Short answer
How do Anne Arundel teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
AACPS's 2026-27 Unit I scale has nine columns built on degree and certificate. After a master's, 30 or 60 hours of post-baccalaureate graduate-level credit, each course graded B or better, unlock the Master's +30 and +60 columns, but only as a completed program approved by the Executive Director of Human Resources.
Source: Negotiated Agreement 2024-2027, Article 3 (TAAAC-hosted copy) and the Unit I Salary Scales, July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, AACPS. Checked .
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How is the Anne Arundel teacher salary schedule organized?
Teachers belong to Unit I, the bargaining unit represented by the Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County (TAAAC). The district's current scale document, titled "Unit I Salary Scales, July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027," holds six tables, one each for 191-, 193-, 195-, 200- and 210-day work years and one for 12-month staff. The standard classroom year is 191 paid days, so most teachers read the first table.
Every table uses the same nine columns, read left to right:
- Bachelor's SPC
- Master's Equivalent APC
- Master's Degree SPC
- Master's Degree APC
- Master's + 30, SPC or APC
- Master's + 60, SPC or APC
- Doctorate
- Provisional Bachelor's
- Provisional Master's
SPC and APC are the Standard Professional and Advanced Professional Certificate, the older names for Maryland's Professional and Advanced Professional licenses. Pairing each degree with a certificate is what makes this scale unusual: a teacher with a master's sits in a different column depending on whether the license is standard or advanced. Our guide to salary lane names covers this kind of mixed label, and how to read a salary schedule explains steps and columns in general.
Steps on the printed sheet start at 3. Under Article 3 of the negotiated agreement, a new hire can receive up to 20 years of verified full-time preschool-through-grade-12 teaching experience, up to 15 years of related professional work in the certification area, and up to five more years in a hardship area. The 2026 terms-of-employment summary adds up to two years of active military service. Each school year, a teacher moves to the next step; the step increase lands July 1, and a Second Class rating blocks it.
A separate Teacher Career Ladder runs alongside this grade-and-step scale. AACPS describes it as a path built on National Board Certification, or on an advanced degree for teachers whose content area has no National Board option. Teachers choose their salary path each year with a Salary Path Declaration Form, and AACPS says it cannot advise which path suits a given teacher.
Which units count toward an Anne Arundel column change?
Credit alone does not move a teacher off a bachelor's column. On the AACPS scale, units first matter after a master's degree. Article 3B of the agreement sets four conditions for the Master's + 30 increment:
- a professional certificate;
- a completed master's degree;
- at least 30 hours of post-baccalaureate graduate-level credit in K-12 professional education courses or in content fields found in the AACPS curriculum;
- a grade of B or better in every course submitted.
The Master's + 60 increment applies the identical test at 60 hours. In both cases, a finished advanced-study program at a university, such as an Advanced Graduate Specialist program, is accepted in place of a course-by-course count.
Two other columns depend on credentials rather than hours. A doctorate earns its increment when it comes from a regionally accredited university in a field the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) recognizes through a bachelor's- or master's-level certificate. The Master's Equivalent APC column is tied to the Advanced Professional license. Maryland issues that license to a teacher who meets the Professional license requirements and holds a master's degree, at least 30 semester hours of post-baccalaureate credit, or National Board Certification (COMAR 13A.12.02.02). AACPS's own documents do not spell out the entry rule for that column, so ask the certification office before planning around it.
A worked example: a teacher in the Master's Degree SPC column at step 9 completes an approved 30-hour program with all B grades. The teacher's column becomes Master's + 30, SPC or APC, and the step stays at 9. Our units that count article explains why subject relevance and grade floors like these matter.
Does Anne Arundel require approval before you take a course?
For the +30 and +60 columns, the approval is built into the rule itself: the increment rests on "a completed program approved by the Executive Director of Human Resources." Plan the program with Human Resources at the start rather than collecting courses and asking afterward.
