The Most Trusted, Teacher-Friendly Way to Earn Graduate Credits Online
Renew Your Ohio Teaching License
Self-paced, quiz-based graduate courses for Ohio PreK–12 teachers. Two courses meet a full 6-credit renewal cycle — earn real university credit on an official transcript.
- 100% Online & Self-Paced
- Quiz-Based • No Busywork
- Regionally Accredited Transcript
One price. $285 covers the course and all 3 graduate credits — nothing else to pay. Pass/fail transcript.
Start for $165, add the 3 credits for $190 anytime — even after you finish. Letter-grade transcript.
Both paths count toward Ohio's six-semester-hour renewal, and both can count toward district salary movement. The only differences are how you pay and whether your transcript shows a letter grade.
Trusted by 10,000+ educators nationwide • Designed by teachers, for teachers
For Teachers By Teachers is an online professional development company for PreK–12 teachers, founded in 2015, with university partners UMass Global and CSU Pueblo. Ohio teachers use our self-paced graduate courses to renew the 5-Year Professional Educator License, which renews on six semester hours of coursework approved by your Local Professional Development Committee (LPDC). Each course is 3 graduate credits, so two courses complete a full renewal cycle.
Science of Reading: Structured Literacy Foundations for All Educators, PreK–12
Phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension — the full arc of evidence-based reading instruction, translated into moves you can use Monday morning. You'll also learn how to recognize and support struggling readers, including students with characteristics of dyslexia, and finish with your own Literacy Action Plan for the students you actually serve.
Self-paced, quiz-based, and 100% online. Start for $165, then add the 3 UMass Global credits for $190 anytime — even after you finish.
How Ohio Teachers Renew the 5-Year Professional Educator License
In Ohio, the 5-Year Professional Educator License renews on professional development completed during the life of the license, reviewed and approved by your Local Professional Development Committee (LPDC) against your Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP). Under Ohio Administrative Code 3301-24-08, you can meet the requirement three ways:
- Six semester hours of college or university coursework from an accredited institution of higher education, related to classroom teaching or your licensure area; or
- 18 continuing education units (180 contact hours) or other equivalent activities; or
- An LPDC-approved combination of semester hours and CEUs.
You complete your hours and submit your renewal application through Ohio's CORE system by October 1 of the year your license expires (a lapsed license requires nine semester hours to reinstate, so it's worth staying ahead of the deadline). Our self-paced courses are issued through regionally accredited universities — CSU Pueblo and UMass Global — so the graduate credit counts toward this six-hour requirement. Ohio's rule doesn't specify a grading scale, so pass/fail and letter-grade credit both work for renewal.
Common Ways Ohio Teachers Use These Credits
License Renewal
Earn LPDC-approved graduate credit toward your 5-year renewal. Two courses (6 credits) complete a full cycle.
Salary Lane Movement
Many Ohio districts let you move over on the salary schedule with graduate credit from either university partner. Confirm your district and contract first — some specifically require a letter grade.
PD Documentation
Every course includes a Certificate of Completion with 45 documented instructional hours for your district PD records.
Two Ways to Pay — Both Count for Renewal
Same self-paced courses, same graduate credit, same six-semester-hour renewal rule. Both university partners work for Ohio license renewal, and both can work for district salary movement. Only two things actually change between them: how you pay, and whether your transcript shows a letter grade.
CSU Pueblo (Pass/Fail)
A single $285 payment to For Teachers By Teachers covers the course and all 3 graduate credits. Nothing else to pay, ever. Two courses = $570 for a full 6-credit renewal cycle — the lowest total cost of the two paths.
Pass/fail graduate credit, regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Ohio's renewal rule doesn't specify a grading scale, so this satisfies renewal outright. Many Ohio districts accept pass/fail graduate credit for salary movement too — check your contract, since some specifically require graded coursework. Your LPDC approves renewal coursework against your individual plan, and we provide the course description or syllabus whenever they need it.
