Salary Schedule Advancement: What You Need to Know

To advance to the master's (MA) division and beyond on the regular (191-day) teacher salary schedule  , you are required to earn a master's degree.

Credits Required for Advancement Explained
Timely Filing of Credits
College Course Documentation
Advice on College Courses and Transcripts

Credits Required for Advancement Explained

You must earn 16 credits , at least nine of which must be college credits and seven of which may be MPS inservice credits for all salary schedule advancements - except the earned master's. Earning a master's degree requires all college credits , as established by your college or university. However, once you have earned a master's, you can advance with a combination of college credits (at least nine) and MPS inservice credits (a maximum of seven), totaling 16 credits.

Timely Filing of Credits

The contract spells out the following timetable for filing documentation with the MPS Division of Staffing Services, Compensation and Records, for salary schedule reclassification:

• For credits earned during the fall semester , reclassification is retroactive to the start of the MPS fall semester - if documentation is received before April 1 of the immediately following spring semester.
• For credits earned during the spring semester , reclassification is retroactive to the start of the MPS spring semester - if documentation is received before the first day of the immediately following fall MPS semester.
• For credits earned during the summer , reclassification is retroactive to the start of the following MPS fall semester if documentation is received prior to the end of the immediately following MPS fall semester.

College Course Documentation

As to documentation, the contract states: "The documentation required for a college course is an official transcript from the school at which the course was taken. However, if the completion of a course will result in a reclassification, the teacher may temporarily use an official grade report. When a grade report is used, an official transcript must be submitted before the end of the semester following the semester in which the course was taken. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in retroactive withdrawal of reclassification."

Advice on Taking College Courses and Submission of Transcripts

• Get a copy of your transcript time-stamped. In the past, there have been cases in which college transcripts have been "lost" at the MPS central office. To avoid such problems, the MTEA recommends that you personally bring your college transcript to Room 124 at the MPS central office and submit an extra copy for contemporaneous time stamping. You should retain the stamped copy of your transcript as proof of the filing date.
• File transcripts whenever you earn college credits. Do not wait until you believe you have attained enough credits to advance on the schedule. Frequently, with MPS inservice credits accumulated and/or with credits new teachers have earned beyond their BA which may apply toward advancing to the BA+16 division, teachers attain the credits they need to advance sooner than they expect.
• Not all college courses count toward advancement. Approval guidelines have been established as a result of several MTEA group grievances.
• Submit request for pre-approval. If you want assurance that a particular course will count, you should submit a written request for pre-approval from MPS. Requests should be sent to MPS at least a month prior to course registration.