Renew your Oklahoma teaching certificate and advance your salary
OSDE does not require professional development to renew a Standard Certificate. Your district does require it, and Oklahoma law ties those points to your contract and your salary increments. Model Teaching courses earn district professional development points and graduate credits that build toward a master's degree, which raises your pay under the state minimum salary schedule. Self-paced and 100% online.
Are you earning district PD points or advancing your salary?
Earn my district PD points
Complete self-paced courses that count toward the professional development points your district requires.
See what districts requireAdvance my salary
Earn graduate credits toward the master's degree that pays more on Oklahoma's state minimum salary schedule.
Explore salary advancementOklahoma teacher certification renewal requirements
A Standard Certificate is valid for 5 years. Renewal costs 50 dollars. The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) does not require professional development, continuing education, or college credit to renew it. You apply online through Single Sign-On and the Oklahoma Educator Credentialing System, and you can submit as early as 1 January of the year your certificate expires.
- A completed renewal application, submitted online through the Oklahoma Educator Credentialing System
- The 50 dollar renewal fee
- A new background check with digital fingerprinting, if your most recent certificate has been expired for more than a year
Professional development points, contact hours, continuing education units, or college credit. OSDE sets no such requirement for the Standard Certificate.
How many hours do I need?
OSDE applies the same rule to every role. There is no split by grade level or assignment. Select your role to confirm.
What you need
No state professional development requirement for certificate renewal. Your district sets a point total under Oklahoma law, and that requirement is separate from certification.
No state professional development requirement for certificate renewal. Your district sets a point total under Oklahoma law, and that requirement is separate from certification.
No state professional development requirement for certificate renewal. Your district sets a point total under Oklahoma law, and that requirement is separate from certification.
No state professional development requirement for certificate renewal. Your district sets a point total under Oklahoma law, and that requirement is separate from certification.
Professional development requirements in Oklahoma are set by your district, not by OSDE.
See district requirementsSource: OSDE, Renew Your Teacher Certification.
What coursework does for an Oklahoma teacher
Nothing is required for certificate renewal, so what follows is what coursework does instead.
- District professional development points. Model Teaching professional development courses produce a certificate of completion with the hours recorded, which is what a district committee reviews. Confirm the activity type with your committee first. (Recommended if district points are your goal.)
- Graduate credits toward a master's degree. The Oklahoma state minimum salary schedule pays more for a master's at every year of experience. Model Teaching credits roll into the Augustana University M.Ed. (Recommended if pay is your goal.)
- District salary lanes. Many Oklahoma districts pay above the state minimum and run their own schedules. Some recognise credit hours. Check your district schedule.
- Certificate reinstatement records. Coursework is not required to renew, but keeping transcripts and completion certificates makes any future district or reciprocity question straightforward.
How Model Teaching courses fit an Oklahoma teacher's plan
Model Teaching offers two course types, and Oklahoma teachers use them for different reasons. Professional development courses produce a certificate of completion with hours recorded, which is the documentation a district professional development committee reviews for points. University-partnered courses produce graduate-level semester credits from regionally accredited universities with an official transcript and letter grade, and 9 of those credits roll into the Augustana University M.Ed. That degree moves you into the master's column of the Oklahoma state minimum salary schedule. Every course is self-paced and 100% online, with 1 year of access.
Read more about Oklahoma teacher certification renewal and district professional development
Oklahoma renews the Standard Certificate on a 5-year cycle. The renewal application is submitted online through Single Sign-On and the Oklahoma Educator Credentialing System, the fee is 50 dollars, and applications open on 1 January of the year the certificate expires. OSDE does not require professional development, continuing education units, or college credit to renew. A teacher whose certificate has been expired for more than a year completes a new background check with digital fingerprinting before renewing.
Professional development has not disappeared from an Oklahoma teacher's obligations. It sits with the district. Oklahoma law requires every board of education to adopt a professional development program on the recommendation of a professional development committee appointed by the board, and requires every teacher to complete a minimum number of points annually to maintain employment. The point totals, the conversions, and the approved activity list are set locally, so two districts in the same county can require different things.
