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Act 48 is Pennsylvania’s continuing professional education law for certified educators. Under Act 48 of 1999, educators must complete, every five years, six semester credits of collegiate study, six credits of approved continuing professional education courses, 180 hours of continuing professional education from a Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) approved provider, or a combination. Approved providers upload hours to PDE’s Professional Education Record Management System (PERMS). This guide explains how Act 48 works, who can provide hours, and how districts can plan them.
Table of contents
Executive Summary
Pennsylvania ties certificate status to continuing education on a five-year compliance cycle. Most teachers meet Act 48 through a mix of district professional development, intermediate unit (IU) offerings and courses from approved providers, all recorded in PERMS against the educator’s Professional Personnel ID (PPID).
Districts and IUs are presumed approved providers for their own certified staff because they file professional education plans with PDE. That gives districts a strong lever: professional development they design for their own teachers can count toward Act 48, as long as it is planned and recorded properly. Unlike New York or Massachusetts, Pennsylvania sets no English Learner hour requirement for Act 48. School entities must offer training on teaching diverse learners in inclusive settings and on language and literacy acquisition for all students, but how much of it addresses English Learners depends on district priorities.
Key Takeaways
- Act 48 requires six collegiate credits, six approved CPE credits, 180 hours, or a combination, every five years.
- Hours must come from PDE-approved providers and be recorded in PERMS.
- Districts and intermediate units are presumed approved providers for their own certified educators.
- Independent providers apply to PDE for Approved Provider status, granted for three years; while approved, they can add courses without new approvals.
- PDE’s Approved Provider Guidelines require providers to upload hours to PERMS within 30 days of completion.
- Educators can check their Act 48 records on PERMS with their PPID.
What District Leaders Need to Know
- District PD counts when it is in your plan. Professional development provided under your PDE-approved professional education plan can generate Act 48 hours for your staff.
- Upload discipline matters. PDE tracks compliance through PERMS, and educators are responsible for monitoring their own records there.
- Outside providers must be approved. A vendor without Approved Provider status cannot upload hours itself; districts can incorporate its training into their own approved plan.
- Administrators have a parallel rule. Act 45 governs continuing education for school leaders, and Act 45 providers must already be Act 48 approved.
- English Learner capacity is a choice. With no English Learner hour requirement, districts with growing English Learner populations decide whether Act 48 time builds that capacity.
Funding Options
| Funding source | Eligible uses | How to access |
|---|---|---|
| Title II, Part A | Professional development and coaching | Formula grant through PDE |
| 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 through PDE |
| Intermediate unit services | Shared professional development and Act 48 hours | IU service agreements |
See what Title II funds can be used for and what Title III funds can be used for.
District Benchmark
A district with 600 certified educators needs 108,000 Act 48 hours per five-year cycle if everyone uses the 180-hour route, about 21,600 hours a year.
If the district provides 24 hours of planned, Act 48-eligible professional development per educator per year, it covers 120 of each educator’s 180 hours, two thirds of the requirement, and steers that time toward its improvement plan.
What Is Act 48?
Definition. Act 48 of 1999 is the Pennsylvania law that requires holders of professional educator certificates to complete continuing professional education every five years to keep their certificates active.
| Option | Requirement per five-year period |
|---|---|
| Collegiate study | 6 semester credits |
| Approved continuing professional education courses | 6 credits |
| Continuing professional education activities | 180 hours from PDE-approved providers |
| Combination | Any mix of the above |
How Act 48 Hours Reach PERMS
- The educator completes an activity from an approved provider.
- The provider uploads the hours to PERMS; PDE’s Approved Provider Guidelines set a 30-day deadline.
- The educator checks PERMS using their PPID and raises any gaps with the provider.
- Compliance is assessed against the educator’s five-year Act 48 period.
Collegiate and IU credits earned during the current compliance period can also count.
Who Can Provide Act 48 Hours?
School districts and intermediate units are presumed approved providers for their own certified educators, by virtue of the professional education plans they file with PDE. Some Pennsylvania colleges and universities also hold Approved Provider status for noncredit offerings.
Independent providers of noncredit courses, including individuals, organizations and private companies, must apply to PDE for Approved Provider status. Once approved, they do not need separate approval for each new course during their active status, as long as courses meet the approved application, and they are responsible for uploading participants’ hours to PERMS. PDE publishes the list of approved providers on the PERMS website.
