Reductions in CPDU and Coursework Requirements

Reductions for Advanced Degrees

Educators with one or more advanced degrees or a Master Teaching Certificate are eligible for a reduction in the CEU/CPDUs or coursework options. These reductions apply to teachers who held their degrees or certificates prior to beginning the new certification cycle as follows:

• Teachers with a master’s degree in an education-related field need to complete two-thirds of the professional development requirement.
• Teachers with more than one master’s degree, an educational specialist, or doctorate need to complete one-third of the professional development requirement.
• Teachers with a Master Certificate obtained as a result of NBPTS certification need to complete one-third of the professional development requirement over the ten-year validity period of their Master Certificate.

Each semester hour is equivalent to 15 CPDUs and each CEU is equivalent to 5 CPDUs. Teachers can convert semester hours or CEUs to CPDUs accordingly.
The semester-hour and CEU/CPDU options are two of several options for professional development available to teachers. Many of the options, such as earning an advanced degree, endorsement or a subsequent certificate, meet the renewal requirements for the full five years. No reductions apply when using those options because they fulfill the requirement for five years of full-time teaching.

Part-Time Teachers

For any period during which you teach on a Standard or Master Certificate for less than 50 percent of the school day or school term, you are only required to complete 50 percent of the professional development requirement. The reduction applies only if you use the CEU/CPDU or coursework options (for example, there is no way to “reduce” other options such as earning an advanced degree or subsequent certificate). Note: each semester hour of college coursework is equivalent to 15 CPDUs.

Performing Other Services

If you teach for part of the day and perform other services, such as those associated with departmental leadership, for the other part of the day, you will not be considered a “part-time teacher.” You will be subject to 100 percent of the requirement for continuing professional development because you are using your Standard or Master Certificate for 100 percent of the services you perform. (In other words, no other certificate authorizes your work, as would be the case with a part-time administrator.)

If you hold both a teaching and administrative certificate and are employed in a split assignment, either full-time or part-time, that relies on the administrative certificate for 50 percent of the time and on the teaching certificate 50% of the time, you may choose whether to fulfill the requirements for the teaching certificate or those for the administrative certificate.

Proportionate Reduction for Periods of Exemption

The proportionate reduction is relevant only if you are using the CEU/CPDU or coursework options; otherwise, there is no way to “reduce” the remaining options (advanced degree, subsequent certificate, endorsement, etc.) If you take a leave or are not employed in a certificated position during your certificate’s period of validity, you will need fewer CEU/CPDUs or semester hours to renew your certificate. Examples of such circumstances include, but are not limited to, maternity or paternity leave, assignment to an administrative position in your district, acceptance of a position outside of education, and time off from teaching to return to school to obtain another degree. You are also exempt for semesters when you are employed and performing services for fewer than 45 school days in a position requiring a valid and active certificate.

The amount of required professional development is reduced by ten percent for each semester of exemption for Standard Certificate holders or by five percent per semester of exemption for Master Certificate holders. The requirement for Purpose E (least restrictive environment) is 20% for regular education teachers and 50% for special education teachers based on the number of CPDUs required after the reduction has been taken.

Example: You teach for the first two years of your certificate’s five-year period of validity. You take a leave during the third and fourth years and maintain your certificate as valid and exempt. In the fifth year, you resume teaching and change your certificate’s status back to valid and active.

By proportionate reduction, if your full-time requirement is 120 CPDUs, then you will be required to have 72 CPDUs (6 semesters times 12 CPDUs per semester) to renew your certificate. As a regular education teacher, you will need 20% of 72 CPDUs (14 CPDUs) applicable to least restrictive environment.

If you hold an advanced degree, you are eligible for further reductions. For full-time teaching without an advanced degree, teachers need 12 CPDUs per semester. If you hold one advanced degree, you get a one-third reduction, which would the requirement to 8 CPDUs per active semester. If you hold more than one master’s degree, an educational specialist, or doctorate or hold a Master teaching certificate, you need 4 CPDUs for each semester employed in a public school.

