Short answer
How do Sioux Falls teachers move up the salary schedule with graduate-level credit?
A Sioux Falls teacher needs at least a BA+24 to advance beyond Step 4, a master's to advance beyond Step 7 and an MA+24 to advance beyond Step 9. Every course or program must be approved by the GCDA Committee, an intent form goes to Human Resources by February 1 of the prior contract year, and the coursework must be finished before September 1 of the year the raise starts.
Source: Sioux Falls FY2023-28 collective bargaining agreement, Article on salary advancement and Appendix A, and GCDA Guidelines, Sioux Falls School District. Checked .
TeacherPayGuide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sioux Falls School District 49-5. 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 Sioux Falls teacher salary schedule organized?
Appendix A of the 2023-28 agreement between the school board and the Sioux Falls Education Association sets a grid of rows and steps. Rows A through G sort teachers by years of experience at hire (Row A is 0-1 years, Row F is 10 or more, and Row G is 10 or more years with a master's), and steps run from 1 to 10. A separate Row H, beyond Step 4, is open to teachers who will be in at least their 25th year of teaching and 16th year in the district and who have not received the district retirement incentive.
Teachers employed the year before move according to the agreement's Advancement Grid. The schedule notes then add the education gates that decide how far a teacher can go:
- "A Teacher must have at least a BA+24 to advance beyond Step 4."
- "A Teacher must have at least an MA to advance beyond Step 7."
- "A Teacher must have at least an MA+24 to advance beyond Step 9." The notes say this gate does not apply to counselors and social workers.
New hires start on Step 1 of the row their experience earns, and a new teacher with a master's is placed one row further on. The pay figures for each cell are in Appendix A. If the grid is unfamiliar, our guide to reading a salary schedule explains how rows, steps and columns fit together.
Which units count toward a Sioux Falls step gate?
The agreement calls its process for graduate-level credit and degree advancement GCDA, and it treats each gate differently:
- BA+24 (past Step 4): a teacher "pursuing a pre-approved program of study leading to an MA/MS degree in their major subject area, or which provides additional certification or endorsement," who shows 24 semester hours of pre-approved graduate-level credits.
- Master's (past Step 7): evidence of completing the approved program of study by earning the degree.
- MA+24 (past Step 9): 24 hours of pre-approved graduate-level credits beyond the master's, which "must relate to the teacher's competency in 'what to teach,' 'how to teach,' or 'how to more effectively fill the role of teacher.'"
The district's GCDA Guidelines page sets the course rules. An individual course "must be graduate level, transcripted, and from an accredited college or university within the last ten years," and a degree program must be "a graduate-level, accredited program that leads to a degree in their major subject area or provides additional certification or endorsement." The ten-year limit applies from noon on May 1, 2026, "in alignment with SD DOE standards."
The committee judges each course with its Course/Program Approval Rubric, and a course must meet every category to be approved:
- Relevance: it "directly applies to teaching, instruction, curriculum, leadership, or an educator's professional role."
- Rigor: "graduate-level or equivalent professional learning" with readings or research, written work, projects and assessment. A course that is "primarily passive" does not meet it.
- Time and credit: credit hours that match the workload, "e.g., ~15 contact hours per semester credit."
- District alignment: support for district goals such as literacy, MTSS, EL, technology integration or leadership.
- Course age: completed within the last ten years.
The district also posts a lack of rigor syllabus sample: a self-paced, asynchronous course built from eight modules, each graded by a quiz. Read it before choosing a course. The district's own Red Apple Workshop courses can also count toward GCDA once the committee approves them and the teacher completes them. Our article on graduate-level course types explains the labels transcripts use.
Does Sioux Falls require approval before you take a course?
Approval is required before any raise, and the district strongly recommends getting it before enrolling. The GCDA Guidelines describe two steps, handled by different offices and done in order:
- GCDA Committee review (Staff Development). Submit the GCDA Coursework Pre-Approval Form with a full course syllabus, or a university plan of study for a program. "Course descriptions will no longer be accepted," and "transcripts are not accepted" for this review. Courses and programs "may be reviewed before, during, or after completion."
- Salary advancement (Human Resources). Submit the Intent and Application forms for final approval.
The guidelines add that "'Pre-approval' does not give you permission to take a course. It only means the course may count toward salary advancement." The Checklist/Reference Guide lists what the form needs: the course name, dates, number of credits (1-3), the company providing the course and the institution issuing the transcript. Reviews take about two to three weeks.
The committee has three teachers chosen by the Association and three administrators chosen by the district. Under the agreement, its decisions "are final for the contract year and are non grievable." Our article on pre-approval forms covers what to keep from each step.
