Download: Complete Bulletin. PDF File.

This NYSUT Information Bulletin provides information on meeting the professional development requirements for individuals holding professional certification in a teaching title or level III teaching assistant certification. Holders of these certificates are required to complete and report professional development in order to maintain those credentials. Specifically:

• Professional certificate holders must complete 175 clock hours of professional development every five years, and
• Level III teaching assistants must complete 75 clock hours of professional development every five years.

It is important to note that these are the only certificates that require continuing professional development for certification purposes. All other teaching and teaching assistant certificate types (such as provisional certificates, permanent certificates, initial certificates, transitional certificates, continuing certificates, etc.) do not require completion of professional development in order to maintain a valid certificate.

This Information Bulletin provides the following additional information to assist NYSUT members in meeting the requirements set forth in Section 80-3.6 of the Commissioner's Regulations:

• An overview of the professional development requirement for certification;
• Advice for local leaders; and
• Appendices of State Education Department (SED) guidance on this topic. (See PDF version)
  • Appendix I - Maintaining Your Certificate-Professional Certificate Holders
  • Appendix II - Maintaining Your Certificate-Teaching Assistant Level III Certificate Holders
  • Appendix III - School District - Roles and Responsibilities
  • Appendix IV - Frequently asked questions
  • Appendix V - Continuing Professional Development Individual Record form

Overview

The following provides a brief overview of the professional development requirement. More detailed information can be found in the accompanying appendices.

Who is affected?

Only individuals who have applied for teacher or teaching assistant certification after February 2, 2004 will have been issued professional or level III teaching assistant certificates requiring continuing professional development.

How much professional development is required?

Professional certificate holders must complete 175 clock hours of professional development every five years, and level III teaching assistants must complete 75 clock hours of professional development every five years.

When must the professional development occur?

The professional development must occur during the five year professional development period which is defined in regulation as beginning on July 1st after the effective date of the professional or level III certificate. For example, an individual holding a professional certificate that is effective on September 1, 2005 would count professional development hours completed in the period beginning on July 1, 2006 and ending on June 30, 2011.

What type of professional development is acceptable?

For individuals employed in a public school or Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), the district's professional development plan (PDP) identifies acceptable professional development. Acceptable professional development is that which is directly related to student learning needs as identified in the school district or BOCES report card.

For individuals employed in nonpublic schools or not regularly employed, professional development must be in the content area of the certificate or in pedagogy related to the certificate. Acceptable professional development in this case could be provided by public schools through their PDP; accredited institutions of higher education; New York state entities such as school districts, BOCES, Teacher Centers, Special Education Training and Resource Centers (SETRC) or a comparable entity out-of-state; and professional development provided by an employer offering instruction in any grades kindergarten through grade 12.

Can the professional development requirement be reduced or adjusted?

Yes. It can be reduced by 10% for each professional development year an individual is not regularly employed by a public school or BOCES. In addition, the hours can be adjusted for good cause upon request to the State Education Department (SED) including, but not be limited to, any of the following reasons: poor health certified by a physician; or a specific physical or mental disability certified by an appropriate health care professional; or extended active duty with the Armed Forces of the United States; or extreme hardship which, in the judgment of SED, makes it impossible for the professional certificate holder to comply with the professional development requirements in a timely manner; or for a certificate holder who is regularly employed by a public school or BOCES, inability to complete the requirement because of the failure of the school to adopt and implement a professional development plan.

How is professional development reported to the State Education Department?

If you are employed by a public school or BOCES, the district or BOCES will report all of your professional development hours to SED via the Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) TEACH system. If you are not regularly employed (less than 90 days) by a public school or BOCES, you must report your professional development hours annually to SED. Your school can help you submit your hours online using the OTI TEACH system.

What type of professional development records must be maintained by professional and level III teaching certificate holders?

Individuals must keep personal records of completed professional development that includes the provider name, date and location of the activity, description of the activity, hours completed, and attendance verification. These records must be retained for a minimum of seven years and be made available upon request by SED. See Appendix IV for a Continuing Professional Development Individual Record form that individuals could use for record keeping purposes.

Advice for Local Leaders

• Responsibility for certification, including all professional development activities for certification purposes, is an individual's responsibility! Failure to fulfill the professional development requirement for professional and level III teaching assistant certification will lead to a suspended credential.
• Members should be advised to maintain comprehensive personal records of completed professional development. In addition, members should annually check those personal records against any records maintained or reported by their district.
• Local leaders should urge the PDP team to ensure that individuals are afforded sufficient opportunities to meet the professional development requirement and that appropriate activities are provided at no cost to members during school hours.
• Locals should work with districts to ensure members receive documentation of completed professional development that includes all record-keeping components required by SED.
• Local leaders should ensure that mentoring service is recognized by the district's PDP as satisfying the mentors professional development obligation within any given five year period.
• Section 80-3.6(h) the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education details an individual's due process rights. This protection is critical in order to challenge determinations by SED that based upon a failure to fulfill the professional development requirement, a credential could be suspended.

Appendix I-V

Appendices of State Education Department (SED) guidance on this topic are available in the PDF version of this document.

• Appendix I - Maintaining Your Certificate-Professional Certificate Holders
• Appendix II - Maintaining Your Certificate-Teaching Assistant Level III Certificate Holders
• Appendix III - School District - Roles and Responsibilities
• Appendix IV - Frequently asked questions
• Appendix V - Continuing Professional Development Individual Record form

Download: Complete Bulletin. PDF File.