Approved Clock Hours

Earn Clock Hours and PDPs for Your Tennessee Educator Renewal

Earn certified PDPs for Tennessee renewal through either PD (clock-hour) or Credit courses

  • Cost-effective PD courses to earn your required PDPs. 1 clock hour = 1 PDP

  • Or choose our graduate-level credit courses to earn your PDPs. 1 credit = 15 PDPs

  • Below is a summary of TN DOE license-renewal requirements – and how our courses help

Professional development courses
Home » PD Requirements By State » Tennessee Teacher Professional Development

Professional Development for Tennessee Teachers

High-quality, straightforward, and cost-effective online courses for Tennessee Teachers. Let us show you how we can help you improve your teaching effectiveness, maintain your teaching license with PDPs, and advance your teaching career.

  • High-Quality Courses, Full of Resources, Tools, & Templates
  • Access Your Courses Immediately, Any-Time, Anywhere & at Your Own Pace
  • Easy, Template-Based Course Format Built to Help You Earn Your Clock Hours Quickly
Pay for Credits As You Go

Earn Tennessee PDPs Here

Use Model Teaching’s PD (hours-based) or Credit (semester-credit) courses to earn your TN PDPs for license renewal. Our certificates meet all TN DOE documentation standards.

Tennessee Teacher License Renewal & Re-Certification Requirements

All Model Teaching PD courses qualify for Tennessee teacher license renewal and PD hour requirements under the Tennessee Department of Education. Every completed course includes a certificate that documents hours and all necessary details for TDOE submission.  You may choose between our cost-effective PD courses or our university-partnered graduate-level courses and bundles.

TN Teacher License Renewal Requirements

Tennessee educators renew their license based on their license type.  If you hold a Practitioner (non-1st issuance) license, you renew by earning 30 Professional Development Points (PDPs) during your license’s active window.  If you hold a Professional license, you renew with either 60 PDPs or 2 years of qualifying educator experience within the license window.  Educators in TN may also need to complete the Tennessee Literacy Success Act (TLSA) training/assessment in addition to earning the required PDPs.

General License Terms:

  • Practitioner License: Valid up to 4 years
  • Professional License: Valid up to 7 years
  • Retiree license: valid 10 years.

Renewal Coursework/hours:

  • Practitioner License: Complete 30 PDPs earned within the validity period and meet TLSA requirements, if applicable.
  • Professional License: Complete 60 PDPs earned within the validity period and meet TLSA requirements, if applicable.

Acceptable PD/Credits for Tennessee Renewal:

Tennessee accepts several activities as renewal PDPs. Here are the most common options.

  • Professional learning: Clock hour courses that provide acceptable certificates/documentation, such as Model Teaching PD courses. 1 clock hour – 1 PDP. (What We Recommend)
  • Accredited college/university coursework: Accredited, semester credit coursework with an official transcript. 1 semester credit = 10 PDPs. (Model Teaching Credit Courses Acceptable As Well)

  • Micro-credentials: 1 micro-credential = 6 PDPs

  • Continuing Education Units (CEUs): 1 CEU = 5 PDPs

  • National Board Certification: Initial = 30 PDPs; Renewal = 15 PDPs

How Model Teaching Can Help

Model Teaching offers clock-hour PD courses and graduate-level credit courses that align to Tennessee PDP categories (professional learning and university coursework). Because Tennessee accepts 1 hour = 1 PDP and 1 semester hour = 10 PDPs, educators can choose between clock hours or semester credit courses. Model Teaching also offers cost-effective bundled options for both hours and credit courses. Choose any courses from our full menu to earn your PDPs across any subject area or content area required.  Some recommended picks include literacy-focused courses to address TLSA-related needs (when applicable), data-driven instruction, differentiating for ELs/SPED, and content-specific pedagogy, all of which fit Tennessee’s PDP documentation requirements.

How Our Courses Work

Quick FAQs

All Model Teaching courses are TDOE-approved.  You can choose between our highly cost-effective PD courses and bundles, or our graduate-level credit courses and bundles. Read more below.

You may select from individual courses from our Course Menu or select one of our cost-effective bundle packages, including our Build Your Own Course Bundle Pack (See Below).  For TN license renewal, you do NOT need to take our academic-partnered graduate-level courses, only our regular PD courses if you wish. But both are acceptable for earning PDPs.

The most cost-effective option for teachers who need the maximum number of clock hours is our Build Your Own Bundle Pack (See Below).

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 license, or simply improving their instructional effectiveness.  Our streamlined and standardized course structure allows us to deliver high-quality, evaluated courses to teachers at costs far below the industry standard.  Also, by bundling our courses together, we are able to significantly reduce our overall costs – passing this down to our valued teachers.  Chat with us if you have any questions about how the courses work.

Model Teaching courses focus on providing convenient, self-paced courses for K-12 Educators.  With this, we know that teachers have very busy schedules.  Our courses do not require long reading assignments or open-ended, low-level essays.  Rather, all lessons and activities are focused on in-classroom implementation and include short quizzes and reflections.  Reflections always include pre-completed samples to reference as well as example submissions from other teachers who have completed the course- so you will always have many examples to help you complete any reflections quickly.  We build our courses to reinforce the important concepts we are teaching through meaningful activities that can be completed quickly while still meeting the requirements of state and district standards for continuing education.

We estimate course length based on an assessment of how long it would take to complete the course in a live workshop.  However, most teachers can complete the courses much more quickly online.  Of note, you will still earn your full PD hours for every course, even if you complete your course more quickly than the courses’ estimated completion time.

