Become a Professional Development Unit Provider (formerly Renewal Unit Provider)

UPDATE: The Office of Public Instruction values high-quality, evidence-based professional development and would like to communicate that it is updating its procedures for approving professional development providers to better align with the Administrative Rules of Montana Items 10.55.714, 10.57.215, 10.57.215, 10.16.3135, and 10.55.60.

We are pleased to announce that under the new protocol, providers will have the opportunity to achieve elevated provider statuses under a tiered system. We have temporarily paused our acceptance of new provider applications as we update our system. We are only approving P-12 Public School Districts as providers at this time. All current providers will be required to reapply under the new application and system protocols.

We expect to re-open the application and renewal process to all current and prospective providers beginning January 2nd, 2025.

Please keep an eye out for future email communications, press releases, OPI Compass, and the OPI Provider website for all updates and notices.

We invite all prospective and current providers to subscribe to receive the OPI Compass newsletter to remain up to date on all agency activities and press-releases.

Thank you for your support and understanding as we strive to continue to hold high standards for professional learning on behalf of our state's professional educators and students.

How to Apply - Approval to Offer Professional Development Units for Multiple Events

Please complete the following steps to apply to become an Approved Professional Development Unit Provider for Multiple Events:

Check to make sure your organization is not an Approved Professional Development Unit Provider already by checking the OPI Professional Development Unit Provider Directory. It is possible that someone within your organization has already applied before and you are simply unaware of the existing approval.

Determine if your organization has the capacity to engage in the reporting requirements. Organizations must fill out an online form in the Professional Development Unit Provider System for each professional development unit activity in which professional development unit certificates are to be issued. Your organization must also return to the online form and report the number of certificates issued upon completion of the professional development unit activity. Your organization must also keep records of the professional development unit activity for five years.

If your organization is not an existing Professional Development Unit Provider and your organization has the capacity to update the reporting regularly, please fill out the Registration form on the Professional Development Unit Provider System.

OPI Professional Learning staff (OPIPDUPS@mt.gov) will notify you of the status of your application within seven business days. If approved, OPI Professional Learning staff will provide you with log-in information and instructions for using the Professional development Unit Provider System.

Your Responsibility as an Approved Professional Development Unit Provider

Please review the following documents for more information:

Evidence-Based Practices in Professional Learning

Professional learning providers have a unique role in ensuring that the professional learning provided to educators is evidence-based and improves student outcomes. Districts and schools may ask providers for applicable research and evidence that the strategies demonstrated in the professional learning opportunity improves student outcomes. Additionally, providers may be one part of a cycle of professional learning and educator development that extends beyond the initial professional learning event. The following resources can help providers understand the shift toward evidence-based professional learning for educators.

Effective Teacher Professional Development by the Learning Policy Institute
Evidence-Based Practices by The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA)
Powerful Designs for Professional Learning, 3rd Edition by Learning Forward
Standards for Professional Learning Quick Guide by Learning Forward
What is the research evidence on successful practices for teacher professional learning? compiled by the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northeast & Islands

Guidelines and Standards for Professional Learning

Professional learning for educators in the state of Montana should follow certain guidelines and standards. The guidance and standards below can help providers understand professional learning requirements.

Federal Definition of Professional Learning

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) § 8101(42) defines "professional development," specifically noting that professional development activities are to be "sustained (not stand-alone, 1-day, or short term workshops), intensive, collaborative, job-embedded, data-driven, and classroom-focused..." (ESEA § 8101(42), pg. 401).

Administrative Rules of Montana

There are a number of Administrative Rules of Montana (ARMs) that guide professional learning for education-related personnel, including:

ARM 10.16.3135 Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPDs) - CSPD is a regionalized structure that provides special education-related professional learning for pre-service and in-service educators, administrators, and paraprofessionals.
ARM 10.55.601 Accreditation Standards: Procedures - Continuous School Improvement Plans (CSIPs) are developed, implemented, and evaluated yearly by school districts and schools. The CSIPs include a professional development planning component.
ARM 10.55.714 Professional Development - The Professional Development ARM specifies the standards that professional development opportunities must meet.
ARM 10.57.215 Renewal Requirements - The activities that are eligible for renewal units are professional development activities and college credits that are of a planned and structured experience and an activity that provides "exposure to a new idea or skill or an extension of an existing idea or skill."
ARM 10.57.216 Approved Renewal Activity - Approved renewal unit providers must offer activities that are "deemed appropriate for professional development of licensees in compliance with ARM 10.55.714 and 10.57.215."

Other ARMs address professional learning requirements for specific licenses and endorsements. Additional resources related to licensure can be found on the Montana Educator Licensing website.

