Short answer
How do Long Beach Unified teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Long Beach Unified teachers move from column 911 (BA) to 912 at 28 semester units, 913 at 56 units or a master's, 914 at a master's plus 28 more, and 916 at a master's plus 45. Units must be upper-division or graduate standing from an accredited institution; lower-division exceptions need prior approval and stop at 9 units.
Source: Certificated Non-Management Salary Schedules 2026/2027, Long Beach Unified. Checked .
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How is the Long Beach Unified teacher salary schedule organized?
The district's 2026/2027 Certificated Non-Management Salary Schedules were board approved on June 17, 2026, effective July 1, 2026. Classroom teachers with a valid California credential are paid on Schedule A4 (traditional calendar, 184 days) or A5 (year-round). Teachers on an emergency permit or intern credential use A1 or A2, which have the same structure under codes 811 to 816.
Schedule A4 has five columns:
- 911: bachelor's degree or less.
- 912: bachelor's degree plus 28 units.
- 913: BA+56 units or a master's degree.
- 914: master's degree with BA+56 units, or MA+28 units.
- 916: master's degree with BA+75 units, or MA+45 units.
Steps are lettered. Column 911 runs to step L, 912 to M, 913 to N, 914 to O and 916 to P, so each column adds one more year of growth. Career increments begin in the 20th, 25th and 30th years, and holders of a Ph.D. or Ed.D. receive a doctoral stipend. A new teacher can bring outside teaching credit up to the maximum step, but no more than five years of it counts toward career increments. If the lettered steps look unfamiliar, salary lane names lists the conventions districts use.
Which units count toward a Long Beach Unified column change?
The "Credit on the Salary Schedule for Advanced Work" section of the schedule's administration provisions sets the thresholds in semester units of upper-division or graduate work beyond the bachelor's degree:
- 912 needs 28 such units. Units earned before the bachelor's count only if they are of graduate standing, were not used for the degree and are marked that way on the transcript.
- 913 needs 56 units, or a master's.
- 914 needs 56 units plus the master's, or a master's plus 28 units taken after it was completed.
- 916 needs 75 units plus the master's, a master's plus 45 units taken after it, or an earned Ph.D. or Ed.D.
Every college or university unit has to be from an accredited institution. Sending official sealed transcripts to Human Resource Services is the teacher's job. Travel counts only when a college or university recognized by the California Department of Education grants credit for it. Courses taken during a leave of absence, at a full academic load, are accepted when you return.
The provisions also warn about transcript keys. If a university labels a course "professional" without calling it a "professional course related to education," the district will not grant credit unless it approved the course in advance. And courses taken before employment with the district do not qualify for advancement unless the negotiated agreement provides otherwise.
Worked example: a teacher on 912 with 40 post-BA upper-division units has two routes to 913. Sixteen more units reach the 56 mark, or a completed master's places the teacher there at once. After the master's, 28 more units lead to 914. The master's versus credits guide compares those two routes.
Does Long Beach Unified require approval before you take a course?
For upper-division or graduate-standing courses from an accredited school, the provisions describe no advance form. Approval comes into play for exceptions. After the bachelor's and after election to the district, Long Beach may grant credit for prior-approved lower-division transfer courses and post-baccalaureate professional courses related to the teacher's present assignment, up to 9 semester hours across an entire career with the district.
The request has to reach Human Resource Services before the first day of attendance in the course. It is reviewed by the Educational Mission: Innovation Advancement Committee (EM:IAC) and approved by the Deputy Superintendent, Human Resource Services, under the 2026/2027 provisions. The district's form, "Request for Salary Credit for Lower Division Course or Post-Baccalaureate Professional Course," asks for it at least six weeks before the first class meeting so the committee has time to review. It takes one form per class, with the catalog course description attached, the number of semester or quarter units, and a written explanation of how the course relates to your current assignment and teaching. A denial can be appealed to Human Resource Services, and the EM:IAC recommends the outcome.
The same committee, with the Deputy Superintendent's approval, can grant salary credit for district in-service courses that match college courses in time and workload. Our pre-approval forms article covers how to write the relevance explanation.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
The 2026/2027 provisions put the duty to submit official sealed transcripts on the teacher but print no annual cutoff or effective date for column changes earned through coursework. The dates they do set apply to other situations:
- A new hire's prior teaching must be verified within the first three years. For a teacher hired by September 1, verification received by November 1 is retroactive to the start of that fiscal year; later verification takes effect the following pay period.
- Additional verified salary information from a new hire, received by November 1 or within 60 calendar days of starting, is considered for the tentative placement.
- After a study leave, the transcript is due within 60 days of returning to duty. Later verification moves pay the following pay period.
For a coursework column change, ask Human Resource Services when you submit the transcript which pay period it will reach. Our guide to transcript deadlines explains the questions that settle it.
Do the same units count toward California license renewal?
California does not ask for units to renew a clear credential. Under CTC leaflet CL-494, renewal happens online without further coursework, filed within the year before expiration. Units in Long Beach therefore matter for the column, not the credential. Our California guide has the renewal details.
Where can Long Beach Unified teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Long Beach Unified 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 Long Beach Unified's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Before you enroll: Because Long Beach withholds credit for courses a transcript labels "professional" without calling them related to education, ask Human Resource Services how a course will be classified, and file the advance request for post-baccalaureate professional courses well before the first class.
| Question | What Long Beach Unified says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Long Beach Unified: Upper-division or graduate standing; accredited, after the BA | 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 | Long Beach Unified: No annual date in the 2026/27 provisions; exceptions: before the course | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Long Beach Unified: For lower-division and professional exceptions; 9-unit career cap | 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)
- CE Credits Online: self-paced, 180 days, units through Valley City State, Augustana, Adams State or Cal Poly Humboldt; from $449 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 Long Beach Unified has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Long Beach Unified salary questions teachers ask
What does column 912 in Long Beach require?
Twenty-eight semester units of upper-division or graduate work beyond the bachelor's degree.
Does Long Beach Unified accept lower-division courses for salary credit?
Only as approved exceptions related to your present assignment, capped at 9 semester hours over your whole time with the district. The request must reach Human Resource Services before the course begins.
Who approves a salary credit exception in Long Beach?
The Deputy Superintendent, Human Resource Services, after review by the Educational Mission: Innovation Advancement Committee (EM:IAC).
Does a master's degree move me to column 913?
Yes. Column 913 requires 56 semester units beyond the bachelor's or a master's degree.
Where can Long Beach Unified teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Long Beach Unified 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, CE Credits Online, 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 Non-Management Salary Schedules 2026/2027, including Schedule A4 and Provisions for Administration of K-12 Salary Schedules, Long Beach Unified School District. Checked
- Salary & Benefits, Long Beach Unified Human Resource Services. Checked
- Request for Salary Credit for Lower Division Course or Post-Baccalaureate Professional Course, Long Beach Unified Human Resource Services. Checked
- Renewal and Reissuance of Credentials (CL-494), California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error