Renewing a standard certificate: 150 CPE hours
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) renews standard certificates every five years. Classroom teachers need 150 CPE hours per cycle; certain administrator and student-services certificates need 200.
"1 semester credit = 15 CPE hours"Texas Education Agency, Standard certificate renewal and CPE information
TEA lists topics that must be covered within the cycle, including:
- students with disabilities and dyslexia;
- use of data and indicators of students at risk of dropping out;
- digital learning and serving diverse student populations;
- educator-student boundaries and educator ethics.
Independent study can make up no more than 20 percent of the hours. For how credits and hours relate, see clock hours, CEUs and semester credits.
How pay moves: state minimum, then district
Texas Education Code §21.402 sets a minimum salary schedule by years of experience. It has no degree or credit column. Pay above the minimum comes from district salary schedules and stipends. Whether additional coursework changes your pay depends entirely on your district. See lane change, explained for how education columns work where they exist.
Pay for coursework is a local decision in Texas. Before you buy coursework for salary, confirm in writing that your district's compensation plan rewards it.
District schedules
Items marked "confirm" are being verified for this guide and will be updated with a source and date.
Houston ISD
In research.
Source to be added. Confirm whether coursework or degrees change pay.Dallas ISD
In research.
Source to be added. Confirm whether coursework or degrees change pay.Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
In research.
Source to be added. Confirm whether coursework or degrees change pay.Before you enroll in anything
- Check your certificate's renewal date in your TEA account and count CPE hours completed this cycle.
- Map courses to TEA's required topics so you are not short at renewal.
- Count 15 CPE hours per semester credit, and keep independent study under 20 percent.
- For pay, read your district's compensation plan for advanced-degree or education stipends.
- Ask HR in writing whether the specific course changes your pay. Keep the reply.
The state schedule will not move you. TEA's minimum schedule counts experience only; check local policy before you count on coursework for pay.
Comparing states? Browse all state guides or compare course providers.
Sources
- Texas Education Agency, Standard certificate renewal and CPE information.
- Texas Education Agency, Minimum salary schedules (TEC §21.402).
- National Education Association, Rankings of the States 2025 and Estimates of School Statistics 2026, Table B-2 (teacher counts).
Last reviewed 2026-11-03. How we correct errors.