Options to Earn Act 48 Frequently Asked Questions

​The Standards Aligned System (SAS) provides free Act 48 eligible courses. To access these course, create a free login, and click on "My SAS Tools" in the upper right corner of the site. Then click on "PD Center". Next click on "Menu" and "Course Catalog/Registration" to access a wide variety of self-paced courses.

Yes, school districts and intermediate units are presumed approved providers of Act 48 hours for their certified professional educators by virtue of the continuing professional education plan they must file and have approved by PDE.

Available classes in your PA area Intermediate Unit can be found on the PERMS webpage under "View Current Course Offerings." For more information on specific courses and availability, contact your local Intermediate Unit. 

Yes, Act 48 can be earned from accredited higher education institutions that offer academic courses of collegiate study. Each semester credit is worth thirty (30) Act 48 hours and each quarter collegiate credit is equal to twenty (20) Act 48 hours.

Please see "How are Act 48 credits/hours applied to my record?" for more information.

​A listing of Act 48 approved providers of non-college-credit/professional development hours can be found on the PERMS website under "View approved providers." 

​A school district/approved provider employer may grant Act 48 hours for activities offered outside of the school district/provider's own programming at their discretion. However, they are not mandated to do so and as a prudent management control many entities will only grant Act 48 hours for their own continuing education activities.

Act 48 providers upload credits/hours earned by educators directly into the Professional Education Record Management System (PERMS). PDE recommends credits and hours be submitted within 30 days of completion.

Pennsylvania colleges and universities upload credits earned by educators directly into PERMS. Educators must contact their PA college registrar to request Act 48 credit for completed collegiate courses.

College credits earned outside of Pennsylvania must be submitted via an unopened, official transcript mailed to:

Act 48 Transcripts, Division of Planning
Pennsylvania Department of Education

607 South Drive, 5^th Floor
Harrisburg PA 17120-0600

The department will only accept official e-transcripts received directly from out-of-state higher education institutions submitted to the following email address:  RA-EDACT48ETRSCRPT@PA.GOV

​Information on this process can be found on the Act 48 Provider webpage and Act 48 Provider FAQ. Please contact RA-EDACT48APP@PA.GOV if you have additional questions.

​Yes, educators may earn Act 48 hours for obtaining initial certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Please contact PDE’s Division of Planning for more information via the following email address: RA-EDACT48@PA.GOV

Act 48 requires that collegiate courses, continuing professional education courses (offered by intermediate units), and noncredit continuing professional education programs, activities or learning experiences be "related to an area of the professional educator's assignment or certification." (24 PS 12-1205.2(c)). PDE interprets this language as:

• Courses or noncredit activities in the content area of the educator's certification
• Courses or noncredit activities in instructional methods, pedagogy, strategies/tools for the classroom, classroom management, assessment or evaluation
• Courses or noncredit activities in reading, writing, speaking and listening
• Courses or noncredit activities in mathematics, mathematical reasoning, and the sciences
• Courses or noncredit activities that address inclusive classrooms environments.
• Courses or noncredit activities in technology
• Courses or noncredit activities in the areas of student health, interpersonal skills in a school environment, safe and supportive schools, and resiliency
  

​Some Pennsylvania institutions of higher education become and maintain status as Act 48 approved providers for noncredit continuing professional education offerings. It is up to the individual college or university to apply for and maintain its status as an Act 48 approved provider. 

​It is the department's policy that a professional educator is entitled to receive four Act 48 hours for time spent preparing a one-hour presentation where the audience will be receiving Act 48 hours. Act 48 hours will not be given to presenters if they receive other compensation or honoraria. The presentation preparer is eligible for the grant of hours for prep time on a one-time basis per presentation at a 4:1 ratio of prep time to presentation time. Remember, Act 48 hours are granted for preparation of the presentation, not for delivery of the presentation itself.

• Mentors of educators and supervisors of student teachers (does not include pre-student teachers) may earn Act 48 credit only if the LEA approves the professional development hours.
• Mentors/Supervisors may receive up to 15 hours per inductee or student teacher totaling no more than 45 hours in a compliance period.

Yes, collegiate and PA intermediate unit credits may be applied towards fulfilling continuing education requirements if those credits were earned during the current Act 48 compliance period.

Contact RA-EDACT48@PA.GOV if you send a transcript to the Certification Division for an application and also wish to apply those credits to Act 48. 

​No, active status on an out of state certification may only be used to reactivate an inactive Pennsylvania certificate. This process cannot be used to maintain active status. 

 

• Action: Click on View CE Details to see a breakdown of individual items that have been entered.
• Continuing Education Period: Your current 5-year Act 48 compliance period. If your period is longer than 5 years, a legislative extension may have been applied. More information on the details of specific extensions can be found on our FAQ page.
• Requirement Type: Either Act 48 or Current PIL (see #2 & #3 above.)
• Required Hours: A total of 180 hours is always required for Act 48. Act 45/PIL required hours are variable. More information on Act 45/PIL hours can be found on our PA Inspired Leadership Program (PIL) Webpage.
• Carryover Hours: This category indicates the number of excess hours that have been carried over from the previous Act 48 period. A maximum of 50 hours is possible.
• Earned Hours: This category indicates the number of hours that have been earned within the current compliance period.
• Total Hours Accumulated: This category indicates the total number of hours accumulated for the current period. (carry over hours + earned hours = total hours accumulated)
• Hours Still Needed: This category indicates the total number of hours still needed to fulfill the current Act 48 or Act 45/PIL requirement. (Required hours – Total Accumulated Hours = Hours Still Needed)
• Inactivation Notice Date: The date in this column indicates when the 5-year inactivation notice letter was sent, if applicable. (N/A = Not applicable.)
  

All educators may access their Act 48 continuing education records and period via PDE's PERMS website. Enter your Professional Personnel ID (PPID) into the box and click "Go" to see your records.

If you do not have your PPID# click on "Find your Professional Personnel ID (PPID)" and enter the required information. 

A list of Act 48 approved providers of non-college-credit/professional development hours can be found on PDE's PERMS website under "View approved providers."

While you may narrow your search by using the "provider name" and "county" areas, neither are required fields. Clicking "Search" will bring up a list of ALL Act 48 approved providers. 

​A list of current IU offerings can be found on our PERMS website under "View current course offerings." For more information on available courses, please contact the Intermediate Unit directly.