Top 5 Things About Act 48 Moratorium

1. Why Was the Moratorium Instated?

In 2011, Pennsylvania Lawmakers passed Act 24 of 2011. Among other things, this law suspended the continuing professional education requirements of all certified PA educators until June 30, 2013. According to John Freund and Keely Espinar’s article,Making Sense of the Act 24 Hodgepodge, the moratorium was instated as a cost- savings strategy. Prior to Act 24 of 2011, school districts were responsible for paying for all continued education programs needed for their employed teachers to maintain their PA teaching certificate. The moratorium lifted this requirement so districts need not pay for continuing education programs…until June 30, 2013!

 2. Your Two-Year Grace Period is just about up!

If you’ve checked your certificate’s status at the PA Department of Education website lately, you may have noticed that two years have been added to your certificate’s end date. All Pennsylvania certified educators were given a two-year grace period for acquiring their 180 hours of required professional development. If your certificate was in danger of being “inactive” during the past two years, you have just a few months to reactivate it.

3. You can Reactivate an Inactive Certificate During the Moratorium

If your certificate is about to expire, you CAN take the necessary steps to reactivate your certificate during the moratorium grace period. An active certificate requires 180 hours of approved professional development or 6 college credits.

4. Act 48 Covered Certificates Issued during the Moratorium Expire on June 30, 2018

According to the PA Department of Education, if you received your first Act 48 certificate anytime during the moratorium, it will be set to end on June 30, 2018. This may seem far off from today, but it is important that you begin to take professional development courses and spread out the 180 hour requirement over the next 5 years.

5. Solutions for Obtaining Act 48 Credit Hours

Enroll in self-paced courses or college courses. Be aware that 1 collegiate credit is equal to 30 clock hours. Workshops and conferences that are approved by your school district can also apply towards your Act 48 professional development hours.