The Illinois teacher professional development requirements were updated in 2015. Teachers and school support services personnel in IL must complete 120 hours of professional development every five years to renew their certification regardless of the number or type of degree(s) they hold.
While education providers within the state of Illinois offer programs for professional development, the state also accepts professional development hours that are earned from universities located outside the state.
Fresno Pacific, an accredited university, offers graduate-level credits toward these hours through a continuing education program that specializes in providing online courses for teachers. The university offers hundreds of independent studies courses and certificates in areas such as classroom technology, ELA/Language Arts and STEM education.
These online courses can provide IL teachers the professional development hours they need to meet state standards.
New Illinois Teacher Professional Development Requirements
Starting in 2015, the Illinois State Board of Education began using a new set of professional development standards for teachers. Under these standards, all teachers and school support services personnel are required to complete professional development courses totaling 120 PD hours every five years to maintain their certification.
Illinois maintains a list of providers located in the state who offer professional development courses for teachers. However, the state also accepts professional credit hours earned through the National Board Certification and “acceptable professional development.”
Fresno Pacific University fits into that second category with Illinois teachers taking FPU professional development courses every month!
Teachers who wish to earn professional development hours from a provider that is not on the list “should seek approval from an Illinois state-approved professional development provider prior to registering for, paying for, or attending an activity.”
Why Choose FPU for Professional Development Hours?
One of the advantages of Fresno Pacific University professional development courses is that they are offered online. This allows Illinois teachers to balance their time between earning professional development credits and their busy schedule.
Fresno Pacific University offers another advantage. The school already offers hundreds of courses and is constantly updating its continuing education course catalog. For example, the school recently partnered with The Great Courses on three new professional development courses for teachers offering robust video lectures along with instructor expertise on how to integrate concepts into the modern classroom. These exciting courses include The American West, How We Learn and Life in the World’s Oceans.
The instructors at FPU are often classroom teachers themselves. For example, professor Jeromy Winter who teaches language arts, writing and social studies courses, also works as an elementary education teacher librarian. He said this helps him understand the current needs of teachers and “the challenges of balancing the curriculum and the real needs of students.”
Students who earn their professional development hours from FPU learn skills they can apply to their classroom immediately. Joanne said about her course: "I learned so much about how to integrate science and engineering with technology and mathematics to create inspiring lessons!"
These are just a few of the advantages teachers enjoy when they turn to Fresno Pacific University to meet their Illinois teacher professional development requirements in order to maintain teacher certification. For those who want PD from an accredited university outside Illinois, it’s worth researching the online courses offered by Fresno Pacific.