Short answer
How do Alabama teachers renew a certificate and move up the salary schedule?
Alabama professional certificates are continued every five years. Teachers need 10 clock hours of educator ethics plus 40 clock hours of professional learning from Alabama-approved providers, either in the certificate area or, for elementary, early childhood and special education, in reading and numeracy; three semester hours of qualifying college credit can stand in for the content hours. Pay follows a state minimum schedule with bachelor's, master's, Ed.S. and doctoral columns, so credit hours alone do not change a column.
Source: Ala. Admin. Code 290-3-2-.41, Renewal Requirements. Checked .
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How do you renew an Alabama teaching certificate?
The Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) calls renewal "continuing" a certificate. The current rule is Ala. Admin. Code 290-3-2-.41, published June 30, 2026 and effective August 14, 2026. Its general conditions apply to every category:
- A fixed window. The application must be received "between January 1 and no later than June 30 of the calendar year of expiration," and a certificate "may not be continued prior to the calendar year of their expiration."
- Work inside the term. Hours and credit must be completed "during the valid period of the current certificate."
- A new five-year term. A continued certificate runs through the rest of the scholastic year and then "for the next five consecutive scholastic years."
- Approved sources. Clock hours must be "approved and completed through the ALSDE-approved providers."
What you need depends on the certificate you hold. The rule groups certificates into categories:
- Early childhood, elementary and special education. Certificates in Early Childhood (P-3), Elementary (K-6, K-9 or 1-9) and Collaborative/Special Education need 10 clock hours of educator ethics, 20 clock hours in the science of reading and 20 clock hours in numeracy.
- All other teaching certificates. Ten clock hours of ethics plus "40 clock hours of professional learning in the area of the certificate held."
- Leadership, speech-language pathology and career-technical certificates. Each has its own combination, set out in the rule.
College credit is an alternative for the content part, not the ethics part. Under the rule, the content-specific requirement "may also be met with three (3) semester hours of allowable credit" from a "regionally accredited senior institution." Allowable credit means a course in a state-approved educator preparation program for the teaching field, an academic content course in the field, or doctoral-level work in the field. For the early childhood, elementary and special education group, only approved allowable credit from an Alabama college or university qualifies. Ethics coursework needs prior approval from the Educator Certification Section.
Course level is tied to certificate class. A Class B (bachelor's-level) certificate accepts "upper division or graduate level courses with a grade of 'B' or above." Class A and Class AA certificates accept graduate-level courses only, again at B or above. Our article on clock hours, CEUs and semester credits explains how these units compare across states.
Certificates expiring June 30, 2027 are on a phase-in. ALSDE's 2027 continuation notice says those teachers "will only meet a portion of the new requirements": ten clock hours of professional learning in educator ethics, with applications open January 1 through June 30, 2027.
How do Alabama teachers move to a higher salary column?
Alabama sets pay from the state down. ALSDE publishes the FY 2027 Foundation Program State Minimum Salary Schedule for classroom teachers on a 187-day contract. Districts build their own schedules on top of it, and many add local money.
The structure is simple and differs from lane-based states in one important way:
- Columns are degrees. Bachelor (BS), Master (MS), Education Specialist (Ed.S.) and Doctoral (DO), plus a Non-Degree column. There is no BA+15 or MA+30 lane.
- Steps are years. Experience runs from zero to 35 years, and "the anniversary date of experience shall be used to determine the appropriate step."
- The state recognizes the degree. A teacher "is entitled to pay for an advanced degree in the monthly pay period that begins after the State Superintendent recognizes the advanced degree." If the contract period has ended, the raise starts with the first pay period of the next contract.
- Accreditation matters. The advanced degree "must be earned from a regionally accredited institution."
In practice, this means graduate-level coursework moves an Alabama teacher's pay only when it completes a degree the state recognizes, usually alongside a higher certificate class (A for a master's, AA for an Ed.S.). Individual courses still serve renewal, as described above, but they do not open a new column on the state schedule. If you are weighing a degree against piecemeal coursework, our master's versus credits article walks through that decision, and renewal versus salary credit explains why the two tests differ.
What do the largest Alabama districts require?
