Maryland State Department of Education · Division of Early Childhood
The Professional Learning Proposal Tracker is where Maryland’s professional learning organizations submit offerings to the Division of Early Childhood for approval, check that nothing is missing before the deadline, and follow each submission through review.
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- 5pathways, each with its own submission window
- 7guided steps from offering title to submission
- 45business days for MSDE’s review, every pathway
- 5:00 p.m.deadline on the last day of every window
What the tracker does
The Planning Template, the Pathway Determination Tool and the submission checklist are the same documents MSDE publishes. The tracker puts them in order, keeps what you enter, and tells you what is still missing.
One guided wizard, seven steps
Offering information, pathway, planning template, checklist and materials, readiness check, blind-review check, submit. Each step saves when you continue, so you can stop and come back.
A readiness check before the deadline
Before you submit, the tracker lists what is present, what is missing and what it could not verify, so nothing required is left off.
A blind-review check
Reviews are blind. The tracker searches the text of your materials for your name, your organization and your email, shows every match with its page, and can create a redacted reviewer copy.
Every step, as it happened
After you submit, your proposal page shows a dated status timeline and a frozen record of exactly what was submitted. The decision arrives by email, with the rationale.
How you submit
Before you start: create an account with your name, email and organization, confirm your email address, and give your offering a title. Then the wizard takes over.
Step 1: Offering information
Who is offering this professional learning and what it is called. Title, organization, facilitator, delivery format and, for a returning offering, its Course ID and original approval date.
Step 2: Pathway determination
Choose one of the five pathways. The tracker shows what each one requires, and for a returning offering you complete the Pathway Determination Tool right here, prefilled from step 1.
Step 3: Planning template
The Companion Guide prompts, section by section, each with a place for your response and the evidence location: a slide number, a page, a module.
Step 4: Checklist and materials
One row for every item on the printed checklist for your pathway. Upload a file or paste a Google Drive link. Uploading again replaces the file and keeps the old version in the history.
Step 5: Readiness check
What is present, what is missing, and what could not be verified. Fix anything required before the window closes.
Step 6: Blind-review check
Reviews are blind. The tracker searches the text of your materials for your name, your organization and your email, shows each match with its page, and can create a redacted reviewer copy.
Step 7: Review, attest and submit
The final snapshot. Confirm your declarations and submit. Nothing changes after this unless a reviewer asks for a revision.
Find your pathway
Every offering follows one of five pathways, and each pathway has its own submission window. Three questions tell you which one you are on. Offerings over five years old that are not submitted will be retired on March 1, 2027.
Answer the questions and your pathway, its window and what to submit appear here.
The same three questions the Pathway Determination Tool asks.
Windows and deadlines
MSDE’s transition timeline for professional learning offerings. Dates are the published windows; the status is where each one stands today.
- Aug 3 – Aug 14, 2026
Pathway 1New professional learning
No rubric band
Window closed - Aug 17 – Aug 28, 2026
Pathway 2No changes required
Rubric self-assessment 64–80 points (80% or more)
Window closed - Sep 7 – Sep 30, 2026
Pathway 5Retirement
No rubric band
Window closed - Oct 12 – Nov 13, 2026
Pathway 3Minor revisions
Rubric self-assessment 52–63 points (65%–79%)
Open now · 22 days left - Jan 11 – Feb 26, 2027
Pathway 4Major revisions
Rubric self-assessment 0–51 points (64% or less)
Opens in 81 days
- All submissions are due by 5:00 p.m. on the last day of the window.
- MSDE's review period for every pathway is 45 business days.
- Offerings over five years old that are not submitted for review will be retired automatically on March 1, 2027.
MSDE support sessions
- Sep 25, 2026
- Guidance for minor revision submissions · 90 minutes, 9:00–10:30 a.m.
- Nov 13, 2026
- Guidance for major update submissions · 90 minutes, 9:00–10:30 a.m.