The statute is direct about what happens if a teacher does not meet those requirements. Failure may be grounds for nonrenewal of the teacher's contract by the board, and may also be grounds for nonconsideration of salary increments. That is a stronger link between professional development and employment than most states draw. It also means the useful question in Oklahoma is not what the state requires but what the district requires, and the answer lives in the district professional development plan rather than in state rule.
Salary works differently in Oklahoma than in most states. Oklahoma publishes a state minimum salary schedule set in statute, and that schedule pays by degree. The columns are Bachelor's Degree, Bachelor's plus National Board Certification, Master's Degree, Master's plus National Board Certification, and Doctor's Degree. At 0 years of experience the minimum for a bachelor's is 39,601 dollars and for a master's is 40,991 dollars. At 10 years the figures are 46,684 dollars and 48,568 dollars. The master's differential is guaranteed statewide, and it widens with experience.
The state schedule has no credit-hour columns. A teacher who completes 15 or 30 graduate hours without finishing a degree moves nothing on the state minimum. Districts are free to pay above the minimum and many do, and some district schedules do recognise credit hours in their own lanes. For salary purposes at the state level, the milestone that counts is the degree.
Oklahoma teachers also search for teaching license renewal and recertification. OSDE issues a Standard Certificate and calls the process renewal. Whichever phrase you use, the credential is the certificate, the cycle is 5 years, and the coursework you take is for your district and your salary rather than for the state. The official details are published on the OSDE renewal page, in Oklahoma Statutes 70-6-194, and in the 2025-26 State Minimum Salary Schedule.
What your Oklahoma district requires
Oklahoma law requires every school district to run a professional development program. Under 70 O.S. 6-194, each board of education adopts that program on the recommendation of a professional development committee appointed by the board. The statute states that the requirements "shall require every teacher to annually complete a minimum number of the total number of points required to maintain employment."
Failure to meet district professional development requirements "may be grounds for nonrenewal of such teacher's contract by the board." The statute adds that such failure "may also be grounds for nonconsideration of salary increments affecting the teacher."
How the points work
- Each district sets its own point total and its own conversions. No statewide number exists.
- The district professional development committee recommends the program and the activities that count.
- Points are tracked on the district's cycle, and teachers complete a minimum number annually.
- Ask your district office or your professional development committee for the current point total and the approved activity list.
Source: Oklahoma Statutes 70-6-194, District professional development programs.
There is no state approval step, and there is a district one. OSDE does not approve professional development providers, because it sets no professional development requirement. Your district professional development committee does decide what counts.
Download the syllabus from any Model Teaching course page and submit it to your committee before you enroll.
Build your own Oklahoma bundle
Buy your hours or credits once, then choose any courses until you have what your district or your degree needs.
One-time price, no per-course charges. Enough to cover most district point requirements across a cycle.
- A certificate of completion with hours recorded, for your district committee
- Choose any courses from the full professional development menu
- A downloadable syllabus for your committee, before you enroll
- Self-paced, 100% online, with 1 year of access
Need a different size? See all PD hour bundles
$289 up front, then $70 per credit as you finish. The credits roll into a master's degree.
- Official transcript and letter grade from a regionally accredited university partner
- 9 credits roll into the Augustana University M.Ed.
- The master's column of the state minimum salary schedule pays more at every year of experience
- Self-paced, 100% online, with 1 year of access
Need a different size? See all credit bundles
Graduate credits and official transcripts are issued directly by our university partners
Oklahoma pays more for a master's degree, by statute
Oklahoma sets a state minimum salary schedule in law, and that schedule pays by degree. A master's degree raises the minimum at every year of experience. The schedule also carries National Board Certification columns for teachers who applied for or received certification after 30 June 2013.
Two things to know about how the schedule works
- The state figure is a minimum. Most districts pay above it, and district schedules may add their own lanes.
- The state schedule has no credit-hour columns. Graduate credits raise your state minimum only when they complete a degree. Some district schedules do recognise credit hours, so check yours.
The master's differential is $1,390 at 0 years and $1,884 at 10 years, guaranteed statewide. It widens with experience.
Accredited transcripts
Every university-partnered course produces an official transcript and letter grade from a regionally accredited university partner, which is the documentation a district asks for.
Rolling credit processing
Credits are processed on a rolling basis. Request your transcript when you finish a course rather than waiting for a term to close.
