Maryland Teacher Certification Renewal
Maryland teachers renew their license every five years by completing 90 Professional Development Points through TEACH, the state’s online certification portal. Educators still holding an older Certificate instead of a License follow a separate six-hour continuing education rule. The Maryland State Department of Education handles both renewal and reinstatement of expired licenses.
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Renewing a Maryland teaching license means logging Professional Development Points in TEACH before the license expires. Reinstating one means completing those same requirements after a lapse. The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) oversees both processes, whether you’re currently teaching in a Maryland school system or managing your own renewal. If you haven’t been certified yet and need to start that process instead, see our guide to becoming a certified teacher in Maryland.
Maryland Teaching Certification Renewal
Maryland issues teaching credentials as Licenses, not Certificates, under licensure regulations that took effect in April 2024. Renewal runs through TEACH (The Educator Application and Certification Hub). Educators holding an Initial Professional, Professional, or Advanced Professional License renew every five years by logging 90 Professional Development Points (PDPs) in an Individualized Professional Development Plan (IPDP) and submitting it through TEACH, following the requirements on MSDE’s Renewal and Advancement page.
Teachers who still hold one of Maryland’s older credentials, a Standard, Advanced, or Professional Eligibility Certificate, get one full validity period under the original rule before their next renewal shifts them onto the License system. For that one remaining cycle, renewal requires six semester hours of coursework or MSDE-approved credit, under the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements set by MSDE. Once that certificate is renewed, MSDE converts it to a comparable License, and every renewal after that follows the 90-PDP requirement.
Teachers employed by a Maryland public school system typically work with their district’s certification office or CPD liaison, who tracks PDP progress and handles the TEACH submission. Teachers not currently employed by a Maryland school system manage their own IPDP and submit it directly through TEACH.
MSDE issues renewed licenses in TEACH starting three months before expiration through three months after. Once your renewed license is issued, MSDE emails a notice to pay the $10 renewal fee online, and the license becomes available to download from the Credential section of your TEACH dashboard once that fee is paid.
Reading Requirement
Since July 1, 2025, educators employed in a Maryland local school district, Maryland-operated school, or nonpublic special education program in a position requiring an Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education, Special Education, or ESOL license must demonstrate proficiency in scientific reading instruction at renewal. This can be met with a passing score on an MSDE-approved reading assessment, such as the Praxis Teaching Reading: Elementary exam, or by completing MSDE-approved coursework or professional learning. License holders can also submit verification that they’re enrolled in the assessment or coursework at renewal, then provide proof of completion once it’s finished.
Educators still renewing a legacy Certificate follow the earlier one-time reading requirement instead. Early childhood and elementary certificate holders complete 12 semester hours of reading coursework, and middle and high school certificate holders complete 6 semester hours, at an MSDE-approved two- or four-year college or university.
Questions about either path can be directed to the Maryland State Department of Education, Certification Branch, 200 W. Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 21201.
Reinstatement of an Expired Maryland License
Maryland doesn’t allow an educator to work under an expired license. To reinstate one, you complete the same 90 Professional Development Points required for renewal, counted from the date the license expired, and submit an IPDP through TEACH with supporting documentation, per MSDE’s Reinstatement of an Expired Credential guidance.
Educators reinstating a specialist, administrator, or professional and technical education license also need to meet the professional development requirements specific to that license area under Maryland’s education regulations (COMAR). If your expired credential covered an area MSDE no longer issues, that historic area generally can’t be reinstated.
Educators who hold an expired Standard Professional I, Standard Professional II, Professional Eligibility, or Advanced Professional Certificate can reinstate under the requirements tied to that original certificate, or under the current License-based PDP requirements, depending on their situation.
Once MSDE confirms the reinstatement requirements are met, it notifies the educator through TEACH. Any additional requirement still outstanding gets outlined in that notice.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How often do Maryland teachers renew their license?
Maryland licenses run on a five-year cycle. Current License holders log 90 Professional Development Points through TEACH before the license expires. Educators still on the older Certificate system renew with six semester hours of coursework or CPD credit for one more cycle, then convert to the License system at their next renewal.
What’s the difference between a Maryland teaching Certificate and a License?
A Certificate is the older credential type, Standard, Advanced, or Professional Eligibility, issued before Maryland moved to its current system in April 2024. A License, Initial Professional, Professional, or Advanced Professional, is what MSDE issues today. Certificate holders get one final renewal under the original six-hour rule, and MSDE converts the credential to a comparable License at that point, after which the 90-PDP requirement applies going forward.
What happens if a Maryland teaching license expires?
An educator can’t legally work on an expired license. Reinstating it requires completing the same PDP requirements as renewal, counted from the expiration date, and submitting an IPDP through TEACH before returning to the classroom.
Do teachers have to submit their own renewal paperwork if they work for a Maryland school district?
No. Teachers employed by a Maryland public school system typically have their district’s certification office or CPD liaison track PDPs and handle the TEACH submission. Teachers not currently employed in Maryland manage their own IPDP and submit it themselves.
Does the reading requirement apply to every Maryland teacher renewing a license?
No. Since July 1, 2025, it applies specifically to Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education, Special Education, and ESOL license holders, who must pass an approved reading assessment or complete MSDE-approved reading coursework. Other license areas aren’t subject to this rule.
- Renewal now runs through TEACH. Maryland License holders log 90 Professional Development Points in an Individualized Professional Development Plan and submit it online instead of mailing paperwork.
- Legacy Certificate holders get one final renewal under the old rule. Standard, Advanced, and Professional Eligibility Certificate holders renew once more with six semester hours of credit, then convert to a License and the 90-PDP requirement going forward.
- The reading requirement is license-specific. Since July 1, 2025, it applies to Elementary, Early Childhood, Special Education, and ESOL license holders, not every teacher statewide.
- Reinstatement mirrors renewal. An expired license is reinstated by meeting the same PDP requirements, counted from the expiration date, through TEACH.
Find accredited teacher certification programs in Maryland, including coursework options that can count toward Professional Development Points or the reading requirement.
