Step movement

Step movement refers to the number of steps required for teachers at the start of their careers to move to the top of the pay scale. It is usually numbered in years.

A related term to "step movement" is “step compaction,” which refers to reducing the number of such steps -- i.e., reducing the number of years required for employees to reach the top of their district's pay scale. Conversely, a step freeze agreement means leaving unchanged the number of steps on a scale but delaying a scheduled seniority-based pay raise. A "freeze" will usually last for a one year time period.