Short answer
How do Alaska teachers renew a certificate and move up the salary schedule?
Alaska teachers renew a five-year certificate with six renewal credits earned during its life. A credit can be a semester hour, 1.5 quarter hours, a 15-hour continuing education unit from an approved provider, an approved microcredential, or 15 hours of pre-approved non-academic credit. There is no state salary schedule; each district negotiates its own, with its own rules for column moves.
Source: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, Renewal and reinstatement. Checked .
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How do you renew an Alaska teaching certificate?
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) issues and renews certificates. The professional certificate is "valid for five years" under 4 AAC 12.305(b), and renewal is governed by 4 AAC 12.405. That rule asks for "six semester hours of credit or the equivalent ... including microcredentials approved by the department, and earned during the life of the certificate."
DEED's renewal page states it plainly: "Six renewal credits are required to renew or reinstate a regular five-year certificate." It then lists what one credit can be:
- One semester hour from a regionally or nationally accredited institution.
- 1.5 quarter hours from such an institution.
- One continuing education unit "with a minimum of 15 contact hours, from an approved provider."
- One microcredential of at least 15 contact hours.
- Fifteen hours of non-academic credit, which "requires a pre-approval form."
The credits must also relate to your work. Under 4 AAC 12.405(a), they must be related to current certificated employment or an endorsement area, or be a required part of a program leading to an endorsement you are seeking. The one-time Alaska studies and multicultural education courses required for the professional certificate do not count toward renewal.
The same six credits also reinstate a lapsed regular five-year certificate, according to DEED, and under 4 AAC 12.405(f) an initial certificate may be renewed as well. For timing, DEED says "a renewable certificate may be renewed one year prior to its expiration date." Teachers working in an Alaska public school can use proof of current certificated employment in place of new fingerprints, under 4 AAC 12.405(e). Our article on clock hours, CEUs and semester credits explains how the conversions compare with other states, and the license renewal hub lines up cycles side by side.
Non-academic hours need approval first. DEED's page marks non-academic credit as requiring a pre-approval form. College semester hours from an accredited institution do not carry that step. Our guide to pre-approval forms covers how these requests usually work.
How do Alaska teachers move to a higher salary column?
Alaska has no state teacher salary schedule. Pay is bargained district by district, and state statute refers to "a local salary schedule" in AS 14.20.158. Each district's negotiated agreement decides three things that matter for anyone taking coursework:
- Which credits count. Subject area, course level and accreditation rules all vary.
- Whether approval comes first. Anchorage requires pre-approval for every credit. Mat-Su requires advance approval by the superintendent or a designee.
- When pay changes. Filing windows and effective dates differ, and missing one can delay a raise by a semester or a year.
Renewal credits and salary credits are judged separately. A CEU or microcredential that DEED accepts for renewal may not count on a district schedule, and a district may demand graduate-level coursework where DEED does not. Read how lane changes work for the general sequence, then check your own agreement.
A worked example shows how far apart two districts can be. An Anchorage teacher on B18 who wants B36 needs 18 more pre-approved semester hours, and at least 12 of the 36 must be graduate-level. In Mat-Su, the same courses would have to be upper division or graduate level, approved in advance, and on file with HR by September 30 to count for the whole year. Whether a given course qualifies is the district's decision, not the course provider's.
What do the largest Alaska districts require?
Anchorage School District
Read the full Anchorage guide →
The AEA/ASD negotiated agreement for July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2029 sets columns by semester hours beyond the bachelor's. Credits must be "in the member's major or minor field, present teaching area, or a District certificated employment area," from an accredited college or university, or be CEUs. There is no separate master's column; master's and doctoral degrees earn a salary supplement.
- Columns: B18; B36, "of which 12 must be graduate level"; B54 with 30 graduate-level hours at B or higher; B72 with 42 graduate-level hours at B or higher.
- Approval: "all credits must be pre-approved." District-sponsored non-college work counts at "15 contact hours equals 1 credit."
- Limits: credit must come from one of the six regional accreditors, and the district need not accept off-campus credit with fewer than 15 hours of instruction per semester hour.
- Timing: movement is "limited to one column per academic year," with the contract adjusted within 30 calendar days of verification.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
The most recent agreement Mat-Su posts is the MSEA agreement for July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026, with its FY24-FY26 salary schedule. The schedule is "based upon the degree, experience, and additional semester hours earned," and since FY25 the M+30 column includes B+75 and the D column includes M+60.
- What counts: hours "started and completed after the date the degree is identified as conferred"; "all course work shall be upper division or graduate level"; from an accredited college; tied to the endorsement area, the assignment, education, or a district program.
- Approval: coursework must be "approved in advance by the Superintendent or his/her designee."
- Deadlines: written request and official transcripts to HR by "September 30th for column movement for the entire year," or by "February 1st" for the second semester; later filings apply the next year.
- Specialists: occupational and physical therapists, nurses, speech-language pathologists, psychologists and audiologists may count CEUs at two per credit, for up to half their credits.
Mat-Su's posted agreement ran through June 30, 2026, and no successor agreement was posted when we checked. Terms in a new agreement may differ, so check the current rules with Mat-Su HR before you file.
Full district guides for Alaska
Before you enroll
- Check your certificate dates. Six credits must fall inside the life of the current certificate, and you can apply up to a year before it expires.
- Pick a credit type DEED accepts. Semester hours, quarter hours, approved CEUs and approved microcredentials all count; non-academic hours need a pre-approval form.
- Tie the course to your work. It should relate to your current assignment or an endorsement area, for renewal and for most district schedules.
- Get district approval first. Anchorage pre-approves every credit; Mat-Su approves coursework in advance. Check the level too, since Mat-Su takes only upper-division or graduate-level work.
- Watch the filing window. Mat-Su sets September 30 and February 1; Anchorage allows one column a year.
The provider directory groups semester-credit providers by need, and the comparison table shows their costs and formats side by side.
Alaska questions teachers ask
How many credits do I need to renew an Alaska teaching certificate?
Six renewal credits, earned during the life of the five-year certificate. They must relate to your certificated employment or an endorsement area.
Do CEUs count toward Alaska certificate renewal?
Yes. DEED counts one continuing education unit of at least 15 contact hours from an approved provider as one renewal credit.
How early can I renew my Alaska certificate?
DEED says a renewable certificate may be renewed one year before its expiration date.
Does the Alaska studies course count toward renewal?
No. The Alaska studies and multicultural education coursework required for the professional certificate is excluded from the six renewal credits under 4 AAC 12.405(a).
Does Anchorage give a raise for a master's degree?
Anchorage has no master's column. Its agreement pays a salary supplement for a master's or doctorate, and columns are set by semester hours beyond the bachelor's, with graduate-level minimums for the higher columns.
Sources
- Renewal and reinstatement, Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. Checked
- 4 AAC 12.405, Renewal of certificates, Alaska Legislature. Checked
- 4 AAC 12.305, Professional teacher certificate, Alaska Legislature. Checked
- AS 14.20.158, Alaska Legislature. Checked
- AEA/ASD negotiated agreement 2026-2029, Anchorage School District. Checked
- Bargaining units and current contracts, Anchorage School District. Checked
- MSEA negotiated agreement FY23-FY26, Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. Checked
- MSEA salary schedule FY24-FY26, Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. Checked
- Negotiated agreements, Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error