• What kinds of PD forms can be submitted for professional credit?

    Per contract language, the following two items are acceptable for professional development credit submission: CPDU's and CEU's.
    CPDU's were issued on the ISBE 77-21b form.  This form is now officially titled Evidence of Completion for Professional Development and is known in the U-46 system as a PD hour form. PD Hour forms can be submitted for Professional Credit.  If the form is issued by U-46, the 77-21b form must also be labeled "PC" to be eligible.  Any forms labeled "NPC" are not eligible for professional credit. 
    All forms submitted as CEUs for professional credit must state the number of CEUs received and be issued by a recognized CEU provider. 

    I completed my evaluations in Canvas, retrieved my PD hour form, and added it to the ISBE ELIS site for licensure renewal. Do I have to do anything else?

    Yes. The Professional Credit Tracking System does not share information with the ISBE ELIS system. If you want to apply PD towards professional credits, you will need to enter the information and upload a signed copy of your PD hour form into the Professional Credit Tracking System site. 

    I need to find PD hour forms from a long time ago.  Where do I look?

    If you are looking for forms that were in a Canvas course, please use this video to help guide the process.  If you don't remember the name of the courses you registered for, email professionaldevelopment@u-46.org  and ask for a transcript.  Please make sure you include the dates that the transcript should contain. (i.e. I'm looking for all course registrations from August 2020 - January 2021).  If you need forms from before August 2020, please use this link to access your WisdomWhere record.

    Can I use PD hour forms from last year for Professional Credits this year?

    Only PD completed during the current school yearcan be submitted for Professional Credits.  (EX: 23-24 SY = PD Hour forms must be dated between 07/01/2023 - 06/30/2024) All PD hours must be submitted by 07/31. (For the 22-23 SY all PD hours must be submitted by 07/31/2023, for the 23-24 SY all PD hours must be submitted by 07/31/2024)

    I attended a conference and they gave me a certificate of PD hours.  Can I use that for Professional Credits?

    The only PD eligible for Professional Credits is PD run by an Illinois Approved Provider.  All PD that meets this criteria issues an Evidence of Completion Form (PD Hour Form, ISBE Form 77-21b).  If the PD does not issue this, it should not be entered for Professional Credits.

    I attended paid PD and my PD hours were rejected.  Why can't I receive Professional Credit for my participation?

    Here are the current guidelines for payment and professional credits:

    Required PD Happening Outside of a Contractual Day (This includes PD like Academic Teaming offered over the summer that will become required during the school year)
     - Hourly Pay 
     - PD Hours eligible for ELIS submission but not PC submission

    Required PD Happening During a Contractual Day (School Day, PPD, DCD, SIP/CIP)
     - No additional pay
     - PD Hours eligible for ELIS submission and PC submission

    Optional PD Happening During a Contractual Day (School Day, PPD, DCD, SIP/CIP)
     - No additional pay
     - PD Hours eligible for ELIS submission and PC submission

    Optional PD Happening Outside of a Contractual Day 
     - No additional pay
     - PD Hours eligible for ELIS submission and PC submission

    In addition, more information about the relationship between professional development and Professional Credits can be found in the following documents:

    Salary Credit Oversight Committee Professional Credit Guidance  - This is a one-page summary of the Professional Credit Information
    Additional Work: Compensation Identification - A summary document of additional compensation types and the qualifying work, May 2021 - This document dives further into the relationship between paid PD attendance and Professional Credits as well as addresses frequently raised questions. 

    How do I move on the Salary Schedule?

    There are two ways to move on the salary schedule - Graduate Hours or Professional Credits.  You can earn up to 5 Professional Credits each year (from a variety of sources) and you can submit an unlimited amount of graduate hours via a transcript but you will only get credit for 2 additional moves each year.  (i.e. I could submit 30 hours one year, but not all would be applied to salary schedule movement since that is more than 2 moves) Here is a document that explains that process - page 4 specifically.  You can always find out if the graduate credits will be accepted by checking their accreditation against the list in the contract (it's on page 105).

    There are two reviews each year in November and March. The deadline for transcripts for the November review is October 15 and the deadline for transcripts for the March review is February 15.  All employees are reviewed in November.  Only employees with new transcripts submitted are reviewed in March. During these reviews, only Professional Credits from the previous school year are included for salary movement. So, for the 23-24 SY reviews, only Professional Credits earned during the 22-23 SY will be considered. If a teacher earns a Professional Credit in September 2023 that will not be eligible for consideration for either the fall or spring salary review.  

    If I don't have enough credits to move this year, what happens to my credits? Do they expire?

    Transcript hours or Professional Credits that do not yet cause a salary movement are kept with a teacher's record until enough credits have been earned to initiate a lane/step movement. Here is an example of what a salary review would look like with or without enough credits to cause a lane/step change. 

    How do I earn a Facilitator credit?

    Per the contract language, you would receive the PD hours for the first presentation and then 1 professional credit for the second presentation (whether that happens in the same semester or not).  Going forward, you can also earn up to 1 professional credit per semester for the same session topic.

    What do I need to do to earn a PLC credit?

    Please see this document for more specifics about what is required for a PLC.