Act 48 by the Numbers
- 180 hours, 6 collegiate credits, or 6 approved CPE credits per five years.
- 5-year compliance period per educator.
- 30 days: the upload deadline for approved providers in PDE’s guidelines.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Consider a district with a fast-growing English Learner population that adds an eight-week course on supporting English Learners in content classes to its professional education plan. Teachers would complete it with classroom practice between sessions, and the district would upload 15 Act 48 hours for each participant. The course would count toward Act 48 and give the district a common set of routines for English Learners across schools.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming any workshop counts without checking the provider’s approval.
- Not checking PERMS until the end of the compliance period.
- Running district PD outside the professional education plan, so it cannot be uploaded.
- Delaying uploads, which leaves educators unsure of their status.
- Treating Act 48 as a numbers exercise unrelated to district goals.
Recommended Actions
Immediate (this month)
- Run a PERMS check for educators whose compliance period ends in the next 18 months.
- Confirm who uploads district Act 48 hours and how quickly.
Medium-Term (this year)
- Build two or three sustained offerings into your professional education plan around district priorities.
- Bring outside courses you adopt into your plan, or confirm the provider is approved.
Long-Term (strategy)
- Align Act 48 time with your comprehensive plan, including English Learner goals.
- Measure whether professional development changes classroom practice.
Questions District Leaders Should Ask
- How many educators are at risk of missing their Act 48 deadline?
- What share of Act 48 hours come from our own planned PD?
- Do our Act 48 offerings address the needs of English Learners?
- Are hours uploaded within 30 days?
FAQ
How many Act 48 hours do I need?
180 hours every five years, or six collegiate credits, six approved CPE credits, or a combination.
How do I check my Act 48 hours?
Go to PDE’s PERMS website and enter your Professional Personnel ID (PPID) to see your records and compliance period.
Who can give Act 48 hours?
PDE-approved providers, including school districts and intermediate units for their own staff, accredited colleges and universities for collegiate credit, and independent providers with Approved Provider status.
How does a provider become Act 48 approved?
Independent providers request an application from PDE and, once approved, upload participants’ hours to PERMS.
What is the difference between Act 48 and Act 45?
Act 48 covers continuing education for certified educators; Act 45 sets continuing education for school administrators, delivered by approved Act 45 providers.
How do I reactivate an inactive Pennsylvania teaching certificate?
Complete the missing Act 48 hours or credits and make sure they are reported in PERMS. PERMS returns the certificate to active status overnight and sets a new five-year compliance period based on the date you met the requirement (PDE). While inactive, the certificate remains valid, but you cannot be employed as a professional or temporary professional employee in a Pennsylvania public school; you may substitute in your certificate area for up to 180 days per school year, unless your district requires active certificates (PDE, Act 48 FAQ).
>Related Resources- Teacher Professional Development Requirements by State
- SCECH in Michigan
- CTLE Credits in New York
- Professional Development Topics for Teachers
- What Can Title II Funds Be Used For?
Conclusion
Act 48 gives Pennsylvania districts a clear structure and real latitude: professional development they plan for their own staff can carry Act 48 hours. The districts that benefit most use that latitude deliberately, building sustained learning around their own priorities rather than leaving 180 hours to chance.
Sources: PDE, Act 48 Approved Providers; PDE, Act 48 Approved Provider Guidelines; PDE, Options to Earn Act 48 FAQ; PDE, General Act 48 FAQ; PDE, Act 45 provider application; 24 P.S. 12-1205.2; 22 Pa. Code 49.17.
One Hundred Eighty Hours, One Direction
Over five years, 180 hours is a lot of time, often spread across workshops that never connect. We ask teachers to keep improving while managing full classes, and then measure that improvement in hours rather than in what changed for students, including the English Learners who are arriving in more Pennsylvania districts each year.
Some districts are using their professional education plans to give part of those hours a single direction. Telo AI’s 15-hour course for a whole staff, AI for Every Teacher, is one example a district could build into its plan: over eight weeks, four core modules on safe AI use, planning, feedback and family communication, then a two-module track for each teacher, including an English Learner track with leveled lessons and a speaking station, plus three live sessions and three classroom cycles. Whether its hours reach PERMS depends on how the district or an approved provider offers it.
Hours add up on a transcript; routines add up in a classroom, and only one of those is what students experience.
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