Short answer
How do Cherry Creek teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Cherry Creek has seven columns, BA through PHD. For 2026-27 the CCEA memorandum grants horizontal advancement only when a teacher earns a master's or doctorate. In normal years, credit counts in 15-contact-hour semester units earned after your most advanced degree, at most one lane a year, effective the month after HR has complete paperwork.
Source: CCEA Compensation and Benefits MOU, 2026-27, Cherry Creek School District. Checked .
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How is the Cherry Creek teacher salary schedule organized?
The 2026-2027 Certified/Licensed Salary Schedule uses seven education columns crossed with steps 1 through 17 and beyond:
| Column | Meaning on the schedule |
|---|---|
| BA | Bachelor's degree |
| BA+30 | Bachelor's plus 30 semester hours |
| MA | Master's degree |
| MA+30 | Master's plus 30 semester hours |
| MA+60 | Master's plus 60 semester hours |
| MA+90 | Master's plus 90 semester hours |
| PHD | Doctorate |
The gaps between columns are wide. Moving from MA to MA+30 means banking 30 semester hours, and the district accepts a request only once a full lane's worth has accumulated. Under the same memorandum, every teacher moved up one step on August 1, 2026, so vertical movement continued even while horizontal movement was frozen. Pay is issued monthly on the 20th. For a walk-through of how column headings like these map to pay, see how to read a salary schedule.
An Ed.S. sits in the MA column unless it was earned after a master's. New hires place with up to six years of experience (step 7), eleven in hard-to-fill roles (step 12) and thirteen in extremely hard-to-fill roles (step 14).
Which units count toward a Cherry Creek column change?
Item 2 of the 2026-27 memorandum reads: "Horizontal Advancement requests will not be granted for the 2026-2027 school year, except in the case of attaining a degree (i.e. master's or doctorate degree)." The district may also stop accepting requests once a district-wide cost cap is reached, and item 7 commits a committee to study ways to contain horizontal-advancement costs. The pause is written for the 2026-2027 school year.
When credit-based movement is open, Policy 4141 and its exhibit set the terms:
- After the latest degree. Credit must be earned after the date of your most advanced degree.
- 15 contact hours per semester hour. A Colorado Department of Education equivalent also equals 15 contact hours.
- Accreditation. Colleges must hold regional accreditation and be accepted by CDE. International credit needs prior approval from the Office of Professional Learning, which answers within 10 working days.
- Undergraduate courses count only if taken and approved after you were contracted.
- District workshops earn 1 semester hour per 15 hours of instruction, paired with roughly equal outside work.
- Student teachers, interns and residents. Supervising one full-time for eight weeks earns 1 semester hour, up to 2 per semester.
- Pace. Since August 1, 2023, a teacher can move at most one lane a year, or two when one of the moves is a degree.
Contact hours must fall outside contracted time unless approved otherwise. Credits from the Idaho State University Albion Center are accepted only if completed by Summer 2025. A newly hired teacher's credit above a degree must be graduate-level and earned after conferral; unofficial transcripts, grade reports, graduate certificates and credits issued by a prior district are refused at hire. Our units-that-count article sets these limits beside other districts'.
Does Cherry Creek require approval before you take a course?
Yes, in several cases. The agreement says contact hours or college credits must be approved by the appropriate department supervisor, and the hours are then submitted to Human Resources on the "Request for Horizontal Advancement." Outside professional development that carries neither a CDE seal nor a BOCES sponsor needs a "Proposal for Professional Development Experience Form" filed before the activity, followed by a report afterward. CDE-sealed certificates and BOCES courses qualify without that proposal. Association-sponsored learning goes through the Collaborative Council for Professional Learning.
Pre-approval does not override the 2026-27 freeze. A supervisor's signature on a course this year does not unlock a column for credits alone. The pre-approval forms guide explains why districts ask for sign-off before enrollment.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Cherry Creek has no single annual cutoff. A change takes effect on the first day of the month after complete documentation reaches the Office of Human Resources. Requests that arrive on or after May 1 take effect on the first contracted day of the following school year.
Timing for a degree finished this year: a master's posted on your transcript in February and filed with HR in March would apply from April 1. The same paperwork filed on May 3 would wait until the first contracted day of 2027-28.
New hires get 30 calendar days from hire to deliver transcripts and experience records. Paperwork that arrives after that window earns no retroactive pay.
Do the same units count toward Colorado license renewal?
Usually, and that matters more than usual this year. Colorado's professional license renews every seven years with 90 contact hours, and CDE converts a semester hour to 15 contact hours, the same ratio Cherry Creek uses. Hours earned during the 2026-27 pause can still serve renewal; whether they later move a lane depends on the district's degree-date and accreditation rules and on the agreement in force when you file. Details are in the renewal section of the Colorado guide, and renewal vs. salary credit covers where the two tests part ways.
Where can Cherry Creek teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Cherry Creek included, decides for itself whether a course counts for the purpose a teacher needs it for: license renewal, an added endorsement or a degree program. No provider, university or website can make that decision, so the rules above come first, and written approval from Cherry Creek's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
For 2026-27, Cherry Creek is granting horizontal advancement only for a newly earned master's or doctorate, so credits alone will not move a lane this year (see units that count). Ask Human Resources how credits earned during the pause will be treated later. The agreement has also stopped accepting one university's professional development credits after Summer 2025, so confirm any provider with Human Resources before you enroll. Credits can still count toward Colorado license renewal; see the renewal section.
| Question | What Cherry Creek says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Cherry Creek: Semester hours; 15 contact hours = 1; earned after your most advanced degree | 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 | Cherry Creek: Rolling; on or after May 1 rolls to next year | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Cherry Creek: Supervisor approval; PD proposal form for non-CDE, non-BOCES work | 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
For renewal, or for a future move to a district that pays for units, many providers issue graduate-level units through accredited universities. 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)
- 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)
- Fresno Pacific University CE: self-paced, up to 1 year, units through Fresno Pacific University; ≈$475 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Graduate Credit Courses: self-paced, units through Cal Poly Humboldt; $570 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 Cherry Creek has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Cherry Creek salary questions teachers ask
Is Cherry Creek approving horizontal advancement in 2026-27?
Only for a newly earned master's or doctorate. The 2026-27 CCEA memorandum pauses other horizontal advancement requests for the year.
How many contact hours make a Cherry Creek semester hour?
Fifteen. The negotiated agreement counts 15 contact hours as one semester hour, and a CDE equivalent also equals 15 contact hours.
Can I move two lanes in one year?
Only if one of the moves is a degree. Since August 1, 2023, the limit is one lane a year otherwise.
When does a Cherry Creek column change start paying?
The first of the month after HR receives complete documentation. Anything received on or after May 1 starts on the first contracted day of the next school year.
Where can Cherry Creek teachers take graduate-level courses for license renewal?
Cherry Creek does not raise pay for units short of a degree, so check the renewal rules on this page and confirm with human resources or the state agency before you enroll. Providers that teachers compare include Teacher Friendly, Credits for Educators, Dominican CA Online, For Teachers By Teachers, Fresno Pacific University CE and Graduate Credit Courses. 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
- CCEA Compensation and Benefits Memorandum of Understanding, 2026-27, Cherry Creek School District. Checked
- Teachers' Negotiated Agreement 2026-27, including Policies 4141 and 4130, Cherry Creek School District. Checked
- 2026-2027 Certified/Licensed Salary Schedule, Cherry Creek School District. Checked
- Certified salary placement, Cherry Creek Human Resources. Checked
- Professional teacher license renewal checklist, Colorado Department of Education. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error