Approved Semester Credits for Washington D.C. license renewal

Arizona Teacher Certificate Renewal Requirements

Earn Graduate-Level Semester Credits for Your Arizona Teaching Certificate Renewal and Salary Advancement

  • Hundreds of Arizona teachers take Model Teaching courses each year to complete their renewal hours, move up on the salary schedule, and bring new strategies into their classrooms.

  • Read below to see exactly what Arizona requires and how our courses fit.

Arizona certificate renewal
Home » PD Requirements By State » Arizona Teacher Professional Development

Professional Development Courses for Arizona Teachers

Online courses built for busy Arizona teachers. Fully accredited, semester credits with official transcripts delivered through practical, high-quality courses that are fast and easy to complete.

  • Easy, Template-Based Course Format Built to Help You Renew Your AZ Teaching Certificate Quickly

  • High-Quality Courses, Full of Resources, Tools, and Templates

  • Start Immediately, Work Anytime, Anywhere, at Your Own Pace

Pay for Credits As You Go

Renewal Snapshot

Arizona Standard Teaching Certificates expire and must be renewed.

The formula: 15 clock hours of professional development for each year of your certificate term.

6-year certificate = 90 clock hours

  • 1 semester credit = 15 clock hours
  • 6 semester credits = full 6-year renewal

Model Teaching’s university-partnered courses earn you accredited semester credits with official transcripts for ADE submission.

Arizona Teacher Certificate Renewal Requirements

Arizona teachers must renew their Standard Teaching Certificate by completing 15 clock hours of professional development for each year of the certificate term. The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) sets this requirement for all renewable certificates, including Standard Teaching, Administrative, School Counselor, and Athletic Coaching certificates.

One semester credit from an accredited college or university equals 15 clock hours. You can mix and match clock hours and semester credits to reach your total. All PD must relate to Arizona academic or professional educator standards or apply toward an additional Arizona certificate, endorsement, or approved area.

Acceptable Professional Development Activities for Arizona Certificate Renewal

  • Academic courses from accredited colleges or universities (1 semester credit = 15 clock hours) with an official transcript. (This is what Model Teaching provides)
  • District or school-sponsored in-service training, with written verification from the district or school stating dates and hours
  • Professional conferences and workshops with documentation of attendance
  • Internships and sponsored educational research at an accredited institution
  • Leadership time with a professional organization dedicated to public education
  • Service with an accreditation agency
  • Training in suicide awareness and prevention, child abuse, and human trafficking of children also counts toward renewal hours

Online Self-Study PD Cap

ADE limits online self-study professional development to 30 clock hours per year. Academic coursework through accredited universities (like Model Teaching courses) is not subject to this cap. This is one of the key advantages of using semester credits for your Arizona renewal.

Key Terms

Clock Hours = contact hours of PD (15 per year of certificate term)
1 Semester Credit = 15 Clock Hours

How Model Teaching Can Help Arizona Teachers

Model Teaching offers graduate-level courses through regionally-accredited university partners. Each semester credit counts as 15 AZ clock hours toward your renewal total. Six credits covers a complete 6-year Standard Teaching Certificate renewal with nothing left over.

Because Model Teaching courses are academic coursework through accredited universities, they are not subject to ADE’s 30-hour annual self-study cap. You can use them to satisfy your entire renewal requirement. Official transcripts go directly from our university partners to you or to ADE for submission.

Course topics include classroom management, differentiated instruction, English learner supports, special education strategies, reading instruction, behavior interventions, and assessment literacy. All relate to Arizona academic or professional educator standards, satisfying ADE’s content requirement.

Browse our course menu or pick a bundle pack to get your credits in one purchase.

How Our Courses Work

Quick FAQs

Model Teaching’s university partners are regionally-accredited and offer graduate-level, academic, and post-baccalaureate credit. ADE accepts official transcripts from accredited institutions for certificate renewal. Download a syllabus from any Model Teaching credit course page and submit it to ADE or your district for approval before enrolling.

