Martins Ferry LPDC License Renewal Guide

Teachers in the Martins Ferry School District may use this website in one of two ways:

Option One: Learn about the current license renewal process AND receive 6 contact hours of professional development credit.

Teachers who choose this option may access the website as often as they'd like in order to learn about the current license renewal process. They must participate (1) by posting in all of the discussion boards, (2) responding to at least one other teacher's post for each discussion board topic, and (3) receiving a passing score on the five quizzes (one per section). For their efforts, they will receive 6 hours of professional development credit that can be used for license renewal. A certificate will be issued after the last quiz is passed. A teacher may choose this option once per license cycle.

Option Two: Use the site as a resource to learn about the current license renewal process and receive NO professional development credit.

Teachers who choose this option may access the website as often as they'd like in order to learn about the current license renewal process. They are under no obligation to participate in the discussion boards, although they are welcome to join the conversation. They are not required to take the quizzes, but they may choose to do so to check their understanding. They will not receive any professional development credit for accessing the website.

The Local Professional Development Committee (LPDC)

According to the Ohio Department of Education website, the Local Professional Development Committees "were created by ORC [Ohio Revised Code] 3319.22 to review coursework and professional development activities completed by educators to determine if state certification and licensure requirements have been met. The primary responsibility of the Local Professional Development Committee (LPDC) is to review educators’ Individual Professional Development Plans (IPDPs) and ensure that the identified goals and strategies are relevant to the needs of the district, the school, the students and the educator."

The Martins Ferry LPDC is aligned to the ORC for the purpose of assist educators of the Martins Ferry City School District in planning for quality professional development activities that will support and enhance their educational role as well as meet Ohio Department of Education professional development requirements for license renewal. The MF LPDC Plan of Operation document provides information about how the Local Professional Development Committee functions in our district.

The MF LPDC consists of at least two teachers from each building, the superintendent, and the curriculum coordinator. The Meet the MF LPDC presentation below will introduce you to each of the committee members. Contact information is included for each member so that you can easily find them when you need them. To view the presentation, click on it and use the scroll bar to view each member. Click on the photo to reveal a list of district responsibilities for that member. Click on the list to reveal the member's contact information.

Renewal Requirements for Professional Educator Licenses

The graphic below outlines the four requirements for renewing a professional educator license:

1. Create an Individualized Professional Development Plan (IPDP).
2. Participate in approved professional development activities.
3. Submit to an FBI background check.
4. Complete the online application and pay the fee.

In this guide, a page is dedicated to each of the renewal requirements.

Important Dates to Remember

• The LPDC meets three times per year--November, January, and May--to discuss legislative changes that affect license renewal, to approve Individualized Professional Development Plans (IPDP), and to approve professional development hours.
• Proof of professional development activities and an updated IPDP is required to be submitted to the LPDC Classroom before May 1 for educators renewing a license through the LPDC in that year.
• The expiration date of a license is always June 30 in the given expiration year.
• The issue date refers to the actual date the license was issued by the Ohio Department of Education.
• Professional development activities occurring after the issue date of the new license but before the June 30 expiration date of the expiring license may be used to renew the new license.
• If an expiring license is not renewed by September 1, the requirement for professional development increases from 6 semester hours to 9 semester hours.

Required Activities in this Section for Course Credit

1. Participate in the Discussion Board Activity above.

2. Take Quiz 1 and successfully earn 5 points.