Short answer
How do APS teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
APS pays by certificate level: T4 Bachelor, T5 Master, T6 Specialist, T7 Doctorate. After GaPSC issues an upgrade, email a copy to HR within 30 days. APS then pays from the certificate's effective date, honoring it through June 30 of the contract year; later upgrades start the next contract year. Course hours alone do nothing.
Source: Certification Upgrades, Atlanta Public Schools. Checked .
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How is the APS teacher salary schedule organized?
The 2026-2027 teacher schedule, created and budget-adopted in June 2026, runs on a 202-day work schedule, which APS breaks down as 191 duty days plus 11 paid holidays. It covers three positions: Teacher, Master Teacher Leader and Media Specialist. Across the top are T4 - Bachelor, T5 - Master, T6 - Specialist and T7 - Doctorate, each with a daily and an annual figure.
The step column pairs each step with "actual years experience." Step 1 is zero years, and Steps 1 through 6 each stand alone. From there the rows are grouped: Step 7-8 for six and seven years, continuing in two-step bands up to Step 25-26, with a final three-step band, Step 27-29, for 26 through 28 years. Teachers inside a band are paid the same figure. Our guide on reading a salary schedule explains banded rows.
The schedule's notes add context. Pay depends on the highest valid in-field certificate APS has received and on verified experience, with outside teaching in an accredited, state-recognized program credited year for year when the criteria are met. Up to three years of active-duty military service can count with a DD214. Each former employer must complete the APS Experience Verification Form. The notes also state that "salary advancement is not guaranteed": raises are set each year in the budget process and approved by the Board of Education.
What moves an APS teacher to a higher certificate level on the schedule?
Only a higher level on the GaPSC certificate. APS puts it directly on its upgrade page: certification upgrades "are approved by GaPSC and are not solely based on program completion." Finishing a degree is necessary but not sufficient.
GaPSC Rule 505-2-.33 sets the test. Level 5 requires a master's, level 6 an education specialist degree and level 7 a doctorate, earned either in-field from an accredited provider or through a state-approved New Field program. APS reminds teachers that New Field upgrades also require passing the GACE in that content area, and that GaPSC may add steps. The district points to GaPSC's Upgrade Advisory Tool to check that a program lines up with your current certificate before you rely on it.
Individual graduate-level credit outside a qualifying degree has no column in APS. Master's vs. credits explains how that changes the math in Georgia compared with unit-based states.
Does APS require approval before you take a course?
APS has no course pre-approval form. Approval of the upgrade itself is GaPSC's, and APS offers two ways to apply.
Through MyPSC, which APS calls the quicker and preferred method: open the Application link on your MyPSC homepage, complete a Verification of Lawful Presence (VLP) with valid ID if you have never done one, and have college transcripts mailed directly to GaPSC. Transcripts cannot be opened and scanned.
Through APS Human Resources: complete GaPSC's Certification Update Application and a signed, notarized VLP form, add a copy of valid ID, and send those with an official sealed transcript to Human Resources - Certification by inter-office mail or delivery.
Either way, GaPSC notifies you in MyPSC when the upgrade is done, and the next move is yours.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
The "Certificate Upgrades that result in Salary Increases" section sets the APS rules:
- The pay change is based on the PSC issue date, and on the employee sending a copy of the certificate to HR within 30 days of that date.
- Upgrades are paid retroactively to the certificate's effective date, honored up to June 30 of the employee's contract year.
- Anything after June 30 of the contract year does not take effect until the following contract year.
- When the certificate is not effective on the first day of work, the higher salary is prorated for the days actually worked.
The upgrade instructions add a second cutoff: scan and email the upgraded certificate to your Certification Specialist by the last day of your work schedule, whether that is a 191-, 200- or 220-day calendar. A certificate issued in late May, for example, has to reach HR before your final workday as well as within 30 days. Transcript deadlines has a filing checklist.
Do the same units count toward Georgia license renewal?
Renewal in APS is tied to evaluation. The Certification Renewals FAQ says Professional Learning Verification is mandatory, and that Professional Learning Goals connected to a satisfactory TKES or other performance evaluation satisfy it. PLU credits earned outside APS go into the educator's ELiS platform with a transcript.
The APS Certification Department sends courtesy reminders starting after the first 20 days of the fiscal year to anyone with a certificate expiring June 30. Renewal processing begins December 1, when GaPSC starts accepting renewals; allow 2 to 4 weeks once requirements are met. Teachers who leave APS before renewal is complete must show 100 clock hours or 10 PLUs within the five-year validity window. None of this moves your T-column, as renewal vs. salary credit explains; the Georgia renewal rules are summarized on our state page.
Where can APS teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, APS 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 APS's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
APS pays by completed degree, certificate level or rating rather than by units, so courses short of a degree do not change a APS salary on their own (see units that count). Where graduate-level units still help is license renewal, explained in the renewal section, and any other purpose APS or Georgia names in writing.
| Question | What APS says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | APS: Certificate level only; GaPSC approves upgrades | 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 | APS: 30 days after PSC issue; and by last workday | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | APS: No district form; GaPSC Upgrade Advisory Tool | 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)
- 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)
- Dominican CA Online: self-paced, units through Dominican University of California; $477 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 APS has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
APS salary questions teachers ask
How long do I have to send my upgraded certificate to APS?
Thirty days from the PSC issue date, and no later than the last day of your work schedule. Missing the 30 days affects retroactive pay.
Does APS pay an upgrade retroactively?
Yes, to the certificate's effective date, up to June 30 of the contract year, when the certificate reaches HR within 30 days of issue.
How many days is the APS teacher salary schedule?
202 days: 191 duty days plus 11 paid holidays.
Will finishing my degree automatically raise my APS pay?
No. APS says upgrades are approved by GaPSC and are not solely based on program completion. Pay changes after GaPSC issues the higher level and HR receives it.
When does APS start certificate renewals?
December 1, when GaPSC begins accepting renewals of expiring certificates.
Where can APS teachers take graduate-level courses for license renewal?
APS 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, CE Credits Online, Connected Classroom Courses, Credits for Teachers and Dominican CA Online. 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
- 2026-2027 Salary Schedule, Teacher (202 Day Work Schedule), Atlanta Public Schools. Checked
- Salary Schedule page, Atlanta Public Schools Compensation. Checked
- Certification Upgrades, including Certificate Upgrades that result in Salary Increases, Atlanta Public Schools. Checked
- Certification Renewals FAQs, Atlanta Public Schools. Checked
- GaPSC 505-2-.33. Checked
- GaDOE board rule 160-5-2-.05. Checked
- GaPSC 505-2-.36. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error