See CSU Pueblo Courses →UMass Global (Letter Grade)
Start for $165 and get full course access today. Add the 3 graduate credits for $190 whenever you're ready — even after you finish the course — through the payment link inside your online classroom. Nothing is due upfront beyond the $165.
Letter-grade graduate credit, regionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). This satisfies Ohio's renewal requirement the same way pass/fail does, and a graded transcript also works for the districts and union contracts that specifically require letter grades for salary schedule movement.
See UMass Global Courses →How It Works
- Pick your payment path and enroll. Both partners earn graduate credit that counts toward renewal — choose CSU Pueblo for one all-in payment of $285, or UMass Global to start for $165 and add the credits for $190 later. Every course is backed by a 7-day refund, so you can start today with confidence.
- We send you the LPDC documentation. Email us anytime and we'll provide the course description or full syllabus to submit to your Local Professional Development Committee — the same documentation we give Ohio teachers every renewal cycle.
- Submit your transcript to your LPDC and file through Ohio's CORE system. In Ohio you file the renewal yourself — we make it easy with the transcript and documentation you need.
Featured Ohio Renewal Courses
Science of Reading: Structured Literacy Foundations for All Educators, PreK–12
Phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension — plus how to support struggling readers and students with characteristics of dyslexia.
$165 to start — add the 3 UMass Global credits for $190 anytime ($355 total)
Start the Reading Course for $165 →Brain-Based Strategies for Supercharging Student Learning and Engagement
Evidence-based strategies grounded in how the brain actually learns — practical tools you can use with students right away.
$285 total — course + 3 CSU Pueblo credits
Enroll for $285 →Building Positive Relationships
Practical strategies for connecting with students and strengthening classroom relationships that support learning.
$285 total — course + 3 CSU Pueblo credits
Enroll for $285 →See every option: all CSU Pueblo pass/fail courses (one price, $285, credits included), or all UMass Global letter-grade courses (start for $165, add 3 credits for $190 anytime). Both count toward Ohio renewal.
What You Get With Every Course
- 3 graduate semester credits per course on an official university transcript
- 100% online and self-paced — start and finish on your timeline
- Quiz-based — no portfolios, no busywork, no live meetings
- Certificate of Completion with 45 documented instructional hours per course
- Course description / syllabus for your LPDC — every UMass Global syllabus is published online
- Receipts and itemized invoices for HR reimbursement
- Purchase Orders accepted for districts that pay via PO
- 7-day refund window — try it risk-free
Save More By Bundling
Want more than two courses? Build Your Own bundle to save on the per-course fee. These prices cover the course fee only — you add the 3 credits per course later, whenever you're ready. The more you bundle, the more you save on the course fee.
3-Course Bundle
Pick any 3 courses for $399 (save $96). 9 graduate credits.
Build a 3-Course Bundle →4-Course Bundle
Pick any 4 courses for $449 (save $211). 12 graduate credits.
Build a 4-Course Bundle →5-Course Bundle
Pick any 5 courses for $499 (save $326). 15 graduate credits.
Build a 5-Course Bundle →Prefer a done-for-you path? See the Nationwide 5-Course Bundle with our most popular courses.
These bundle prices are the course fee only, discounted per course. You add the 3 credits per course later, whenever you're ready: CSU Pueblo $120 (pass/fail) or UMass Global $190 (letter grade).
Ohio Teacher FAQ
Yes — in most cases. Ohio districts widely accept regionally accredited graduate coursework toward the 5-Year Professional Educator License, and we've had an Ohio district's HR office confirm our CSU Pueblo course counts toward renewal. Our courses come from CSU Pueblo and UMass Global, both regionally accredited — by the Higher Learning Commission and the WASC Senior College and University Commission, respectively — which is exactly what Ohio's renewal rule (Ohio Administrative Code 3301-24-08) calls for. Your LPDC makes the final call against your individual plan, so a quick confirmation is smart — and we make it easy. Every UMass Global course syllabus is published online for you to download and submit, and we'll send a course description for any CSU Pueblo course on request.
