NYC ASPDP Credits Explained: A+ Credit, P-Credit & CTLE Hours
For Teachers By Teachers is an online professional development company for PreK–12 teachers, founded in 2015, and an ASPDP-approved Education Partner with the New York City Department of Education. This page explains how the After School Professional Development Program (ASPDP) actually works — what A+ and P credits are, how they move you up the salary differential, how they count toward your CTLE hours, the fees and deadlines, and how to earn them online — so you can plan your credits without guesswork.
What is ASPDP, and what are A+ and P credits?
The After School Professional Development Program (ASPDP) is the New York City Department of Education's in-service course program. It lets NYC DOE educators earn credits that count two ways: toward the NYC salary differential (your pay increase for credits earned beyond your degree) and toward New York State's Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) requirement. Every ASPDP course is reviewed and approved by the NYC DOE and aligned to the Danielson Framework for Teaching. Since Fall 2019, every ASPDP course is approved for both A+ Credit and P-Credit — A+ is the credit designation the DOE created with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), and P-Credit is the long-standing professional credit. In practice, the same course earns you A+ Credit, P-Credit, and CTLE hours at once.
Who can earn ASPDP credit?
Any educator can take ASPDP courses, but the credit you earn depends on your role. Fully-appointed NYC DOE teachers can apply A+ or P credit toward their salary differential. Guidance counselors can earn P-Credit toward the differential for Guidance and Special Education courses specifically. CTLE hours are broader — full-time NYC DOE teachers, guidance counselors, paraprofessionals, and New York State charter, private, and parochial school teachers can all earn CTLE hours through ASPDP. One routing note: ASPDP is specific to the NYC DOE. If you teach in New York State outside the New York City DOE, see our New York State page instead — the ASPDP pathway won't apply to you.
How do ASPDP credits count toward the NYC salary differential?
ASPDP A+ and P credits count toward your NYC DOE salary differential — the salary increase you earn for credits completed beyond your degree, administered by the NYC DOE's Office of Salary Services. Each course can be applied only once toward the differential. One rule trips people up: if you were hired or rehired on or after September 1, 2019, ASPDP requires a minimum of 18 A+ credits to earn your salary differential, unless you already hold an additional doctorate or an approved additional master's. Teachers hired before September 1, 2017 aren't required to use A+ credits at all; if they choose to, the minimum is 6. Whatever your hire date, your differential pay is retroactive (more on timing in Q8), so the calendar tends to work in your favor.
How do ASPDP credits count toward the 100-hour CTLE requirement?
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) requires teachers who hold a Professional certificate in classroom teaching or educational leadership — or a Level III Teaching Assistant certificate — and who are practicing in a New York public school or BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) to complete 100 hours of Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) during each five-year registration period. Permanent certificate holders are exempt. ASPDP courses count toward that total: each ASPDP credit equals 15 CTLE clock hours, so a 3-credit course earns 45 CTLE hours, a 2-credit course earns 30, and a 1-credit course earns 15. The same ASPDP course can count toward both your salary differential and your CTLE hours at the same time — you just can't count the same course twice for CTLE. If you're a TESOL or bilingual teacher, note that at least 50% of your CTLE hours must be in language acquisition.
Do I really have to register in two places?
Yes — and this is the single most common mistake. To earn A+ or P credit, you have to register the course in two places: with the course provider, and separately with ASPDP on the ASPDP website (using your NYC DOE file number and DOE email). If you complete the course but never registered with ASPDP by its registration deadline, you won't receive A+/P credit for it — no exceptions. Deadlines depend on the course: for full-semester online courses, ASPDP typically sets the registration deadline around the midpoint of the semester; for shorter courses it's the day before the class begins. Always check the exact deadline on the ASPDP course listing before you enroll.
Why are there two fees, and how much is the ASPDP fee?
ASPDP courses involve two separate fees, and it helps to know that going in. First, the course provider charges a fee for the course itself, paid to the provider. Second, ASPDP charges its own registration fee, paid directly to the NYC DOE when you register on the ASPDP website: $125 for a 3-credit course and $45 for a 1-credit course. The two are always separate — a provider's course price never includes the ASPDP fee, so budget for both. The ASPDP fee is refundable only in limited circumstances (for example, if you withdraw at least one week before the registration deadline, or if the course is cancelled) and can't be transferred between semesters.
Where can I take ASPDP-approved courses online?
For Teachers By Teachers is an ASPDP-approved Education Partner with the New York City Department of Education, so our courses appear in the official ASPDP catalog. They're 100% online, self-paced, and quiz-based — built by teachers, with meaningful assignments and no busywork — and they're PreK–12 relevant across grades, subjects, and roles. Every course is eligible for A+ Credit and P-Credit toward your salary differential, plus 45 CTLE hours per 3-credit course toward your NYSED requirement.
Enrollment is two steps: first, enroll with For Teachers By Teachers for course access; then register the same course on the ASPDP website and pay the $125 ASPDP fee so your credit is officially recognized by the NYC DOE. Both steps are required, and you'll want to complete the ASPDP step before the registration deadline.
Browse our NYC ASPDP-approved courses, or take the NYC ASPDP 12-Credit Bundle — four courses, 12 ASPDP credits, and 180 CTLE hours, which maxes out the credits you can earn in a single semester.
When do my credits post, and will the timing delay my raise?
The timing works in your favor, so don't stress the calendar. Your course provider submits final grades to ASPDP no later than two weeks after the course's last day. ASPDP then reviews and validates the credits, which takes several weeks after the semester ends. Here's the part that matters: that validation timing does not affect your pay. The NYC DOE's Office of Salary Services uses the semester date — not the date your grade was validated — to determine when your differential applies, and your differential pay is retroactive to the effective date of your application. The practical takeaway: finish your coursework, then submit your salary differential application by the deadline for that semester, and you'll be paid back to the right date even if validation lands later.
How many credits can I earn per semester, and when are the semesters?
You can earn up to 12 credits per semester through ASPDP — that's a firm maximum, with no exceptions. Courses are offered for 1, 2, or 3 credits depending on the hours of instruction, so plan your load to stay within the cap. ASPDP runs three semesters a year: Fall (September–January), Spring (February–May), and Summer (June–August), and the course catalog for each is published shortly before the semester begins. The 12-credit cap is also why the 12-Credit Bundle is built as four 3-credit courses — it's the most credit you can put toward your differential in one semester.
Ready to earn your A+ and P credits?
Browse our NYC ASPDP-approved courses, or take the 12-Credit Bundle to max out a full semester (four courses, 12 credits, 180 CTLE hours). Remember the two steps: enroll with us for course access, then register the same course on the ASPDP website and pay the $125 ASPDP fee so the NYC DOE recognizes your credit. Questions? Email us at info@forteachersbyteachers.org.