Lane Change Policy

District Regulation 402.3R Request for Course Approval/Lane Change Policy

The purpose of this regulation is to identify district licensed staff course approval components for salary placement.  

Guidelines for Approval

• The request form must be submitted to Human Resources 10 days in advance of course commencement to allow sufficient time for review, evaluation, and approval by Human Resources and Principal.  
• All coursework must be from an accredited college or university that grants teacher licensure, and an individual course must be accepted by that college/university towards a degree program. Credits that are not accepted by the college/university for their own graduate programs shall not be approved.  
• Third-party providers that partner with a college/university to provide graduate credit will not be approved for lane change unless that course is reviewed and approved to be part of the district’s professional development offerings. A request for approval of a third-party provider course must be submitted for review and approval.
• All courses must be from a fully-accredited higher education institution, preference is given to Minnesota based institutions. Programs and courses outside of the region may be approved at the discretion of the Superintendent (or designee).  

Additional Requirements

• Advanced Degree Lane means:
  • A teacher will be paid on the master's degree or high degree lane in the field of education or field related to a teacher’s licensure if approved in advance.  
     
• Courses Required for Licensure means:
  • Post Baccalaureate credits required to obtain a teaching license will be credited toward salary placement when a Masters Degree has been obtained.  
     
• Non-teaching Masters Degrees means:
  • Master's degrees in a non-teaching area may not apply to lane change unless the Executive Director of Human Resources determines that degree to be relevant to the license.
     
• Course Banking means:
  • Courses taken prior to obtaining a degree may not be considered for lane change beyond the degree.
     
• Grade Requirements:
  • To apply on the salary schedule, credits must carry a grade as stated in EPEA contract.
     
• Recognition of Credits Taken Prior to Initial Placement means:
  • Coursework taken prior to being hired by the Eden Prairie School district may be used for lane placement purposes, provided the courses meet all the criteria of this regulation. A non-teaching Master's degree may be considered for lane change subject to the stipulation with non-teaching Master's degrees.  
     
• Final Credit for Lane Change means:
  • Final credit for lane change will be given when the course is completed and official transcripts have been received by Human Resources.  

Lane Change Form