Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools
Frequently Asked Questions
Inservice Credit
1.What is the difference between inservice credit and graduate credit?
•The most important difference pertains to transferability. Inservice credits cannot be transferred to other school districts; graduate credits generally can.
•Degree-granting institutions charge a fee for graduate credits;our district does not charge for inservice credit.
2.Why is inservice credit important?
As inservice credits accumulate, they contribute to salary advancement according to the contract.
3. How can I request inservice credit?
•If you are taking offerings that are part of our in-house professional development program and if inservice credit is offered,approval for inservice credit is built in.Simply register and fulfill all the requirements for the offering.
•Some outside courses offer graduate credit for an additional fee (i.e., EDCO, Primary Source, Learner’s Edge, other accredited online courses).If you would like credit but don’t wish to pay the additional fee, you may request inservice credit from Central Office. This request must be processedbefore the start of the course. (This option is not available if the course takes place during school time.)
Fill out the Course Approval/Inservice Credit/Course Reimbursementform and indicate that you are requesting inservice credit.This form is available in the Appendix of the About Section of the online Professional Learning Program:
After you successfully complete the course, you must submit to the district curriculum office the same work that you would have submitted to the college for your graduate credit.
4.What if I forget to apply beforehand?
•If you forget to apply in advance, you may not be able to receive inservice credit. This decision would bemade bythe Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Lea. You may submit a request.
•If you decide to take the course without prior approval for inservice credit, you couldclaim PDPs at the rate of 22.5 per graduate credit.
5.Which professional learning offerings have inservice credit attached?
The guidelines for the following offering types can be found in the “About: Professional Learning Program” section of the online professional learning program.For specific information about an individual offering, refer to the “Offerings” section.
3/2016
•Guided workshops offer one inservice credit and 18 PDPs.
•Research Practice Seminars offer 12 PDPs only for the intial work, with the option to do further work to earn 1 inservice credit and an additional 12 PDPs.
•School-based professonal learning varies; some activities offer inservice credit but others do not.The specific information can be found in the course description in the Offerings section.Some school-based activities are for fewer than 10 hours; these are not listed in the offerings section and earn neither inservice credit nor PDPs through the program.
•Graduate courses are available as part of our online program.They offer three inservice credits, with an option to purchase graduate credit.
6.Can I still receive inservice credit if I miss one or more sessions of a PL workshop?
Occasionally, at the discretion of the instructor. If you missed one session and, in the opinion of the instructor, it is possible for you to make up the work and time missed, the instructor may give you permission.
7.Can I earn inservice credit for courses/workshops attended during the school day?
No.Since you are already being paid for the day, extra compensation in the form of inservice credits would not be possible.This is also true for graduate credit.
8.Is inservice credit an option for R&D work?
Yes. Participants in R&Ds may request inservice credit for their work. If a participant would like to receive inservice, s/he should inform the leader of the activity, so that the information is included in the proposal.Once a proposal has been approved by the district office, it may not be possible to make a change.
Inservice credits will be awarded according to the AEA contract for the number of hours required.Please see the R&D FAQs in the About section of the online program for more information.
9.Can facilitators earn inservice credit?
Yes – for guided workshops, unless the work is deemed part of the facilitator’s normal job responsibilities. This option is available only the first time a course is taught.If taught again, the stipend would be the only option.
For guided workshops, facilitators may elect to receive either a stipend ($35/hour of meeting time) or inservice credit at the same rate as the participants.(A facilitator does not need to submit a product in order to receive inservice credit, but s/he should register for the course so that it would be entered on the transcript.
10.Does the district ever offer courses for graduate credit?
Yes. Not only does the district offer courses for graduate credit, the district offers instruction and support for faculty and staff who wouldlike to learn how to develop and offer a graduate level course. Once courses are developed and approved by the degree-granting institution, they will be offered through our Professional Learning Program.Participants can choose to receive either graduate credit or inservice credit for these courses.However, unlike inservice credit, if participants would like to receive graduate credit, they will have to purchase it.
FAQ: Inservice Creditpage 1