Educator Certification

Salary adjustments take place two times per year: July 1 and Feb 1.

*Salary adjustments can take up to 45 business days from the document submission deadline (shown above in center column) to be procesesd. All pay adjustments reflect the above negotiated dates, not the date processed.

• As long as you’ve met the requirements by the submission deadline, we will process your lane change retroactively.
• It’s important respond promptly to any requests for additional documentation.

New as of July 1, 2022

STEP 1: Verify that your professional education is up to date and accurately reflects all coursework.

To access/verify Professional Education:

• www.fcps.org, =>For Staff Tab=>Employee Portal=>Employee Self Service
• Sign in with your username and password. You will be prompted to do so twice for security reasons.
• On the blank Oracle page click the drop down Main Menu at top left of the page.
• Go to: =>FCPS Menu=>Employee Self Service=> Personnel Information =>Professional Education
• You will see a list of all post BA credits recorded in your file to date.
• At the bottom of the page, there is a count of graduate credits AND a count of MSDE/undergrad credit. A grand total is also provided.

What should I do if there are courses missing from my Professional Education?

• You can monitor your progress and verify that we’ve entered all your coursework through Employee Self Service. All coursework can be viewed under Professional Education.
• If we’ve missed something, contact HR via email (CourseApproval@fcps.org) indicating the Course #, Course Title, the approximate semester/year the coursework was completed, and the college or university where you took the course.
• HR will add the course to your Professional Education upon verification by official transcript.

What must I submit to get credit for the coursework that I have completed?

• Official transcripts are required for ALL salary changes. We cannot accept photocopies, scanned copies, unofficial transcripts or grade reports.
• If you’ve earned a Master’s degree, please ensure that the transcript states that the degree was conferred.
• For a course to be counted toward salary adjustments, you must receive a grade of C or better.
• For courses that are graded S or P (or any grading method other than A, B, C, D, F), you must submit with your transcript an official letter on college letterhead including your name and the course number and course title for which you received the S or P (or non-traditional grade) that states that the grade of S or P for your specific course is equal to a grade of C or better.

STEP 2: Verify that you meet the requirements for a lane change using the table above under "Lanes and Requirements."

STEP 3: Submit your request and documentation by the deadlines for review for salary adjustment using the Salary Lane Change Request Form.

• An automated successfully submitted email confirmation will be sent to you
• You will receive an email informing you when your request has been reviewed and  the pay adjustment has been made. Afterward, you verify your information in Employee Self Service.

Do I have to complete a course approval form for all coursework or just for courses for which I want reimbursement?

• IMPORTANT: Our negotiated contracts require approval prior to enrolling in coursework for all coursework or Praxis tests, even if you aren’t planning on submitting for tuition reimbursement.
• We verify coursework requests meet specific requirements as determined by COMAR (for certificated staff) and progresses the employee’s skills in either current job or for promotional purposes at FCPS.
• Certificated staff are responsible for knowing the requirements needed for certification renewal. See specific details. If you want us to verify that a specific course will fulfill your certification requirements (i.e. a reading credit requirement), indicate so on your request and we will gladly verify for you.
• Information about tuition benefits, including access to the coursework approval forms are available at FCPS.ORG, under the For Staff section. Click on the gold Staff apple at the top-right of the page.

The Senior Teacher Waiver (STW) states that renewal requirements for professionally certificated employees may be waived if:

1. the employee is 55 years or older
   OR
2. the employee has at least 25 years in public school service.

To request a review of your credentials to confirm eligibility for the Senior Teacher Waiver, complete the following form: Senior Teacher Waiver Eligibility Form.

After the form is submitted, your name is added to the queue for review. Once reviewed, you will receive an email regarding the status of your eligibility.

If I have Senior Teacher Waiver applied, am I still able to access my remaining tuition benefits?
YES. Senior Teacher Waiver waives you of any credits needed for certificate renewal. However, it does not limit your remaining tuition benefits, ability to take courses, or salary lane changes.

If I have Senior Teacher Waiver applied, do I need to do anything further for my certificate renewal?
YES. Even with Senior Teacher Waiver applied, you will still be responsible for submitting an application in the MSDE TEACH Portal to "Renew My Unexpired Certificate" when your certificate is up for renewal. You will not need to
upload transcripts, or credits, but you will need to update personal information and a few other tabs in order for your renewal to be processed.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SCHOOL COUNSELORS - Senior Teacher Waiver DOES NOT waive the one credit Lauryn's Law requirement. Any School Counselors with Senior Teacher Waiver applied is waived of all renewal credits EXCEPT for the Lauryn's Law one credit requirement.