Mobile County Public Schools
Read the full Mobile County guide →
Mobile's 2026-2027 salary schedules, approved by the board on September 21, 2026 and effective October 1, 2026, follow the state matrix. Teacher pay is "determined by the State of Alabama Teacher's Salary Matrix," with ranks for bachelor's (B or ND), master's (A), Ed.S. (AA) and doctorate (DR).
- Higher degrees: one official transcript with the degree posted; two if the degree does not lead to an A or AA certificate, so one can go to ALSDE.
- Timing: pay starts on "the date the higher degree was recognized by the ALSDE," "not the date the degree was awarded." If that notice arrives after the school year ends, the change starts on the first working day of the next year.
- Renewal: "Certificate renewal for MCPSS employees must be approved by MCPSS Human Resources," which sends steps in February of the expiration year.
Jefferson County Schools
Read the full Jefferson County guide →
Jefferson County's 2026-2027 salary schedule, approved June 25, 2026 and effective July 1, 2026, puts teachers on a nine-month, 187-day schedule with four columns: Bachelor's (Rank II), Master's (Rank I), Ed. Specialist or AA certificate, and Doctoral.
- Degree rule: employees "will be paid on the highest degree recognized by the Alabama State Department of Education."
- Timing: "Pay becomes effective on the date the state recognizes the degree."
- Experience: credit is "only awarded in the scholastic year (July 1-June 30) in which it is received."
Mobile's renewal page adds a caution worth repeating: "Do not submit payments or documents to ALSDE for renewal without instructions from MCPSS Human Resources," and "only the PD hours or PLUs completed within your current certificate validation period can be considered." Other systems run their own renewal routines, so check with your HR office before you file.
Full district guides for Alabama
Before you enroll
- Find your expiration year. You can apply only between January 1 and June 30 of that year, and every hour must fall inside the current certificate term.
- Match the category. Elementary, early childhood and special education certificates need science of reading and numeracy hours; most others need 40 content hours in the certificate area.
- Check the provider list. Clock hours count only from ALSDE-approved providers. College credit must come from a regionally accredited senior institution, and some categories accept only Alabama institutions.
- Check the course level. Class A and AA certificates take graduate-level courses only, with a grade of B or above.
- Separate renewal from pay. Courses can continue a certificate, but only a state-recognized degree changes your column. Ask HR before you count on a raise.
The provider directory groups semester-credit providers by need, and the comparison table shows their costs and formats side by side.
Alabama questions teachers ask
How many hours do I need to renew an Alabama teaching certificate?
Under the 2026 rule, teaching certificates outside the elementary group need 10 clock hours of educator ethics plus 40 clock hours of professional learning in the certificate area. Early childhood, elementary and special education certificates need 10 ethics hours, 20 science of reading hours and 20 numeracy hours. Certificates expiring June 30, 2027 are on a phase-in that requires the 10 ethics hours.
Can college credit renew an Alabama certificate?
Yes, for the content part. Three semester hours of allowable credit from a regionally accredited senior institution can meet the content requirement. The ethics hours are separate, and ethics coursework needs prior approval from the Educator Certification Section.
When can I apply to continue my Alabama certificate?
Between January 1 and June 30 of the calendar year the certificate expires. The rule does not allow continuing a certificate before that calendar year.
Do extra graduate-level credits raise my pay in Alabama?
Not on their own. The state minimum schedule pays by degree: bachelor's, master's, Ed.S. and doctorate. Pay changes after the State Superintendent recognizes an advanced degree from a regionally accredited institution. Districts may add local pay, so check your own schedule.
When does a raise for a master's degree start?
In the monthly pay period after the State Superintendent recognizes the degree, according to the state schedule. Mobile and Jefferson County both date the change from state recognition, not from the date the degree was awarded.
Sources
- Ala. Admin. Code 290-3-2-.41, Renewal Requirements, Alabama Legislative Services Agency. Checked
- Continuation requirements for certificates that expire June 30, 2027, Alabama State Department of Education. Checked
- FY 2027 Foundation Program State Minimum Salary Schedule, Classroom Teachers, Alabama State Department of Education. Checked
- 2026-2027 salary schedules, Mobile County Public Schools. Checked
- Certificates expiring between June 30, 2028 and June 30, 2032, Mobile County Public Schools. Checked
- 2026-2027 salary schedule, Jefferson County Schools. Checked
- Human Resources, Jefferson County Schools. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error