Alabama Class B Teaching Certificate

What Class B, A, and AA Mean

Alabama organizes its Professional Educator Certificates into three classes based on your highest completed degree:

• Class B — Bachelor's degree level. The entry-level professional certificate.
• Class A — Master's degree level. Requires completion of an approved graduate program.
• Class AA — Educational specialist or post-master's degree level. The highest certificate class.

Your certificate class determines two things: the teaching positions you're eligible for and your placement on the state salary schedule. The higher your class, the higher your pay column — every experience step in Class A pays more than the corresponding step in Class B, and Class AA pays more than Class A.

Getting a Class B Certificate

The Class B is where almost every new Alabama teacher starts, whether through a traditional program or an alternative route. The requirements:

Traditional route: Graduate from a state-approved teacher preparation program at an Alabama college with a 2.50 GPA across three measures — overall GPA, professional studies GPA, and teaching field GPA. Course grades below "C" in professional studies are rejected. Your university's certification officer recommends you to the ALSDE after you complete student teaching and pass your AECAP assessments.

Alternative routes (PCTF, CCTF, IEC): All three alternative pathways lead to a Class B certificate upon completion. You start teaching under a provisional or conditional credential and earn the standard Class B once you finish your program requirements and pass the edTPA or Praxis PLT.

The GPA threshold for all Class B paths is 2.50 on a 4.0 scale — and Alabama does not round. A 2.49 is a disqualifier. Candidates with GPAs between 2.00 and 2.49 can access the alternative route with a 5% increased Praxis score or additional coursework.

Upgrading to Class A

Moving from Class B to Class A requires completing an approved master's degree program. Alabama recognizes two paths:

Traditional Class A program — A full master's degree at an approved Alabama university in your teaching field or professional education. Typically takes 2 to 3 years of part-time study while teaching.

Alternative Class A program — Designed specifically for working teachers who hold a Class B certificate and want to earn a master's while continuing full-time classroom work. The Alternative Class A master's program is the same pathway used by IEC candidates.

Once you complete the program, your university's certification officer recommends you for the Class A certificate, and the ALSDE updates your credential. Your salary immediately moves to the Class A column on the state schedule.

The 30/18 Coursework Rule

Alabama uses a specific academic credit structure for Class B certification: candidates need a defined combination of semester hours in their teaching field and professional education courses. This "30/18 rule" (30 semester hours in the teaching field, 18 in professional education) applies to traditional program completers and is evaluated during transcript review.

For alternative route candidates, the required pedagogy coursework is structured differently — four designated courses over the provisional period (PCTF) or the ATPO's curriculum (CCTF). The end result is the same Class B certificate, but the credit hour structure comes from the program rather than the traditional course-counting system.

When to Pursue Class A

The financial math is straightforward: the sooner you move to Class A, the more years you spend in the higher pay column. If you plan to teach long-term in Alabama, starting a Class A program within your first two years maximizes the salary differential over your career.

But timing matters practically, too. Alternative-route teachers on a PCTF or CCTF are already completing mandatory coursework during their certificate terms — PCTF uses three one-year certificates, while CCTF can be held for up to three one-year terms within a four-year window. Stacking a full master's program on top of provisional requirements and first-year mentoring can be overwhelming. Many alternative-route teachers wait until they've completed their Class B conversion before starting a Class A program.

The exception is the IEC route, which combines the two: you earn your Class B through an Alternative Class A master's program, so you graduate with a master's degree and are immediately eligible for Class A certification.

Class AA and Beyond

Class AA requires educational specialist-level study beyond a master's degree. Fewer teachers pursue it, but the salary bump is real for those who do. Some Alabama universities offer educational specialist (Ed.S.) programs that can be completed part-time while teaching.

There's also the new Lifetime Certificate option for retired educators with 25 or more years of service, enacted in the June 2026 regulatory overhaul. It doesn't require further renewal.

For a complete map of how each certificate class connects to specific certification routes, testing requirements, and salary placement, the Alabama Teacher Certification Guide walks through the entire progression from Class B through Class AA.

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