Act 48

All certified educators in Pennsylvania must complete 180 hours of professional development that complies with their school district's plan every five years. The 180 hour requirement can be met with six college credits, six credits of continuing professional education courses, 180 clock hours of continuing professional education, or any combination of collegiate studies, continuing professional education courses or other programs, activities or learning experiences equivalent to 180 hours.

The College of Education (COE) is an approved provider of continuing education for K-12 teachers in compliance with Act 48 legislation. The COE and other colleges at WCU can offer Act 48 credit for workshops, seminars, conferences, and other educational activities. Credit-bearing courses automatically qualify for Act 48 credit through the University.

K-12 Educators

K-12 Educators can request hours/credits for a credit-bearing course taken at WCU.

How It Works

1. After completing a course at West Chester University for which you wish to receive Act 48 credit, log on to EduLink.
2. Enter the information about the class as directed.
3. The WCU Registrar's Office will verify that the hours and credits were satisfactorily completed.
4. WCU will submit the verified hours/credits to the PA Department of Education Records Management site.

What To Do

1. Visit EduLink.
2. Click on Professional Educator.
3. Click on Register (if you are a first-time user of EduLink) or Log in (if you have used EduLink before).
4. Click on Request Submission of Credits/Hours
5. Enter the requested information and click Submit.

Your request will be sent to West Chester University. After we verify that the hours/credits were completed, we will submit your credits to the PA Department of Education Records Management site. You may check your Act 48 progress by visiting the online Act 48 Professional Education Record Management System and entering your Social Security Number.

Please contact the Registrar's Office at registrar@wcupa.edu if you need further assistance regarding Act 48 credit for coursework at West Chester University"

To submit a proposal for an activity to the Act 48 Committee, please fill out the ACT 48 Activity Proposal and submit it electronically to LRyan@wcupa.edu in the Office of Partnerships & Grants in the College of Education. Please note that the number of hours must be actual working hours; lunches and breaks are not counted in the number of hours of the activity.

Required Information

The following information is required from participants in order for the College of Education to register them for Act 48 credits:

• Name (exactly as printed on teaching certificate)
• Professional Educator Number or Social Security Number
• Number of working hours attended
• Phone number and email address

This information can be asked for on the application form or it can be collected during the Act 48 activity. If the College of Education is not provided all of this information we will not be able to successfully register the Act 48 credits for the individual.

All activities proposed as Act 48 credit must include an agenda and two evaluation forms:

• Activity Evaluation
• Learning Outcomes Self-Assessment

A list of the participants with the required demographic information, an agenda, and the completed evaluation forms should be submitted to the Office of Partnerships & Grants in the College of Education at the conclusion of the activity.

Please contact Linda Ryan at LRyan@wcupa.edu or at 610-430-4172 if you need further assistance regarding Act 48 credit for non-credit bearing activities at West Chester University.