Educational Psychology
Self-paced online Educational Psychology course (Psychology 120). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
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Do credits still move you on a Washington salary schedule?
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
Washington's renewal rule and teacher pay are separate. OSPI counts college credit toward the 100 renewal clock hours at 15 hours per semester credit. Whether credits move you on a salary schedule is up to your district. Read your district's salary schedule and ask payroll in writing which credits count before you enrol.
Two different questions
Teachers often ask one question that is really two. The first is whether a course counts for renewal. That is OSPI's rule: 100 clock hours, with college credit converted at 15 clock hours per semester credit under WAC 181-85-030. The second is whether the course raises your pay. That is your district's decision.
A course can count for one and not the other. Find out both answers before you pay.
- Renewal: OSPI and chapter 181-85 WAC.
- Pay: your district's salary schedule and its own rules for counting credit.
What to ask your district payroll office
Send a short email and keep the reply. The answers decide whether college credit is worth it for you.
- Does the salary schedule have credit columns, and how many credits move me to the next one?
- Must credits be earned after my degree, or after a certain date?
- Do undergraduate (100 or 200 level) credits count, or only graduate credits?
- Do credits from an accredited college that transcribed ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses count?
- Do clock hours count toward columns as well, and at what rate?
- When must the transcript arrive to change my pay for this school year?
Where college credit can do double duty
If your district counts undergraduate credit after the degree, the same course can serve both purposes: it converts to clock hours for renewal and it may count toward your salary placement. Two three-credit courses give 90 clock hours for renewal.
If your district counts only graduate credit, undergraduate courses can still help with renewal but will not change your pay. UPI Study courses are undergraduate-level, so this is the first thing to ask.
There is a third case too. Some teachers do not need a pay change at all, because they are already at the top column or plan to move districts. For them the only question is renewal, and the conversion rate in WAC 181-85-030 is the whole answer: 15 clock hours for every semester credit on an accredited college transcript.
How the credit has to reach the district
Both OSPI and districts read transcripts. UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited, so our courses need an accredited college to evaluate them and post the credit. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit. Ask the college how it would list the courses, then send its official transcript to OSPI and to your district.
A simple order of steps
Following the steps in this order avoids paying for credit that does neither job.
- Ask payroll in writing how credits count on your salary schedule.
- Ask OSPI in writing whether the credit route fits your renewal.
- Ask the college how it evaluates the courses.
- Enrol, finish, and get the college transcript.
- Send the transcript to OSPI and to payroll, and keep copies.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask the OSPI Certification Office in writing whether college credit from an accredited college that transcribed ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses counts toward your 100 clock hours, and which requirement it can meet, before you enrol.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
Does OSPI decide my salary placement?
No. OSPI's continuing education rule decides renewal. Salary placement is set by your district, so the district's salary schedule and its payroll office answer whether a credit raises your pay. Ask them in writing and keep the reply with your records.
Do undergraduate credits move teachers on a salary schedule?
It depends on the district. Some districts count only graduate credit, others count some undergraduate credit earned after the degree. Read your district's salary schedule and ask payroll in writing before you pay for any undergraduate course.
Can one course count for renewal and pay at once?
It can, if both OSPI and your district count it. The renewal side converts credit at 15 clock hours per semester credit. The pay side is your district's rule. Get both answers in writing first.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
Self-paced online Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course (Computer Science 373). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
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Psychology of Diversity
Self-paced online Psychology of Diversity course (Psychology 112). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
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Two courses can equal 90 clock hours once an accredited college puts them on its transcript.
Sources
- OSPI: Educator clock hour information (official)Teachers and CTE educators need 100 clock hours or equivalents, including 15 Equity-Based School Practices hours and 15 STEM hours for certain endorsements; one quarter hour of college credit = 10 clock hours, one semester hour = 15; hours must be completed after the issue date of the certificate being renewed; the same hours cannot meet two requirements. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Chapter 181-85 WAC: Professional certification - continuing education requirement (official)WAC 181-85-030: fifteen hours per semester hour credit and ten per quarter hour credit; WAC 181-85-025(1): college or university credit, normally 100 level or higher, awarded by an accredited institution of higher education. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.