Short answer
How do CUSD teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
CUSD has four columns: A is BA+0 to 44 semester units, B is 45 to 59, C is 60 to 74, and D is BA+75 with a master's. Units must be upper-division or graduate-level and tied to the teaching assignment. Courses not pre-approved need a Graduate Work Approval form 20 working days before the start.
Source: Certificated Salary Schedule with Base Credential, effective July 1, 2025 and CUEA agreement, Article 14. Checked .
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How is the CUSD teacher salary schedule organized?
Human Resource Services posts several certificated schedules. The one most classroom teachers use is the "Certificated Salary Schedule with Base Credential", effective July 1, 2025 and adopted June 18, 2025 with a 1.5% increase. Psychologists and speech pathologists have their own schedules, as do teachers without a credential and career technical education teachers. We list the structure; the dollar figures are on the district's certificated salaries page.
Columns on the base credential schedule:
- Column A: bachelor's + 0 to 44 semester units.
- Column B: bachelor's + 45 to 59 semester units.
- Column C: bachelor's + 60 to 74 semester units.
- Column D: bachelor's + 75 semester units with a master's degree.
Rows run from Step 1 to Step 11, followed by longevity steps at 15, 19 and 23 years of district service for Columns B to D. Outside experience can place a new hire as high as Step 11, using up to ten years. A new hire without a master's cannot be placed on Column D (Article 14.1.1.2). Article 14.2.6.6 exempts from that degree requirement only teachers who were on Column C or D on July 1, 2007, plus Column B teachers who had filed at least 51 approved units in 2007. The guide to reading a salary schedule explains steps and longevity rows.
Two things pay outside the column grid. Article 14.3 sets a master's or doctoral stipend for degrees from a WASC-accredited institution or one accredited by a similar regional body. Article 14.4 pays additional column compensation for CUSD certificate programs, including the Reading Instruction Certificate and the AAA certificate, for training completed on or before July 1, 2020.
Which units count toward a CUSD column change?
Article 14.2.3 counts post-graduate, upper-division or graduate work, District-approved staff development, or a mix of these. Lower-division courses are not out of reach, but each one needs case-by-case approval from the appropriate cabinet member or designee (14.2.4).
Since July 1, 2007, coursework for movement across Columns A through D must relate to the teaching assignment, the subject taught, instructional methodology, or the teacher's credential. Article 14.2.7.2 lists eight purposes that qualify, among them a degree in the present field, an organized credential or advanced degree program, a special education or bilingual certificate, and preparation for an assignment the teacher is interested in.
The agreement defines a unit by seat time. Under 14.2.6.2:
- A semester unit equals 15 hours of seat time.
- A quarter unit equals 10 hours, and the salary schedule converts quarter units to semester units at two-thirds.
- A continuing education unit equals 10 hours.
Coursework must be taken outside the professional day, must come from WASC or a similar accrediting agency, and cannot repeat a course already completed (14.2.7.4). Conference or workshop hours the district already paid for cannot also be counted. When a district workshop or Professional Learning Course offers a choice, the teacher picks either salary credit or reimbursement, not both. See quarter vs. semester units for how the two-thirds rule changes a transcript total.
Does CUSD require approval before you take a course?
Yes, for anything not already pre-approved. Article 14.2.7.1 requires a Graduate Work Approval form for college courses and for non-District workshops that are not on the pre-approved list. The sequence:
- Submit the form 20 working days before the course begins, signed by the site administrator.
- The Cabinet-level administrator or designee gives final approval within 20 working days. A request not denied in that time is treated as approved.
- A form sent with less than 20 working days' lead time moves to the next approval cycle.
- Requests made after the second class meeting are not considered unless the Cabinet-level administrator agrees.
