Short answer
How do Adams 12 teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Adams 12 counts quarter hours, with 1 semester hour worth 1.5. Open lanes rise in 30-quarter-hour steps from BA to BA+150/MA+90, then EdS and Doctorate. Credit must come from an accredited institution after your highest degree, with a B or better. Documents received by the 10th of a month (the 5th in June and December) take effect that month.
Source: Master Agreement, Article 21, Adams 12 Five Star Schools. Checked .
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How is the Adams 12 teacher salary schedule organized?
The 2026-27 Licensed/Certified Salary Schedule takes effect August 1, 2026, and the district labels it tentative. It prints 13 columns and 30 steps. Five of the columns are shaded: BA+20, BA+40, BA+80/MA+20, BA+100/MA+40 and BA+140/MA+80. Those belong to educators employed in 2022-23 or earlier who moved into them before July 31, 2023. Anyone else moves through the open columns:
| Open column | Quarter hours beyond the bachelor's |
|---|---|
| BA | 0 |
| BA+30 | 30 |
| BA+60/MA | 60, or a master's |
| BA+90/MA+30 | 90, or a master's plus 30 |
| BA+120/MA+60 | 120, or a master's plus 60 |
| BA+150/MA+90 | 150, or a master's plus 90 |
| EdS | Transcript must say "educational specialist" |
| Doctorate | JD, PhD, EdD, MD or PsyD |
The paired headings mean a teacher without a master's can still climb on accumulated hours. The placement guidelines add a related rule for new hires: 90 or more quarter hours beyond the bachelor's, earned before a master's, place a new educator at least at MA+30. National Board certification adds 2 percent of base pay. For more on paired labels like "BA+60/MA", see salary lane names.
Which units count toward an Adams 12 column change?
Article 21 of the master agreement governs. Credit must be earned at an institution whose accreditor is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, after your highest degree, earning at least a B in each course, or a Pass, Satisfactory or Credit mark where no letter grade is given. It also has to fit one of four areas:
- an advanced degree in education;
- your teaching majors and minors;
- education courses that add professional competency;
- areas related to your majors and minors, and other assigned duties.
Because the district counts quarter hours, convert semester credit by multiplying by 1.5. A teacher at BA+30 who completes 20 semester hours has added 30 quarter hours and has reached BA+60/MA. The quarter vs. semester units article works through the arithmetic in the other direction.
Several non-college routes appear in the agreement:
- Transcripted professional learning earns ½ quarter hour for 5 to 9 contact hours and 1 quarter hour per 10. Credit is granted regardless of who pays, except when the district covers the full cost and releases you from duties. Professional learning an administrator requires you to attend also earns credit.
- Section 21.4 allows up to 15 quarter hours of adult education, non-district experience or international travel and study tied to improvement goals, toward lanes up to MA+90, with a work product. Pre-approved travel earns ½ quarter hour for 4 to 6 days and 1 for 7 to 10, capped at 10 per 20 quarter hours. If a conference offers college credit, you must take it.
- Supervising a student educator counts up to 2 semester or 3.0 quarter hours per 20 quarter hours (section 21.6).
- Industry certification coursework can count for career and technical educators in endorsed areas that do not require a degree, and for licensed educators without a master's; each lane must still include at least 15 quarter hours of accredited university or district professional learning on pedagogy (section 21.7).
- State-required uncompensated training is treated as transcripted credit.
Does Adams 12 require approval before you take a course?
Approval in advance shows up in the 21.4 routes: adult education programs and international travel have to be pre-approved, and travel ends with a follow-up report to Human Resources covering the itinerary, objectives and classroom use. Under section 21.9 a review panel of administrators, educators, association representatives and HR staff meets at least twice a year to keep the list of approved adult education providers. Article 21 sets no pre-approval step for regular accredited college coursework, which instead must meet the four content areas and the grade rule. Disputes over credit go to the Association President and the Chief Human Resources Officer (section 21.10). The will my district accept it article lists questions to ask HR ahead of time.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Section 21.5 sets a monthly cutoff. Documents received by the 10th of a month take effect that month; in June and December the cutoff moves to the 5th. Miss it by a day and the change waits for the next month.
New hires follow the placement guidelines. Until official transcripts arrive, a new educator sits at BA, Step 1; electronic official transcripts are accepted. Submitting within 90 calendar days of starting brings retroactive pay back to day one. Experience credit runs up to 10 years, without a cap for special education teachers and specialized service providers. Professional development from a prior district, in sessions of at least 5 contact hours each, also counts at hire.
Do the same units count toward Colorado license renewal?
Often, though the units are measured differently. Colorado renews a professional license every seven years with 90 contact hours, and the Colorado Department of Education counts a quarter hour as 10 contact hours and a semester hour as 15. Thirty quarter hours that move you one Adams 12 lane therefore equal 300 contact hours, well past one renewal cycle. A course outside the four Article 21 areas could satisfy CDE and still not move a lane. Read the renewal rules in the Colorado guide and the lane change explainer.
Where can Adams 12 teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Adams 12 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 Adams 12's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What Adams 12 says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Adams 12: Quarter hours; 1 semester hour = 1.5; B or better | 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 | Adams 12: 10th of the month; 5th in June and December | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Adams 12: For adult education and travel credit; section 21.4 | 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)
- 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)
- Dominican CA Online: self-paced, units through Dominican University of California; $477 for 3 credits (price notes)
- For Teachers By Teachers: self-paced, units through CSU Pueblo or UMass Global; $285 CSU Pueblo 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 Adams 12 has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Adams 12 salary questions teachers ask
Does Adams 12 use quarter hours or semester hours?
Quarter hours. The district converts semester hours by multiplying by 1.5, so a 3-semester-hour course counts as 4.5 quarter hours.
What is the Adams 12 deadline to change lanes this month?
Documents must be received by the 10th of the month, or by the 5th in June and December, to take effect that month.
Can I move to BA+20 or BA+40 in Adams 12?
Only if you were employed in 2022-23 or earlier and moved into that column before July 31, 2023. Other educators use the open columns.
What grade do I need for a course to count?
Article 21 requires at least a B in each course. Where letter grades are not given, the course needs a Pass, Satisfactory or Credit mark.
Where can Adams 12 teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Adams 12 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, Connected Classroom Courses, Credits for Teachers, Dominican CA Online and For Teachers By 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
- Master Agreement with the District Twelve Educators' Association, 2026-2027, Adams 12 Five Star Schools. Checked
- 2026-27 Licensed/Certified Salary Schedule (tentative), Adams 12 Five Star Schools. Checked
- Salary Placement Guidelines, revised June 2025, Adams 12 Five Star Schools. Checked
- New Educators, Adams 12 Human Resources. Checked
- Professional teacher license renewal checklist, Colorado Department of Education. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error