DOE Recertification Revisited - PDP Update

Q:  How will the newly updated requirements for Massachusetts Department of Education (DOE) certification of school library media specialists and teachers affect WMRLS  continuing education offerings?

A: The new requirements (effective December 1999) have some major implications for anyone seeking to maintain certification and for “Professional Development Point” (PDP) providers like WMRLS. Under the new guidelines:

• School Library Media Specialists will need to “...earn PDPs that are relevant and meaningful to their teaching or administrative duties”.

• Many school library media specialists will need ten hours in a topic (defined as a “...tightly integrated area of study within an academic discipline”) in order to apply them toward recertification.

• PDPs will no longer be awarded for attendance at a professional conference, but school library media specialists are eligible to receive 30 PDPs the first time they make a presentation at a professional conference in any five-year cycle.

• PDP providers (like WMRLS) may continue to issue “Certificates of Attendance” to school library media specialists who attend continuing education programs.  The “Certificates of Attendance” that WMRLS issues qualify as a professional development activity which the school library media specialist may use to earn professional development points (PDPs) that are relevant and meaningful to his/her teaching or administrative duties.

• Points will be awarded through an appropriate end-of-course assessment that satisfies DOE guidelines.

     For the complete scoop, read Recertification Guidelines for Massachusetts Educators. The Guidelines have been published on the Web at:

• http://www.doe.mass.edu/recert/2000guidelines/letter.html

• http://www.doe.mass.edu/recert/2000guidelines/guidelines.pdf

     Be assured that WMRLS trainers will vigorously investigate ways to continue to provide continuing education opportunities for staff that will meet the DOE requirements