For a course that is not run by a university, the presenter signs the Graduate Work Approval/Longevity Verification Form. A teacher who wants a degree program counted for the master's or doctoral stipend, when that program is not on the District-approved list, also asks 20 working days ahead and attaches the class list; a denial can be appealed to a Course Approval Committee of two District and two CUEA members. The pre-approval forms article covers what such forms usually ask.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Article 14.2.5 splits the year into three windows:
| Units completed | Submit by | Pay change |
|---|---|---|
| By September 30 | Last working day of October | Retroactive to the first working day of the year |
| After September 30 | Last working day of January | February 1 |
| After the last working day of January | Last working day of April | May 1 |
Proof is an official transcript, a grade card or a staff development transcript, and the burden of showing the units falls on the teacher. On written request, the district must give written verification of accumulated units within five days, and a placement statement is available on request after October 31. A teacher who wraps up a course on October 3 has missed the first window and files by late January for a February 1 raise.
Do the same units count toward California license renewal?
Separate track. Leaflet CL-494 says a clear credential is renewed online every five years and asks for no units, while a preliminary credential expires and must be cleared. Units filed with CUSD Human Resources only move salary. The California state guide has the full rules.
Where can CUSD teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, CUSD included, decides for itself whether a course counts for the purpose a teacher needs it for: a column move, a stipend, license renewal or an added endorsement. No provider, university or website can make that decision, so the rules above come first, and written approval from CUSD's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Before you enroll: Capistrano Unified's column advancement guide says all online courses must be pre-approved with a Graduate Work Approval form, even at universities that are otherwise exempt, and the form is due to Professional Development at least 20 days before the course starts. The courses below are online, so file that form first.
| Question | What CUSD says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | CUSD: Upper-division or graduate-level, assignment-related; quarter units at two-thirds | Semester or quarter units, graduate-level or not, and the university named on the transcript and its accreditor |
| Grade | See units that count | Letter grade or pass/fail on the transcript |
| Deadline | CUSD: Last working day of October, January or April | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | CUSD: Graduate Work Approval; 20 working days before the course | Course descriptions or syllabi you can attach to an approval form |
| Price | Not set by the district | All-in price per credit, including any university or first-course fee (compare) |
Graduate-level credit providers, listed with the same facts
With those rules in hand, compare providers on the same points. Providers listed on this site, each with the same facts:
- Teacher Friendly: self-paced online, units through University of the Pacific; $336 first course for 3 credits (price notes)
- Credits for Educators: self-paced online, units through University of the Pacific; $297 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Teaching Channel: self-paced, units through a choice of eight universities; $489 for 3 credits (price notes)
- TLC Graduate Credits: self-paced, units through CSU Pueblo; $425 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Upward Teachers: self-paced, 1 to 6 months, letter grade, units through UMass Global; $240 sale for 3 credits (price notes)
- VESi: self-paced online, 2- or 3-unit courses on special-needs instruction, units through University of the Pacific; $444 for 3 credits (price notes)
The provider directory lists 28 providers and programs by what teachers need them for, and Compare sets published prices for 16 of them side by side, with transcripts from 11 universities. A listing on this site does not mean CUSD has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
CUSD salary questions teachers ask
How far ahead must I submit a CUSD Graduate Work Approval?
Twenty working days before the course starts, with the site administrator's signature. Later forms roll into the next approval cycle.
Does CUSD accept quarter units?
Yes. The salary schedule converts them by multiplying quarter units by two-thirds, so 12 quarter units become 8 semester units.
Can I reach Column D at CUSD without a master's degree?
Not as a new hire. Column D requires 75 units beyond the bachelor's together with a master's. The only exemptions in Article 14.2.6.6 date from 2007.
What if I finish units in November?
File by the last working day of January and the new column takes effect February 1.
Where can CUSD teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
CUSD decides which courses count, under the rules on this page, so check with human resources before you enroll. Providers that teachers compare include Teacher Friendly, Credits for Educators, Teaching Channel, TLC Graduate Credits, Upward Teachers and VESi. They differ in format, transcript university, grading time and price; the provider directory and the Compare page list 16 providers with the same facts for each.
Sources
- Certificated Salary Schedule with Base Credential, effective July 1, 2025, Capistrano Unified School District. Checked
- Certificated Salaries, Human Resource Services, Capistrano Unified School District. Checked
- Agreement between CUSD and the Capistrano Unified Education Association, July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026 (Article 14), Capistrano Unified School District. Checked
- Contracts, Human Resource Services, Capistrano Unified School District. Checked
- Renewal and Reissuance of Credentials (CL-494), California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error