Proficiency in Teaching Reading License Renewal Requirement, beginning July 1, 2025

Below is important information impacting licensed employees and includes information based on common questions our team has received. Please review and share with your school team, especially those pursuing license renewals.

The attached memo provides updated guidance on approved options for demonstrating proficiency in reading instruction to meet licensure renewal requirements. Beginning July 1, 2025, teachers employed in a Maryland public school, Maryland-operated school, or Maryland nonpublic special education facility and assigned to teach early childhood education, elementary education, special education, or English for Speakers of Other Languages are required to demonstrate proficiency in the knowledge and practices of scientific reading instruction at the renewal of their Maryland Educator License.

Approved Professional Learning

The following professional learning experiences are approved to demonstrate proficiency in teaching reading:

Please note that Baltimore City Schools' Systemic Professional Learning Science of Reading sessions and courses (Adolescent Literacy and Foundational Literacy) previously offered through Systemic Professional Development and the 2022, 2023, 2024 CAO’s Summer Institutes do not fulfill this requirement. The Office of Academics is actively working with MSDE to align our district’s Science of Reading offerings with state licensure renewal requirements. We will provide updates as we receive further guidance. 

Questions regarding individual licensure renewal status:

Last Name A-F


Dana Hopkins

Certification Analyst 

dahopkins@bcps.k12.md.us

Last Names G-N


Sireesha Deverapalli

Certification Analyst

sdeverapalli@bcps.k12.md.us

Last Names O-Z


Brej’ae Green

Certification Analyst

btgreen@bcps.k12.md.us

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

The Office of Academics is currently prioritizing Continuous Professional Development (CPD) form processing for licensed educators whose licenses expire on June 30, 2025. Requests from these educators will receive priority and are now under review. All other CPD form requests processing will start in July 2025. 

SUBMISSION PROCESS: Please email your CPD form requests to cpdliaison@bcps.k12.md.us no later than Friday, May 30, 2025.

CPD form templates for the Continuity of Learning (Virtual Instruction during 2020 and 2021). The remote learning CPD credits for certification renewal are valid if the CPD credits are earned within the validity of the educator’s certification and if the educator has not already used these credits towards their certification renewal earlier. For example, an educator whose certification is valid from June 7, 2019, through June 30, 2024, may utilize both forms as they fall between the validity of his/her certification.

Templates: COL 20-00-13, Apr-June 2020  , COL 20-00-34, Sept 2020 -June 2021

Educators on conditional credentials looking to reinstate a previously held professional license can use COL 20-00-34.

Please get the forms signed by your supervisor of record for the appropriate time window and send them to cpdliaison@bcps.k12.md.us for final processing.

Looking for courses approved for CPDs?

Save the Date: CAO’s Summer Institutes, June 16-20, 2025, 1-3 CPDs per course

For more information about CPD courses, please visit Maryland Public Schools Professional Development.

Professional Development Points (PDPs)

City Schools will begin implementation of PDPs in Fall 2025. More information: https://marylandpublicschools.org/about/Pages/DEE/Certification/Professional-Development-Points.aspx
Questions regarding CPDs/PDPs: Dr. Katya Denisova, Director of Professional Learning, EDDenisova@bcps.k12.md.us