Professional Development Plan (PDP)
Do not discard. File with your Maryland Teaching Certificate
Procedures
MD certification regulations require that any individual who is professionally employed in a MD school system and who holds a SPCII or APC issued on or after January 1, 1995, must have a professional development plan (PDP) on file.
The PDP is written by the certificate holder. Teachers will have their PDP reviewed by their principal and content area supervisor. For other certificated employees, the PDP will be reviewed by the certificate holder's immediate supervisor.
Six to nine months before a certificate is due to expire, the employee will receive a renewal notice from the Department of Human Resources. A three-part NCR Professional Development Plan form will be forwarded at a later date.
The certificate holder must complete Section I - Proposed Plan and have the plan reviewed by the appropriate supervisory personnel. Do not add any information to Section II at this time. Only the second copy (yellow) should be returned to the Department of Human Resources. This second copy of the PDP will be attached to the carbon copy of the new certificate and maintained in the certification file in the Department of Human Resources. The employee will file the original copy (white) of the PDP in their professional portfolio along with their new teaching certificate when it is received. The third copy (pink) is filed in the school office. (This copy is for duplication purposes in the event that the employee loses the original.)
It is recommended that certificate holders who have not yet met the reading regulation, include the reading requirements in their plan. Please see the CCPS Certification Handbook for additional information.
During the validity period of the new certificate, the employee is responsible for completing six credits to support the professional development plan. The six acceptable credits may be earned through post baccalaureate undergraduate or graduate level college course work, MSDE approved credit or CCPS renewal credits (RC). A minimum of eight hours engaged in a single activity is required to earn 2 of a renewal credit. (Please note, RC only applies to APC holders or SPC II holders who have completed the course work requirements for the APC.) As activities are completed and credits are earned, the employee will add information to their white copy of the PDP under Section II - Activities Completed. The principal, supervisor, or the Department of Human Resources will not monitor the employee's progress. Sole responsibility for meeting the PDP rests with the certificate holder. Documentation verifying the six acceptable credits to support the PDP must be provided by the certificate holder.
- An employee taking college course work or MSDE credit should continue to forward official grade reports, transcripts, or MSDE report forms to the Department of Human Resources immediately upon completion of the course or credits. Reimbursement requests and/or requests for salary reclassification, if appropriate, should be included. The certificate holder will note on their copy (of the original PDP) that the documentation was forwarded to the Department of Human Resources. Since this documentation will already be on file, it will not be necessary to include another copy of the grade reports, transcripts, or MSDE reports with the PDP when the certificate is due for renewal.
- All acceptable credits earned by way of renewal credit (RC) will be maintained by the certificate holder and noted on the original copy of the PDP. RC documentation is not to be sent to the Department of Human Resources unless requested.
Prior to the expiration of the standard professional or advanced professional certificate, the Department of Human Resources will notify the employee and include a new PDP form. The employee will be required to return the completed PDP for the expiring certificate. They will also be required to submit a new PDP for the new certificate. The cycle will then continue.
PDP - Miscellaneous Information
Section I: Proposed Plan - This is a brief description of the actual plan for professional growth and is designed by the employee. The plan should be one or two sentences in length and be stated in behavioral terms. This section is written to show the plan for professional growth to be completed during the validity period of the new certificate.
Example: The certificate holder has not yet completed the course work to meet the reading regulations.
The proposed plan might be: I will increase my knowledge and skills in the teaching of reading to better meet the needs of my students.
Example: An elementary teacher with an APC by equivalency wants to become a guidance counselor and must earn a Master's degree in school guidance and counseling.
The proposed plan might be: I will increase my knowledge and skills in counseling children to better meet the needs of my students.
Section II: Activities Completed - In this section the employee will list the activities and acceptable credit earned over the validity period of the certificate. These credits will verify that the proposed plan was met. This section is completed as activities are completed after the new certificate is issued.
Example: The elementary teacher mentioned above, completes a three credit graduate course, Techniques in School Counseling, a two (2) credit MSDE approved workshop in group dynamics and earns one (1) MSDE credit through a conference on counseling at-risk students. Each activity is noted separately on the form.
If at some later date, the teacher decides not to pursue the Master's degree in counseling, the teacher still has met the PDP.
Flexibility - The PDP is intended to be flexible to meet the changing needs of professional employees and may be revised accordingly. Changes to the PDP must be made on the original form and reviewed by the principal or supervisor. The school copy of the PDP should also be revised by the certificate holder so that an up-to-date PDP is available in case the original is lost. It is not necessary to send updated or revised PDPs to the Department of Human Resources. The revised PDP will be sent to the Department of Human Resources when the certificate is due for renewal.
Maintenance & Responsibility - It is the responsibility of the certificate holder to design and maintain the PDP. All forms and documentation must be submitted to the Department of Human Resources by the requested date(s). If a certificate holder loses a PDP and/or documentation to support the PDP, it is the individual's responsibility to reconstruct the plan and provide official documents verifying completion.
Failure to receive notice of the PDP or certificate renewal does not exempt the certificate holder from meeting these requirements. It is the responsibility of the certificate holder to know the dates of his/her current certificate and to take action to insure all requirements are met.
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The Board of Education of Carroll County is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in matters affecting employment or the provision of services, programs, or activities in compliance with all federal and state anti-discrimination laws. Persons needing auxiliary aids and services for communication should contact the Public Information Office or write to Carroll County Public Schools at least one (1) week in advance of the date the special accommodation is needed.
