How Many PGP Points Do Indiana Teachers Need? (2026 Requirements)

Indiana teacher pgp requirements give classroom teachers a flexible alternative to college coursework for license renewal — but flexibility comes with complexity. To renew a Proficient Practitioner (5-year) or Accomplished Practitioner (10-year) license using the Professional Growth Plan pathway, Indiana teachers must accumulate 90 PGP points through an approved plan. The key word is “approved”: your PGP must be reviewed and signed off by your employing school corporation before you begin accumulating points. This article explains exactly what counts toward your 90 points, how to get your plan approved, what documentation IDOE requires, and why many teachers who choose the PGP pathway still end up taking graduate courses as the most efficient route to their point total.

Understanding indiana teacher pgp requirements also matters for teachers who want to combine both pathways — using some graduate credits and some other professional development activities to reach 90 points. IDOE allows this hybrid approach, and for teachers who have already completed some coursework but not the full 6 credits, it can be the most practical option for renewal.

What Are Indiana PGP Points?

A Professional Growth Plan (PGP) is a structured professional development plan that Indiana teachers create in collaboration with their employing school corporation. The plan documents what professional development activities you will complete during your license period, how many points each activity is worth, and how those activities connect to your professional goals and your school’s improvement priorities.

PGP points are the unit of measurement for professional development activities within the plan. The indiana teacher pgp requirements set the total at 90 points for a full renewal cycle. Here is the conversion table for the most common types of activities:

The most important thing to notice in this table is the efficiency of college coursework: 1 credit hour = 15 PGP points, which means 6 credit hours = 90 points — the full renewal requirement in a single clean transaction. For teachers who want to satisfy their indiana teacher pgp requirements with the least administrative overhead, taking 6 graduate credits is almost always the most efficient approach. You get your 90 points, you get official transcripts as documentation (which IDOE accepts without question), and you may also advance your salary lane at the same time.

How to Get Your PGP Approved

The approval requirement is the most critical aspect of the PGP pathway that teachers sometimes overlook. You cannot retroactively have a PGP approved — the plan must be in place and signed by your school corporation before you begin accumulating points. Activities completed before your PGP is approved do not count toward your 90 points.

The approval process varies by district, but typically works as follows. You create a written PGP that identifies your professional development goals, lists the specific activities you plan to complete, assigns point values to each activity, and explains how the activities connect to your instructional practice and your school’s improvement goals. You then submit the plan to your principal or instructional coach for review. Once approved, the plan is signed by both you and a district representative, and you can begin accumulating points.

Many Indiana districts have standardized PGP forms and processes — your district’s HR office or professional development coordinator can provide the required forms and explain the approval timeline. If your district does not have a standardized process, contact your IDOE regional support team for guidance.

One practical note: if you are planning to use graduate coursework as your primary source of PGP points, the approval process is simpler because transcripts are straightforward documentation. If you are planning to use a mix of workshops, conferences, and other activities, you will need more detailed documentation for each activity, and your district will need to approve each activity type in advance.

What Documentation Does IDOE Require?

When you submit your LVIS renewal application using the PGP pathway, you must upload documentation that proves you completed your approved plan. The documentation requirements depend on the types of activities you completed:

• College coursework: Official transcripts from the issuing institution. Grade reports are not accepted — only official transcripts. Transcripts must show the course name, credit hours, and grade.
• District-approved workshops and in-service: Certificates of completion or official documentation from your district’s professional development office confirming the hours and activity type.
• Conferences: Conference registration confirmation plus a certificate of attendance or completion from the conference organizer.
• Curriculum development or other activities: Documentation created and signed by your district confirming the activity, hours, and point value.
• Approved PGP itself: A copy of your signed, approved PGP must be uploaded with your renewal application.

All documentation must be uploaded together in a single submission through LVIS. IDOE will not accept partial submissions, and applications marked as “Additional Documentation Required” are held for 90 days before being closed. Gather all your documentation before you begin the LVIS application process.

Indiana Teacher PGP Requirements vs. Coursework: Which Pathway Is Right for You?

The choice between the PGP pathway and the coursework pathway depends on your specific situation. Here is a straightforward comparison to help you decide:

The coursework pathway is better if: you want to advance your salary lane (graduate credits are the primary mechanism for lane advancement in most Indiana districts); you want the simplest documentation process (official transcripts are universally accepted); you prefer self-paced learning that fits around your schedule; or you are working toward a Master’s degree or additional graduate credentials.

The PGP pathway is better if: you have already completed significant district-sponsored professional development that your school corporation will approve for PGP points; you are in the final years of your career and salary lane advancement is less important; or your district has a well-organized PGP process that makes accumulating points straightforward.

Many teachers find that a hybrid approach works best: they take 3 graduate credits (45 PGP points) and combine them with district-approved workshops and in-service training to reach 90 points. This approach satisfies the indiana teacher pgp requirements while also making progress toward salary lane advancement.

The Bottom Line

Indiana teacher PGP requirements give you flexibility — 90 points earned through a mix of graduate coursework, workshops, conferences, and district-approved activities. But the coursework pathway is almost always the better financial choice: graduate credits satisfy your PGP requirement, renew your license, and advance your salary lane simultaneously. If you’re going to invest time in professional development, choose activities that pay you back on the salary schedule.