Level: upper-division, graduate-level or degree program

Contracts set the level column by column. Some accept any post-baccalaureate academic credit; some accept upper-division undergraduate units for lower columns; some require graduate-level work. Published examples:

  • Montgomery County, Maryland requires at least 15 graduate-level credits within the 30 post-baccalaureate credits for its MA/MEQ lane; the remainder can be other eligible credit.
  • West Virginia's statutory schedule (§18A-4-2) defines "M.A. plus 15" in terms of graduate work at an institution approved to do graduate work.
  • Kentucky's Rank I (16 KAR 8:010) refers to "approved graduate level credit".

The full vocabulary, including CEUs and clock hours, is in graduate-level credit vs. graduate credit.

Subject: "related to assignment"

Many contracts limit units to coursework related to your teaching assignment, credential area or school goals. The wording matters:

  • Hawaii's HIDOE guidelines say credits "should be related to standards-based instruction, aligned with the school's design plan, and/or directly support" the Department's initiatives.
  • The archived text of Delaware's Regulation 728 accepts post-master's graduate-level work "clearly related to the educator's professional responsibilities".
  • In New York City, the UFT's C2+PD differential requires 36 credits in an approved subject-matter area.
  • Florida's statute (§1012.22) counts advanced degrees on the schedule only when they are in the area of certification.

If your contract uses phrases like "related to", "approved area" or "professional responsibilities", that is a judgment someone at the district makes. Get it made in writing before you enroll. See the pre-approval form.

Dates: when the units were earned

Units have to fall inside the window the contract recognises.

  • After the degree. Jordan School District in Utah counts "hours earned beyond and after Bachelor's Degree and original Teaching license." Delaware's archived regulation also excludes credits earned before the bachelor's.
  • While employed. HIDOE accepts only credits "started and completed while employed with the Department", and excludes credits taken while not employed by it.
  • Before the cutoff. Units posted after the filing deadline count in the next cycle, not the current one. Clark County, Nevada sets August 31 for coursework and October 1 for documentation. See transcript deadlines.

Repeats and double counting

A course taken twice is generally counted once, and units already used for one column are not counted again toward the next. Delaware's archived Regulation 728 states this directly: credits apply once, in the order taken. If you are retaking a course for a better grade, or taking a course with the same content under a new number, ask HR how it will be treated.

Grades can matter too. The same Delaware text requires a B or better. For licence renewal, the District of Columbia's OSSE accepts college credit with a pass or a C or higher.

Quarter vs. semester units

One quarter unit equals two thirds of a semester unit; one semester unit equals one and a half quarter units. Published versions of the same rule:

  • Montgomery County, Maryland counts credit in semester hours and converts quarter hours at 3:2.
  • Alaska's DEED defines 1 renewal credit as 1 semester hour or 1.5 quarter hours.
  • Seattle's schedule is measured in quarter credits, and Billings, Montana's footnote reads "semester credits x 1.5 = quarter credits."

On a quarter-credit schedule, 3 semester units count as 4.5 quarter units. On a semester-credit schedule, 9 quarter units count as 6 semester units. Do the conversion in the direction your district uses, then compare against the column threshold.

Transfer and institution rules

  • Accredited issuer. Districts generally require credit from an accredited college or university, shown on its official transcript.
  • Official transcripts. Arizona's ADE, for certification, requires official transcripts sent by the institution. Many district HR offices apply the same standard for salary.
  • Transcripted credit. Idaho requires at least three of its six renewal credits to come from an accredited college or university and be placed on its transcript.
  • Changing districts. Units accepted by one district are re-evaluated under the new district's contract. Keep your transcripts and approvals; do not assume your column travels with you.

How to verify before enrolling

  1. Find the column you are aiming at, and its threshold, on the current schedule.
  2. Read the contract article on salary credit for level, subject, date and grade rules.
  3. Confirm the unit type the schedule uses, and convert.
  4. Check whether the district requires pre-approval, and file it.
  5. Get HR's answer in writing, naming the course, institution, units and column.

For how to read the grid itself, see how to read a salary schedule. For state rules, see the guides for California, Hawaii, Utah and Florida.

Sources

Last reviewed 2026-11-03.