Credits build toward the degree
9 Model Teaching credits roll into the Augustana University M.Ed., the milestone the state schedule pays for.
Earning the master's that moves you up the schedule
The Oklahoma state minimum salary schedule pays for a completed degree, not for accumulated hours. Model Teaching offers a route to that degree that starts with courses you take at your own pace.
How it works
Purchase a 9-credit bundle and complete the courses on your own schedule, 100% online.
Each course produces graduate-level semester credit and an official transcript from a regionally accredited university partner.
The 9 credits roll into the Augustana University M.Ed.
Finish the remaining coursework with Augustana to complete the degree.
What it returns: the master's column of the state minimum salary schedule, every year for the rest of your Oklahoma career, on top of whatever your district pays above the minimum.
Choose how you earn your hours or credits
Professional development bundles are priced by hours. Graduate credit bundles charge a one-time bundle fee plus 70 dollars per credit when you finish a course and request your transcript.
One-time price. No per-course charges.
50 hours of professional development
Top up a partial district cycle.
- A completion certificate for your district committee
- Choose any courses from the full professional development menu
- Self-paced, 100% online, 1 year of access
One-time price. No per-course charges.
100 hours of professional development
Enough to cover most district point requirements across a cycle.
- A completion certificate with hours recorded, for your district committee
- Choose any courses from the full professional development menu
- Self-paced, 100% online, 1 year of access
Due now to access and take your courses.
Then $70 per credit as you go
$919 total for 9 credits.
- Graduate credits with an official transcript and letter grade
- Rolls into the Augustana University M.Ed.
- The degree moves you into the master's column of the state minimum salary schedule
Need more hours? 150-hour bundles are $179 and 200-hour bundles are $199.
View bundled optionsFrequently asked questions
Common questions about Oklahoma teacher certification renewal, district professional development, and salary.
Requirements Does Oklahoma require professional development to renew a teaching certificate?
No. OSDE sets no professional development, continuing education, or college credit requirement for renewing a Standard Certificate. Your district does set professional development requirements, and those are separate from certification.
Renewal How long is an Oklahoma Standard Certificate valid?
5 years. Renewal costs 50 dollars and is submitted online through Single Sign-On and the Oklahoma Educator Credentialing System. Applications open on 1 January of the year the certificate expires.
Requirements How many professional development hours do Oklahoma teachers need?
None for the certificate. Each district sets its own point total under Oklahoma law, so the number depends on where you teach. Ask your district office or your professional development committee for the current requirement.
Process What happens if I do not meet my district's professional development requirement?
Oklahoma statute states that failure may be grounds for nonrenewal of the teacher's contract by the board, and may also be grounds for nonconsideration of salary increments.
Process Who approves professional development in Oklahoma?
Your district. Each board of education adopts its professional development program on the recommendation of a professional development committee appointed by the board. OSDE does not approve providers, because it sets no requirement. Download a course syllabus and submit it to your committee.
Salary Does a master's degree raise pay in Oklahoma?
Yes. The state minimum salary schedule pays by degree. At 0 years of experience the master's minimum is $1,390 above the bachelor's minimum, and at 10 years the gap is $1,884. Districts commonly pay above the state minimum.
Salary Do graduate credit hours raise pay without a degree?
Not on the state minimum salary schedule, which has no credit-hour columns. Some district schedules do recognise credit hours in their own lanes, so check your district schedule.
Renewal What happens if my Oklahoma teaching license has been expired for a while?
If your most recent certificate has been expired for more than a year, you complete a new background check with digital fingerprinting as part of renewing.
Costs What is the most affordable way to meet district professional development requirements?
Professional development hour bundles. 50 hours is $129 and 100 hours is $159, with a completion certificate for your district committee. Graduate credits cost more and are worth choosing when you are building toward the master's the salary schedule pays for.
Ready to earn your Oklahoma PD points?
OSDE will not ask you for coursework at renewal. Your district will, and a master's degree pays more on the state salary schedule every year you teach.
Model Teaching strives to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information on renewal and salary advancement requirements for every state. Requirements can change and vary by district, so we encourage you to do your own research and confirm exactly what you need with your state licensing agency and district before you enroll.
