Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Minnesota teacher license renewal runs through the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) and the teacher’s local continuing education and relicensure committee. A Tier 4 license renews every five years with 125 approved clock hours; a Tier 3 license renews every three years with 75. Every renewal must also include a set of mandatory trainings, one of which is district-approved training in meeting the needs of English Learners. This guide explains the clock hour rules, the mandatory trainings and how districts can make the English Learner requirement meaningful.
Table of contents
Executive Summary
Minnesota’s tiered licensure system ties renewal to clock hours approved locally. Each district’s continuing education and relicensure committee reviews and approves its teachers’ hours under Minnesota Rule 8710.7200, then the teacher renews with PELSB.
Beyond the hour count, PELSB requires evidence in several mandatory areas at every renewal, including suicide prevention, early-onset mental illness, cultural competency, American Indian history and culture, and English Learners. The English Learner requirement is unusual: it calls for district-approved training aligned with InTASC standards for English Learners, with job-embedded practice, and it can be evidenced in the teacher’s summative evaluation. That gives districts real control over what the training looks like.
Key Takeaways
- Tier 4 licenses renew every five years with 125 clock hours; Tier 3 licenses every three years with 75.
- The local continuing education and relicensure committee approves clock hours.
- Every renewal must include mandatory trainings, including English Learners, suicide prevention, early-onset mental illness, cultural competency and American Indian history and culture.
- The English Learner requirement calls for district-approved training aligned with InTASC standards for English Learners.
- It may be evidenced in the teacher’s summative evaluation.
- Clock hours cannot be banked across renewal periods; National Board certification can stand in for the clock hour requirement.
What District Leaders Need to Know
- Your committee is the gatekeeper. PELSB issues the license, but the local committee decides which activities count as clock hours.
- The English Learner training is yours to design. It must be district-approved and offer job-embedded learning and practice.
- PELSB can pre-approve trainings. A provider can ask PELSB to approve a training as meeting clock hour requirements, but local committees still review teachers’ hours.
- Caps apply to some activities. Supervising student teachers and approved travel or work experience each count for at most 30 clock hours per five-year period.
- Teachers who live and work outside Minnesota submit their clock hours and mandatory requirements directly to PELSB.
Funding Options
| Funding source | Eligible uses | How to access |
|---|---|---|
| Title II, Part A | Professional development and coaching | Formula grant through the Minnesota Department of Education |
| Title III, Part A | Supplemental PD for teachers of English Learners | Formula grant; supplement, not supplant |
| Title IV, Part A | PD on the effective use of technology | Formula grant |
| District staff development funds | Locally planned professional development | District budget |
See what Title II funds can be used for and what Title III funds can be used for.
District Benchmark
A district with 250 Tier 4 teachers sees about 50 renewals a year. Each renewing teacher needs evidence of English Learner training, so the district must provide or approve that training for roughly 50 teachers every year.
One sustained, district-approved English Learner course offered annually, with classroom practice built in, can meet the requirement for every renewing teacher and give the district a consistent approach across schools.
How Minnesota Teacher License Renewal Works
Definition. Minnesota teacher license renewal is the process of extending a Tier 3 or Tier 4 license by completing approved clock hours and mandatory trainings, having them verified by the local continuing education and relicensure committee, and applying to PELSB.
| License | Renewal period | Clock hours |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 4 | 5 years | 125 |
| Tier 3 | 3 years | 75 |
A clock hour is an hour of actual instruction, or of planned group or individual professional development, approved by the local committee.
Mandatory Trainings for Renewal
PELSB’s renewal conditions require evidence in several areas at every renewal. They include:
- Suicide prevention best practices (at least one hour)
- Key warning signs of early-onset mental illness in children and adolescents
- English Learners
- Cultural competency
- American Indian history and culture
- Positive behavioral intervention strategies, including accommodating, modifying and adapting curricula, materials and strategies for individual students
- Reading preparation (licenses that do not provide direct instruction, such as school counselors and school nurses, are exempt)
Check PELSB’s current renewal conditions before planning, as requirements are updated periodically.
