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Professional development for Illinois teachers

Illinois Teacher Professional Development: ISBE PD Hours for License Renewal

Illinois teachers renew a Professional Educator License with 120 ISBE professional development hours every 5 years. Earn them online through our partnership with Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), an approved ISBE provider. ISBE hours are also known as CPDUs or PDHs.

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Model Teaching online course platform shown on a laptop
An approved ISBE clock hour provider
  • 100 online courses15 to 45 ISBE hours each
  • NEIU certificateWith the details ELIS asks for
  • Northeastern Illinois UniversityOur ISBE hours partner

Are you renewing your license or moving up a salary lane?

ISBE hours

ISBE clock hours for Illinois teachers

Earn ISBE hours through our partnered NEIU courses.

ISBE hours are also called CPDUs or PDHs (Continuing Professional Development Units or Professional Development Hours). ISBE's current term is professional development hours.

Northeastern Illinois University partners with Model Teaching to provide ISBE-approved professional development hours for teachers in Illinois, fully online. NEIU is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is an approved ISBE provider: ISBE lists Illinois universities with approved educator preparation programs among the professional development providers authorized in statute. Hours you earn in an NEIU-partnered course count toward Illinois license renewal.

Northeastern Illinois University
Northeastern Illinois University
Our ISBE hours partner

Regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Read more on our NEIU partner page.

  • High-quality courses with useful resources, tools and templates
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Illinois · ISBE

Illinois teacher license renewal requirements

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) renews the Professional Educator License (PEL) every 5 years. Teachers need 120 professional development hours per cycle. Licenses expire 30 June, you can renew in ELIS from 1 April of that year, and the registration fee is 50 dollars for the 5-year cycle.

PD hours by role, per 5-year cycle
RolePD hours per 5-year cycleAlso required
Teachers120—
School support personnel120—
National Board certified teachers60—
Administrators1001 Illinois Administrators' Academy course each fiscal year

These hour requirements apply whatever degrees you hold.

What counts toward renewal

  • Activities from an approved ISBE provider. ISBE awards 1 PD hour for each clock hour. This is the route we offer, through NEIU. (Recommended.)
  • Coursework from an Illinois college or university with an approved educator preparation program. 1 semester hour equals 15 PD hours.
  • National Board certification.
  • A national license, for school support personnel.

ISBE does not count coursework from out-of-state institutions unless an Illinois approved provider approves it. Through our partnership, your hours come from Northeastern Illinois University, an in-state Illinois provider, so they count toward renewal.

Administrators

Administrators need 100 PD hours plus 1 Illinois Administrators' Academy course in each fiscal year they are employed. NEIU-partnered courses count toward the 100 hours. Model Teaching does not offer Administrators' Academy courses.

Short of hours on 30 June?

If you reach 30 June short of hours, you have until 1 September of that year to complete them.

Source: ISBE, Renewal and Professional Development for Educators; ISBE 2026 License Renewal FAQ; 105 ILCS 5/21B-45; 23 Ill. Admin. Code 25.800.

Proof and downloads

An approved ISBE clock hour provider

Sample NEIU certificate

See the certificate of completion NEIU issues for your ISBE hours.

Download a sample certificate

NEIU provider listing

NEIU lists Model Teaching as a partner on its ISBE hours course page.

View Model Teaching on the NEIU website

ISBE provider rules

ISBE's own page on renewal and approved providers.

Read ISBE's requirements
For salary advancement

Augustana eligibility letter

Download a confirmation letter from Augustana confirming that Model Teaching graduate-level credit courses apply up to 9 credits toward its Master of Education program.

View the Augustana eligibility letter

NEIU-partnered online courses for ISBE clock hours

Filter by topic or by hours. Every course lists its ISBE clock hours and price.

Categories
NEIU Clock Hours
A Financial Literacy Mindset for Teachers-NEIU

In this comprehensive course, you will learn the fundamentals of financial literacy, including money management, budgeting, debt reduction, investing, and planning for important financial goals in your life.

Course Details
45 ISBE Clock Hours
$190
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
A Growth Mindset in the Gifted Classroom-NEIU

Helping Gifted & Talented (GT) students persevere through challenging content can be supported through Growth Mindset strategies. This course provides you with the tools to foster a Growth Mindset in your GT students.

Course Details
45 ISBE Clock Hours
$190
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
A Guide to Bloom’s Taxonomy-NEIU

This Quick Course will teach you what Bloom’s Taxonomy is, how it’s related to cognition, & how to use Bloom’s to more effectively design lessons around your standard or lesson objective.

