PDPs
Professional Development Points (PDPs) are used by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to track professional development requirements for recertification. PDPs are used only to renew a professional license.
Inservice Credits
WPS inservice credit may be awarded to participants who complete approved courses sponsored by the district that are the equivalent of graduate-level courses offered by colleges or universities. The same number of inservice credits are awarded as graduate credits, as long as all the same work is completed. For non-graduate courses, inservice credit is issued as 15 contact hours = one inservice credit.
A certain number of inservice credits and other requirements are required to make a salary lane change. Please refer to HR’s Lane Changes page for more information.
Courses taken for WPS inservice credit are not transferrable to other districts.
Graduate Credits
A college or university issues graduate credits for coursework taken beyond a degree. Graduate credits are available for some courses run by the district. There is often an additional fee for graduate credits, which is the responsibility of the participant. Graduate credits, in combination with inservice credits, can be used to make a salary lane change.
Graduate credits are transferrable to other districts.