Short answer
How do LAUSD teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
LAUSD teachers earn salary points: 1 point per semester unit and 2/3 point per quarter unit, for post-bachelor's work at a regionally accredited school. Every 14 points moves a teacher to the next box on the T or L table. University work is filed on the U-Form (HR Form 3134) with an official transcript.
Source: Your salary schedule, UTLA, and Understanding Salary Tables, LAUSD. Checked .
TeacherPayGuide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Los Angeles Unified School District. This guide summarizes the district's published documents as read on ; those documents and the district's human resources office decide your placement. It is general information, not legal or employment advice. Disclaimer Report an error
How is the LAUSD teacher salary schedule organized?
LAUSD publishes several salary tables. Its Salary Tables page lists the T table for teachers on a regular credential, the SE table for special education and the L table for teachers in alternative certification. Each table is a grid with two axes, and the district's own names for them matter when you read one.
- Salary Pay Scale Levels run across the top row. They count years of paid service.
- Salary Pay Scale Groups run down the side. They count salary points.
That orientation is the reverse of most California schedules, where education moves you sideways. In Los Angeles, more coursework moves you down to a lower row, and more years move you to the right. UTLA's explainer puts the rule plainly: each 14 points earns the next box down. When the union's bargaining summaries talk about "columns," they mean years of service; when they talk about "rows," they mean points.
Points also gate the long end of the schedule. UTLA's salary page says career increments under the earlier tables required 98 points, and that a teacher needs four multicultural points to move beyond Schedule 22. The 2025-2027 agreement changes the first threshold: UTLA's summary of the tentative agreement says employees may advance past column 10 at 70 salary credit points instead of 98. UTLA announced that members ratified the agreement on April 27, 2026, with new scales retroactive to July 1, 2025, phased in on July 1, 2026 and January 1, 2027, and fully in place by June 30, 2027. The summary adds that moves across columns and down rows are not held back by the raise caps in each phase. The current figures are on the district's T table; we do not reproduce them here. If the grid layout is new to you, how to read a salary schedule walks through one cell at a time.
Which units count toward an LAUSD column change?
The district's Understanding Salary Tables page defines a salary point as one semester unit or 1.5 quarter units, using the University of California definition of a semester unit: 15 contact hours plus 30 hours of preparation. Its own example: 12 quarter units equal 8 points. The U-Form expresses the same rate the other way round, valuing a quarter unit at two-thirds of a semester unit.
The U-Form lists the conditions for university work:
- The institution must hold regional accreditation.
- Lower-division, upper-division and graduate study are all eligible, provided the course relates directly to subjects commonly taught in LAUSD's K-12 schools or is part of an accredited education program, and enhances subject knowledge and teaching method.
- Continuing education units convert at 3 CEUs to one semester unit, or 2 CEUs to one quarter unit.
- No points are granted for work done during LAUSD paid time (a rule in place since April 26, 2005) or for courses the district paid for.
- Two semester units of multicultural coursework are required for advancement or a career increment, and the requirement falls away once four units are complete.
UTLA's page adds detail on the other point types. U points are accredited university units earned after the bachelor's. P points come from classes taught by LAUSD employees and reviewed by the Joint Salary Point Credit Committee, either 15 class hours with 30 hours of homework or 30 class hours. NA points cover non-accredited classes reviewed by the same committee. Professional development on unpaid time earns one point per 30 hours. Travel can earn T points: a trip of 300 miles or more, two written pages per week, and one point per two weeks, capped at 7 points (14 for teachers hired before 1986). UTLA also notes that the same course cannot earn credit twice within five years, and that online courses need regular interaction with the instructor and classmates.
Worked example without dollars: moving one box down takes 14 points. That is 14 semester units, or 21 quarter units at two-thirds of a point each. A teacher holding 12 quarter units from a summer program has 8 points toward that box and needs 6 more. The quarter versus semester units guide shows the same conversion for other districts.
