INDIANAPOLIS — Thousands of Indiana teachers are scrambling to begin renewing their professional teaching licenses before new rules state lawmakers approved this spring for the renewal process take effect July 1.

The impending modification made it through the Indiana General Assembly and was passed in April without attracting much attention until the Indiana Department of Education sent out guidance in early May on how to meet the new requirements.

Teachers need 90 hours of professional development for their license renewal, which comes every five years for most teachers.

The change requires teachers who are renewing their license through a “professional growth plan”, which is the most common renewal path, to complete 15 hours of professional development related specifically to their community’s workforce needs.

From May 1 to June 2, the department says 22,760 teachers had professional growth plans in process. That number is expected to grow during the month of June.

That compares to just over 500 the year before.

 

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