The English Learner Renewal Requirement
For English Learners, PELSB asks for evidence of growth in best teaching practices through district-approved training in meeting the varied needs of English Learners, from children to adults. Minnesota Rule 8710.7200 requires that training to have job-embedded opportunities for learning and practice and to align with InTASC standards for English Learners.
Two features make this requirement practical for districts. First, the district approves the training, so it can match local needs. Second, it may be evidenced in the summative evaluation, which lets districts connect English Learner learning to the evaluation cycle rather than treating it as a separate certificate.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Consider a district that approves a semester-long English Learner course for all renewing teachers, built around three classroom cycles. Teachers would try a speaking routine, an adapted lesson and a feedback practice with their own students, then discuss results with a colleague. The relicensure committee would count the hours, and principals could reference the work in summative evaluations as evidence of growth.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming PELSB approval of a course replaces local committee review.
- Counting a one-time lecture as “job-embedded” English Learner training.
- Trying to bank extra clock hours for the next renewal period.
- Exceeding the 30-hour caps for supervision or travel and work experience.
- Leaving mandatory trainings to the last months before expiration.
Recommended Actions
Immediate (this month)
- Confirm which English Learner trainings your committee currently approves.
- Share PELSB’s current renewal conditions with staff renewing in the next year.
Medium-Term (this year)
- Offer one district-approved English Learner course with classroom practice.
- Agree with principals on how summative evaluations document English Learner growth.
Long-Term (strategy)
- Align renewal trainings with your English Learner program goals.
- Review whether trainings change outcomes for English Learners.
Questions District Leaders Should Ask
- How many teachers renew each year, and how do they meet the English Learner requirement?
- Does our approved English Learner training include job-embedded practice?
- Do summative evaluations capture English Learner growth?
- Which outside trainings has our committee approved, and why?
FAQ
How many clock hours do I need to renew my Minnesota teaching license?
125 clock hours for a Tier 4 license every five years, or 75 for a Tier 3 license every three years.
Who approves clock hours in Minnesota?
Your district’s continuing education and relicensure committee. Teachers who live and work outside Minnesota submit their hours to PELSB.
What is the English Learner requirement for Minnesota license renewal?
Evidence of growth through district-approved training in meeting the needs of English Learners, aligned with InTASC standards. It may be evidenced in the summative evaluation.
Can I bank extra clock hours?
No. Clock hours cannot be banked, but hours earned after you submit a renewal application can apply to the next period.
Does National Board certification count for renewal?
Yes. Local committees accept National Board certification as equivalent to the clock hour requirements during the life of the certificate.
Related Resources
- Teacher Professional Development Requirements by State
- Colorado Teacher License Renewal
- SCECH in Michigan
- Professional Development Goals for Teachers
- What Can Title II Funds Be Used For?
Conclusion
Minnesota asks every teacher, at every renewal, to show growth in teaching English Learners, and it lets districts decide what that training looks like. Districts that design it as job-embedded practice, documented in the evaluation cycle, turn a renewal condition into a steady investment in the students who need it most.
Sources: Minnesota Rule 8710.7100; Minnesota Rule 8710.7200; Minn. Stat. 122A.187; PELSB, Renewal Requirements for a Tier 3 License; PELSB, License Renewal Conditions 2026; PELSB, Trainings.
Evidence of Growth, Not Just Attendance
A teacher can sit through an English Learner workshop and leave with a certificate, yet the student who never speaks in her class is still silent the next week. We ask teachers to change daily routines for students at several levels of English, and a single session rarely gives them the time to try, adjust and try again.
Minnesota’s wording, evidence of growth through job-embedded practice, points districts toward sustained learning. Telo AI’s 15-hour course for a whole staff, AI for Every Teacher, is one example a district could approve: eight weeks with three live sessions, core modules on safe AI use, planning and feedback, a track for each teacher’s context, including English Learners, and three classroom cycles in which teachers try routines with their own students and bring back evidence.
The best proof of growth is not a certificate in a file but a quiet student who now has a reason, and the time, to talk.
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