Does LAUSD require approval before you take a course?
For accredited university courses, the U-Form is filed with the transcript after the work, not before. But the form is blunt about risk: the district does not accredit providers, and teachers are told to check with the Salary Allocation Unit before investing time or money in a course. The forms page lists the rest of the set: the NA-Form for non-accredited or foreign work, the T-Form (HR 3141) for travel, the M-Form (HR 3128) for multicultural credit and the S-Form (HR 3308) for supplemental requests.
Travel is the exception that does need advance paperwork. UTLA says the T-Form is due two weeks before the trip. For everything else, a quick question to the Salary Allocation Unit costs less than a course that earns nothing. Our will my district accept it checklist covers what to ask.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
There is no single annual cutoff. The U-Form sets the effective date as the first pay period that begins after the latest of three dates: the date the points were completed, provided verification arrives within four calendar months; the date you filed; or the end of any required period. Only official transcripts are accepted. Grade reports, copies and internet printouts are turned away.
UTLA says credit is generally granted within 12 weeks, and that P and NA credit is dated to the end of the class while U credit is dated to when the form is submitted. A receipt lists the points granted and your new total. If you disagree with the allowance, the U-Form gives you 15 days from the receipt to protest. The practical rule: file the U-Form the week your official transcript arrives. Our page on transcript deadlines explains why filing dates usually control pay.
Do the same units count toward California license renewal?
Salary points and credential renewal are separate tracks in California. The Commission on Teacher Credentialing renews a clear credential online without additional coursework, and the application can be filed within one year before it expires. So the units you file on a U-Form serve your pay, not your license. Details, including the five-year preliminary credential, are in the California renewal section of our California guide.
Where can LAUSD teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, LAUSD 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 LAUSD's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Before you enroll: LAUSD keeps a list of programs and courses not eligible for salary point credit, which includes several university professional development programs and says it is not complete. Ask the Salary Allocation Unit about a specific course before you enroll.
| Question | What LAUSD says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | LAUSD: Regionally accredited, after the BA; quarter unit = 2/3 point | 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 | LAUSD: None annual; verify within 4 months of completion | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | LAUSD: Not for university courses; T-Form 2 weeks before travel | 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)
- Connected Classroom Courses: self-paced, letter grade, units through CSU Pueblo; $389 + university fee for 3 credits (price notes)
- Credits for Teachers: self-paced, 6 months, units through Valley City State, Adams State, UMass Global or CSU Pueblo; from $349 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 LAUSD has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
LAUSD salary questions teachers ask
Does LAUSD accept quarter units?
Yes. A quarter unit is worth two-thirds of a salary point, so 12 quarter units become 8 points.
How many salary points move me to the next box on the T table?
Fourteen. UTLA's salary page says each 14 points moves a teacher to the next box on the T or L table.
When do new LAUSD salary points start paying?
From the first pay period that begins after the latest of three dates: completion of the work (if verification arrives within four calendar months), the filing date, or the end of a required period.
Does the 2025-2027 UTLA agreement change the 98-point rule?
UTLA's summary of the agreement says employees may advance past column 10 at 70 salary credit points instead of 98.
Where can LAUSD teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
LAUSD 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, Connected Classroom Courses, Credits for 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
- Your salary schedule, United Teachers Los Angeles (union-hosted explainer). Checked
- Understanding Salary Tables, LAUSD Human Resources. Checked
- Certificated Salary Tables, LAUSD Human Resources. Checked
- Salary Allocation forms, LAUSD Human Resources. Checked
- U-Form, Application for Point Credit Approval, HR Form 3134 (April 2018), LAUSD. Checked
- 2025-2027 Tentative Agreement Summary, UTLA (union-hosted). Checked
- UTLA members vote to ratify 2025-2027 agreement, UTLA. Checked
- Renewal and Reissuance of Credentials (CL-494), California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error