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MISSION
IASSW is dedicated to improving the quality of life and
education for children
by enhancing the professional development of school social workers.
GOALS
- To enhance the educational and psycho-social
development of all school-age children.
- To promote best professional practice among
school social workers.
- To enhance more effective communication among
school social workers, members of related disciplines, and the community.
- To be involved in social action designated to
improve educational and psycho-social conditions for children and families.
IASSW NEWS
Visit the Conference page to download a Conference brochure. Register early to insure your first choice of workshops. See you in Bloomington!
CPDUs or CEUs: The Certification Renewal Requirements (as I
understand them)
By Phil Koehl, Past President
As you know, the requirements for renewal of your Type 73 School
Service Personnel Certificate (School Social Worker) changed July 1, 2008. What
follows is an overview of those changes; please check the ISBE website for more
specific information. I have focused on the school social work requirements so
if you also hold another certificate, i.e., Teacher, Counselor, etc., other
requirements or exemptions may apply but are not included here.
Just to make sure we are communicating effectively, let me first
go over some vocabulary and abbreviations as two State agencies may play a part
in your certificate renewal.
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Agency
Action |
ISBE
Illinois State Board of Education |
IDFPR
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional
Regulation |
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Credential Issued |
Type 73 Certificate
required for employment as a School Service Personnel,
i.e., school social worker, school psychologist, school nurse, etc. |
Licensed Social Worker (LSW) and Licensed Clinical Social
Worker (LCSW)
licenses required to practice social work in other than a
government agency.
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Continuing Education for Credential Renewal |
Continuing Professional Development Units (CPDUs).
NOTE: ISBE has used the term CEU but it is being phased
out. An ISBE CEU is not the same as an IDFPR CEU and can not be used for
LSW/LCSW renewal. |
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) |
For several years, teachers have had to earn CPDUs in order to
renew their teaching certificates. School service personnel (SSPs) were exempt
while ISBE worked with the different disciplines, including IASSW, on an
equitable plan for SSPs. What you need for certificate renewal depends on
whether you also hold an LSW or LCSW.
School social workers who hold a Type 73 Certificate but
NOT a LSW or LCSW:
You will need to earn 80 CPDUs before the end of each 5-year
renewal period. When it is your renewal time, you will need to provide a
statement of assurance that you have completed the required CPDUs. In addition,
you must maintain the required form of evidence of completion for each CPDU
activity for 5 years after your renewal and present the evidence of completion
upon request by the regional superintendent or a representative of the State
Board of Education or if required during an appeal.
If fewer than five years remain in the period of a certificate’s
validity as of July 1, 2008, the number of CPDUs required in order to renew the
certificate at the conclusion of that period shall be proportionately reduced.
So if your certificate is valid until June 30, 2009, you will have to earn 16
CPDUs for the one year under the new requirements.
There are many opportunities to earn CPDUs. It is not possible to
list them all here so I will just give you a few examples. The number of CPDUs
is related to how much time is spent or how many meetings are attended. Remember
that you can substitute “school service personnel” anywhere “teachers” appears:
- Working with representatives of
community agencies to structure or facilitate their interaction with the
school’s or district’s staff or students for the purpose of meeting one or
more needs identified in the school improvement plan; must include more than
the class(es) directly taught by the certificate-holder. 2-8 CPDUs.
- Arranging for or coordinating
presentations in the context of a formally established program designed to
serve parents of the students in a particular school or district by
informing or training them in one or more areas related either to their
children’s achievement or to another need identified in a school improvement
plan. 2-16 CPDUs.
- Supervising a student teacher or
teacher education candidate in clinical supervision, provided that the
supervision may only be counted once during the course of 5 years. 12-30
CPDUs.
- Completing undergraduate or graduate
credit earned from a regionally accredited institution in coursework
relevant to the certificate area being renewed, including coursework that
incorporates induction activities and development of a portfolio of both
student and teacher work that provides experience in reflective practices,
provided the coursework meets Illinois professional teaching standards or
Illinois content-area standards and supports the essential characteristics
of quality professional development. 15 CPDUs per semester hour.
- Teaching college or university courses
in areas relevant to the certificate area being renewed, provided that the
teaching may only be counted once during the course of 5 years. 20 CPDUs per
course.
- Participating in or presenting at
workshops, seminars, conferences, institutes, and symposiums. 1 CPDU per
hour attended; 3-8 per presentation.
- Participating in team or department
leadership in a school or school district. 5-10 CPDUs.
- Publishing educational articles,
columns, or books relevant to the certificate area being renewed. 5-40 CPDUs.
- Participating in non-strike-related
professional association or labor organization service or activities related
to professional development. 8-22 CPDUs.
There is an additional requirement that the CPDUs earned must
address and reflect 3 of the following 4 purposes:
- Advance the certificate holder’s
knowledge and skills consistent with the Illinois Standards for the service
area in which the certificate is endorsed.
- Develop the certificate holder's
knowledge and skills in areas determined by the State Board of Education to
be critical for all school service personnel.
- Address the knowledge, skills, and
goals of the certificate holder's local school improvement plan, if the
certificate holder is employed in an Illinois public or State-operated
elementary school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with
a governing body or board of control.
- Address the needs of serving students
with disabilities, including adapting and modifying clinical or professional
practices to meet the needs of students with disabilities and serving such
students in the least restrictive environment.
School social workers who hold a Type 73 Certificate AND a
LSW or LCSW:
If you hold an ISBE Type 73 Certificate AND hold an IDFPR LSW or
LCSW license, then nothing has changed for you. You will still need to earn 30
IDFPR-approved CEUs every two years. Meeting the requirements to renew your
license will meet the requirements to renew your ISBE certificate.
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