Short answer
How do Iowa teachers renew a license and move up the salary schedule?
A Standard Teaching License runs five years and renews with six renewal credits plus mandatory reporter training for child abuse, or with a master's degree and at least ten years of PK-12 licensed experience. Lane moves are set by each district's salary schedule; Des Moines and Davenport both count approved semester hours earned after a degree.
Source: Iowa Department of Education, Standard Teaching License. Checked .
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How do you renew an Iowa teaching license?
Iowa's educator licensing now sits within the Iowa Department of Education. Its Standard Teaching License page sets a five-year term and gives two ways to renew:
- Six renewal credits and the mandatory reporter training for child abuse; or
- Verification of a master's degree or higher, at least ten years of PK-12 licensed experience, and the same mandatory reporter training. Substitute work counts as a year of experience when you can verify at least 91 days of it in that year.
Most teachers reach the Standard license by converting an Initial Teaching License after two years of successful teaching in an Iowa public school, or three years in an accredited nonpublic school, an out-of-state school or a combination. An extension is available when more time is needed to finish renewal requirements.
What counts as a renewal credit
The department's renewal information page says credits "need to be earned after the issue date of the current license," or be no more than five years old if the license has expired, and should be relevant to education or an endorsement area. Iowa accepts:
- Licensure renewal credits from approved Iowa providers, a list the department maintains.
- College semester hours, undergraduate or graduate, from an institution with accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, on an official transcript issued to the applicant.
The same page is blunt about what does not count: "Only college credit is accepted," and CEUs, staff development and "Professional Development Units" or similarly titled units cannot be submitted. If a course is sold as continuing education rather than semester credit, it will not renew an Iowa license. Our explainer on clock hours, CEUs and semester credits covers the difference.
Other ways to earn part of the six
- Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP): one completed, evaluator-signed annual plan is worth three credits on a Standard license, half of the six. It must be completed in an Iowa school setting.
- Cooperating teacher: up to two credits, certified by the Iowa college, for hosting practicum students or a student teacher.
- Micro-externship: one credit for at least 40 hours of content-related work in business or industry, pre-approved by the employing district.
- National Board Certification: four renewal credits for earning it, and four for each renewal of it.
The Master Educator Teaching License follows the same rules with four credits instead of six. For how Iowa compares with other states, see the license renewal hub.
One course can do two jobs. A three-semester-hour college course is three renewal credits, and in districts like Des Moines and Davenport the same hours can count toward a lane move if the district approves them. See renewal credit versus salary credit.
How do Iowa teachers move to a higher salary lane?
Iowa has no single statewide salary schedule. What the state does set is in Iowa Code chapter 284, the Teacher Leadership and Compensation framework:
- Minimum salaries. Section 284.15 sets a minimum salary for an initial teacher, which is also the minimum for any Iowa teacher, and a separate higher minimum for a licensed teacher with at least twelve years of experience.
- Career path. The framework moves teachers from initial teacher (with a residency year) to career teacher, then into one-year leadership assignments as model, mentor or lead teachers. Each role adds contract days and a salary supplement, and a site-based review council of equal numbers of teachers and administrators recommends who fills them.
- Combined schedule. Section 284.3A requires a district that uses a salary schedule to fold state teacher compensation money into one combined salary schedule that incorporates those minimums.
Lanes and steps sit with the district. Under Iowa Code 20.9, the mandatory subject of bargaining for a teachers' unit is base wages, with other matters negotiated only when both sides agree. That is why Iowa contracts vary widely in what they say about lane changes. Both contracts below use a bachelor's lane, bachelor's-plus lanes, a master's lane and master's-plus lanes, with steps for years of service. If the vocabulary is new, start with how to read a salary schedule.
What do some of the largest Iowa districts require?
Des Moines Public Schools
Read the full Des Moines guide →
The 2024-2029 comprehensive agreement with the Des Moines Education Association uses eight lanes: BA, BA+15, BA+30, MA, MA+15, MA+30, MA+45 and Ph.D./Ed.D. The "plus" lanes require that many semester hours of approved credit earned after the degree is conferred.