Tuition reimbursement has its own approval steps under Article 9. Courses toward the APC with a master's are reimbursed only when they appear on a planned program signed by the teacher's college advisor. Other courses taken for certification, renewal or a planned program need advance approval from the Executive Director of Human Resources. Reimbursement covers up to six semester hours per teaching year, September through August, and each course needs a B or better. Article 9F lets teachers write to the Human Resource Specialist in Certification, or book a meeting outside duty hours, for advice on courses. See pre-approval forms for why a signed plan protects you.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
AACPS does not publish a filing deadline or a start date for degree or +30/+60 column changes in the negotiated agreement, the scale document or its salary-scale pages. The dates it does publish concern steps, notices and reimbursement:
- Step increases take effect July 1.
- During the first month of each fiscal year, every Unit I member receives a confidential copy of the scale showing that member's annual salary (Article 3T).
- National Board salary enhancements start the July after a teacher achieves or maintains certification.
For reimbursement, Human Resources needs a request form, proof of payment and an original official transcript; copies are not accepted. The reimbursement year follows the date the course was taken, and the office looks back no more than three reimbursement years. Complete packets received by September 15, 2026 are paid by October 14; by November 16, 2026, by December 9; by February 15, 2027, by March 10. Our article on transcript deadlines covers how such cutoffs work.
Do the same units count toward Maryland license renewal?
Often, yes. Maryland renews Professional and Advanced Professional licenses for five-year terms on at least 90 professional development points, and one semester hour equals 15 points (COMAR 13A.12.02.06). Six semester hours therefore cover a full renewal. The points must include content or pedagogy for an area on the license, English learner instruction, strategies for students with disabilities, and culturally responsive teaching. AACPS teachers submit renewal documents to their employer. The Maryland renewal rules and the full Maryland state guide have the detail.
Where can Anne Arundel teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Anne Arundel 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 Anne Arundel's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
At Anne Arundel, units count toward pay only for some teachers or through a separate award, as units that count explains, so confirm with human resources that the rule applies to you before you enroll. Units can also count toward license renewal; see the renewal section.
| Question | What Anne Arundel says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Anne Arundel: Post-baccalaureate graduate-level credit after a master's; K-12 education or AACPS content fields, B or better | 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 | Anne Arundel: None published for column changes; reimbursement packets on set dates | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Anne Arundel: HR-approved program for +30 and +60; advisor-signed plan for reimbursement | 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)
- Graduate Credit Courses: self-paced, units through Cal Poly Humboldt; $570 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)
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 Anne Arundel has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Anne Arundel salary questions teachers ask
Can Anne Arundel teachers move columns with credits before finishing a master's?
Not through course hours alone. The +30 and +60 columns require a completed master's first. The Master's Equivalent APC column depends on holding Maryland's Advanced Professional license.
What grade do AACPS courses need for Master's +30?
B or better in every course submitted, under Article 3B of the 2024-2027 agreement.
Who approves an Anne Arundel +30 or +60 program?
The Executive Director of Human Resources. The increment is based on a completed program that office approves.
How many credits does AACPS reimburse each year?
Up to six semester hours per teaching year, September through August, for certification or work tied to a current or anticipated assignment.
Where can Anne Arundel teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Anne Arundel 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, Graduate Credit Courses, Model Teaching, PD Courses (University of La Verne) and Teaching Channel. 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
- Unit I Salary Scales, July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Checked
- Terms of Employment/Salary Scales, AACPS Division of Human Resources. Checked
- Negotiated Agreement 2024-2027, annotated, Board of Education of Anne Arundel County and TAAAC, TAAAC-hosted copy. Checked
- Benefits and Terms of Employment (Unit I), Teachers, 10-month, January 1 through December 31, 2026, AACPS. Checked
- Tuition Reimbursement, AACPS Division of Human Resources. Checked
- Teacher Career Ladder (TCL) FAQs, AACPS. Checked
- COMAR 13A.12.02.02, Teacher Licenses, Maryland State Board of Education. Checked
- COMAR 13A.12.02.06, Professional Development Points, Maryland State Board of Education. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error