Standards

Learning Forward's Standards for Professional Learning "outline the characteristics of professional learning that leads to effective teaching practice, supportive leadership, and improved student results" (2017). The standards include:

Learning Communities - "Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students occurs within learning communities committed to continuous improvement, collective responsibility, and goal alignment."
Leadership - "Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students requires skillful leaders who develop capacity, advocate, and create support systems for professional learning."
Resources - "Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students requires prioritizing, monitoring, and coordinating resources for educator learning."
Data - "Professional Learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students uses a variety of sources and types of student, educator, and system data to plan, assess, and evaluate professional learning."
Learning Designs - "Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students integrates theories, research, and models of human learning to achieve its intended outcomes."
Implementation - "Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students applies research on change and sustains support for implementation of professional learning for long term change."
Outcomes - "Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students aligns its outcomes with educator performance and student curriculum standards."

Logging into the Secure Portal for the first time: The OPI Renewal Unit Provider System is housed within our Secure Portal. The link to the Provider System via the Secure Portal is located on the OPI Providers Professional Learning webpage. In order to access this portal for the first time, you will need to “reset your password.” There are step-by-step instructions as to how to do this located underneath the sign-in boxes under “How to Reset Your Password and Other Frequently Asked Questions.”

Please note, you will only include the domain name when resetting your password. When you sign in after that, you will just use your username without the OPI\.

Log in to the Professional Development Unit Provider System

Known System Issues

Blank Certificates - On occasion, providers will press "Print Certificate" and the certificate will be blank. This can be fixed by choosing your provider name again from the dropdown in "Events" and then pressing "Print Certificate."

Provider Dropdown on Events Tab

User Tutorials

Professional Development Renewal Unit Provider System User Manual (opens in new window)

Topics include: Administrative Rules of Montana, Accessing RUPS, Changing your Password, Reporting Events, Issuing Certificates, Revising Existing Events, Managing Usernames and Account Access, and Special Considerations for Continuously Available Asynchronous Renewal Unit Activities and Virtual Conferences.

Username and Password Tips

Logging into the Secure Portal for the first time: The OPI Renewal Unit Provider System is housed within our Secure Portal. The link to the Provider System via the Secure Portal is located on the OPI Providers Professional Learning webpage. In order to access this portal for the first time, you will need to “reset your password.” There are step-by-step instructions as to how to do this located underneath the sign-in boxes under “How to Reset Your Password and Other Frequently Asked Questions.”
- Please note, you will only include the domain name when resetting your password. When you sign in after that, you will just use your username without the OPI\.
Reset a forgotten password
If you forget your username, it's most likely the user's first initial and last name (i.e. John Doe would be JDoe).
If your email address has changed, please email us at OPIPDUPS@mt.gov so we can update it properly.

Adding More Accounts or Updating Accounts

Is your organization already a registered provider, but you need to change the name of your provider account manager? Request access to an existing renewal provider account by emailing Opipdups@mt.gov with the following information - name of organization, your full name, phone number and email.

Planning Professional Learning Opportunities

There are many considerations to be made when planning professional learning opportunities for educators. Professional learning providers external to K-12 schools (e.g., governmental agencies, accredited colleges and universities, and approved educational organizations) may be unaware of how K-12 education-related personnel choose appropriate professional learning opportunities.

Guidelines and Statutes

Specific guidelines and statutes require schools to develop yearly professional development plans and continuous school improvement plans. These plans consider a variety of needs and priorities. Schools are required to provide a minimum of three days for instructional/professional/in-service development/training, pursuant to ARM 10.65.101. The majority of educators are required to complete 60 Renewal Unit hours of professional learning every five years to maintain licensure requirements. Therefore, most educators receive the appropriate number of Renewal Unit hours for licensure through the required three days of training provided by schools each year. These are important considerations to keep in mind when planning a professional learning opportunity.

Conducting a Needs Analysis

According to Philip O. Ozuah, author of "First, There Was Pedagogy and Then Came Andragogy," adults typically engage in learning to solve a problem (2005). It is important to partner with educators in planning the professional learning opportunity, as a "one-size-fits-all" approach to professional learning often does not provide enough depth for educators to make substantial changes in their teaching practices. Taking the time to conduct a needs analysis of the schools and educators you want to attend your event can help to ensure that the professional learning opportunity is focused on what educators need most. There are many needs analysis templates available online, but you may find that you would like to create your own based upon the subject matter you are hoping to address in the professional learning opportunity. Learning Forward, a professional learning organization, has created a workbook that can help providers consider what districts and schools look at when creating short- and long-term professional learning plans.

Professional Learning Plans: A Workbook for States, Districts, and Schools by Learning Forward

Frequently Asked Questions

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I would like to offer online professional learning. What do I need to know? How do I know what professional learning opportunities are appropriate for OPI renewal units? What are the reporting requirements that approved renewal unit providers need to follow? How do I update accounts for the Renewal Unit Provider System? Do I need to ask for permission each time I host a renewal unit activity? Is my organization an approved renewal unit provider? Are we able to send renewal unit certificates digitally, such as through email? I have questions about the update to the Licensure system. Where can I find more information?

We're here to help!

Professional Development Providers should contact the Professional Learning team by email:

OPIPDUPS@mt.gov

Professional Learning Home