Short answer
How do Madison teachers move to a higher track on the salary schedule?
Madison teachers reach Tracks 2, 3, 5 and 6 (BA+12, BA+24, MA+12 and MA+24) with academic credits, professional advancement credits or both. Tracks 1, 4, 7 and 8 require degree evidence on official transcripts. Credit evidence must reach Human Resources by 5:00 p.m. October 1 for a retroactive first-semester adjustment, or by 5:00 p.m. February 1 for the second semester.
Source: Employee Handbook, Madison Metropolitan School District, Addendum A, sections 1.1 and 1.4. Checked .
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How is the Madison teacher salary schedule organized?
The Teachers 192 Salary Schedule for 2026-2027 is an annual 192-day contract schedule with eight tracks across the top:
- Track 1 BA, Track 2 BA+12, Track 3 BA+24.
- Track 4 MA, Track 5 MA+12, Track 6 MA+24.
- Track 7 MA+48, which the schedule footnotes as "48 Academic Credits or 2nd Master's."
- Track 8 PhD or MFA.
Experience runs down the side as lettered levels, and the handbook sets "The base shall be Track 1, Level A." Wisconsin law limits teacher bargaining to base wages under Wis. Stat. § 111.70(4)(mb), so Madison's track rules are in the board-approved handbook rather than a negotiated contract. We do not reproduce the dollar figures. Our article on salary lane names explains why districts use different words for the same idea.
Which credits count toward a Madison track change?
Addendum A of the employee handbook sets the rules:
- Degree tracks. "Track1 (BA), Track 4 (MA),Track 7 (48 academic credits or second MA if the second MA was earned after 9/1/85), and Track 8 (PH.D., Ed.D., M.F.A.) shall be achieved only on degree evidence presented on official transcripts."
- Tracks 2 and 3. "There shall be no limitations on the type of approved credits which may be used for Track 2 or 3."
- Tracks 5 and 6. Credits must have been earned after the award date of the master's degree.
- Two kinds of credit. "Either academic and/or professional advancement credits may be used for track transfer to Tracks 2, 3, 5, and 6." A professional advancement credit may be "An academic credit as evaluated by the University of Wisconsin, or Established by the Professional Advancement Study Committee."
- Earlier credits. "Academic credits earned prior to employment in the District may be accumulated" for track placement, but "Professional Development credits earned prior to the teachers start date will not be granted."
- Accumulation. "All credits earned can be accumulated for horizontal track transfer where such credits can be applied."
Section 1.6 gives the Professional Advancement Credit (PAC) Committee "the responsibility to review professional advancement course, conditions necessary to obtain credits and credits allotted for each course." The district's PAC page showed "Coming Soon" when we checked, so the committee's current parameters were not posted. Our units that count article covers what to look for on a transcript.
Does Madison require approval before you take a course?
The handbook sets no pre-approval step for academic credits; teachers file evidence of credits with the Department of Human Resources. Professional advancement credits are a different route: the PAC Committee reviews each course and the credits allotted to it, and the district posts PAC request forms, which note that "Requests that exceed 3 PACs require pre-approval from the PAC committee. Without approval, all requests are capped at 3 PACs." Because a professional advancement credit may be "An academic credit as evaluated by the University of Wisconsin," ask Human Resources how an outside transcript will be read before you enroll; our will my district accept it checklist lists the questions.
When is credit evidence due, and when does the new track start?
Section 1.4 of the handbook sets three dates:
- July 1, 5:00 p.m. Credits on file by then are "reflected in the paycheck received on October 1," the first payday of the year.
- October 1, 5:00 p.m. Evidence received by then brings "a retroactive adjustment in the teacher's salary for the first semester."
- February 1, 5:00 p.m. Evidence received by then brings a retroactive adjustment for the second semester.
"Any retroactive payments due teachers pursuant to this subsection shall be paid in a lump sum." A summer course with a transcript in hand by July 1 is paid from the first check; one that arrives in September still counts for the full first semester if it is filed by October 1. Our page on transcript deadlines explains how these windows work.
Do Madison teachers need credits for license renewal?
Usually not. Wisconsin's lifetime Tier III license needs no renewal credits; it stays valid as long as the holder is regularly employed in education and completes a background check every five years, under chapter PI 34 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code. A Tier II license is valid for three years and renewable. In Madison, then, coursework is mainly a salary decision. The details are in the Wisconsin renewal section of our Wisconsin guide.
Where can MMSD teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, MMSD 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 MMSD's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Before you enroll: Madison's employee handbook says a professional advancement credit may be "An academic credit as evaluated by the University of Wisconsin, or Established by the Professional Advancement Study Committee," and that credits for Tracks 5 and 6 must be earned after the master's degree was awarded. Ask the Department of Human Resources how a specific course and transcript will be evaluated before you enroll.
| Question | What MMSD says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | MMSD: Academic or PAC credits; after the master's for Tracks 5 and 6 | 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 | MMSD: October 1 or February 1, 5:00 p.m.; July 1 for the first paycheck | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | MMSD: Not for academic credits; PAC Committee; more than 3 PACs need pre-approval | 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)
- VESi: self-paced online, 2- or 3-unit courses on special-needs instruction, units through University of the Pacific; $444 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 MMSD has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Madison salary questions teachers ask
How many credits move a Madison teacher to the next track?
The track names count in twelves: BA+12 and BA+24 before the master's, MA+12 and MA+24 after it. Track 7 takes 48 academic credits or a second master's earned after September 1, 1985.
Do credits earned before my master's count for MA+12?
No. Credits used for Tracks 5 and 6 must have been earned after the master's degree was awarded.
What is a professional advancement credit?
A credit approved by the district's Professional Advancement Credit Committee, or an academic credit as evaluated by the University of Wisconsin. Either kind can be used for Tracks 2, 3, 5 and 6.
When is the Madison deadline for a track change?
5:00 p.m. October 1 for a retroactive first-semester adjustment and 5:00 p.m. February 1 for the second semester. Credits on file by July 1 appear in the October 1 paycheck.
Where can MMSD teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
MMSD 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 VESi. 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
- Employee Handbook, Addendum A: Teachers, Madison Metropolitan School District. Checked
- Teachers 192 Salary Schedule, 2026-2027, Madison Metropolitan School District. Checked
- Professional Advancement Credits (PACs), Madison Metropolitan School District. Checked
- PAC request forms, Madison Metropolitan School District. Checked
- Wis. Stat. § 111.70(4)(mb), Wisconsin Legislature. Checked
- Wis. Admin. Code chapter PI 34, Wisconsin Legislature. Checked
Reviewed November 12, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error