Renew a Professional license with 150 PDPs every five years, including four required 15-PDP categories.
Massachusetts educators renew a Professional license with at least 150 professional development points (PDPs) across a five-year validity period. One clock hour of professional development equals one PDP, so 150 PDPs is 150 hours.
Sixty of those 150 are spoken for before you choose anything. The regulation requires at least 15 PDPs in the content area of the license, 15 in pedagogy, 15 in Sheltered English Immersion or ESL, and 15 in strategies for effective schooling for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles. The remaining 90 are elective, and may also be additional content or pedagogy.
Holding more than one license changes the total. Each additional license renewed alongside the Primary license requires another 30 PDPs, at least 15 of which must be in that license's content area. An educator renewing two licenses is therefore looking at 180 PDPs, not 150 - the kind of arithmetic that is easy to discover too late.
At least 15 PDPs in the content area of the license being renewed, and at least 15 more in the content area of each additional license.
At least 15 PDPs in pedagogy - professional skills and knowledge.
At least 15 PDPs related to Sheltered English Immersion, English as a Second Language, or bilingual education.
At least 15 PDPs in strategies for effective schooling for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles.
The remaining 90 PDPs may address other educational issues that improve student learning, or may be additional content or pedagogy.
Sixty PDPs are fixed by regulation before you choose a single elective. Missing one category means the total does not count, however many hours you have.
Renewing a second or third license alongside the Primary one adds 30 PDPs each, with at least 15 of those in that license's content area. Two licenses means 180 PDPs, not 150.
150 PDPs covers the Primary license. Add 30 PDPs for each additional license you intend to renew, at least 15 of them in that license's content area.
15 PDPs each in content, pedagogy, SEI/ESL and students with disabilities and diverse learners.
Other educational issues and topics that improve student learning, or more content and pedagogy.
Submit the renewal application through the Educator Licensure and Recruitment system, keeping documentation in case of audit.
At least 150 professional development points to renew a Professional Primary license over its five-year validity period. One clock hour equals one PDP.
At least 15 PDPs in the content area of the license, 15 in pedagogy, 15 in Sheltered English Immersion or ESL, and 15 in strategies for effective schooling for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles. That is 60 of the 150; the remaining 90 are elective.
Each additional license renewed alongside the Primary license requires an additional 30 PDPs, with at least 15 of those in that license's content area. Renewing two licenses means 180 PDPs rather than 150.
One clock hour of professional development is equivalent to one professional development point.
603 CMR 44.00 does not set separate PDP totals for administrators; the renewal requirements apply across Professional licensure categories. Confirm the specifics for your role with DESE.
Yes. Select Massachusetts and the system tracks progress toward 150 PDPs, separates the four required categories so you can see whether each 15-PDP minimum is met, and adds 30 PDPs for each additional license you hold.
Not in Massachusetts? Find requirements for your state.
Evaluated in Massachusetts? See how Massachusetts teacher evaluation works, and how the evidence connects to the record you keep for renewal.
Part of EX in Education
PDP tracking is one part of how districts support educators. In EX in Education, it connects to the bigger picture: walkthroughs, coaching, evaluations, goals, PD, recognition, surveys, and retention. Bring your own process, or start from a template, then run it across every school so every educator moves from hired to thriving.