Code of Massachusetts Regulations
603 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
Title 603 CMR 4.00 - Vocational Technical Education
Section 4.12 - Professional Vocational Technical Educator License Renewal and Professional Development

1. an individual professional development plan, to be achieved over the five-year period, that includes the educator's goals for strengthening content area knowledge and professional skills resulting in improvements in teaching.

2. reasonable documentation that validates the completion of each activity and the number of points accrued.

3. record log of completed license renewal activities, that at a minimum includes the topic and type of professional activities completed, the dates of such activities and the number of points completed.

1. Starting July 1, 2021, at least 15 PDPs related to SEI, English as a second language or Bilingual Education.

2. Starting July 1, 2021, at least 15 PDPs related to training in strategies for effective schooling for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles.

3. At least ten PDPs in the subject matter knowledge and skills of the license.

4. At least ten PDPs in pedagogy.

5. At least ten PDPs in academic and vocational technical curriculum integration.

6. At least ten PDPs in safety and health.

1. Starting July 1, 2021, for Professional Vocational Technical Administrator and Professional Vocational Technical Cooperative Education Coordinator licenses, 15 PDPs must be related to training in strategies for effective schooling for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles.

2. Starting July 1, 2021, for Professional Vocational Technical Administrator licenses, 15 PDPs must be related to SEI, English as a Second Language, or Bilingual Education.

3. Starting July 1, 2021, for Professional Vocational Technical Administrator licenses and Vocational Technical Cooperative Education Coordinator licenses, 15 PDPs in content, as outlined in the Chapter 74 Guide for Professional Vocational Technical Educator License Renewal.

1. Registered providers may award PDPs to license holders who complete a professional development activity and demonstrate proficiency in the relevant area through an appropriate end-of-course assessment.

2. PDPs may be awarded by, or under the auspices of, the Department, school districts, or educational collaboratives upon an educator's completion of a professional development activity.

3. Educators may accrue up to 75 PDPs through educator-designed professional development such as new employment activities (work experience) as outlined in Department guidelines. One clock hour of new employment experience will equal one PDP.

4. Achieving an additional occupational technical license or certificate approved by the Commissioner in a licensed occupation will earn a vocational technical teacher a maximum of 50 PDPs in the technical subject matter and skills of the educator's license as outlined in Department guidelines.

5. Achieving a passing score on a validated performance assessment approved by the Commissioner will earn a vocational technical teacher a maximum of 50 PDPs in the subject matter and skills of the license as set forth in Department guidelines.

1. Approval for proposed individual professional development plans shall be from the vocational technical educator's direct supervisor or an appropriate designee. In most instances, this will mean that the plans of teachers and other educators who report to the principal will be approved by the principal, a principal's plan will be approved by the superintendent, and a superintendent's plan will be approved by the chairperson of the school committee.

2. Approval of a plan shall be based on whether the PDPs in the plan are consistent with the educational needs of the school and/or district and whether the plan is designed to enhance the ability of the educator to improve student learning. A supervisor may consider whether the plan requires an educator to earn PDPs regularly throughout the five year period when evaluating a plan.

3. Approval of individual professional development plans shall not be unreasonably withheld. In the event that a plan is rejected by a supervisor, teachers and other educators who report to the principal may seek review of the denial from the superintendent, principals may seek review from the school committee chairperson, and superintendents may seek review from the Department. An educator may then seek additional review from the Department, according to the provisions of 603 CMR 4.12(6).

4. A supervisor shall review each individual professional development plan at least every two years. A supervisor shall review the professional development plan of any educator new to the district or school within three months of the educator's beginning employment in the new position. A supervisor may require an educator to amend the plan or may withdraw approval for a plan that had been previously approved, provided, however, that any PDPs that were earned consistently with an approved plan shall be deemed approved in applying for license renewal. Any PDPs that are earned prior to the approval of a plan may be subject to disapproval, if in the opinion of the educator's supervisor, the PDPs are not consistent with the educational improvement goals of the school and/or district.

5. Vocational technical educators who are employed in a Massachusetts public school shall include in their license renewal application their supervisor's approval of their completed professional development plans. A supervisor's approval will indicate that the supervisor has reviewed the log of professional development activities maintained by the educator to confirm that the reported activities are consistent with the approved professional development plan. Vocational technical educators who are not employed in Massachusetts public schools at the time that they apply for license renewal shall submit their plans directly to the Department, without a supervisor's endorsement.

1. If the Commissioner receives a request for a hearing from the educator in accordance with 603 CMR 44.11(3), the Commissioner or his designee shall schedule a hearing. The hearing shall be conducted in accordance with the requirements of M.G.L. c. 30A, and 801 CMR 1.00: Standard Adjudicatory Rules of Practice and Procedure. At such hearing, the educator shall bear the burden of proof. The hearing shall not be open to the public, unless the educator requests a public hearing.

2. The Commissioner or his designee shall issue a written decision determining whether or not the educator's license shall be deemed inactive. The decision shall comply with the requirements of M.G.L. c. 30A, § 11, and 801 CMR 1.00: Standard Adjudicatory Rules of Practice and Procedure.

3. The Commissioner shall send a copy of the decision to the educator along with a notice informing the educator of the right to appeal in accordance with the provisions of M.G.L. c. 30A, § 14.