Yes! Our Science of Reading: Structured Literacy Foundations for All Educators, PreK–12 course covers phonemic awareness and systematic phonics as core pillars, alongside fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and support for struggling readers including students with characteristics of dyslexia. It's 3 graduate credits through UMass Global on a letter-grade transcript — start for $165, then add the 3 credits for $190 anytime, even after you finish. In July 2026 an Ohio educator who needed a phonics-focused course for her renewal submitted our syllabus to her licensing office and was told it counts. Because "phonics" isn't in the course title, the syllabus is what settles it — it lays out the phonics content module by module, and you can download it here to send to your LPDC.
Both work for Ohio license renewal. The state's renewal rule asks for six semester hours from an accredited institution and doesn't specify a grading scale, so pass/fail and letter-grade credit count the same way. The difference shows up with districts. CSU Pueblo issues pass/fail credit at $285 — one price, course and 3 credits included — which is the simplest and lowest-cost path, and many Ohio districts accept pass/fail for salary movement as well. UMass Global issues letter-grade credit: start for $165, then add the 3 credits for $190 anytime. A graded transcript also satisfies the districts and union contracts that specifically require letter grades for salary schedule movement. If you're only renewing, CSU Pueblo is the value pick. If salary movement is in play, check your contract and lean letter grade when you're not sure.
That's your choice, and it's the main difference between our two university partners. CSU Pueblo courses are a single $285 payment to For Teachers By Teachers — one price, the course and all 3 graduate credits included, with nothing else to pay. UMass Global courses start for $165, and you add the 3 letter-grade credits for $190 anytime — even after you complete the course — through the payment link inside your online classroom.
Two. Each course is 3 graduate semester credits, and Ohio's 5-Year Professional Educator License renews on six semester hours — so two For Teachers By Teachers courses complete a full cycle. Two CSU Pueblo courses at $285 each come to $570 for a full renewal cycle. With LPDC approval, you can also combine one 3-credit course with district-approved continuing education to reach the requirement.
Our courses are 100% online and self-paced, with no deadline on our end — you start and finish on your own schedule. Keep your renewal timeline in mind, though: Ohio asks you to complete your coursework and submit your renewal application by October 1 of the year your license expires, and some LPDCs set an earlier internal cutoff, so give yourself a little runway.
We offer a 7-day refund window. Enroll, log in, preview the course materials, and if it's not what you expected, email us within 7 days for a refund. Full details are on our Terms page.
Why Teachers Choose For Teachers By Teachers
Real feedback from educators nationwide:
“This was my first online professional development course. I found it to be organized, well presented, interesting and most importantly inspiring! The effort, skill, and dedication to helping teachers and students succeed is evident and so appreciated.”
— M.B., Kindergarten Teacher
“This course was a goldmine! It has been the most organized and well-planned PD that I've ever participated in. I plan on taking every class that For Teachers By Teachers has to offer.”
— A.B., Middle School Teacher
“Enrolling in this course was one of the best things that I've done to help me succeed in my profession.”
— K.L., High School Teacher
“This was an amazing ride – I enjoyed every lesson, every video, and every assignment!”
— L.S., Grades 3–5 Teacher
“I LOVED this course and cannot thank you enough for continuing to make professional development that is do-able, worthwhile, and affordable for teachers.”
— K.H., Elementary Teacher
“Without exaggeration, your courses are the most enjoyable of all, and I've taken a lot of PD courses! What distinguishes your courses from other courses isn't only the format, but the life enriching content that makes us grow as human beings, as well as educators. I can apply what I learn in your classes in my personal life too, outside of school.”
— I.F., Middle School Teacher
Renew Your Ohio License on Your Schedule
One price: $285, course and 3 credits included.
Start for $165, add 3 credits for $190 anytime.
Questions? We're here to help: info@forteachersbyteachers.org
Many districts reimburse PD — we provide receipts and itemized invoices for HR.