We recommend any of our semester-credit courses offered by our regionally accredited partner universities. You may view a list of these courses in our course menu. For multiple credits, we recommend our Build Your Own Graduate Level Credit Bundle, which you can learn more about below.  This is the most cost-effective option for earning semester credits.

The most cost-effective way to earn credits is by enrolling in one of our course bundle packs (see below). These bundles can be purchased depending on how many credits you require, and are the most cost-effective if you need multiple credits for your renewal or salary advancement. You may also choose to take individual courses.

Model Teaching believes that teachers should be provided with affordable, high-quality opportunities for professional development, whether they are seeking salary advancement, renewing their teaching certificate, or simply improving their instructional effectiveness.  Our streamlined, standardized course structure enables us to deliver high-quality, evaluated courses to teachers at costs far below the industry standard.  Additionally, by bundling our courses, we can significantly reduce our overall costs and pass these savings on to our valued teachers.  LiveChat with us if you have any questions about how the courses work.

Yes, in most cases. Many Arizona school districts offer salary lane advancement for teachers who complete graduate-level professional development. Model Teaching courses are graduate-level with official transcripts and letter grades.

Download a syllabus from any credit course page if you wish to submit to your HR department for approval prior to enrolling.

Electronic official transcripts must go directly from the college or university to Certification@azed.gov. Paper official transcripts must be original and mailed in a sealed envelope. Model Teaching’s university partners handle transcript delivery once you request it after completing your courses.

Please refer to our course menu for a listing of graduate-level courses. Within each course page, you will have access to a syllabus that you may download.

To read a live list of running reviews from teachers currently taking our courses, please visit: https://www.modelteaching.com/latest-course-reviews

Certificate Terms in Arizona

Most teachers hold a 6-year Standard Teaching Certificate, which is the most common term issued today. Some older certificates were issued for 8 or 12 years. Check your AZEDCert portal account to confirm your certificate’s exact expiration date and term length before calculating how many hours you need.

What Happens if Your Certificate Expires?

ADE allows renewal up to 10 years after a certificate expires under the Experienced Educator rule (for certificates lapsed for 2 to 10 years). No additional coursework or testing is required beyond the standard PD hours. If your certificate has expired for more than 10 years, you must reapply and meet current certification requirements from scratch.

Mixing Clock Hours and Semester Credits

Arizona lets you combine clock hours and semester credits to reach your renewal total. If you have some district in-service hours documented and want to top up with semester credits, you can. Each semester credit still equals 15 clock hours in the calculation.

Salary Advancement for AZ Teachers

Most Arizona school districts recognize graduate-level credits on their salary schedule. Complete enough credits, and you move to a higher pay lane. Thresholds and policies vary by district, so make sure to download a course syllabus from any of our credit course pages and submit it for approval. Model Teaching’s university-partnered courses are graduate-level and include official transcripts, which is what most AZ districts require for lane advancement.

*Reference: Arizona Department of Education (ADE) Certification Unit. For the most current AZ certificate renewal requirements: https://www.azed.gov/educator-certification/educator-certification-renew-your-certification. Please refer to ADE for up-to-date renewal requirements.

What We Recommend For Arizona Teachers

Build Your Own Graduate-Level Credit Bundle

Access Our Full University-Partnered Course Menu to Earn Your Required Number of Credits

  • Includes full access to all graduate-level courses from any of our university partners

  • Register for any credit package, take any courses until you use all of your credits

  • All university-partnered courses are regionally-accredited & include an official transcript & letter grade

  • Great for salary advancement or license renewal

  • All courses self-paced & accessible for 1 year

Build Your Own Credit Bundle Pack Round
Learn About The Bundle
View Course Menu

Salary Advancement Courses For Arizona Teachers

Model Teaching partners with regionally-accredited universities across the country to provide graduate-level courses to thousands of K-12 teachers and educators every year. Generally, school districts across the country provide various salary scale advancement opportunities to teachers that often includes participation in graduate-level professional development. Our university-partnered, graduate-level courses are an excellent and cost-effective way for you to earn the continuing education academic credit you need.

