Advance Notification
Can credits earned prior to July 1, 2000 be accepted?
The Department may accept credits from courses that ended or began after January 1, 2000 for individuals certificated prior to July 2000. Professional education hours may be accepted if completed on or after June 1, 2000, as long as the educator was certified before that date.
Record Management and Tracking
Who maintains the records?
Approved Pennsylvania providers will submit the credits/hours earned by the educators to the Department. Educators should contact their Pennsylvania college registrar for procedures to ensure credits will be submitted electronically to the Department.
Out-of-State Transcripts
How to access your continuing education records
To view your progress in meeting your Act 48 requirements, go to the Professional Education Records Management System (PERMS) webpage at www.perms.ed.state.pa.us. Once there, enter your Professional Personnel Identification (PPID) number and your Act 48 reporting period information will be displayed.
Notifications from PDE
At least 12 months prior to the end of the five-year period, the Department will notify both the educators and the public school entities regarding the continuing education status and remaining credit hours, if any, to be completed. An additional notification of certification status will be sent at the end of the five-year period.
Your Responsibility
Certificate Status: Active vs. Inactive
Understanding Active/Inactive Certificates
Active certification indicates compliance with the provisions of Act 48, while inactive certificate will prevent an educator from serving in a professional position in other educational institutions. Additionally, inactive certification may impact an individual's ability to use a certificate outside of the public schools.
Valid vs. Inactive
What happens if requirements are not completed?
If a certificate holder does not complete the requirements, the certificate will become inactive after the five-year compliance period and the holder will be disqualified from being employed by a Pennsylvania public school entity as a professional (tenured) or temporary professional (prior to gaining tenured status) employee until all Act 48 requirements have been met.
Voluntary Inactive Status
An educator who is not currently employed by a Pennsylvania public school entity may request a voluntary inactive certificate status by submitting form PDE 338R to the Bureau of Teacher Certification and Preparation. This form can be obtained through the Bureau of Teacher Certification and Preparation or online at www.pde.state.pa.us. The application can also be submitted online via the Teacher Information Management System (TIMS).
Reactivating an Inactive Certificate
Substitute Teaching with Inactive Certification
An individual with inactive certification may be employed as a substitute teacher, principal, superintendent, or assistant superintendent in accordance with the endorsement on the individual's certificate or letter of eligibility for no more than 90 days during a school year.
How to reactivate a voluntary inactive certificate
A person who requests voluntary inactive status will have the requirements of Act 48 suspended temporarily. To reactive a certificate, an educator must submit an application through TIMS and evidence of 30 hours or 1 semester credit earned within the prior 12 months. Once active status is granted, an educator will have the balance of the original five-year period to complete the remaining hours to fulfill Act 48 requirements. Credits/hours taken during the inactive period (including the 30 hours for reactivating the certificate) may be counted toward Act 48 requirements.
Reactivating after non-compliance
Once an educator with inactive certification has met the Act 48 requirements (i.e. the equivalent of 180 hours of continuing professional education or six (6) collegiate credits) for the original Act 48 five-year period, the Teacher Certification Systems will automatically return that certificate to active status and will assign a new five-year compliance period. The Department will notify the educator that the certificate has been returned to active status.
Level II Certification and Act 48
Does Act 48 eliminate Level II (Permanent) certification?
No. The regulations of Chapter 49 related to Level I and Level II certification remain in force. There is still a requirement to convert a Level I certificate to Level II status after six service or teaching years in a Pennsylvania public school.
Do Act 48 provisions apply to educators with Level I certificates?
Yes. The provisions apply to all educators holding a Pennsylvania public school certificate.
Can credits for Level II certification be applied toward Act 48?
Collegiate credits and continuing professional education credits from Pennsylvania intermediate units may be applied to the continuing education requirements if earned during the current Act 48 compliance period and related to the educator's area of assignment/certification or within a program leading to administrative certification. Please note that collegiate credits for Level II and MEQ issuance must be submitted on an official college-sealed transcript.
Can continuing education hours be applied toward Level II or MEQ/BEQ?
No. Only credits from a four-year degree granting college and continuing professional education courses from Pennsylvania intermediate units may be accepted for Level II certificate or Letter of Master's/Bachelor's Equivalency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does National Board Certification eliminate Act 48 requirements?
No. Act 48 applies to all professional educators who hold a Pennsylvania professional certificate.
What are considered "public school entities"?
They include school districts, intermediate units, joint school districts, area vocational technical schools, charter schools and state schools.
Do educators in private or nonpublic schools need to comply with Act 48?
Yes. The provisions of Act 48 apply to all educators holding Pennsylvania public school certificates. However, it is important to note that private and nonpublic schools may, at their discretion, require their professional staff to maintain their certificates as active by completing continuing education credits or activities. Employment by the public school entities will necessitate the completion of the Act 48 requirements.
Are private tutors required to comply with Act 48?
Yes, except for certified individuals who provide private tutoring services as part of a home education program (home schooling), in accordance with Act 35 of 2001.
What if I'm not employed or move out of Pennsylvania?
They can either maintain their certificates as active by meeting the continuing education requirements or they may request voluntary inactive status from the Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality to suspend the requirements of Act 48 by submitting an application for voluntary inactive status through TIMS.
How will non-employed educators learn about Act 48?
The Department will continue to disseminate information regarding the requirements of Act 48 through the media, school districts, colleges and universities, private and nonpublic schools, as well as the Department's web page at www.education.pa.gov.
Extenuating Circumstances and Extensions
What if circumstances prevent completing requirements?
There is a provision in the Act for granting an extension of the five-year period due to extenuating circumstances. Extenuating circumstances may include active military duty, a medical disability, educator being out of the country more than twelve months, financial hardship or others noted on the form.
Apply online via TIMS to change your existing credential and request an extension of the Act 48 continuing education period.
Right to Appeal
PFT Members Support
PFT Health & Welfare Fund
Important Contacts and Resources
Professional Education Records (PERMS)
View your Act 48 progress and compliance status
www.perms.ed.state.pa.usTeacher Information Management System (TIMS)
Update contact information and submit applications
www.mypdeapps.pa.govBureau of School Leadership and Quality
For questions about your certificate
Phone: (717) 787-3356