Act+48+Information

= = =Act 48 Q&A= 1. **How long is the Act 48 window? **Five Years. 2. **How many credits/hours must you get? **180 hours or six credits or any combination of courses and credits. The Act 48 system will convert credits to hours. 3. **When does your Act 48 window begin and end?** It begins the month that your certificate is issued and ends five years later. 4. **How long do educators have to convert their Instructional I to Instructional II?** Six working years. 45 Days in a permanent sub position will count as 1/2 year. Ninety days in a permanent sub position will count as one year. Your Instructional II clock stops when you are not working or are working as a day to day sub. 5. **What counts for Instructional II credit?** Intermediate Unit credits and credits from four year degree granting colleges or universities. Community College credits do NOT count for Instructional II. Community College credits do count for Act 48. 6. **What is the relationship between Act 48 hours and Instructional II courses?** The credits taken for Instructional II are converted to hours for Act 48. They count for both Act 48 and Instructional II if they are aligned with an educator’s certification area. They won’t count for Act 48 if they aren’t aligned. 7. **Who needs to complete PDE 427 to apply for Instructional II?** All educators who had certificates issued September 1, 2001 or later. This form must be completed by the principal or supervisor at the end of the third year of teaching. It is the evaluation component and must be forwarded to PDE with the Instructional II application. 8. **What is needed to apply for an Instructional II?** Three years of teaching in PA with a satisfactory rating at least the last rating period, participation in an approved induction program and 24 credits. A sealed transcript must document any university or college credits. The IU credit letters come with a seal on the letter. A sealed transcript is not needed for IU 1 courses. The application 338G is on the PDE website. There is a fee to file the application. Please see number 7 for information about when the PDE 427 form is required. 9. **What are the requirements for Induction Consortium participants?** Attendance at all sessions, completion of evaluations and performance assessments, engagement in the course or workshop activities, completion of all assignments, completion of the three key concepts from the PA Code of Professional Practice and Conduct for Educators, and completion of a peer observation (email both to: golebiek@iu1.k12.pa.us). Additional Peer Observation Forms are available at http://www.iu1.k12.pa.us/ see Instructional Support Services, Induction.  10. **What is the IU1 website?** http://www.iu1.k12.pa.us/ 11. **What is the PDE website?** http://www.pde.state.pa.us/ 12. **Who/How should I contact the IU if I need to cancel a session?** To cancel a session, contact the ISS Department via email to Keith Golebie at: golebiek@iu1.k12.pa.us. If a workshop is missed, the workshop may be taken the next time it is offered. In some cases, this may be the following school year. Please check with your school district about make-ups when you miss a session. The IU 1 website can help you identify makeup or additional sessions. Educators can switch days if space is available, they have cancelled the missed session, and they have consulted their school administration. 13. **What are the course/workshop options for year 1 & year 2?** Participants may attend the workshop dates during the school day if approved by their school districts. If you are unable to attend during the regular school day, then you have several options. For Induction Consortium Year 1 Days 1 & 2, you may take either CPE course, “The Principles and Best Practices of Harry Wong” or Instructional Materials I. For Year 1 Days 3 & 4, participants may take the CPE Course, Year 1 Days 3 and 4 School Law and Technology Integration. For Induction Consortium Year 2 Days 1 & 2, you may take any one IU 1 Technology course. 14. **What is tenure, and does it apply to Act 48 or Level II?** In Pennsylvania, a tenured teacher is a "professional employee" while an untenured teacher is a "temporary professional employee". A teacher must serve a three year probationary period before being awarded tenure. Once awarded tenure, a professional employee is forever tenured. Professional employees include more than teachers; for example, principals and school counselors are also tenured. The terms "professional employee" and "temporary professional employee" are defined in Section 11-1101 of the Public School Code. (http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/edu/ed370/teacher_due_process.html )