Courses for West Virginia Teachers

West Virginia Professional Teaching Certificate holders must complete 6 semester hours of eligible college coursework (with a minimum 3.0 GPA) to renew their standard 3- or 5-year certificate. A 1-year renewal option is available for teachers who have completed only 3 semester hours. Teachers who hold a Master's +30 advanced salary classification or have reached age 60 are exempt from the coursework requirement.

Yes. WVDE Policy 5202 accepts graduate-level semester hour coursework from regionally accredited colleges and universities for certificate renewal. All of CFT's university partners — University of Massachusetts Global, Valley City State University, CSU Pueblo, and Adams State University — hold regional accreditation. A minimum 3.0 GPA is required, and official transcripts must be emailed directly from the institution to [email protected].

West Virginia uses a lane-based salary schedule where your pay is determined by your degree level and graduate credits earned. The primary lanes are: AB (Bachelor's degree), AB+15, MA (Master's degree), MA+15, MA+30, MA+45, and Doctorate. To advance lanes, you submit official transcripts to your county HR department showing the additional graduate credits earned. Many counties process lane changes at the start of the school year, though policies vary — check with your county HR department for specific timelines and requirements.

Many West Virginia counties accept graduate credits from regionally accredited universities for salary lane advancement, but policies can vary. We recommend verifying with your county HR department that credits from our university partners will count toward your salary lane advancement. Use our District Credit Approval Tool to check your specific county. Most West Virginia counties recognize credits from HLC-, CAEP-, and WSCUC-accredited institutions like our university partners.

Yes — this is one of the most powerful aspects of earning graduate credits through CFT. The same official transcript from your university partner can be submitted to WVDE for certificate renewal credit and to your county HR department for salary lane advancement. You earn the renewal credit and the lane advancement simultaneously from a single course investment.

Official transcripts must be emailed directly from the college or university to [email protected] — applicants cannot submit their own transcripts. Once your transcript is received, apply online through the WVDE Certification Portal at wveis.k12.wv.us/certportal using Form 4T and pay the $35 application fee. If you are employed in a county school system, your county superintendent's recommendation is also required. Renewal applications can only be submitted after January 1 of the year the certificate expires.

West Virginia's advanced salary classification is a designation for teachers who hold a Master's degree plus 30 additional graduate credits (MA+30). Teachers who achieve this classification are exempt from the 6-hour coursework renewal requirement — meaning they can renew their certificate without completing additional coursework. This classification also places teachers in one of the highest salary lanes on the state schedule, resulting in significantly higher annual pay. Earning credits through CFT is one of the most efficient paths to reaching this classification.

Yes. All Credits for Teachers courses are 100% online and self-paced. There are no set class times, no live sessions to attend, and no commuting. Most teachers complete a 3-credit course in 4–8 weeks while continuing to teach full-time. You can work on coursework during evenings, weekends, or summer break — entirely on your own schedule.