Short answer
How do GCPS teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
A GCPS teacher moves from Level 1 to Level 2, 3 or 4 only when the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) issues a certificate at level 5, 6 or 7. Credits alone change nothing. Separately, each new performance step requires a complete evaluation rated Proficient or higher on TAPS.
Source: Teacher Performance-Based Salary Schedule 2026-2027 and Compensation FAQ, Gwinnett County Public Schools. Checked .
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How is the GCPS teacher salary schedule organized?
The 2026-2027 sheet prints four pay columns. Gwinnett labels them by its own numbering and then translates each one into the state's certificate vocabulary at the top of the page:
- Level 1 = educator certification level 4 (Bachelor's)
- Level 2 = educator certification level 5 (Master's)
- Level 3 = educator certification level 6 (Specialist's)
- Level 4 = educator certification level 7 (Doctoral)
The rows carry two numbers. The left column counts "Years of Creditable External Experience"; the right one gives the matching "GCPS Performance Step". Zero, one and two years all land on step 0. Three years is step 1, and the pairing continues one-for-one until 30 years reaches step 28. If you are reading a Georgia schedule for the first time, our guide on how to read a salary schedule walks through rows and columns in general terms.
Gwinnett's salary schedules page says placement depends on the type of position, then on documented experience and education, and that the schedules can be adjusted. Teachers are paid monthly, with the year's checks running from August through July.
The word "performance" matters. The Compensation FAQ says a full-time teacher, meaning 25 or more hours a week, earns the annual step only after a complete evaluation with a rating of "Proficient" or higher on the Teacher Assessment on Performance Standards (TAPS) or an equivalent tool. A part-time teacher working 20 to 24 hours a week needs that rating for two consecutive years to advance one step.
What moves a GCPS teacher to a higher certificate level on the schedule?
A new certificate, and nothing short of it. Georgia State Board of Education Rule 160-5-2-.05 tells every district to pay "at the certificate level held", with validity, type and level "determined by the PSC". Gwinnett's Levels mirror those certificate levels exactly, so the column you sit in is whatever level your GaPSC certificate shows.
That is why loose coursework does not raise a GCPS salary. There is no "plus 30" column in Gwinnett. Coursework helps your pay only when it completes a degree that GaPSC accepts for an upgrade under Rule 505-2-.33, which has governed level upgrades since January 1, 2021. Under that rule, a master's degree supports level 5, a specialist degree level 6 and a doctorate level 7, provided the program qualifies as either:
- In-Field: the degree matches a field already on your certificate and comes from a provider holding the accreditation the rule lists; or
- New Field: a state-approved program that adds a new certificate field, usually with a GACE content assessment.
Non-Renewable, Permit and Provisional certificates must be converted before an upgrade can apply. The difference between collecting credits and finishing a degree is laid out in master's degree vs. credits.
Does GCPS require approval before you take a course?
Gwinnett's compensation pages do not describe a district pre-approval form for degree coursework. The gatekeeper is GaPSC, which decides whether a finished program qualifies for a level upgrade. Before enrolling, run the program through GaPSC's upgrade rule so you know it will count; a degree that GaPSC rejects leaves you in the same Gwinnett Level.
Once the degree is finished, the Compensation FAQ sets out the order of steps:
- After the degree is conferred, have the college send program completion and official transcripts to GaPSC.
- Submit an online application through your MyPSC account.
- Tell the HR Certification office you have applied, so it can submit the Employer Assurance Form for you.
The Division of Human Resources certification page repeats the transcript point: official transcripts showing the conferral date go from the college straight to GaPSC.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Gwinnett's published pages give no date on which a higher certificate level reaches the paycheck. The state rule supplies the frame: under 160-5-2-.05, a district pays certified staff "based on the validity date of the individual's certificate within the contract year". In practice, the earlier your upgraded certificate is issued and on file with HR, the sooner Level pay can begin. See transcript deadlines for why the date the degree is conferred matters.
One GCPS timing rule is written down, for experience rather than degrees: a Verification of Certified Work Experience form must reach the Compensation Administration Office within the current fiscal and school year, and no adjustment is made to a previous fiscal year. Teachers who bring outside experience should send those forms early.
Do the same units count toward Georgia license renewal?
Renewal runs on a different track from pay. GaPSC Rule 505-2-.36 makes standard certificates valid for five years. A teacher employed by a Georgia district renews by taking part in that district's professional learning, documented by a supervisor, plus a criminal record check. The renewal window opens December 1 of the year before expiration and closes June 30. The state guide's renewal section covers the details, including the coursework route for educators outside Georgia schools.
So a semester of graduate-level credit can serve two purposes only if it belongs to an upgrade-eligible degree. Otherwise it may help with professional learning but will not move a GCPS Level.
Where can GCPS teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, GCPS 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 GCPS's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
GCPS pays by completed degree, certificate level or rating rather than by units, so courses short of a degree do not change a GCPS 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 GCPS or Georgia names in writing.
| Question | What GCPS says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | GCPS: None by count; upgrade-eligible degree only | 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 | GCPS: Not published; experience forms: same fiscal year | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | GCPS: No district form; GaPSC rule decides | 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)
- 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)
- Fresno Pacific University CE: self-paced, up to 1 year, units through Fresno Pacific University; ≈$475 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 GCPS has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
GCPS salary questions teachers ask
Does Gwinnett pay more for credits beyond a master's?
No. The GCPS teacher schedule has four Levels matched to certificate levels 4 through 7. Pay changes when GaPSC issues a higher-level certificate, such as level 6 for a specialist degree.
What should a GCPS teacher do after finishing a higher degree?
Once the degree is conferred, have the college send program completion and official transcripts to GaPSC, apply online through MyPSC, then tell HR Certification so it can file the Employer Assurance Form.
Why didn't I get a step increase in Gwinnett this year?
A GCPS performance step requires a complete evaluation and a TAPS rating of Proficient or higher. Part-time teachers working 20 to 24 hours a week need that rating two years in a row for one step.
How many steps are on the GCPS teacher schedule?
Performance steps run from 0 to 28. Up to two years of creditable outside experience places a teacher on step 0, and 30 years corresponds to step 28.
Where can GCPS teachers take graduate-level courses for license renewal?
GCPS 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, Credits for Teachers, Dominican CA Online, For Teachers By Teachers and Fresno Pacific University CE. 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
- Teacher Performance-Based Salary Schedule, 2026-2027 School Year, Gwinnett County Public Schools. Checked
- Compensation: Frequently Asked Questions, Gwinnett County Public Schools. Checked
- Salary Schedules, Gwinnett County Public Schools. Checked
- Certification, Gwinnett County Public Schools Division of Human Resources. Checked
- Rule 160-5-2-.05, Experience for Salary Purposes, Georgia State Board of Education. Checked
- Rule 505-2-.33, Certificate Upgrades, Georgia Professional Standards Commission. Checked
- Rule 505-2-.36, Renewal Requirements, Georgia Professional Standards Commission. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error