Important information before reporting your Act 48/45 credits
Reporting coursework taken at the University of Pittsburgh for Act 48/45 credits is not an automatic process. It is the student’s responsibility to submit his/her coursework to us in order to receive Act 48/45 credit.
- To fulfill the 180-hour Act 48/45 requirement, only two 3-credit courses, or other combination of 6 total credits, need to be reported for each five year-cycle. Please do not submit all of your coursework.
- Please do not report courses that you have not yet received a grade in. Wait until the course is completed and graded before submitting.
- Please make sure to enter your PeopleSoft ID and PA Professional ID Number. Hours cannot be processed without these numbers.
- For Act 45 credits only, be sure to click on the Act 45 spreadsheet. Email act48@pitt.edu for the approved Act 45 course
Submit Your Act 48 Credits Here >>
Who is affected by Act 48 or Act 45 reporting requirements?
All educators with Pennsylvania public school certification including Instructional I and II, Educational Specialist I and II, Administrative, Supervisory, Letters of Eligibility and all vocational certificates, employed or not. Additionally, certain school and system leaders serving under administrative certificates may have additional requirements since they must also comply with Act 45 of 2007
What is needed to comply with Act 48?
The continuing professional education program requires the satisfactory completion of continuing professional education every five years. These requirements can be met by completing one of these options:
- 6 credits of collegiate study
- 6 credits of continuing professional education courses
- 180 of continuing professional education programs, activities or learning experiences
- Any combination of collegiate credits, continuing professional education courses, or other approved programs, activities or learning experiences equivalent to 180 clock hours
How are credit hours and clock hours calculated?
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) states that for the purposes of calculating hours and credits of continuing professional education, 1 credit of collegiate credit shall be equivalent to 30 Act 48 credit hours. Each hour of participation in an approved activity (non-college credit) will be calculated as 1 hour of Act 48 credit. Please note that lunch breaks and other non-instructional time should not be calculated in Act 48 submissions.
Who qualifies for Act 48 credit?
Only offerings made by "Approved Providers" qualify for Act 48 credit. The University of Pittsburgh School of Education is an Approved Provider of collegiate studies as well as other activities, programs, and learning experiences that are offered through projects, grants, etc. in affiliation with the University of Pittsburgh. Please note that any non-college credit activity or program must be approved for Act 48 credit by the School of Education before the student participates. Please contact act48@pitt.edu to see if the activity is approved.
Who will report my Act 48 credits/hours?
The Approved Provider of any collegiate course or other activity approved for Act 48 credit is required to electronically report the credits earned or hours of participation to the PDE. The School of Education is reporting collegiate credits for all units at the University of Pittsburgh as well as clock hours of participation for other learning activities provided by the University of Pittsburgh and its affiliates.
How do I get my Act 48 credits/hours reported?
Collegiate Credits
Students who have completed coursework at the University of Pittsburgh may count their courses for Act 48 continuing education requirements, providing the courses are in their area of certification or teaching assignment. Please note: It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the courses submitted for Act 48 credit align with their certification area. When courses have been satisfactorily completed, students may report their credits via our secure Act 48 Online Registration web page. Please note, only two 3-credit courses (or other combination of 6 total credits) need to be entered.
Hours for other activities
If you have participated in a professional development activity that has been approved by the University of Pittsburgh School of Education, the organizer of the event will file on your behalf for your Act 48 credit hours. Please correspond directly with the organizer of the activity if there are discrepancies in reporting.
How do I know when my Act 48 credits/hours have been reported?
Students/participants can go online to the PDE/PERMS website and to view the credits/hours submitted. Please allow 30 days for collegiate credit to be reflected on the PERMS website. If, after 30 days,If credits/hours do not appear on the PDE site or if there are any discrepancies in the data, students/participants should notify the School of Education at act48@pitt.edu.