- Approval: credit used for salary advancement "must receive approval by the Office of Talent and Personnel." A degree program can be approved up front; individual courses use a form before the course starts. Without prior approval, a transcript may be sent "with no assurance of approval."
- Not counted: mandatory reporter and other required trainings, the IPDP, hosting a student teacher, courses taken for instructional hours only, and courses unrelated to current or potential DMPS employment, including those aimed at new certification areas or administration.
- Master's lane: the master's degree must be "specifically related to the field of education."
- Deadlines: transcripts by September 15 and February 15; a denied course can be appealed to a review committee within five business days.
Davenport Community School District
Read the full Davenport guide →
Cedar Rapids posts its employee agreements on a staff-only site, so this card covers Davenport. Its 2025-2028 master contract with the Davenport Education Association uses BA, BA+15, MA, MA+15, MA+30 and MA+60 lanes.
- Level: "No undergraduate coursework will be accepted for advancement"; credit must be graduate level, in semester hours (other units are converted by formula), and directly related to the current teaching area or endorsements. Courses for an administrative degree or a new teaching endorsement count as related.
- Pre-approval: every course goes through the electronic pre-approval system in Employee Online "within 30 calendar days of the commencement of the course."
- Intent and proof: written intent to change lanes by 4:30 p.m. on February 15; coursework completed, and the request form with an official transcript filed, by 4:30 p.m. on August 31. Board-approved increases appear no later than the October 1 paycheck.
- Late approval: unapproved graduate coursework counts only once the teacher finishes a graduate program with a degree or certificate in hand.
The two contracts differ in ways that matter before you enroll. Des Moines lets you submit a transcript without prior approval, at your own risk. Davenport sets a 30-day pre-approval window that is easy to miss. Read how pre-approval forms work before you register.
Full district guides for Iowa
Before you enroll
- Check your license issue date. Renewal credits must be earned after it, and you need six on a Standard license.
- Check that the course carries semester hours. Iowa renewal accepts college credit or approved Iowa renewal credit, not CEUs or professional development units.
- Read your district's lane rules. Davenport takes graduate-level credit only; Des Moines limits courses to those tied to your work in the district.
- Get approval in time. Davenport's pre-approval window closes 30 days after a course starts; Des Moines asks for a form before it begins.
- Calendar the filing dates. Des Moines takes transcripts by September 15 and February 15; Davenport wants intent by February 15 and proof by August 31.
The provider directory groups semester-credit providers by need, and the comparison table shows their costs and formats side by side.
Iowa questions teachers ask
How many credits do I need to renew an Iowa Standard Teaching License?
Six renewal credits every five years, plus mandatory reporter training for child abuse. A master's degree with at least ten years of PK-12 licensed experience is the alternative route.
Do CEUs count for Iowa license renewal?
No. Iowa accepts college semester hours and renewal credits from approved Iowa providers. The department says CEUs, staff development and professional development units cannot be used.
Can undergraduate credit renew an Iowa license?
Yes. Undergraduate or graduate semester hours from an accredited college count for renewal. Some districts, such as Davenport, accept only graduate-level credit for a lane move.
Does National Board Certification count toward Iowa renewal?
Yes. Earning it is worth four renewal credits, and each National Board renewal is worth four more toward the next license renewal.
Does Iowa have a state teacher salary schedule?
No. Iowa Code chapter 284 sets minimum salaries and teacher leadership roles, and each district negotiates its own lanes and steps.
Sources
- Standard Teaching License, Iowa Department of Education. Checked
- More Renewal Information, Iowa Department of Education. Checked
- Iowa Code chapter 284, Teacher Performance, Compensation, and Career Development, Iowa Legislature. Checked
- Iowa Code section 20.9, Scope of negotiations, Iowa Legislature. Checked
- Comprehensive Agreement with the Des Moines Education Association, 2024-2029, Des Moines Public Schools. Checked
- Master Contract with the Davenport Education Association, 2025-2028, Davenport Community School District. Checked
- Teacher Bargaining Unit Agreement, Davenport CSD Human Resources. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error