Course Details
15 ISBE Clock Hours
$85
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
A Guide to Webb’s DOK-NEIU

This Quick Course will teach you what Webb’s DOK is and how it is related to rigor. You’ll learn about activities associated with each level of DOK, and how each level is related to a standard, lesson objective, and assessment or activities.

Course Details
15 ISBE Clock Hours
$85
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
A Look into Universal Design for Learning-NEIU

This Quick Course will provide you with a quick look and overview of what Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is, and the components that make up each UDL principle. You’ll learn about strategies that follow the UDL model so that you can create lessons that support every student in your classroom.

Course Details
15 ISBE Clock Hours
$85
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
A Plan for Co-Teaching-NEIU

This course will teach you about the six co-teaching instructional models and how to implement co-teaching in the classroom successfully.

Course Details
45 ISBE Clock Hours
$190
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
A Review of Boundaries, Communication, and Professionalism in the Classroom-NEIU

This Quick Course provides an overview of professional characteristics to consider as you work to establish boundaries and respect that meet the ethical requirements in your educator code of conduct.

Course Details
15 ISBE Clock Hours
$85
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
Academic Discussions in the Classroom-NEIU

In this course, you will learn about the components of effective academic discussion and will be provided with everything you need to build a complete plan to implement academic discussions in your classroom while ensuring students master content knowledge aligned with your lesson objectives.

Course Details
45 ISBE Clock Hours
$190
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
Academic Intervention for Students with Disabilities & Special Needs-NEIU

This course, best for educators new to the RTI model, provides an overview of how instruction in the classroom can best support a response to intervention model.

Course Details
15 ISBE Clock Hours
$85
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
Active Monitoring & Data Collection in the Classroom-NEIU

This course provides an introductory look at how to actively monitor students throughout the instructional process and how to analyze data collected in order to better support students.

Course Details
15 ISBE Clock Hours
$85
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
AI for Students: Ensuring Appropriate & Effective Use

This course will provide a detailed overview of the benefits and limitations of student AI use in the classroom. It will review what AI is and how it is rapidly evolving, discuss ethical considerations, and describe a variety of student-focused AI tools commonly used today for various subjects.

Course Details
15 ISBE Clock Hours
$85
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
AI for Teachers: Increasing Productivity & Improving Instruction-NEIU

This course is essential training for both new and experienced teachers who are interested in learning the basics of AI and how to incorporate AI tools in their lessons to help improve their instructional efficiency and quality.

Course Details
15 ISBE Clock Hours
$85
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
Aligning Homework with Instruction-NEIU

This Quick Course will teach you how to design homework that is aligned to classroom instruction and effective in supporting student academic achievement.

Course Details
15 ISBE Clock Hours
$85
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
An Introduction to Logical Fallacies-NEIU

This Quick Course will help you to understand common logical fallacies and consider how you might address fallacies within your lessons. You will learn about the structure of a sound logical argument, 12 fallacies that occur in flawed arguments, and examples for each fallacy.

Course Details
15 ISBE Clock Hours
$85
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
Applying Developmental Theories to Teaching Practice-NEIU

This course will define developmental theories and how they drive teaching and learning practices. You will learn about various psychosocial, behavioral, and cognitive developmental theories, and why this knowledge is critical for educators.

Course Details
45 ISBE Clock Hours
$190
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
Art Across the Disciplines-NEIU

This Quick Course shows how integrating visual arts boosts memory, reasoning, and creativity. With practical examples and the CREATE planning blueprint, you’ll leave with ready-to-use strategies to integrate art into your upcoming lessons.

Course Details
15 ISBE Clock Hours
$85
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
Behavior Contract Design-NEIU

This Quick Course provides you with a guide to designing a behavior contract for a student in your classroom. You will learn about choosing reinforcers for a desired student behavior, considering tracking methods and behavior contract design, and general ideas for effective behavior contract implementation.

Course Details
15 ISBE Clock Hours
$85
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
Behavior Strategies for Improved Testing Performance-NEIU

This Quick Course will provide you with a guideline for teaching testing behaviors, testing strategies, and a process for students to justify their answer choices on assessments. You will learn specific behaviors or strategies to identify in students, and some simple methods to explicitly teach appropriate testing behaviors.

Course Details
15 ISBE Clock Hours
$85
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
Blended Learning: Integrating Technology Into The Classroom-NEIU

This course teaches you how to select from the five main blended learning models to structure your lessons. You’ll learn a process for designing activities and choosing online resources for easier blended learning integration into your classroom.

