Professional Learning FAQs
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Where do I go to sign up for a Professional Learning Workshop?
Registering for a workshop is fast and easy! Go to the NSSED Midas website and select the “Courses” tab to see all of the upcoming professional learning opportunities offered through NSSED. Be sure to login to your MIDAS account!
Is there a cost to attend a workshop?
In most cases the workshop fee is waived for NSSED employees, Member District employees, and parents of students in our member districts. There may be a cost for materials. Please see the description of the class you are interested in for cost information. All fees will be billed directly to your home district, you are not responsible to bring payment to the session.
Who is a “Member District” employee?
NSSED is an educational cooperative consisting of 18 member school districts, if you are employed by one of these districts you qualify! To see the list of our member districts please visit the NSSED member district webpage.
I am not a “Member District” employee, what is the cost for attending a class?
The cost for a non member district participant will be posted in the course description and can range from $75 to $250. We want to make you aware that our member district staff have priority when they register, you may be contacted if we cannot accommodate you after enrollment. To register for a session please be sure to create a MIDAS account. Please contact our Professional Learning Department professionallearning@nssed.org with any questions.
How do I cancel my registration for a workshop?
Please contact our Professional Learning Department via email professionallearning@nssed.org and they can remove you from the class!
My class was cancelled, will it be rescheduled?
We don’t like to cancel classes but in cases of severe weather or sickness a cancellation may occur. We make every attempt to reschedule the class based on the instructor and location availability, you will be notified of the cancellation and accommodated as best we can at the next opportunity.
NSSED reserves the right to cancel any workshop due to low enrollment.
When will I get a bill (participation or materials fee) for the class I attended?
Registration or material fee per participant will be indicated when registering and billed after the session. We will bill your district directly, please be sure you have administrative permission to attend. You are not responsible to bring payment to the session.
What are PD hours and CEUs?
Professional Development (PD) hours and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are credits that are awarded to you for attending a course or a series of courses. These credits are used when you need to renew your practicing educational licence.
What credits can NSSED provide?
Non professional attendance credit: Provides proof that you attended a course but it may not be used for professional licences.
Illinois State Board of Education Hours: Required for any person who has or is working on getting their teaching licence.
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation CEUs: for the following licences:
- Occupational Therapists
- Physical Therapists
- Social Worker
- Speech Language Pathology/ Audiology
Gateways Credit: For teachers and professionals in early childhood education
I need to enter in my PD hours for my licence, where can I find a list of classes I attended and the certificates?
With the new MIDAS system you can now go to “My Portal” and see your Professional Learning history under the “Prof. Learning” tab. We are currently sending out certificates via email, we hope to have the certificates available through MIDAS in the future.
If you are in need of any historical data further back than what is listed in MIDAS please contact our Professional Learning Department via email professionallearning@nssed.org for assistance.
I got an email asking for my IEIN - what is that?
Any person with a licence through Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is required to enter their Illinois Educator Identification Number (IEIN) on the sign in sheet for a class. You can find your number by logging into the Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS). You can add this to your bio information in MIDAS under “State ID” and it will automatically be added to any sign in sheet for future workshops.
I want to sign up for a class but cannot find it posted for registration
You may be looking for a class that already occurred or has been cancelled. If you have any questions about a specific course please contact our team via email professionallearning@nssed.org.
I am on the waiting list for a class, when will I know if I was let in?
We send out reminders to those enrolled in a workshop a week before a class is scheduled, many people do let us know that they have to cancel ahead of time. We will contact anyone on the waiting list as each spot opens up. You will be contacted via email up to the day before the class about your waitlist status.
When should I renew my CPI/ Nonviolent Crisis Intervention certification?
We recommend that you take the CPI Refresher course and renew your certification every 12 to 18 months from the date of your last class. It is encouraged that if your certification is over 18 months that you take the initial course again.
I have to leave early/ arrive late from the course I registered for - is that okay?
We understand that life can be unpredictable. We do allow a 5 minute window to allow for last minute arrivals but we do start promptly to respect everyone’s time and to be able to release everyone at the scheduled hour. If you have a conflict with either the start or end time of the course please contact our team via email professionallearning@nssed.org. We cannot guarantee you full credit for the course. If your conflict interferes with the time needed to present you with the workshop’s information you may be asked to register for different course.
How do I know if I have a MIDAS account?
Head to the NSSED Midas website and select the “Training” tab to see our training videos and handouts. If you have any questions or run into any issues please contact our helpdesk via email midashelp@nssed.org.
I have a new staff member that needs to attend a course but does not have a MIDAS account to register, what do I do?
If you or your staff member does not have a MIDAS account and need one created, please contact our helpdesk via email midashelp@nssed.org and provide us with the following information below that is applicable to you. This information helps us to know how to set up your new account.
- Full Legal Name
- Email Address
- IEIN # (if you have one)
- Currently teaching: Yes or No
- District/ Charter
- School
- Organization
- Position
I attended a workshop that I think would be really great to bring back to my school/ district! Can we bring the presenter into our school and lead up in this workshop?
Our NSSED District Service Coaches are able to present many of these workshops within your district. Please contact Lindsay Kiraly, Director of Professional Learning and Coaching, for more information. Her is contact email is lkiraly@nssed.org.
