That being said, anything you do that has a CPE code counts as hours.
At TMEA, it's very very easy to get 20+ hours per convention. No one checks or scans your ID badge at the door of your sessions, and you can watch them later if you miss one. Make sure you're signed up for a full slate.
That leaves (if it were 200 hours per 5 years, which it isn't, it's usually 150. It's only 200 if you have an admin certificate) you needing 20 hours to make up over a full calendar year from MANDATORY statewide trainings that you probably have to sit through, like:
Bullying awareness
Suicide Awareness
Domestic abuse & teen dating violence awareness
504 training
Anaphylaxis awareness
Educators code of Ethics
Copyright and Licensing
FERPA
Bloodborne Pathogens
Title IX
Workplace bullying
CPR/First Aid updates (the certificate isn't CPE, but any updates you do in the off year ARE)
Annual T-TESS training
In addition to anything like UIL rules compliance that you may have to do for your district. And speaking of UIL rules, if you're a HS BD, you have to do your heat training which *also* counts for hours.
All of that BEFORE you get into any staff development nonsense that you may have or campus initiatives/expectations like Capturing Kids Hearts (3 hours to 12 hours depending on which course you take), ESL training, GT training (10 hours on its own) .. yeah. It's nearly impossible to not get 200 hours in the span of a five year period.
And ALL - ALL - of that assumes you ONLY go to TMEA. If you go to Midwest, TBA, Texas Fine Arts Summit, or literally ANY other conventions, there's zero chance you don't get enough hours unless you simply forget to pick up certificates.
And additionally - if you're getting another college degree, such as working on a Masters? Every bit of that ALSO counts as continuing education, and counts hours.
Finally, remember one of the main things I said. Figuratively, no one ever checks. Hardly ever. I've been teaching twenty years, and I've NEVER seen or known a teacher's PD hours be audited by SBEC. In that time, I've worked in 4A, 5A, and multiple-high-school districts. There's always a reply or two here that says "I have known someone!" but .. regardless, if your school uses something like Skyward or (vomit) Eduphoria to track certificates, you will always have them available if needed to back up your hours. If you LEAVE a district, you are within your rights to ask for a copy of EVERY certificate in your personnel file, which would include all of these PD certificates as well.
tl;dr: Don't sweat it. You'll have enough hours.
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