Course Details
15 ISBE Clock Hours
$85
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
Brain Breaks in the Classroom-NEIU

Learn about the benefits of brain breaks and explore simple brain break strategies you can implement through your lessons. You will have the opportunity to plan to implement brain breaks using the BOOST template and leave the course with ideas for implementing brain breaks in your classroom.

Course Details
15 ISBE Clock Hours
$85
Earn ISBE Clock Hours Through NEIU
Salary advancement

Illinois teacher lane change and salary advancement

Everything in this section is a different course type from the ISBE hour courses above. A lane change runs on graduate-level semester credits from our university partners, not on ISBE hours. Illinois has more than 850 school districts, and each sets its own salary schedule. Steps rise with years of service. Lanes rise with education, and many districts add a lane for every 15 graduate credits beyond a bachelor's or master's degree. Check your district's schedule for its own lane sizes and deadlines.

What Illinois law requires

For coursework completed on or after 1 July 2026, Illinois law lets a district count coursework toward salary advancement only if it is graduate-level, degree-eligible credit from a regionally accredited institution, recorded on an official transcript and taught by an instructor of record. The law defines degree-eligible credit as credit that can be applied toward a master's, education specialist or doctoral degree. Each district decides how it applies the rule. ISBE hours from NEIU are noncredit, so they do not meet this test.

Augustana University

Choose Augustana University courses for an Illinois lane change

Augustana University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It transcribes Model Teaching courses as Augustana graduate courses, with a letter grade on an official transcript. In a letter from its Dean of Education, Augustana states that all courses offered through its partnership with Model Teaching are designed for graduate-level continuing education, and that up to 9 Model Teaching credits can be applied to its Master of Education or Master of Special Education. Share the letter with your district when you request approval.

View the Augustana eligibility letter

Augustana transcripts

Augustana University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and issues an official transcript with a letter grade for every course.

An instructor of record

Every graduate course has an instructor with a master's degree or higher who grades your work and gives written feedback.

Pay as you go

Pay a bundle fee up front and 70 dollars per credit as you finish each course. Request each transcript as soon as the course is done.

Choose Augustana graduate-level credit courses inside any bundle. These are a different course type from the NEIU ISBE hour courses above.

One typical lane
15-credit bundle
$449

Due now to access and take your courses.

Then $70 per credit as you go

$1,499 total for 15 credits.

Build a 15-credit bundle
30-credit bundle
$599

Due now to access and take your courses.

Then $70 per credit as you go

$2,699 total for 30 credits. Two typical lanes.

Build a 30-credit bundle
Augustana M.Ed. pathway
$289

9-credit bundle. Due now to access and take your courses.

Then $70 per credit as you go

$919 total for 9 credits. Augustana's remaining 21 credits cost $10,850, so the full M.Ed. costs less than $12,000.

Explore the M.Ed.
Free approval packet About 3 minutes · nothing to pay

Need district approval for your graduate-level credit courses?

Pick your courses and your university partner, choose the documents your district asks for, and get them on one private link.

Course syllabi University approval letters Sample transcripts Cost summary
Build your approval packet Ask your district HR office to approve your courses for salary advancement.
A Model Teaching course approval packet showing a university approval letter, a course syllabus and a contents list

Source: Public Act 104-0795, adding 105 ILCS 5/24-8.2, effective 7 August 2026; Augustana eligibility memo, 15 April 2026; Model Teaching M.Ed. page; credit bundle pricing, checked 17 September 2026.

Illinois teacher license renewal and professional development requirements

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) issues the Professional Educator License (PEL) and renews it every 5 years. Illinois issues licenses rather than certificates, so teachers searching for Illinois teaching certificate renewal need the PEL renewal process. Each license expires on 30 June. Renewal opens in the Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS) on 1 April of the expiration year, and the registration fee is 50 dollars for the 5-year cycle.

Illinois teachers need 120 professional development hours in each 5-year renewal cycle. School support personnel also need 120. Teachers who hold a current National Board certificate need 60. Administrators need 100 hours plus 1 Illinois Administrators' Academy course in each fiscal year they are employed. These requirements are the same whatever degrees you hold. Educators who work in a position that does not require a license, or who work less than half time, are exempt for that period and pay only the registration fee. ELIS shows the hours you owe.

ISBE hours, PD hours, clock hours, CPDUs and PDHs all describe the same thing to most Illinois teachers. CPDU, the Continuing Professional Development Unit, is the older name. ISBE now counts professional development hours, and it awards 1 PD hour for each clock hour of an approved activity.