What reviewers look for
Proposals are scored against the Professional Learning Rubric, the same rubric you use for your self-assessment. Score it honestly before you submit and there are no surprises.
- Indicators
- 20in nine sections
- Scale
- 1–4emerging to advanced
- To be approved
- 64of 80 points, or 80%
- High-priority indicators
- 3+every one must score 3 or higher
Setting a focus for growth
- High-priority indicator: Understanding the why
- Learning outcomes and participant impact
- Needs-based design
- High-priority indicator: Structural components
Practice-based learning design
- High-priority indicator: Practice-based learning
- Questioning and processing design
Engagement and participation
- High-priority indicator: Active participant engagement (80/20 design)
- Adult learning principles
Pacing and flow
- High-priority indicator: Transitions, clarity and instructional usability
- Cognitive load and slide design
Access for all
- High-priority indicator: Support for all learners
- High-priority indicator: Social-emotional development
CLASS alignment
- High-priority indicator: CLASS alignment
Impact and sustainability
- High-priority indicator: Application to practice
Compliance and alignment
- High-priority indicator: Presentation design and usability
- Standards alignment
- Materials quality
- High-priority indicator: COMAR and Core of Knowledge alignment
- Special populations
References and research base
- High-priority indicator: References and research base
★ High-priority indicator. Every one must score 3 or higher for the proposal to be approved.
What strong proposals do
- State the purpose plainly and explain why the content matters to the people in the room.
- Write outcomes that are measurable and tied to what participants will know, do and change in practice.
- Balance facilitator input with participant processing. The 80/20 principle is about meaningful practice, not a stopwatch.
- Give every activity a location in the materials: a slide number, a workbook page, a handout.
- Cite at least three credible sources, typically published within the last five to seven years, and say how each one was used.
- Plan for what happens after the session: action planning, reflection, follow-up or coaching.
Have these ready
One row on the checklist becomes one row in the wizard. Which rows are required depends on your pathway; a retirement needs only the Determination Tool.
- Completed Planning Template (optional for returning offerings)
- Completed Pathway Determination Tool (returning offerings)
- Scored Professional Learning Rubric self-assessment
- Agenda
- Presentation slides and methods
- Facilitator guide, notes or script
- Participant handouts
- Assessment(s)
- Evaluation instrument(s)
- Certificate sample
- References and bibliography
- Supplemental resources
- Coaching or application-to-practice materials
PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, text, PNG, JPEG or MP4, up to 100 MB each. Google Drive links are accepted too.
Who can create an account?
Anyone submitting on behalf of a professional learning organization or as an independent trainer. Create an account, confirm your email address, and you can start a proposal right away. No invitation is needed.
Which documents do I need before I start?
Your scored Professional Learning Rubric self-assessment and the materials on the checklist for your pathway. The Companion Guide prompts and the Pathway Determination Tool are built into the wizard, so you complete those in place.
Can I stop partway through?
Yes. Each step is saved when you continue, and your dashboard shows where you left off. Come back any time before the window closes.
What happens if I miss the window?
Your draft is kept, but it cannot be submitted after the deadline. Open a support ticket from your dashboard to ask about the next window.
Can I change a proposal after submitting it?
No. Submitting freezes that version. If a reviewer asks for a revision, the wizard reopens with everything you entered, and resubmitting writes a new version alongside the first.
How long does the review take?
MSDE's review period is 45 business days for every pathway. Your proposal page shows each status change as it happens, and the decision arrives by email.
Why does the tracker look for my name in my materials?
Reviews are blind. Reviewers must not see the name of the trainer or the organization, so the tracker shows you where identifying details appear and can create a redacted reviewer copy while keeping your original untouched.
Who do I contact with a question?
Open a support ticket from your dashboard and an MSDE administrator will reply by email. For questions about the process itself, write to trainingcredential@msde.maryland.gov.
Create an account, confirm your email, and the wizard walks you through the rest.