Short answer
How do Jordan teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Jordan teachers gain Salary Levels for education: two at BA+20 semester credits, two more at BA+40, one for a master's, two at MA+30 and two for a doctorate. Hours must come after the bachelor's and original license. An official transcript received before the 15th shows up on the following month's paycheck.
Source: Licensed Negotiated Agreement 2026-27 and Policy DP309 NEG, Jordan School District. Checked .
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How is the Jordan teacher salary schedule organized?
The traditional teacher schedule for 2026-27 is the C Schedule: 187 days at eight hours a day, running from August 10, 2026 to June 7, 2027. It prints a single column, labeled Lane Z, with 45 Salary Levels. Each level's annual figure combines base pay and the state Educator Salary Adjustment. Education does not open a second column; it adds levels on top of the ones a teacher earns for years of service.
That design changes how you should read the published schedule. A teacher who finishes 20 semester credits does not look for a "BA+20" column. They find their current level and count two rows down. Our guide on how to read a salary schedule covers the more common grid, which makes Jordan's approach easier to compare.
New hires are placed by education first. Under the agreement and DP309 NEG, Salary Guidelines, a new teacher with no experience starts at:
- Level 1 with a bachelor's degree;
- Level 3 with a bachelor's plus 20 semester credits;
- Level 5 with a bachelor's plus 40 semester credits;
- Level 6 with a master's degree;
- Level 8 with a master's plus 30 semester credits;
- Level 10 with a doctorate.
Experienced hires receive full credit for years of service, up to a ceiling that depends on education. DP309 NEG sets those maximum starting levels at 13 for a bachelor's, 16 for BA+20, 23 for BA+40, 28 for a master's, 31 for MA+30 and 32 for a doctorate. Hires in areas of critical need may be placed above them.
Two rules in the agreement's notes affect movement. Per Utah Code 53G-11-518, an employee whose most recent evaluation sits at the lowest level of the instrument may not advance on the schedule. And teachers receive one additional Salary Level beginning with their 21st year as a licensed employee; those years need not be consecutive.
Which units count toward a Jordan column change?
For teachers already on the schedule, the agreement's Continuing Education Advancement table is the whole map:
- Bachelor's plus 20 semester credits: add 2 levels (2 in total);
- Bachelor's plus 40 semester credits: add 2 levels (4 in total);
- Master's degree: add 1 level (5 in total);
- Master's plus 30 semester credits: add 2 levels (7 in total);
- Doctorate: add 2 levels (9 in total).
The agreement defines Educational Attainment as hours earned beyond and after the bachelor's degree and the original teaching license. Coursework that was part of your first license program does not count, even if you finished it after graduation.
DP309 NEG adds a narrower rule for people new to the district: only graduate hours beyond the original certificate and bachelor's count toward initial placement. Undergraduate hours taken after the original certificate can count for a new hire only if one or more district administrators recommend them to the Local Professional Improvement Committee (LPIC) as meeting an identified district need. Because that sentence is written about new employees, a current teacher planning undergraduate coursework should ask Human Resources how those hours will be treated before enrolling. Graduate-level credit avoids the question.
Licensure route matters too. Teachers on an Associate or Alternative Level License can gain at most four levels, one per year after initial placement, until they hold a Professional Educator License; DP309 NEG says alternative-pathway teachers are not eligible for an educational advancement change until the professional license is issued. For how districts weigh coursework more generally, see which units count.
Does Jordan require approval before you take a course?
For university coursework, neither the 2026-27 agreement nor DP309 NEG describes a pre-approval form. The check happens at the end: Human Resources reviews the official transcript you submit and decides whether the hours meet the "beyond and after" definition.
The one advance-approval step in DP309 NEG is the LPIC route for a new hire's undergraduate hours. An administrator's written recommendation and supporting evidence go to the LPIC no later than the first week of August for year-round schedules, or the first week of September for traditional schedules, so the committee can decide before the first payroll. If you are unsure whether a course will be counted, ask before you register; our note on whether a district will accept a course lists the questions to put to HR.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Jordan runs on a monthly cycle rather than a once-a-year window. DP309 NEG says a salary lane change is awarded when Human Resources receives proof of eligibility as an official transcript, including an electronic transcript sent to HR directly by an accredited institution. If that proof arrives before the 15th of the month, the change appears on the paycheck issued the following month. Jordan pays on the 25th, moved to the previous working day when the 25th falls on a weekend or holiday.
Worked example: a teacher at Level 9 with a bachelor's plus 38 semester credits finishes a two-credit summer course. The university sends an electronic transcript that reaches HR on September 12. The teacher now has BA+40, which adds two levels, and the change should appear on the October paycheck. Had the transcript arrived on September 16, it would wait a month.
The policy does not describe back pay for a transcript that arrives late, so order transcripts as soon as grades post. Our guide to transcript deadlines explains why the arrival date, not the course end date, usually controls.
Do the same units count toward Utah license renewal?
Often, yes, but the two systems count differently. The Utah State Board of Education renews a Professional Educator License every five years with 100 renewal hours, counted one hour per clock hour, and the renewal window runs from January 1 to June 30 of the expiration year. A university course can serve both purposes; plain relicensure hours generally move only the license. The Utah renewal rules are on our Utah state guide.
Where can Jordan teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Jordan 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 Jordan's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What Jordan says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Jordan: Semester credits after the BA and original license; new hires: graduate hours | 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 | Jordan: Before the 15th of any month | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Jordan: None for university courses; LPIC for new-hire undergraduate 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)
- 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)
- TLC Graduate Credits: self-paced, units through CSU Pueblo; $425 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Upward Teachers: self-paced, 1 to 6 months, letter grade, units through UMass Global; $240 sale 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 Jordan has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Jordan salary questions teachers ask
How many Salary Levels does a master's degree add in Jordan?
One. A teacher already at BA+40 gains one more level for a master's, for five education levels in total. A new hire with a master's and no experience starts at Level 6.
What is the Jordan School District lane change deadline?
There is no single annual deadline. An official transcript received by Human Resources before the 15th of a month produces the change on the next month's paycheck, under Policy DP309 NEG.
Do credits from my teacher licensure program count for Jordan Continuing Education Advancement?
No. The 2026-27 agreement counts hours earned beyond and after the bachelor's degree and the original teaching license.
Can a Jordan teacher on an alternative license move up for coursework?
Only to a limit. Associate and Alternative Level License holders can advance at most four levels, one per year, until they earn a Professional Educator License.
Where can Jordan teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Jordan 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, PD Courses (University of La Verne), Teaching Channel, TLC Graduate Credits and Upward 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
- Licensed Negotiated Agreement 2026-2027, Jordan School District Board of Education and Jordan Education Association. Checked
- Teacher Salary Schedule (C Schedule) Traditional, 187 days, 2026-27, Jordan School District Human Resources. Checked
- DP309 NEG, Salary Guidelines, Jordan School District Policy Manual. Checked
- Renew an Educator License, Utah State Board of Education. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error