Using the same example above, if you held a master’s degree, you would be eligible for a one-third reduction in addition to the proportionate reduction. You would need 8 CPDUs per semester or 48 CPDUs (6 semesters times 8 CPDUs per semester) to renew your certificate. As a regular education teacher, you will need 20% of 48 CPDUs (9.6 rounded to 10 CPDUs) applicable to least restrictive environment.

You may earn credit during a period of exemption, but any credit earned will not increase the amount of credit needed for renewal. For example, if you teach three years and are exempt for two years, you will be required to earn 60 percent of the credits required for certificate renewal, whether or not you have earned some credits during your two years of exemption.

Changing Your Certificate’s Status

If you have been maintaining your certificate as valid and exempt and you

• accept a teaching position that requires a valid and active certificate in a public or charter school, or
• choose to change your certificate’s status from valid and exempt to valid and active,

you must notify your Regional Office of Education by submitting “Notification of Change in Teaching Circumstances” (ISBE 77-08) on the exemptions link on ECS.

If you move to a different region, you can register with the Regional Office of Education on ECS at www.isbe.net. Registration fees already paid will cover the new registration. (Teachers must register in the regions that serve the areas where they are employed.)

Nonpublic School Teachers

The law does not require teachers in nonpublic schools to participate in professional development activities to renew their certificates. If you teach at a nonpublic school, you may renew your Standard or Master Certificate and maintain it as valid and exempt simply by paying the registration fee.

Some nonpublic schools require their teachers to maintain their certificates as valid and active as a condition of employment. If your school requires it or if you choose to maintain your certificate as valid and active, you must submit your Statement of Assurance to the Regional Superintendent of the region in which you teach.

The Regional Superintendent will review your Statement of Assurance and recommend your certificate for renewal or nonrenewal based on completion of the required professional development for the years taught on your certificate during this validity period.

If you receive a recommendation for nonrenewal of your certificate, you have the same right of appeal as described for public school teachers in “Appeals for Recommendations of Nonrenewal.”

Substitute Teachers

Type 39
If you hold a Type 39 Substitute Certificate, you are not required to participate in professional development activities. Substitute Certificates are not Standard Certificates; they are valid for four years and are not renewable. Type 39 certificates must be registered (and the fee must be paid) in every region where you teach.

Day-to-Day Subs
If you hold a Standard or Master Certificate and are employed as a part-time or day-to-day substitute, you are not subject to the continuing professional development requirements. Your certificate will be maintained as valid and active simply by paying the registration fee.

Full-time Subs
Full-time substitute teachers who work for more than 90 days in any one school district must participate in professional development for the number of semesters they are employed. You are considered a full-time teacher and must complete 100 percent of the professional development requirements if you teach for the full validity period of your certificate.

Notify your Regional Superintendent on ECS or “Notification of Change in Teaching Circumstances” (ISBE 77-08) of any change in your status so that records will reflect the requirement that applies to you.

Retired Teachers/Teachers Who Plan to Retire

Teachers are required to participate in continuous professional development while they are employed in public schools. Once they retire, teachers may hold their certificates as valid and exempt, and the number of credits is reduced if they retire within their validity cycle. If you plan to retire during the validity of your Standard or Master certificate, you must participate in professional development activities for the time you work on that certificate. Once retired, teachers can substitute on their exempt certificates, but will not be required to participate in professional development activities unless they exceed 90 school days in a single district in a single year and therefore no longer meet the definition of a day-to-day substitute. Teachers who accept employment in a public school after retirement, even if part-time, are considered active.

Teachers Who Leave Illinois

If you move out of Illinois during the validity of your Standard or Master Certificate, you will become exempt for the time left on your Illinois certificate. (See the section on Proportionate Reduction.) However, if you wish to renew your certificate at the end of its validity period, you must have completed the portion of professional development required for the time you taught on that certificate in Illinois.

If you have not completed the necessary professional development, you may earn credit after you become exempt. You should submit your Statement of Assurance to the Regional Office of Education serving the area where you taught. Any credit you have already earned will count toward requirements for certificate renewal. Remember to keep the evidence of completion for your activities in the event of a random audit.

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