Yes, absolutely.  Our courses do not require access to a classroom or students to complete.  However, if you ever return to the classroom you will have a broad collection of resources and tools to put your new training into practice- if you wish.

HELPFUL LINKS FOR TENNESSEE TEACHERS

Tennessee Teacher Professional Development

Tennessee DOE Educator Renewal

Renewal FAQs

Special Notes

  • Earn during validity: PDPs must be earned within your current license validity period to count for renewal/advancement.

  • Documentation: Keep certificates; if none are issued, you may use the state’s PDP Verification Form.

  • TLSA (Tennessee Literacy Success Act): Some endorsements require a TLSA-approved training or assessment; if it applies to you, it must be completed for renewal.

Fees, timing & logistics

  • Where you renew: TNCompass (the state’s licensure portal). Tennessee State Government
  • When to renew: In the final year of your license’s validity period; if you met all requirements but missed the deadline, you may submit a reactivation request by Oct 1 of the expiration year.

Reference: Tennessee Department of Education

*Please refer to the Tennessee DOE (https://www.tn.gov/education/educators/licensing/educator-licensure/licensed-educators.html) web page for the most current information on Tennessee teacher re-certification requirements.

Tennessee Teacher Professional Development

What We Recommend For Tennessee Teachers

Build Your Own PD Bundle

For Tennessee Teachers

Everything You Need for Your TN State License Renewal

Access Our Full Course Menu to Earn Your Required Number of Hours

  • Purchase Your Course Bundle & Pick Any Courses From Our Full Course Menu

  • Great For License Renewal & Instructional Improvement

  • Clock Hours to earn PDPs Accepted by TDOE. 1 hour = 1 PDP

  • Access Your Courses For 1 Full Year & Work At Your Own Pace

  • Great for teachers currently teaching, as well as teachers not teaching but wishing to maintain their current license

Full Course Menu Bundle
Learn About The Bundle

Salary Advancement Courses For Tennessee 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.

University Accredited Seal-color-min

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 who offer our courses in partnership for graduate-level, academic and/or post-bachelorette 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

Tennessee teacher license renewal — PDPs, requirements, and how to get started

It depends on your license type. Practitioner license holders (non-first issuance) need 30 PDPs earned during their license validity period, which lasts up to 4 years. Professional license holders need 60 PDPs earned during their validity period (up to 7 years) or 2 years of qualifying educator experience. Both license types may also need to meet Tennessee Literacy Success Act (TLSA) requirements if applicable to their endorsement.
Professional Development Points (PDPs) are the units Tennessee uses to track continuing education for license renewal. You earn PDPs through activities that develop content knowledge, pedagogical skills, or educator effectiveness. The conversion rates are: 1 clock hour = 1 PDP, 1 semester credit = 10 PDPs, 1 CEU = 5 PDPs, and 1 micro-credential = 6 PDPs. PDPs must be earned within your current license validity period to count toward renewal.
Tennessee accepts several types of activities for PDPs. Clock-hour professional learning courses from providers like Model Teaching count at 1 PDP per hour. Accredited semester credit coursework counts at 10 PDPs per credit. CEUs count at 5 PDPs each, and micro-credentials count at 6 PDPs each. National Board Certification earns 30 PDPs for initial certification and 15 PDPs for renewal. District in-service hours also qualify if the topic relates to educator effectiveness and is approved by your district.
The Tennessee Literacy Success Act (TLSA) requires certain educators to complete an approved literacy training or assessment as a condition of license renewal. Whether it applies to you depends on your specific endorsement area. If the TLSA requirement applies, you must complete it in addition to earning your required PDPs. Check with the Tennessee Department of Education or your district to confirm whether your endorsement requires TLSA compliance.
You submit PDPs through TNCompass, the state's online licensure portal. Log into your educator profile, navigate to the Professional Development Points section, and click Add PDPs. Enter the activity type, date completed, clock hours or CEUs, and course title, then upload your certificate of completion. If you work in a Tennessee public school, your district staff will approve or deny PDPs. If you are not currently staffed in a public school, the Department of Education reviews and approves your submissions directly.
If your license expires and you met all requirements but missed the submission deadline, you can submit a reactivation request through TNCompass by October 1 of the expiration year. If you did not complete the required PDPs before expiration, your license becomes inactive. Reactivating an inactive professional license requires submitting passing scores on all required content assessments for each endorsement you want to reactivate, unless the Department already has valid scores on file from the past 5 years.
Yes. Model Teaching PD courses qualify for Tennessee PDPs at a rate of 1 clock hour = 1 PDP. Every completed course includes a certificate documenting hours and all details needed for TDOE submission through TNCompass. Model Teaching also offers graduate-level semester credit courses through regionally accredited university partners, which count at 10 PDPs per credit. The course catalog covers literacy, data-driven instruction, special education, EL strategies, classroom management, and other topics that fit Tennessee's PDP documentation requirements.
The Build Your Own PD Bundle from Model Teaching lets you access the full course menu for one flat price. You pick any courses you want and work at your own pace for a full year. Since clock-hour PD courses are less expensive than semester credit courses and convert at 1 hour per 1 PDP, this is the most cost-effective path for teachers focused on renewal. If you also want salary advancement, Model Teaching offers graduate-level credit bundles through university partners that earn both PDPs and official transcript credits.
Bundle Pack