Intended Audience: Educators with MOECS Account
General
What is MOECS?
MOECS, short for the Michigan Online Educator Certification System, is a secure web-based platform where educators can register, establish private accounts, access their certification records, apply for certificates and endorsements, and manage certificate renewals. The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) utilizes MOECS for teacher certification renewals.
What are SCECHs?
State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECH) are accrued through participation in professional development activities organized by SCECH Sponsors and endorsed by MDE. These hours are applicable for the renewal and advancement of certificates and licenses issued by MDE. Additional information can be found by viewing MDE's SCECH Program Overview.
What is a PIC?
A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is a unique six-digit number recorded in the Michigan Online Educator Certification System (MOECS) to safeguard an educator's privacy and ensure accuracy when matching certificate and professional learning records.
Does everyone have a PIC?
No, only a certified teacher in the state of Michigan will have a PIC number within the Michigan Online Educator Certification System (MOECS).
Do I need a PIC to take courses in the Professional Learning Portal (PLP)?
Learners can create a Professional Learning Portal (PLP) account and enroll in courses without a Personal Identification Code (PIC). However, certified teachers renewing their certification through MOECS must include their PIC in their PLP profile to ensure precise recording of learner records for certification renewal.
To create an account without a PIC, visit our Registration page, complete the required fields, and select "I do not have a PIC" from the Do you have a PIC* drop-down field. Leave the MiRegistry ID field blank and select the Register button.
Teacher Certification Renewal
Who handles teacher certification renewals?
MDE manages teacher certification renewals through MOECS. Michigan Virtual, authorized by MDE as a SCECH Sponsor, offers courses that meet MDE SCECH standards.
Where can I locate further details regarding the renewal of an educator certification in Michigan?
Detailed information about certificate renewal can be found by visiting MDE's Educator Services and Educator Certification.
SCECH
Is it true that SCECHs might take ten business days to appear in MOECS?
SCECH processing is a regular task at Michigan Virtual, but MOECS lacks a computer interface for direct uploads. Please allow up to 10 business days for our SCECH coordinators to upload SCECHs to MOECS. Once processed, educators will receive an email from MDE requesting they evaluate the course.
Special June Processing:
Michigan Virtual provides additional SCECH processing support at the end of June. If the course is completed by June 23, we guarantee that SCECHs will be processed by June 30. Please note that course feedback and grading may require extra time.
Why haven't my SCECHs appeared in MOECS yet?
Various factors can result in SCECH credits not appearing in MOECS. To ensure proper credit recording for completed courses, learners must verify that their first and last name in MOECS matches the information in the PLP, provide a valid Personal Identification Code (PIC) in their PLP account, complete all assignments in their PLP course, submit their course evaluation, and wait for 10 business days after course completion. For further details, please refer to SCECH: Course Completions & MOECS.
How can I obtain SCHECHs for courses completed in the PLP?
To begin the process, learners should create a PLP account and make sure their MOECS PIC is entered. After registering for and completing a course that offers SCECH credits, learners will need to wait for 10 business days for SCECH processing. During this period, an email from MDE (MOECS-NoReply@michigan.gov) will be sent, requesting the completion of an online evaluation for the course. Once the mandatory evaluation is finished, the SCECHs will become visible in the MOECS system.
How can I confirm if a course offers SCECH credits?
When a learner browses the PLP Catalog, each course will display the number of SCECH credits on the course tiles. Courses that do not offer credits will be labeled as "No SCECH."
Is the time I spend actively working on my course monitored or tracked?
Michigan Virtual will not track actual hours spent within a course, we trust that all learners will spend adequate time with the materials provided.