When are the Sioux Falls GCDA deadlines?
The agreement and the checklist set two Human Resources dates, both before the school year the raise takes effect:
- February 1: the GCDA Intent Form (BA+24, MA/MS or MA+24) is due to Human Resources "on or before February 1 of the prior contract year."
- September 1: the approved coursework must be finished, and the application with official transcripts is due to Human Resources by September 1.
The committee meets monthly during the school year and holds no reviews over the summer. Its 2026-27 calendar marks January 11, 2027 as the last form deadline that ensures a review before the February 1 intent date, and May 10, 2027 as the last before the September 1 date. "Missed deadlines will result in ineligibility for salary advancement." Our transcript deadlines article has tips for getting a transcript posted in time.
Do the same units count toward South Dakota certificate renewal?
Often, but the tests differ. Under chapter 24:28:17 of the Administrative Rules of South Dakota, a five-year certificate renews with six education-related credits, three of them transcripted, or with National Board certification or two years in a state-approved mentor program, and fifteen continuing education contact hours make one renewal credit. The district's Continuing Education page asks teachers to log district professional development on one Professional Development Log each year, signed by the building administrator, and to send it to the state with the online renewal application rather than to Human Resources. It also says Staff Development does not provide contact-hour certificates for professional development the district did not sponsor.
Undergraduate transcripted credit and contact hours can renew a certificate but will not clear a GCDA gate, which needs graduate-level coursework. The South Dakota renewal section has the full rules, and the South Dakota state guide sets Sioux Falls beside Brandon Valley.
Where can Sioux Falls teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Sioux Falls 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 Sioux Falls's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
At Sioux Falls, stand-alone graduate-level courses count toward pay only after a master's degree, as the 24 hours that open the MA+24 gate above Step 9. Below the master's, the BA+24 gate takes 24 pre-approved hours inside a graduate program of study, so loose courses do not open it (see units that count). Units can also count toward South Dakota renewal; see the renewal section.
Before you enroll: Every course goes before the GCDA Committee, which scores a full syllabus against its Course/Program Approval Rubric: relevance, "graduate-level or equivalent" rigor, about 15 contact hours per semester credit, district alignment and a course taken within ten years. A course that is "primarily passive" fails, and the district's lack of rigor syllabus sample is a self-paced course graded by module quizzes. Send the syllabus to Staff Development before you enroll.
| Question | What Sioux Falls says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Sioux Falls: Graduate-level, transcripted, accredited; committee-approved; BA+24 inside a program of study | 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 | Sioux Falls: Intent form February 1; transcripts September 1 | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Sioux Falls: GCDA Committee, from a full syllabus; then Human Resources | 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)
- 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)
- PD Courses (University of La Verne): online or pdf, semester-based, units through University of La Verne; $420 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 Sioux Falls has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Sioux Falls salary questions teachers ask
Does Sioux Falls have BA+15 or MA+30 lanes?
No. The schedule uses rows by experience and steps 1 to 10. Graduate education works as a gate: BA+24 to pass Step 4, a master's to pass Step 7 and MA+24 to pass Step 9.
Can any graduate-level courses count toward BA+24 in Sioux Falls?
Not stand-alone courses. The agreement counts 24 pre-approved graduate hours taken in a program of study toward a master's in the teacher's major subject area, or toward an added certification or endorsement.
When is the Sioux Falls GCDA intent form due?
By February 1 of the year before the raise starts, with the approved coursework finished and transcripts filed by September 1.
Who approves courses for GCDA?
The GCDA Committee, through Staff Development, using a full syllabus and a rubric. Its decisions are final for the contract year and cannot be grieved.
How old can a course be for Sioux Falls GCDA?
From May 1, 2026, only courses and programs completed within the past ten years are eligible for review.
Where can Sioux Falls teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Sioux Falls 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, Fresno Pacific University CE, Graduate Credit Courses, Model Teaching and PD Courses (University of La Verne). 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
- FY2023-28 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Sioux Falls School District 49-5 board and the Sioux Falls Education Association, including Appendix A (NCTQ copy). Checked
- GCDA Guidelines (graduate-level credit and degree advancements), Sioux Falls School District. Checked
- GCDA Course/Program Approval Rubric, Sioux Falls School District. Checked
- GCDA Checklist/Reference Guide, Sioux Falls School District. Checked
- GCDA lack of rigor syllabus sample, Sioux Falls School District. Checked
- Continuing Education, Sioux Falls School District. Checked
- ARSD chapter 24:28:17, certificate renewal, South Dakota Legislature. Checked
Reviewed November 12, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error