Short answer
How do West Ada teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
West Ada pays three education columns, BA, BA+24 and MA, each with a regular and an Advanced Professional Endorsement (APE) side. To be paid in BA+24 or MA, a teacher needs a Professional Endorsement, and official transcripts must reach the district by the last Friday of September (September 25 in 2026).
Source: West Ada Negotiated Agreement 2026–2027, Section III.B. Checked .
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How is the West Ada teacher salary schedule organized?
The 2026–2027 Salary Schedule in Section III.A of the agreement is a grid of rungs and columns. Down the side are three groups of rungs, the same vocabulary Idaho uses for its career ladder:
- R1–R3: Residency rungs for teachers early in their careers.
- P1–P8: Professional rungs.
- L1–L7: Legacy rungs, above the professional range.
Across the top are six columns: BA, BA APE, BA+24, BA+24 APE, MA and MA APE. Footnotes explain the labels. A single asterisk marks cells that need the Advanced Professional Endorsement, and a double asterisk marks cells that need the Professional Endorsement. The BA+24 and MA columns begin at R2, and the APE cells begin at P4.
The rung structure changed for 2026–27. Under Section III.B.iii, a teacher who completed a year with the district first moves one rung on the 2025–26 schedule, and the agreement's conversion table then maps that position onto the new grid. Old rung P2 was folded into P3, which became the new P2; old P6 was folded into P7, which became the new P5. That is why the professional range now ends at P8 rather than P10. A year counts if the teacher worked at least one semester at full time under contract, or one full contract year at half-time or more.
Section III.B.ii adds that contracts are issued from each teacher's current career ladder placement, and anyone who advances on the state ladder gets a reissued contract once the district verifies the placement, no later than December. Experienced new hires are placed under Appendix A, which follows Idaho Code 33-1004A(2). For help with grids like this one, see how to read a salary schedule and our note on salary lane names.
Which units count toward a West Ada column change?
The column names come from Idaho's education allocations, so state law sets most of the unit rules. Idaho Code 33-1004B says only transcripted credits and degrees on file with the State Department of Education's teacher certification office count, earned at an institution accredited by a body the State Board recognizes, or through internships and work experience the State Board approves. Every credit and degree must be in a relevant pedagogy or content area as the department determines.
The agreement adds three practical points:
- It asks for official transcripts, and it tells teachers to request and review full official transcripts from every university before sending them in.
- School nurses are treated as BA-equivalent with a state-certified R.N., start on Professional Rung 1, and earn one college credit for every 15 CEUs.
- Staff in positions requiring a master's under Idaho law, such as counselors and therapists, are paid the MA allocation before they hold a Professional Endorsement.
The agreement does not describe district in-service hours counting toward the BA+24 column. Our units that count article lists what to check on any course before you enroll, and master's versus credits compares the two routes when only three columns exist.
Does West Ada require approval before you take a course?
The 2026–27 agreement sets no district pre-approval step for coursework used toward the BA+24 or MA column. The check is a state one: whether the State Department of Education's certification office accepts the credits and has them on file. A teacher unsure whether a course fits a "relevant pedagogy or content area" can ask Human Resources before registering; our will my district accept it article covers how to put that question in writing.
The endorsement is the other gate. The Professional Endorsement comes after three years of holding an Idaho instructional or pupil service certificate and working in an accredited school, with evaluations rated proficient or higher on every component and PLP data showing a majority of students met measurable achievement or success targets. The APE takes five more years, with distinguished ratings in Domain II or III, 75% of students meeting targets and a leadership role in three of those years. Credits alone cannot unlock the higher columns without the matching endorsement.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
The agreement's rule is short: credits must be submitted "on or before the last Friday of September," and only official transcripts submitted by then count for salary schedule placement and the BA+24 or master's allocation. In 2026 that day was September 25.
Consider a teacher on P3 with a Professional Endorsement who finishes the 24th credit past the bachelor's in July. If the official transcript is filed in early September, that teacher is placed in the BA+24 column for 2026–27. If the last grade posts in October, the credits miss this year's cutoff and wait for the next year's agreement. Our transcript deadlines article has tips for avoiding that.
Two other dates matter. Requests to correct a 2025–26 contracted salary were due by December 1, 2026, with corrections made within 60 days. Career ladder moves are reflected in a reissued contract no later than December.
Do the same units count toward Idaho license renewal?
Renewal is separate. The State Department of Education asks for six semester credits in each five-year validity period, with three or more taken at an accredited college and shown on a transcript; district in-service can supply up to three credits at 15 hours per credit. A transcripted, accredited course can therefore count toward renewal and toward BA+24 placement, as long as the department accepts it for both.
The Idaho renewal rules section has the details, and the Idaho state guide explains how the career ladder and education allocations fit together statewide.
Where can West Ada teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, West Ada 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 West Ada's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What West Ada says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | West Ada: Transcripted credits on file with the state; relevant pedagogy or content area | 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 | West Ada: Last Friday of September | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | West Ada: No district step; Professional Endorsement 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)
- 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)
- Upward Teachers: self-paced, 1 to 6 months, letter grade, units through UMass Global; $240 sale 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 West Ada has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
West Ada salary questions teachers ask
When are West Ada transcripts due for the BA+24 or MA column?
By the last Friday of September. In 2026 that was September 25. Only official transcripts received by then count for that year's placement.
Why am I not in the BA+24 column after earning 24 credits?
The BA+24 and MA allocations require a Professional Endorsement under Idaho Code 33-1201A, and the credits must be on file with the state certification office and in a relevant pedagogy or content area.
What happened to rungs P2 and P6 on the West Ada schedule?
For 2026–27, old P2 merged into P3 (now called P2) and old P6 merged into P7 (now called P5). Teachers move one rung on the 2025–26 grid, then convert to the new grid.
How do West Ada school nurses earn credits?
Nurses with a state-certified R.N. are treated as BA-equivalent, and 15 CEUs count as one college credit.
Where can West Ada teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
West Ada 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, PD Courses (University of La Verne), Teaching Channel, TLC Graduate Credits and Upward 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
- Negotiated Agreement 2026–2027, Board of Trustees of Joint School District No. 2 (West Ada School District) and West Ada Education Association, West Ada School District. Checked
- Idaho Code 33-1004B, Career ladder, Idaho Legislature. Checked
- Renewal of an Idaho certificate, Idaho State Department of Education. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error