College of Education and Social Work

All certified educators in Pennsylvania must complete 180 hours of professional development per every five years. The professional development must comply with the plan of the school district that employs the educator. The 180 hour requirement can be met with six college credits, six credits of continuing professional education courses, 180 clock hours of continuing professional education, or any combination of collegiate studies, continuing professional education courses, or other learning experiences equivalent to 180 hours.

The College of Education and Social Work at West Chester University is an approved provider of continuing education for K-12 teachers in compliance with Act 48 legislation. The University offers Act 48 credit for workshops, seminars, conferences, and other educational activities. Credit-bearing courses automatically qualify for Act 48 credit through the University.

K-12 Educators can request hours/credits for a credit-bearing course taken at West Chester University through the following process:

After completing a course at West Chester University for which you wish to receive Act 48/Act 45* credit, use these directions for EduLink .

Your request will be sent to West Chester University. The Registrar's Office will verify that the hours and credits were satisfactorily completed. The University will submit the verified hours/credits to the PA Department of Education Records Management site. You may check your progress by visiting the online Act 48 Professional Education Record Management System and entering your Social Security Number.

Please contact the Registrar's Office for further assistance regarding this credit for coursework at West Chester University.

*Note: Those seeking Act 45 credit must select "PA Inspired Leadership (PIL)" as the Course Type. Note only EDD 750, EDD 751, EDD 752, EDD 753 are approved for Act 45 credit.

West Chester University faculty can propose Act 48 credits for non-credit bearing programs.

PDE requires the College of Education and Social Work to submit a three-year plan outlining programs sponsored during that time. Programs must receive approval by the Act 48 Committee as part of the Council for Professional Education (CPE) at West Chester University to be added to the plan. The Committee requires approximately three weeks lead-time to grant approval. The Associate Dean provides oversight on all individual proposals as the final reviewer.

When submitting a proposal for an non-credit program to the Act 48 Committee, it must meet the following eight standards:

1. Professional development activities must have clear objectives for increasing student achievement and school success.

2. Professional development activities are based on principles of adult leaning theory to engage educators in professional growth.

3. Professional development activities are aligned to at least one component of one domain within the Danielson Framework for Teaching.

4. Professional development activities are aligned with the current and applicable Pennsylvania Core Standards or Pennsylvania Academic Standards.

5. Professional development activities utilize a curriculum that is based on research or best practice and a delivery model that emphasizes sustained, job-embedded professional development.

6. The provider addresses participant proficiency through an end-of-the-course assessment.

7. The provider accesses participant satisfaction and impact on professional practice through surveys of all enrollees that are used by the provider for continuous improvement.

8. Effectiveness of the offerings is evaluated through multiple measures of student achievement within the context of educator effectiveness to determine impact on student learning, educator effectiveness, and/or school performance.

NOTE: the number of hours must be actual working hours; lunches and breaks are not counted in the number of hours of the program.

Please contact the Dean's Office at 610-436-2321 for further assistance regarding Act 48 credit for non-credit bearing programs at West Chester University.