The hours have to come from the right places. ISBE counts activities from approved Illinois professional development providers, coursework from Illinois colleges and universities with approved educator preparation programs at 15 PD hours per semester hour, National Board certification, and national licenses for school support personnel. Coursework from out-of-state institutions does not count unless an Illinois approved provider approves it. Illinois universities with approved educator preparation programs are among the providers authorized in statute, which is why ISBE hours earned through Northeastern Illinois University count toward renewal.

Model Teaching partners with NEIU to offer 100 online courses of 15, 30 or 45 ISBE hours. When you finish a course and request your certificate, NEIU issues a certificate of completion showing your hours. You enter each activity in ELIS through PD Plus, choosing Northeastern Illinois University from ISBE's provider list, and ISBE lets you renew once every required hour is entered. Keep each certificate as evidence of completion in case ISBE audits your renewal.

If you reach 30 June without enough hours, you have until 1 September of that year to complete them. Hours you complete between 1 April and 30 June of the final year of a cycle can carry over to the next cycle, and hours used for one cycle cannot be used again.

Source: ISBE, Renewal and Professional Development for Educators; ISBE 2026 License Renewal FAQ; 105 ILCS 5/21B-45; 23 Ill. Admin. Code 25.800 and 25.865.

Illinois PD hours FAQ

Common questions about ISBE PD hours, the NEIU partnership and Illinois license renewal.

Requirements

How many PD hours do Illinois teachers need to renew a license?

120 professional development hours every 5 years. National Board certified teachers need 60. Administrators need 100 plus 1 Illinois Administrators' Academy course each fiscal year.

Renewal

Do ISBE hours from NEIU count toward Illinois license renewal?

Yes. Northeastern Illinois University is an approved ISBE provider, and hours from NEIU-partnered courses count toward your Professional Educator License renewal. You enter them in ELIS with NEIU as the provider.

Terms

What is a CPDU?

CPDU stands for Continuing Professional Development Unit, the older name for Illinois renewal units. ISBE now counts professional development hours. Many teachers still say CPDUs, PDHs or ISBE hours for the same thing.

Process

How do I enter my hours in ELIS and PD Plus?

Log in to ELIS, open PD Plus, select Enter New PD, and fill in the course title, description, hours and dates from your NEIU certificate. Choose Northeastern Illinois University from the provider list, then save.

Renewal

When is the Illinois license renewal deadline?

30 June of the year your license expires. Renewal opens in ELIS on 1 April. If you are short of hours on 30 June, you have until 1 September to complete them.

Salary

Can I use ISBE hours for a salary lane change?

Not as coursework. ISBE hours from NEIU are noncredit. For coursework completed on or after 1 July 2026, Illinois law lets districts count only graduate-level, degree-eligible credit with an official transcript and an instructor of record. Use graduate credits for a lane change, and check your district contract for anything else it recognizes.

Credits

Do graduate credits count toward ISBE renewal?

Coursework from an Illinois college or university with an approved educator preparation program counts, at 15 PD hours per semester hour. Coursework from out-of-state institutions does not count unless an Illinois approved provider approves it. Our graduate credits come from out-of-state partners, so use them for salary advancement and use NEIU courses for renewal.

Salary

Which Model Teaching credits should I use for an Illinois lane change?

Augustana University courses. Augustana transcribes them as graduate courses on an official transcript, and up to 9 credits can be applied to its Master of Education. Illinois law requires degree-eligible credit for salary advancement on coursework completed on or after 1 July 2026. Ask your district to approve your courses before you enroll.

Costs

How much do ISBE hours cost through Model Teaching?

85 dollars for a 15-hour course, 145 dollars for 30 hours and 190 dollars for 45 hours. A teacher can cover all 120 hours for 525 dollars with 2 courses of 45 hours and 1 of 30.

Costs

Where can Illinois teachers find free PD hours?

Your school district and your Regional Office of Education are both ISBE providers, and many of their workshops are free to employees. Enter those hours in ELIS, then use NEIU-partnered courses for the hours you still need.

Renewal

Can extra PD hours carry over to my next cycle?

Hours completed between 1 April and 30 June of the final year of your cycle can carry over to the next cycle. Hours used for one cycle cannot be used again.

Ready to earn your ISBE hours?

100 self-paced courses through Northeastern Illinois University, 15 to 45 hours each, with an NEIU certificate for ELIS.

Please note: check your ELIS account and ISBE for the requirements that apply to your license. This page does not replace ISBE guidance. Reference: Illinois State Board of Education.

Earn your ISBE hours
NEIU partner · 15 to 45 hours · from $85
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