Last modified: March 3, 2025

5320 Procedure 4: Salary Level Advancement Activities for Professional Educator Licensed Employees

Download 5320 Procedure 4: Salary Level Advancement Activities for Professional Educator Licensed Employees

In order to receive Salary Level Advancement credit, professional learning activities must fall into the categories identified below. All professional learning should be aligned with the goals of Provo City School District. Only Professional Learning that has been completed since the previous salary advancement will be considered.

Definitions

Salary Advancement Credit: credit awarded for professional learning activities must show implementation of high impact strategies. Credit can be earned through Provo City School District Professional Development Courses; accredited colleges or universities; and USBE courses. Salary Advancement Credits must be submitted on a university transcript or the state transcription service.

Salary Advancement Cycle: referring to the time between one salary advancement and then next.

Description

College and University Course
- Credit must be recorded and presented on a college or university transcript. Official transcripts are only required if a degree is earned. (e.g., Masters, or Doctorate).
- College level courses must be successfully completed with a C grade or better, or a pass.
- No undergraduate coursework will be approved.
- A PCSD educator serving as an instructor for a college or university level course (outside of contract hours) may receive the same salary advancement credit as a student taking the same course. Each unique course shall count only once per Salary Advancement Cycle. For example, if an educator is teaching 2 sections of English 5050, worth 3 semester credits, at the local community college s/he may receive 3 Salary Level Advancement credits. The course may be documented through a memo from the dean or department chair of the college or university that sponsored the course.
USBE Credit:
- Shall be state-approved under USBE Administrative Rule R277-315.
- Shall be pre-approved and verified through the USBE professional development tracking system.
- A PCSD educator serving as the instructor of a USBE course will receive credit equivalent to an individual who successfully completed the same course. Instructors of USBE courses will receive salary advancement credit once per unique course taught per salary advancement cycle.
PCSD Salary Advancement Credits:
- Salary Advancement Credit may be earned by successfully completing PCSD professional development courses.
- A school principal may apply to the MTSS Committee for approval to oversee a PCSD professional development course for his or her staff by emailing a director of HR details including the learning targets of the professional development, the resources used, and the implementation timeline for skills and strategies learned through the professional development. The written proposal will be approved by the district’s MTSS Committee.
  - Credit for successful completion of the course must be registered on the state’s current credit transcription service as PCSD Salary Advancement Credit.
  - Credit will be awarded at the following ratio: 1 credit for minimum of 6 hours seat time (i.e. direct instruction at a faculty meeting or time spent in a book study) plus a minimum of 18 hours of implementation in the employee’s classroom or work setting.
- Individuals or teams of educators may apply to design and engage in an “Individualized Professional Development Course” aligned to published district or school goals. The employee’s supervisor must approve all applications. Please direct questions to the district’s Human Resources Department Applications will be approved by the employee’s principal. The District MTSS Committee will adjudicate any conflicts regarding applications.
  - Credit for successful completion of the course must be registered on the state’s transcription service as PCSD Salary Advancement Credit. An employee may receive 1 Salary Advancement Credit per approved “Individualized Professional Development Course” upon completion of at least 6 hours of seat time (i.e. book study, etc.) plus a minimum of 18 hours of implementation of one or more strategies or ideas.
  - A document must be provided to the principal for final approval which must include proof of original authorization of the “Individualized Professional Development Course”, log of book study or other learning activities, and written refection of implementation of strategy or idea. This same document will be submitted to HR when employee applies for a Salary Advancement. A total of 4 Salary Advancement Credits can be earned in this category per Salary Advancement Cycle.
Conference Attendance with Strategy Implementation: Attending a conference can provide a wealth of new ideas to bring back to the classroom or work setting. While many conferences are useful, Salary Advancement Credit is prioritized for conferences that are specifically job related. To receive Salary Advancement Credit for attending a conference, an employee must implement one or more strategies or ideas learned at the conference and complete the following expectations:
- Preapproval from supervisor (prior to conference attendance).
- Implementation of one or more strategies or ideas into your professional practice.
- Written reflection of implementation of strategy or idea: including what went well, what can be improved, key data points related to implementation, and a how you plan to move forward.
- Submit proof of conference registration and written reflection to your principal or supervisor for approval then submit to HR along with the Salary Advancement Application when applying for Salary Advancement. PEA provided form could be linked here.
- Salary Advancement Credit for Conference Attendance with Strategy Implementation will be recorded in the state’s transcription service as “PCSD Salary Advancement Credit”.
- An employee may receive 1 Salary Advancement Credit per conference attended upon completion a the following ratio: 1 credit for a minimum of 6 hours of seat time and a minimum of 18 hours of implementation of one or more strategies or ideas.
- A total of 4 Salary Advancement Credits can be earned in this category per Salary Advancement Cycle.
Other Salary Advancement Credit Options
- Utah College/University-Sponsored Cooperating Teachers: PCSD Salary Advancement Credit may be awarded to teachers who successfully mentor a student teacher from a USBE approved teacher preparation program. A maximum of 1 credit may be earned per year with a maximum or 2 credits per Salary Advancement Cycle.
- Leadership in a District Approved Educational Organization PCSD Salary Advancement Credit may be earned if an educator serves as a leader in a district approved educational organization, such as UCTE, UTCM, UMEA, and PEA. Contact the Human Resources Director over salary advancement for approval. 2 Salary Advancement Credits will be awarded for one year of service as organization president, 1 credit for service as a member of the board or in other leadership capacity per Salary Advancement cycle. A maximum of 4 Salary Advancement Credits can be earned in this category per Salary Advancement cycle.
- Content and Pedagogy Testing: Educators may earn 2 Salary Advancement Credits for successful completion of a content or pedagogy exam that adds a teaching endorsement to a teacher’s license. Exams must be USBE approved and required for current PCSD position. Approved exams are typically Praxis II Content Knowledge or Principles of Learning and Teaching tests used for earning a new license area endorsement. Exams approved for licensure in another state but not approved by USBE will not be approved by PCSD. Exams must be passed with a score established by the USBE. Exams scores must be documented by an official test report from the test sponsor. No more than 2 credits will be awarded per Salary Advancement cycle.

Revised: September 27, 2024