Short answer
How do Canyons teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Canyons adds Increment Levels instead of columns. A master's degree adds six, a doctorate six more, and semester hours earned after July 1, 2017 add one level at each of 20, 40, 60 and 80 hours. Submit the application and official transcript before the month's last working day; the change starts on the 1st.
Source: Policy 410.07, Salary Guidelines and the 2026-27 Licensed Salary Schedule L186, Canyons School District. Checked .
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How is the Canyons teacher salary schedule organized?
The standard teacher contract for 2026-27 is Licensed Salary Schedule L186: 186 days, full time at eight hours a day, from August 10, 2026 to May 27, 2027. Sixteen hours of preparation time outside the contracted days are built into the base contract. The district also posts versions for longer contracts, such as L196, using the same Increment Level structure.
Each schedule is one list of Increment Levels. The printed sheet shows levels 1 through 40, and a note says levels continue beyond what is printed. There is no separate column for a bachelor's, a master's or BA+30, which is why Canyons calls the process an Education Enhancement rather than a lane change. Our explainer on salary lane names shows how this approach compares with lettered or BA+ columns elsewhere.
Initial placement for a new hire follows three steps printed on the schedule:
- Find the educator's Education Enhancement Increment Level from degrees and later semester hours.
- Add prior contracted licensed experience in an accredited school system, one level per year, up to fifteen years. Two half years, one of them at least 92 days, combine into one year. Canyons experience receives full credit, and Utah Retirement System retirees may receive up to fifteen levels for experience.
- Add one more Increment Level.
The district's own example: a new hire with a master's degree, 20 additional semester hours and four years of experience is placed on Increment Level 12. Working it through, the master's contributes six levels, the 20 hours one more, the four years four more, and the final step one, for twelve. The schedule also notes that placement is contingent on verification of education and experience.
Which units count toward a Canyons column change?
Degrees count once. A bachelor's adds nothing; a master's from an accredited university adds six Increment Levels; a doctorate adds six more. Beyond the degrees, Canyons counts semester hours that meet three tests: awarded after July 1, 2017, not used toward a degree already counted, and relevant to education or to the teacher's assignment. Each threshold of 20, 40, 60 and 80 such hours is worth one level.
Policy 410.07 lists what current licensed employees may submit for an Education Enhancement:
- credit earned from an accredited university;
- Utah State Board of Education (USBE) approved credit;
- district-approved credit;
- in-service credit approved by the Local Professional Improvement Committee (LPIC), under Policy 400.12.
Human Resources' written instructions add detail on state-tracked hours: every credit in MIDAS, the USBE professional learning system, counts toward an Education Enhancement except re-licensure hours. LETRS literacy training cannot be counted twice; a teacher can claim it through a university or through MIDAS, not both.
New hires have a slightly different list. They may use university credits beyond the original educator license and bachelor's, USBE credit earned after July 2005, earlier USBE credit only with LPIC approval, and other credit the LPIC approves. A teacher earning a USBE Professional Educator License may also use licensure-required education or pedagogy credits earned after July 1, 2020, once that license is posted in USBE records.
The relevance test is the one most worth checking in advance. A graduate-level credit course in classroom practice fits easily; an unrelated elective may not. Our article on units that count walks through how districts apply that kind of test.
Does Canyons require approval before you take a course?
Not for accredited university coursework. Policy 410.07 describes no approval step before enrolling; the review happens when you file. What the district does require is paperwork after the fact: a completed Application for Education Enhancement Change form plus proof of eligibility as an official transcript, or the MIDAS PDF for state-tracked hours.
LPIC approval is the exception. In-service hours and older USBE credit count only when the committee has approved them, so ask your school or Human Resources before relying on that kind of credit. Before filing anything, Human Resources suggests checking what is already recorded: in Skyward, open Employee Access, then Employee Information, then Personal Information, and choose Lane/Step History. Compare that record with your transcripts so you claim only hours not yet counted. The article on pre-approval forms explains why some districts ask first and others review at the end.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Canyons processes changes monthly. Under Policy 410.07, the application and official transcript must reach Human Resources before the last working day of a month for the new level to take effect on the 1st of the following month.
There is one seasonal cutoff. Proof received after April 15 is reflected on the next school year's contract rather than the current one. A teacher who finishes a spring course in May therefore sees the added level on the following year's contract.
A worked example: a teacher at Increment Level 15 who already counted 20 post-2017 semester hours completes 20 more by early October. The application and transcript arrive in Human Resources on October 20, before the month's last working day, so Increment Level 16 applies from November 1. Policy 410.07 is silent on retroactive pay, so send the paperwork when grades post. See transcript deadlines for more on timing.
Do the same units count toward Utah license renewal?
Partly. USBE renews a Professional Educator License on a five-year cycle with 100 renewal hours, one hour per clock hour, and the license is valid through June 30 of its expiration year. Some activities serve both purposes, but Canyons excludes re-licensure hours from Education Enhancement, so a course logged only for renewal will not add a level. Our Utah renewal summary and the wider Utah state guide have the state rules.
Where can Canyons teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Canyons 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 Canyons's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What Canyons says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Canyons: Semester hours after July 1, 2017; university, USBE, district or LPIC credit | 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 | Canyons: Before the month's last working day; after April 15: next year's contract | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Canyons: Not for university courses; LPIC for in-service hours | 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 Canyons has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Canyons salary questions teachers ask
How many semester hours do I need for a Canyons Education Enhancement?
Twenty. Each block of 20, 40, 60 and 80 semester hours earned after July 1, 2017, not used for a degree and relevant to education or your assignment, adds one Increment Level.
Do MIDAS hours count toward a Canyons Education Enhancement?
Yes, except re-licensure hours, according to Human Resources' instructions. LETRS training can be counted through MIDAS or a university, not both.
When does a Canyons Education Enhancement change take effect?
On the 1st of the month after Human Resources receives the application and official transcript, if they arrive before the last working day. Proof received after April 15 goes on the next school year's contract.
How much does a master's degree move a Canyons teacher?
Six Increment Levels. A doctorate adds six more.
Where can Canyons teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Canyons 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
- Licensed Salary Schedule L186 (2026-2027), Canyons School District, revised August 5, 2026. Checked
- Policy 410.07, Salary Guidelines, Canyons School District. Checked
- Education Enhancement instructions, Canyons School District Human Resources. Checked
- Renew an Educator License, Utah State Board of Education. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error