For K-12 teachers in every state
Know your schedule. Plan your next salary step.
Salary schedules, lane changes and license renewal, explained one state and one district at a time. Every rule links to the document it came from.
How a lane change works
Three steps, and the details are local
Most districts pay more for graduate-level units. The columns, the approval rules and the deadlines are set district by district, so we document them that way.
Read your salary schedule
Find the columns (often BA+15, BA+30, MA, MA+30) and what units your district counts toward each one.
Check approval and deadlines
Many districts want pre-approval of non-degree units and set a transcript date for the next pay year.
Earn credit and file the transcript
Complete the coursework, request the official transcript, and submit it to HR before the deadline.
State guides
Your state, your district, your rules
Fifteen guides are published: California, nine Western states and six Southern states. The rest publish as each state's rules are verified against primary sources; North Carolina, Illinois and New York are next.
Why TeacherPayGuide
Written from the documents, not from other blogs
Most "teacher salary" articles are rewrites of each other. We start from the salary schedule PDF, the state code and the district's own HR page, and we cite each one.
- Primary sources only. State regulations, commission leaflets and district schedules, each linked and dated.
- District detail. Column names, pre-approval rules and transcript deadlines for the largest districts first.
- Honest about what counts. We say when units do not move your pay, and when your district decides.
- Dated and reviewed. Every guide shows when it was last checked against the source, and corrections are posted on the page.
The path for a California teacher
- No coursework for Clear credential renewalCTC renews Clear credentials without course or service requirements. CTC Leaflet CL-494
- Pay moves by district columnDistricts bargain their own schedules; units and "salary points" vary. District salary schedules
- Pre-approval is commonMany districts approve non-degree units before they count. District HR pages
- Transcript deadlines are district-setNo single statewide date. Collective bargaining agreements
Latest
Articles
Lane change, explained: how teachers move across the salary schedule
Columns, steps, approved units and the deadline that catches people every spring.
DefinitionsGraduate-level credit vs. graduate credit
What the words on your transcript mean and why districts care.
DeadlinesWhy the transcript date matters more than the course date
Finishing a course in June and filing in September can cost a full year.
Compare
Where teachers earn graduate-level credit online
Providers compared on all-in list price, format and the university that issues the transcript, sorted by price. No quality ranking.
| Provider | Transcript from | Format | 3 credits, list | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teacher Friendly | University of the Pacific | Self-paced, letter grade | $237 | Details |
| Credits for Educators | University of the Pacific | Self-paced; 15-credit bundle $975 | $297 | Details |
| Fourteen other online providers | Various | Self-paced; two instructor-led | $240–$570 | Full table |
All-in list prices read on provider sites 2026-11-03; university fees included where the provider states them. How we compare.