Salary Advancement Credits

Accredited University Credits with Official Transcripts

Receive an official transcript and letter-grade with every graduate-level course. All of our university partners are regionally-accredited and courses are designed primarily for teacher salary-advancement and license-renewal.

Convenient & Cost-Effective Online Courses Built for Simplicity

We make earning your academic credits easy and cost-effective by bundling our courses into packages so you can earn the maximum number of credits for a lower cost.  All Model Teaching courses provide you with relevant, implementation-focused training along with dozens of templates & tools to help you put your new skills into action.

All Model Teaching university partners are regionally-accredited universities that offer our courses in partnership for graduate-level, academic, and/or post-baccalaureate credit. Most states and school districts allow teachers to earn this type of credit as part of advancing in the salary scale.  Please check with your district’s policies regarding continuing education for salary advancement prior to enrolling.

The most cost-effective way to earn credits is by enrolling in one of our course bundle packs.

Please refer to our course menu for a listing of graduate-level courses. Within each course page, you will have access to a syllabus that you may download.

Yes, all university-partnered graduate-level courses will include access to an official transcript from the university.

Yes! You may apply up to 9 credits towards an M.Ed. program through our university partner, Augustana University. Read more here >

To read a live list of running reviews from teachers currently taking our courses, please visit: https://www.modelteaching.com/latest-course-reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Arizona teacher certificate renewal requirements

Renew your Arizona Standard Teaching Certificate through the AZEDCert Educator Portal at azcertification.azed.gov. You need proof of 15 clock hours of PD for each year of your certificate term, a valid AZDPS IVP fingerprint clearance card, and a $20 renewal fee per certificate. You can apply up to 6 months before your certificate expires.
The formula is 15 clock hours per year of your certificate term. A 6-year certificate requires 90 hours. An 8-year certificate requires 120. A 12-year certificate requires 180. One semester credit from an accredited college or university equals 15 clock hours, so 6 semester credits covers a full 6-year renewal.
Yes. Arizona Standard Teaching Certificates expire at the end of their term and require renewal. Most teachers hold a 6-year Standard Teaching Certificate. You must complete 15 clock hours of PD per year of the term and submit proof to ADE through the AZEDCert portal. You cannot renew a certificate with active deficiencies until you clear them first.
Yes. 1 semester credit = 15 AZ clock hours. Six credits from a regionally-accredited institution covers a full 6-year renewal. Electronic official transcripts must go directly from the institution to Certification@azed.gov. Model Teaching courses are delivered through regionally-accredited university partners and each includes an official transcript.
ADE accepts academic coursework from accredited institutions (transcript required), district in-service training (written verification required), professional conferences and workshops, internships and sponsored educational research, leadership roles in education-focused organizations, and service with accreditation agencies. All PD must relate to Arizona academic or professional educator standards or apply toward an additional AZ certificate or endorsement. Online self-study PD is capped at 30 clock hours per year.
Yes. ADE caps online self-study PD at 30 clock hours per year. Academic coursework through accredited colleges or universities is not subject to this cap. Model Teaching courses count as academic coursework through regionally-accredited university partners, so they fall outside the self-study limit entirely.
You can still renew under the Experienced Educator rule if your certificate expired at least 2 years but no more than 10 years ago. ADE requires no additional exams or coursework beyond the standard PD hours. If your certificate lapsed more than 10 years ago, you must reapply and meet current certification requirements from scratch.
Yes, in most cases. Most Arizona districts tie salary lane advancement to graduate-level professional development. Model Teaching courses are graduate-level and include official transcripts and letter grades from regionally-accredited university partners. Check with your district's HR department on specific salary advancement policies before enrolling.
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