Scheduled Professional Development required under Section 6 of the Rules Governing Professional Development shall include content that is provided by:
- ADE, including Arkansas IDEAS
- An institution of higher education
- A provider approved by ADE
- An education service cooperative
Initial Licensure
For initial licensure through an educator preparation program(EPP) or reciprocity, the following professional development must be completed before Educator Licensure can issue a Standard license. A record of learning from your educator pathway, not individual certificates, should be submitted to ensure that the requirements of Ark.Code § 6-17-709 are met.
Licensure Renewal
A school district or an open-enrollment public charter school shall make available to the appropriate educator required professional development as noted on the following schedule as part of the minimum annual requirement:
This requirement can be completed anytime within the five years prior to licensure renewal. Teachers and/or public school districts should not upload certificates for professional development. Licensure advisors will review your record of learning within AELS, however if complete records are not available you may upload this form signed by your administrator: Verification Form for Professional Development.
190-Day Contract Requirement-Employment
Each educator shall obtain 36 hours of professional development annually which is included in a basic contract. These 36 hours of professional development shall include at a minimum the professional development required by law or rule. School districts are responsible for monitoring and verifying the completion of professional development hours.
Note - Ark. Code § 6-17-2402 (1)(A)
(i) “Basic contract” means a teacher employment contract for one hundred ninety (190) days that includes no less than six (6) days of professional development, except as provided under subdivision (1)(B) of this section for teachers employed in a Civilian Student Training Program or the Arkansas National Guard Youth Challenge Program.
(ii) A public school district shall not require more than four (4) days of professional development in addition to the six (6) days of professional development included in a basic contract under subdivision (1)(A)(i) of this section.