Short answer
How do LCPS teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Complete the Salary Supplement Application Form and send it with official transcripts to the Department of Human Resources and Talent Development. Scale A has six lanes. BA+15 and BA+30 need 15 or 30 graduate-level hours; MA+30 needs 30 graduate-level hours beyond the master's, earned before or after it, at a regionally accredited university.
Source: LCPS 2026-2027 Employee Calendars and Compensation Resource Guide. Checked .
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How is the LCPS teacher salary schedule organized?
Teachers in Loudoun are paid on Scale A, which the district labels "Certified Bargaining Unit Positions." The FY27 adopted version has six lanes, in the district's wording: Bachelor's Technical & License, Bachelor's Plus 15, Bachelor's Plus 30, Master's, Master's Plus 30 and Doctoral. Rows run from step 1 to step 30.
Two notes printed under the grid change how teachers should read it. First, "steps do not equate to years of experience," so a teacher with twelve years in the classroom is not automatically on step 12. Second, the FY27 scales already include every negotiated collective bargaining component, such as cost-of-living increases and paid holidays.
The base grid assumes a 200-day contract. The 2026-27 calendar grid explains that a standard teacher year is 200 days, made up of 194 scheduled workdays, 3 unscheduled workdays and 3 paid holidays, running from August 10, 2026 to June 15, 2027. Other Scale A titles work longer calendars, from 203 days for program teachers to 223 days for high band teachers and Academies of Loudoun CTE teachers and 254 days for Virtual Loudoun teachers. The classification and compensation page links accessible versions of every scale.
New to reading a grid like this? Our guide to how to read a salary schedule covers steps and lanes.
Which units count toward an LCPS column change?
The compensation guide's Salary Scale Definitions spell out each lane. Apart from the non-degree Technical Professional License route in the first lane, every definition pairs the education requirement with a current, valid Virginia teaching license.
- Bachelor and Technical Professional License: a non-degree Technical Professional License, or a bachelor's degree.
- Bachelor's Degree Plus 15 Graduate Hours: a bachelor's degree plus 15 graduate-level hours.
- Bachelor's Degree Plus 30 Graduate Hours: a bachelor's degree plus 30 graduate-level hours.
- Master's Degree: a master's degree.
- Master's Degree Plus 30 Graduate Hours: a master's plus 30 graduate-level hours completed before or after the master's was awarded, not counting courses used to obtain the bachelor's or master's.
- Doctoral Degree: a doctorate.
Two consequences stand out. Undergraduate hours have no role in the plus lanes; every hour in the definitions is graduate-level. And Loudoun is relaxed about timing for MA+30. A teacher who took graduate-level courses before enrolling in a master's program can count them, provided those courses were not part of either degree.
Note 1 under the definitions adds the quality test: a degree or coursework toward a degree must be completed for academic credit at a regionally accredited university. Professional development that carries no academic credit does not meet that wording. Our page on units that count explains how to tell academic credit from continuing-education hours on a transcript.
Does LCPS require approval before you take a course?
The compensation guide describes no pre-approval step. Instead, Note 3 places the burden on the teacher: "Initiative for application and responsibility for proper confirmation of accredited coursework rests with the license holder." In practice that means checking accreditation and graduate level yourself before you pay tuition.
The request itself is a single form. Note 2 says that to apply for a salary lane change, the Salary Supplement Application Form must be completed and forwarded to the Department of Human Resources and Talent Development along with official transcripts showing that the courses were completed or the degree awarded. A teacher who wants a second opinion before enrolling can read our article on whether a district will accept a course.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
The 2026-27 guide prints one deadline, and it is for new hires: required paperwork, including experience verification forms, goes to the employee's licensure specialist within 90 business days of the start date.
For a current teacher moving lanes mid-career, the guide does not state a filing cutoff or the date the new lane begins, and it says nothing either way about retroactive pay. Given Note 3, the safe course is to file the application as soon as the final grade posts and the official transcript can be sent. Our transcript deadlines article covers how long official transcripts typically take to issue.
Do the same units count toward Virginia license renewal?
Graduate-level hours that move a Loudoun teacher across Scale A also earn Virginia renewal points: 30 points per semester hour toward the 270 points a ten-year license requires, or 20 per quarter hour. A teacher who completes the 15 hours for Bachelor's Plus 15 inside one validity period has met the college-credit route with points to spare. The full point table and its conditions are in the Virginia renewal rules.
The reverse does not hold. Virginia allows renewal without any college coursework, through conferences, curriculum development and other activities, and none of those meet Loudoun's requirement of academic credit at a regionally accredited university. Our explainer on renewal credit and salary credit walks through the difference, and the Virginia state guide compares Loudoun with nearby divisions.
Where can LCPS teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, LCPS 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 LCPS's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What LCPS says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | LCPS: Graduate-level academic credit from a regionally accredited university | 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 | LCPS: New hires: 90 business days from start date | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | LCPS: None described; the teacher checks accreditation | 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)
- CE Credits Online: self-paced, 180 days, units through Valley City State, Augustana, Adams State or Cal Poly Humboldt; from $449 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)
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 LCPS has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
LCPS salary questions teachers ask
Can Loudoun MA+30 hours come from before my master's?
Yes. The 2026-27 definitions accept graduate-level hours completed before or after the master's was awarded, as long as they were not used to obtain the bachelor's or the master's.
What form do I use for a lane change in LCPS?
The Salary Supplement Application Form, sent with official transcripts to the Department of Human Resources and Talent Development.
Does my LCPS step match my years of experience?
Not necessarily. A note on Scale A states that steps do not equate to years of experience.
Do undergraduate courses count toward Bachelor's Plus 15 in Loudoun?
No. Both bachelor's plus lanes are defined in graduate-level hours, completed for academic credit at a regionally accredited university.
Where can LCPS teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
LCPS 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, CE Credits Online, Connected Classroom Courses, Credits for Teachers and Dominican CA Online. 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
- 2026-2027 Employee Calendars and Compensation Resource Guide, Loudoun County Public Schools, Human Resources & Talent Development. Checked
- FY27 Adopted Salary Scale A, 200 days, Certified Bargaining Unit Positions, Loudoun County Public Schools. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error