Short answer
How do OUSD teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
OUSD has six columns: BA, BA+30, BA+45, BA+60, BA+75 and BA+90. Only upper-division or graduate units with a C-minus or better, earned after the BA, count; quarter units are multiplied by two-thirds. Ten-month teachers who file by the third Friday in November are paid the new column from the start of the school year.
Source: OEA salary placement and column increase processes and deadlines and OEA agreement, Article 24.3. Checked .
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How is the OUSD teacher salary schedule organized?
The Talent Division's salary schedules and ranges page links the "TK-12 Teacher [186 Day Contracted Year] Salary Schedule", headed "Effective July 1, 2023". That is the teacher schedule the district currently posts; an 11-month version for 204-day assignments sits beside it. We leave the figures on the district's page.
Columns are labeled by the bachelor's degree plus semester units: BA, BA+30, BA+45, BA+60, BA+75 and BA+90. The jump from Column 1 to Column 2 is the largest at 30 units; each later column adds 15. Rows run from Step 1 to Step 24. The schedule's footnotes say column placement is based on upper-division and graduate units taken after a bachelor's, and that new teachers can bring up to 12 years of service credit, entering no higher than Step 13.
Step raises arrive on a salary anniversary: August 1 for 10- and 11-month employees, July 1 for 12-month employees, for every year worked at 75% or more. The schedule page also notes that teachers and mentors in the district's induction program can earn credit toward advancement on the salary scale. See how to read a salary schedule if the grid is new to you.
Which units count toward an OUSD column change?
Article 24.3.2 requires units for Columns 2 to 6 to be earned at an accredited institution that offers a degree beyond the BA, on official transcripts bearing the registrar's seal and signature. The work must carry upper-division or graduate standing, and the institution offering it decides which it is. The Talent Division sheet adds a grade floor of C-minus.
- Quarter units: multiplied by two-thirds (the placement sheet writes it as .667).
- Lower-division courses after the BA: count only with advance approval from the Director of Human Resources, and only if they pertain to or can be expected to enhance the teacher's work skills (24.3.3.1).
- District in-service: one unit per 15 hours of approved training, including usual prep time (24.3.4.5). The placement sheet caps professional development credit at 30 units, or 450 hours.
- TK teachers: since January 1, 2025, early childhood coursework completed after the bachelor's can count toward column advancement, up to 24 units, subject to Talent Division approval (24.3.3.3).
Article 24.3.4 also allows equivalency units for travel, foreign study, authorship and related summer work, up to 30 in total between Column 1 and the doctoral equivalency. Workshops, private study and specialized schools are rated at 15 hours per unit for lecture, 30 for lab and 45 for studio work. The units that count article compares these rules with other districts.
Worked example: a teacher in BA+45 has 52 qualifying units. Eight more upper-division semester units, or 12 quarter units, reach 60 and move her to the BA+60 column.
Does OUSD require approval before you take a course?
Ordinary upper-division or graduate coursework from an accredited college needs no prior approval under Article 24.3. Three kinds of credit do. Lower-division courses taken after the BA need the Director of Human Resources' sign-off in advance. Every equivalency unit (travel, authorship, summer work, workshops) requires that director's approval before the activity starts. Travel goes further: the plan must be approved in advance, trips under three weeks earn nothing, foreign travel earns one unit a week and domestic half a unit, with a cap of 6 units per summer and 12 overall, and the Post Educational Travel form is due on return or before the third Friday in November. The pre-approval forms guide explains what such forms usually ask.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Article 24.3.5 and 24.3.6 set two filing points a year, keyed to the length of the assignment:
| Assignment | Paid from the start of the year | Paid from mid-year |
|---|---|---|
| 10-month | Third Friday in November | Third Friday in April |
| 11-month | Third Friday in October | Third Friday in March |
| 12-month and year-round | Third Friday in September | Third Friday in February |
For the second-semester change, the courses must be finished before the first school day of the second semester. The Talent Division sheet states the payoff: column raises are retroactive to the beginning of the school year, or to January 7 for second-semester submissions, when documents arrive on time. Late submissions are considered for the next term. If circumstances beyond the teacher's control delay proof of completed work, Article 24.3.7 still allows reclassification for the relevant semester with retroactive pay. New hires have 60 days from signing the initial contract to deliver transcripts. Our transcript deadlines article covers ordering transcripts in time.
Do the same units count toward California license renewal?
OUSD units are for pay. California renews a clear credential every five years without coursework, as the Commission on Teacher Credentialing's CL-494 leaflet explains, while a preliminary credential must be cleared before it expires. The posted teacher schedule mentions a two-year, commission-approved support program, at no cost to the teacher, for those clearing a preliminary credential. Read more under California credential renewal.
Where can OUSD teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, OUSD 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 OUSD's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What OUSD says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | OUSD: Upper-division or graduate, after the BA, C-minus or better; quarter units × 2/3 | 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 | OUSD: Third Friday in Nov. (10-month); Oct. for 11-month, Sept. for 12-month | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | OUSD: Lower-division and equivalency units; Director of Human Resources | 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)
- PD Courses (University of La Verne): online or pdf, semester-based, units through University of La Verne; $420 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)
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 OUSD has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
OUSD salary questions teachers ask
What is the OUSD deadline for a column change this year?
For a 10-month teacher, the third Friday in November for a raise back to the start of the year, or the third Friday in April for a second-semester change.
Does Oakland accept quarter units for salary advancement?
Yes. Upper-division and graduate quarter units are multiplied by two-thirds, so 12 quarter units count as 8 semester units.
Can professional development hours move me up a column in OUSD?
Yes. Approved district in-service counts at 15 hours per unit, and the Talent Division caps professional development credit at 30 units (450 hours).
Do lower-division community college classes count at OUSD?
Only if the Director of Human Resources approves them in advance and they relate to your work skills.
Where can OUSD teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
OUSD 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, PD Courses (University of La Verne), Teaching Channel, TLC Graduate Credits and Upward Teachers. 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
- TK-12 Teacher [186 Day Contracted Year] Salary Schedule, effective July 1, 2023, Oakland Unified School District. Checked
- OUSD Salary Schedules and Ranges, Talent Division, Oakland Unified School District. Checked
- OEA salary placement and column increase processes and deadlines, Oakland Unified School District Talent Division. Checked
- Agreement between OUSD and the Oakland Education Association, November 1, 2022 through June 30, 2025 (integrated contract, Article 24), Oakland Unified School District. Checked
- Labor and Employee Relations, Oakland 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