Do you often find yourself at the end of your Act 48 cycle forgetting to fill out those surveys because you don’t see the point?  Well now is the time to stop.  There have been some significant changes to Act 48 that you need to be aware of.

First, the PDE has extended Act 48 for one year, meaning that everyone has an additional year to get their required hours.  As you know, you are required under Act 48 to complete 180 hours within a designated 5 year time frame.  As of November 2016, all teachers in Pennsylvania have been granted a one year extension to their current Act 48 cycle.  This change is only a one-time deal, so please make sure that you take advantage of it.

The second change is perhaps the most exciting.  According the PDE, all teachers in PA are now able to carry over hours from their previous cycle, as long as it meets the following criteria:

• The certificate holder has met the current five‐year cycle continuing professional  education requirement‐‐180 hours, or six credits of collegiate study, or six credits of  continuing professional education courses or any combination of items listed. 
• Continuing professional education credits or hours earned in excess of the number needed  for the prior cycle can be rolled over into the next five‐year cycle to a maximum of fifty  (50) hours. 
• The excess hours being rolled over were earned in the final two years of the cycle from  which they are being carried forward. 
• The new cycle began after July 13, 2016, the date the Public School Code was amended to  allow for the carryover.