Short answer
How do Jeffco teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Jeffco has six lanes: a bachelor's, BA+18 graduate hours, a master's, and a master's with 60, 75 or 90 graduate semester hours. Graduate-level credits earned while pursuing a master's count. Official transcripts received by Human Resources by the 15th move you on the 16th, with the first new paycheck at the end of the next month.
Source: Licensed Employees Salary Setting Guide, 2026-27, Jeffco Public Schools. Checked .
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How is the Jeffco teacher salary schedule organized?
The Total Rewards Department's 2026-27 salary setting guide lists six lanes, each with a code that appears in employee records:
- L01: bachelor's degree;
- L02: bachelor's degree with 18 graduate semester credit hours;
- L03: master's degree;
- L04: master's degree with 60 graduate semester credit hours;
- L05: master's degree with 75 graduate semester credit hours;
- L06: master's degree with 90 graduate semester credit hours.
The negotiated agreement with the Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA), effective August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2028, sets the same thresholds in Article 17-6, with two additions. Educators holding an educational specialist degree or a doctorate are placed on Lane 5. Lane 6 is defined as a bachelor's plus 90 hours of graduate-level credit that includes a master's.
The guide prints separate schedules for 185-, 191- and 195-day contracts, each with 22 steps. A note on the schedules warns that step numbers are for easy reference and do not match years of service, which matters when you compare Jeffco with a neighboring district; our guide on reading a salary schedule explains why step labels mislead.
New hires receive one step for each full year of applicable licensed experience outside Jeffco, up to eight years, so Step 9 is the highest starting placement. Full credit requires at least 0.75 FTE for at least 75 percent of the school year; part-time work and single semesters earn half credit. Annual step increases, when negotiated, go to educators who complete the prior year and meet the evaluation rating their job code requires.
Which units count toward a Jeffco column change?
Jeffco counts graduate semester hours. The salary setting guide requires degrees and credits from institutions accredited under Colorado Department of Education guidelines, meaning the regional accrediting associations named under state statute CRS 22-60.5-102(1), and every degree and credit hour must arrive on an official transcript.
The district's most distinctive rule concerns master's coursework. In the guide's words, Jeffco "provides lane advancement credit for graduate level credits completed while pursuing a master's degree," which it notes is unlike several other Denver-area districts. Hours from your master's program therefore count toward the 60, 75 and 90 thresholds rather than being absorbed by the degree. Our comparison of a master's and added credits shows why that changes the math.
Undergraduate hours are generally out, with one exception. Under Article 17-6-7, educators who were in Lanes 3 to 5 in 2022-23, and who have worked for Jeffco continuously since 2016-17 or earlier, may keep counting undergraduate credits already applied to earlier lane changes as they earn the graduate hours needed for the next move.
Career and technical education instructors have a separate route. Lanes 4, 5 and 6 can be reached with CTE trade class hours aligned to the educator's CTE classes, and Article 17-8-3 counts 15 hours of industry-specific training as one graduate-level credit hour. The district's lane change FAQ says CTE instructors should open a ticket for manual review. For more on how districts weigh coursework, see units that count.
Does Jeffco require approval before you take a course?
No pre-approval step appears in the agreement, the salary setting guide or the lane change FAQ. The FAQ is explicit that no form is required to request a lane change; employees whose credit count qualifies are moved automatically. The agreement still places responsibility on the educator to tell Human Resources when requirements are met, and in practice that means uploading transcripts.
The review happens after you submit. HR evaluates each transcript against the accreditation rule above, so check your institution's accreditor before enrolling. If your updated count looks wrong or incomplete, request a review through a Jeffco Help ticket. Whether a district will accept a specific course is never certain in advance; our article on whether a district will accept it covers what to check.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
The cutoff is the 15th of every month. According to the JCEA lane change calendar from Human Resources Total Rewards, documents received by the 15th take effect on the 16th, and the first paycheck at the new rate arrives at the end of the following month. A transcript received by March 15, for example, takes effect March 16 and is first paid on April 30.
What "received" means depends on how you send it:
- uploaded to the Document Center in Employee Self Service: the upload date;
- sent electronically by the school or mailed: the date it reaches Human Resources, not the order or mailing date;
- a new degree: the transcript must show "degree conferred" and the date, and diplomas are not accepted;
- incomplete or illegible submissions: not received until corrected.
Transcripts must include the transcript key. After uploading, watch Access Jeffco under Talent Profile, then Qualifications, then Salary Placement Hours; the count should update within one to two weeks, and Human Resources sends no notice unless something is missing.
Timing within the school year matters too. Because pay is spread over twelve months, the FAQ says a lane change effective June 16 or July 16 produces no net change for the current year; the higher rate shows up in the next year's salary. See transcript deadlines for general advice on ordering transcripts early.
Do the same units count toward Colorado license renewal?
Generally, yes. A Colorado professional teacher license lasts seven years, and renewing it takes six semester hours or 90 contact hours of professional learning, with the Colorado Department of Education treating each semester hour as 15 contact hours. Among those hours, CDE requires training in behavioral health and in serving students with disabilities. Graduate-level credit that moves a Jeffco lane can usually serve renewal too. The Colorado renewal section of our Colorado state guide has the details.
Where can Jeffco teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Jeffco 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 Jeffco's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What Jeffco says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Jeffco: Graduate semester hours; master's program hours count | 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 | Jeffco: The 15th of any month | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Jeffco: None; no form required | 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)
- Model Teaching: self-paced, 1 year, units through a choice of six universities, including University of the Pacific; $359 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)
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 Jeffco has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Jeffco salary questions teachers ask
Does Jeffco count credits earned during a master's degree toward a lane change?
Yes. The 2026-27 salary setting guide says Jeffco gives lane advancement credit for graduate-level credits completed while pursuing a master's degree.
What is the Jeffco lane change deadline?
The 15th of each month. Transcripts Human Resources receives by the 15th take effect on the 16th.
Do I need a form to request a Jeffco lane change?
No. After your transcripts are reviewed, you move automatically in the next monthly lane change if your credit count qualifies.
Where do I upload transcripts for a Jeffco lane change?
In the Document Center in Employee Self Service. Uploads count as received on the upload date.
How many graduate hours does Jeffco Lane 4 require?
A master's degree with 60 graduate semester credit hours. Lane 5 requires 75 and Lane 6 requires 90.
Where can Jeffco teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Jeffco 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, Model Teaching, PD Courses (University of La Verne), Teaching Channel and TLC Graduate Credits. 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
- Licensed Employees Salary Setting Guide, 2026-27 School Year, Jeffco Public Schools Total Rewards Department. Checked
- Master Negotiated Agreement with the Jefferson County Education Association, August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2028, Jeffco Public Schools. Checked
- JCEA Lane Change: Calendar Matrix and FAQ, Jeffco Public Schools HR Total Rewards. Checked
- Renewal checklist, professional teacher license, Colorado Department of Education. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error