Short answer
How do MCPS teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Send Form 475-1 and official transcripts to the Certification Unit. The MCEA schedule has four lanes: BA, MA/MEQ, MA/MEQ+30 and MA/MEQ+60, needing 30, 60 or 90 post-baccalaureate credits with at least 15 graduate-level. Receipt deadlines fall every two weeks; the change lands within two pay periods of verification.
Source: MCPS Certification Unit, salary information. Checked .
TeacherPayGuide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Montgomery County Public Schools. This guide summarizes the district's published documents as read on ; those documents and the district's human resources office decide your placement. It is general information, not legal or employment advice. Disclaimer Report an error
How is the MCPS teacher salary schedule organized?
Teachers represented by the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) are paid on the FY2027 MCEA schedule, effective July 1, 2026. MCPS posts a 10-month version and a 12-month version. Both use four lettered lanes:
- A: BA
- B: MA/MEQ (master's or master's equivalent)
- C: MA/MEQ+30
- D: MA/MEQ+60
The lanes are not the same length. The BA lane stops at step 10, while lanes B, C and D continue to step 25, with a single row covering steps 19 through 24. In practice, a teacher with a bachelor's degree and ten years of service has run out of steps until she earns the credits for lane B.
The Certification Unit's salary page explains what happens in that case. A teacher at the top of the BA lane who moves to MA/MEQ goes to step 10 of the new lane, not further down. Because she is no longer at a top step, she becomes eligible for a step on her next anniversary date. See how to read a salary schedule for a walk-through of steps and lanes.
Which units count toward an MCPS column change?
MCPS accepts two kinds of credit, both earned after the bachelor's degree: graduate-level credit from an accredited college or university, and continuing professional development (CPD) credit approved by the Maryland State Department of Education. The lane definitions mix them in fixed proportions.
- MA/MEQ: a master's degree, or at least 30 post-baccalaureate credits with at least 15 graduate-level and the rest graduate-level or CPD. A second bachelor's degree also qualifies when it carries at least 30 credits, or 150 credits in total.
- MA/MEQ+30: 60 post-baccalaureate credits, at least 15 graduate-level and up to 45 graduate-level or CPD.
- MA/MEQ+60: 90 post-baccalaureate credits, at least 15 graduate-level and up to 75 graduate-level or CPD.
Several unit rules sit underneath those counts. Credit is measured in semester hours, and three quarter hours equal two semester hours on the district's conversion chart, so a teacher at a quarter-system school needs 45 quarter hours for each 30-credit block (see quarter versus semester units). Each course needs a C or better. Repeating content already credited does not count twice. For CPD, only courses approved for CPD credit qualify, and the Professional Development Online transcript lists only MCPS workshops and MCPS CPD courses; university credits and CPD credits from outside agencies do not appear on it.
The MCEA contract adds exclusions in Article 15D. Coursework taken during the workday counts for salary only if the teacher used annual or personal leave. Courses that came with a stipend, and courses MCPS paid for, do not count toward a lane; tuition reimbursement is the stated exception. All of these still count toward license renewal, which is why the guide on renewal credit versus salary credit applies so directly here.
Does MCPS require approval before you take a course?
The salary page describes no pre-approval of courses. Approval happens at the end. Lane placement "is not automatic": the teacher submits Form 475-1, Request for Advanced Salary Placement, to the Certification Unit as an original or a digitally signed copy and picks only one submission option on the form. The unit processes a request only after every course listed has been verified.
Since no one screens a course ahead of time, it is the teacher's job to check that a course will appear as graduate-level, or as MSDE-approved CPD, on the transcript MCPS receives. Our article on whether a district will accept a course lists what to ask a provider before enrolling.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
MCPS publishes a separate FY2027 calendar titled "Schedule Due Dates and Paydays for MCEA Unit Member Salary Lane Changes." It lists a "Last Date for Human Resources to Receive All Official Documentation" every two weeks, from June 10, 2026 through May 26, 2027. The Certification Unit then has two weeks to process each batch and notify teachers, and the lane change takes effect no later than the second pay period after documentation is verified.
Reading one row of the FY2027 calendar shows the pattern. Documents received by November 11, 2026 carry an effective date of November 28, 2026, and the new lane first appears on the December 24, 2026 paycheck. Every row follows the same spacing: an effective date 17 days after the receipt deadline and a payday four weeks after that.
The cutoff applies to the last document to arrive, not the first. A request with one transcript still in transit waits for the next deadline, so a teacher finishing a course in December gains the most by having the college send the official transcript the day grades post. Our article on transcript deadlines covers how long that step usually takes.
Do the same units count toward Maryland license renewal?
Yes, and more broadly than for salary. Maryland renews a professional license every five years with 90 professional development points under a supervisor-approved plan. One semester hour of college credit is worth 15 points and one MSDE-approved CPD credit is also worth 15, so six semester hours meet the whole requirement. The 90 points must cover the four areas the state lists, and the details are in the Maryland renewal section.
The Article 15D exclusions show where the two systems split. A summer course MCPS paid for, or a workshop that came with a stipend, can supply renewal points while adding nothing toward MA/MEQ+30. The Maryland state guide compares Montgomery's rules with those of other large county systems.
Where can MCPS teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, MCPS 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 MCPS's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What MCPS says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | MCPS: Graduate-level credit and MSDE-approved CPD; 15 graduate-level minimum | 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 | MCPS: HR receipt cutoff every two weeks | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | MCPS: Not required; Form 475-1 after completion | 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)
- 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)
- 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)
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 MCPS has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
MCPS salary questions teachers ask
How often does MCPS process salary lane changes?
Every two weeks. The FY2027 calendar sets a Human Resources receipt deadline every other week from June 10, 2026 to May 26, 2027.
Do CPD credits count toward the MCPS master's equivalent?
Yes. MA/MEQ takes at least 30 post-baccalaureate credits; 15 must be graduate-level and the rest can be graduate-level or MSDE-approved CPD credits.
Does MCPS accept quarter units?
Yes, converted to semester hours: three quarter hours equal two semester hours.
Do courses MCPS paid for count toward a lane change?
No, except tuition reimbursement courses. Under MCEA contract Article 15D, district-paid and stipend-paid courses do not count for salary, though they still count for license renewal.
Where can MCPS teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
MCPS 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, For Teachers By Teachers, Fresno Pacific University CE, Graduate Credit Courses and Model Teaching. 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
- Certification: salary information, Montgomery County Public Schools, Certification Unit. Checked
- FY 2027 Salary Schedules, MCEA 10-month and 12-month, Montgomery County Public Schools. Checked
- Schedule Due Dates and Paydays for MCEA Unit Member Salary Lane Changes, FY2027, Montgomery County Public Schools. Checked
- Form 475-1, Request for Advanced Salary Placement, Montgomery County Public Schools. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error