Short answer
How do I plan the units for a salary lane change?
Take the units your next column requires, subtract what you have already earned toward it, and divide by the credits per course. Then work back from your district's transcript filing date, leaving time for grading and for the university to post your transcript.
How many courses until my next column?
Your district's salary schedule or bargaining agreement says how many units each column needs (BA+15, BA+30 and so on) and which units count. Find yours in your district guide, then fill in the planner.
Before your first course, check whether your district wants pre-approval, and whether it counts only units earned after your current placement. Some districts also limit which kinds of units count toward a column; your district guide quotes the rule where one is published.
How far am I from license renewal?
Each state sets its own renewal cycle and its own currency: clock hours, professional development units, continuing education units or semester units. Your state's renewal rule gives the number; enter it in whatever unit your state uses.
Whether graduate-level coursework counts toward renewal, and how a semester unit converts to hours, is set by your state. Renewal credit vs salary credit explains when one course can count for both.
How do quarter units convert to semester units?
Universities on the quarter system award quarter units, and most salary schedules count semester units. The usual conversion is two-thirds: three quarter units equal two semester units. Your district may round differently, so check its rule; quarter vs semester units has the detail.
Questions about the planner
Does the planner store what I type?
No. The figures stay in your browser and are not sent anywhere.
Why leave weeks for grading and the transcript?
Providers state their own grading times, and the university then posts the grade and issues the official transcript. Your district counts the transcript, not the finished coursework, so the filing date applies to the transcript's arrival. The comparison lists each provider's stated turnaround.
Will the planner tell me my new salary?
No. Pay depends on your district's schedule, your step and your placement, so use your district's published schedule for the figure. The payback calculator takes the raise from your own schedule if you want to weigh cost against gain.