Step 1: Track Your Renewal Cycle & Establish Your IPDP

• The 5-Year Clock: A Professional license is valid for 5 calendar years. The clock runs continuously regardless of your employment status. You can check your official expiration date at any time in your MA DESE ELAR (Educator Licensure and Renewal) account.

• The IPDP (Individual Professional Development Plan): Before or at the start of your 5-year cycle, you draft an IPDP aligned with your school or district’s goals. Your plan outlines your personal goals for content knowledge and pedagogy.

  • Supervisor Approval: If you are employed in a MA public school district, your IPDP must be reviewed and approved by your supervisor/principal every two years. Your supervisor also approves your points at the end of the 5-year cycle.

Step 2: Know the 150 PDP Requirement ("The Big Four")

To renew your primary Professional license, you must earn a minimum of 150 total PDPs during your 5-year window. DESE strictly mandates how these points are distributed across four specific categories:

1. Content Knowledge (Minimum 15 PDPs): Subject matter directly tied to your primary teaching license.

2. Pedagogy (Minimum 15 PDPs): Professional skills, teaching strategies, classroom management, and instructional practices.

3. Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) / ESL (Minimum 15 PDPs): Training on strategies for English Language Learners.

4. Students with Disabilities / Diverse Learning Styles (Minimum 15 PDPs): Training on special education practices, IEPs, accommodation strategies, and differentiation.

5. Electives (Up to 90 PDPs): The remaining balance of points can come from general professional development, additional content, pedagogy, or district initiatives.

Note: If you are renewing additional licenses alongside your primary license, each extra license requires an additional 30 PDPs (with at least 15 in that specific subject content).

Step 3: Earn Your PDPs (And Mind the Graduate Credit Rates)

PDPs can be earned through district workshops, state initiatives, approved online courses, or graduate-level coursework.

• Standard Workshops & Clock Hours: 1 clock hour of an approved professional development activity generally equals 1 PDP. (Activities must usually be at least 10 hours long on a specific topic or include an assessment/project to award PDPs).

• Graduate Credits (Effective June 8, 2026 Dual Conversion Rates):

  • Traditional Degree-Eligible Graduate Credit: 22.5 PDPs per semester hour (e.g., a standard 3-credit college course accepted toward a degree program equals 67.5 PDPs).

  • Non-Degree-Eligible Graduate Credit: 7.5 PDPs per semester hour (e.g., a 3-credit professional development graduate course not applicable toward a university degree equals 22.5 PDPs).

PDP Eligibility & Conversion Cheat Sheet

Quick reference guide for Massachusetts educators based on DESE guidelines.

4 Baseline Requirements for PDP Eligibility

To earn Professional Development Points (PDPs), an activity must meet all four of these conditions:

1. Approved Provider: Offered by DESE, a school district, an educational collaborative, or a DESE-registered provider.

2. Minimum Time: At least 10 hours per topic.

3. Assessment of Learning: Includes an end-of-course assessment or an observable demonstration of learning.

4. Mastery: The participant meets the provider's criteria for mastery.

Credit & Hour Conversion Rules

General Rule: 1 Clock Hour = 1 PDP

Activity Type

Standard Formula

PDP Yield

Standard PD / Lower-Level Undergrad

1 Credit = 15 Hours = 1.5 CEUs

15 PDPs

Graduate-Level Course

1 Semester Hour

22.5 PDPs

Upper-Level Undergrad (Substantially new content)

1 Semester Hour

22.5 PDPs

Course Audits (Undergrad or Graduate)

1 Semester Hour

7.5 PDPs

DESE-Sponsored Programs

1 Clock Hour

1.5 PDPs (Cap: 30 PDPs/cycle if no pre/post assessment)

Specific Activity Guidelines

1. Bundling Short Activities (< 10 Hours)

• Educators can bundle related short activities to reach the 10-hour minimum on a single topic.

• Crucial Note: You cannot receive PDPs via bundling unless you complete an additional follow-up activity demonstrating proficiency.

2. Professional Conferences

• Attendance Only: 0 PDPs (No longer awarded for attendance alone).

• Eligible for PDPs IF:

  1. The conference spans 2+ days with 10+ hours of sessions on the same topic.

  2. You complete a final product that serves as an assessment of learning (e.g., developing curriculum or publishing material).

3. Presenters & Trainers

• Course/Workshop Presenter: Earn double the participant PDPs (Min: 10, Max: 24 PDPs; valid for the first time presented in a 5-year cycle).

• Conference Presenter: Earn 30 PDPs the first time presenting at a conference in a 5-year cycle.

4. Educator-Designed PD

• Eligible if it results in a professional product related to your license discipline (e.g., published book, journal article, thesis) or an activity for students/parents incorporating curriculum framework standards.

5. For-Profit Organizations

• Eligible only if the organization is registered with DESE as a PD provider and meets the 4 baseline requirements.