Short answer
How do Anoka-Hennepin teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Anoka-Hennepin's lanes run BA, BA+10, BA+20, BA+30, BA+40, MA, MA+10, MA+20, MA+30 and MA+40, counted in semester credits. Credits must be approved by the Director of Employee Services before the course is completed to be guaranteed, must relate to the teacher's assignment, and must be graduate level after the master's. Official transcripts received by October 31 or March 25 move pay for the year or its second half.
Source: Anoka-Hennepin working agreement 2025-27, Article IX. Checked .
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How is the Anoka-Hennepin teacher salary schedule organized?
The working agreement between Anoka-Hennepin School District (ISD 11) and Anoka-Hennepin Education Minnesota (AHEM) runs from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. Its Appendix A schedules use "performance increments" for the steps down the side and lanes across the top:
- BA, then BA+10, BA+20, BA+30 and BA+40.
- MA, then MA+10, MA+20, MA+30 and MA+40.
A teacher who qualifies for a higher lane "will move directly across, horizontally, to the corresponding performance increment in the new lane" (Article IX, Section 2). A legacy BA 60 lane in quarter credits is open only to teachers who were on Career II performance increment as of June 30, 2000. New teachers must have employment records and transcripts in within 60 calendar days of employment for placement credit at the start of the year (Article VIII). The dollar figures are in Appendix A; we do not reproduce them. For reading a grid, see how to read a salary schedule.
Which credits count toward an Anoka-Hennepin lane change?
Article IX sets the rules by lane group.
- Lanes before the MA. Their purpose is to encourage advanced degrees, so the agreement says "It is usually desirable, therefore, that all of these credits be graduate credits." With the Superintendent's approval, up to one-third may be undergraduate credits in the teacher's field, a closely related field or education. All must be earned after the bachelor's degree.
- The MA lane and beyond. The master's and later credits "should be in the subject the teacher teaches, education, curriculum, instruction, or a similar concentration." Credits beyond the master's "shall be on the graduate level and shall be earned after the Master's Degree has been awarded."
- Germane. Every credit must relate to the teacher's current or potential teaching assignment.
- Accredited. "Graduate credits must be earned from a graduate institution that has an accredited advanced degree program related to the current or potential field or fields relevant to the teacher's licensure area(s)."
- Grades. A grade of C or higher, or P under pass/fail grading.
- Units. All references are to semester credits; one semester credit equals one and one-half quarter credits.
Some credits never count. Coursework "primarily intended to prepare a teacher for another profession or trade outside of education" does not apply to any lane, unless the Superintendent grants an exception. Section 4 says a workshop attended during the work day earns lane credit only if the teacher uses approved leave, and no district funds may pay for registration or expenses for credit. The district can also award Board credits: CTE teachers for job training approved by the CTE Director, and other teachers for training the Superintendent identifies and approves in advance.
Worked example without dollars: a teacher on MA+10 needs 10 more semester credits for MA+20. Three three-credit courses leave the teacher one credit short, so the plan has to reach 10 semester credits, or 15 quarter credits. Each must be graduate level, earned after the master's, germane to the assignment and approved before it ends. Our guide to quarter versus semester units covers the conversion.
Does Anoka-Hennepin require approval before you take a course?
Yes, if you want the credit guaranteed. Article IX, Section 2, Subd. 1 says credits "must be approved by the Director of Employee Services prior to the teacher completing the course to be guaranteed credit toward lane advancement." The deadline is completion, not enrollment, but asking before you pay leaves room to choose another course if the answer is no.
The same subdivision says a committee with equal numbers of AHEM and district appointees will set credit-approval guidelines for the 2026-2027 school year and revisit them each year, so the detailed criteria can change between years. Undergraduate credits toward the lanes before the MA also need the Superintendent's approval. Our pre-approval forms guide covers what to send.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new lane take effect?
An application for lane advancement must include official transcripts. Article IX, Section 2, Subd. 2.C sets two windows:
- Fall: credits earned on or before August 31 and received by Employee Services by October 31 take effect from the start of the school year.
- Spring: credits earned on or before January 25 and received by March 25 apply to the second half of the duty year.
When a date falls on a weekend, it reverts to the previous Friday. A summer course that ends after August 31 waits for the spring window. Our page on transcript deadlines explains how to order transcripts so they arrive in time.
Do the same credits count toward Minnesota license renewal?
Usually, through a separate process. Minnesota renews a Tier 4 license every five years with 125 clock hours, and Minnesota Rules 8710.7200 converts relevant college coursework at 24 clock hours per semester credit. The district relicensure committee, not Employee Services, approves those hours. Mandatory topics and the order of steps are in the Minnesota renewal section of our Minnesota guide.
Where can Anoka-Hennepin teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Anoka-Hennepin 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 Anoka-Hennepin's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Before you enroll: The 2025-27 Anoka-Hennepin working agreement (Article IX, Section 2) says credits "must be approved by the Director of Employee Services prior to the teacher completing the course to be guaranteed credit toward lane advancement," and that "Graduate credits must be earned from a graduate institution that has an accredited advanced degree program related to the current or potential field or fields relevant to the teacher's licensure area(s)." Send the course and the transcripting university to Employee Services for approval before the course ends.
| Question | What Anoka-Hennepin says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Anoka-Hennepin: Graduate, germane, accredited program; up to 1/3 undergraduate below the MA | 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 | Anoka-Hennepin: October 31 or March 25; official transcripts | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Anoka-Hennepin: Before the course is completed; Director of Employee Services | 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)
- Connected Classroom Courses: self-paced, letter grade, units through CSU Pueblo; $389 + university fee 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)
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 Anoka-Hennepin has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Anoka-Hennepin salary lane questions teachers ask
When must Anoka-Hennepin approve a course?
Before you complete it. Article IX says credits must be approved by the Director of Employee Services before the course is completed to be guaranteed credit toward a lane.
Does Anoka-Hennepin accept undergraduate credits?
For the lanes below the MA, up to one-third may be undergraduate, with the Superintendent's approval, in the teacher's field, a closely related field or education. Credits beyond the master's must be graduate level.
What are the Anoka-Hennepin transcript deadlines?
October 31 for credits earned by August 31, effective at the start of the school year, and March 25 for credits earned by January 25, effective for the second half of the year.
How does Anoka-Hennepin count quarter credits?
Lanes are counted in semester credits; one semester credit equals one and one-half quarter credits.
Where can Anoka-Hennepin teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Anoka-Hennepin 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, Connected Classroom Courses, Credits for Teachers, Dominican CA Online and For Teachers By 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
- Working agreement, July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027, Anoka-Hennepin School District and Anoka-Hennepin Education Minnesota, Articles VIII and IX and Appendix A. Checked
- Minnesota Rules 8710.7200, Clock hours; requirements for renewal of professional licenses, Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked
- Renewal Requirements for a Tier 4 License (updated February 2026), Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board. Checked
Reviewed November 12, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error