South Dakota Teacher Requirements

Requirements For Acquiring a South Dakota Teacher’s License

Here are the requirements you must meet to become a South Dakota teacher.

• Bachelor’s degree with undergraduate credit hours in your specialty area
• Teacher education program
• Three-semester-hour human resources course
• Three-semester-hour Indian Studies course
• Completion of the Praxis tests and the filing of your application, including a Sign-Off document and fingerprint file

Exams to Complete to become a South Dakota Teacher

• Praxis I, PLT, and II exams.
• NOCTI exam if you plan on educating students in technical or career-based classes

Rules For Renewing Your South Dakota Teacher License

• Complete six semester hours of continuing education courses or another equivalent before October 1 of the year your license expires.

A Note For South Dakota Teachers

The rules for becoming a teacher in South Dakota are valid for most educational institutions in the state. You may require a letter of recommendation or tribal approval if you plan on teaching on a Native American reservation in the state. The rules will vary by reservation and tribe, so consult whichever one you will serve before completing your application in that area.

Completing Your Education Needs

All teachers looking to teach students in South Dakota must meet the South Dakota Department of Education guidelines. You may require some credit hours in the field of study you plan on teaching. Your transcript from your school should provide details on whatever courses you completed.

A teacher education program is also necessary for South Dakota teachers to finish. The program should be a bachelor-level setup that helps understand how to manage classroom activities of value. Schools throughout South Dakota provide such teacher education programs, with many of them offering internships and in-class training, and leading exercises. You can expect your course to last for about a calendar year on average.

Other Courses to Complete

All South Dakota teachers must complete two specific courses after completing their bachelor’s degrees and teacher preparation programs:

1. Human Relations

You must complete a human relations course worth three semester hours of study. The course will entail reviewing how well you can interact with students.

2. Indian Studies

All teachers must also finish a three-semester-hour course on Indian Studies. You can complete the course through an online provider or an in-person college or university. Among the schools that participate in online and in-person studies include South Dakota State University, Dakota State University, Oglala Lakota College.

Your Indian Studies course may entail:

• Language and cultural awareness, including a focus on the Lakota and Dakota people
• History of Indian policy, Indian and white encounters in the region, and points on contemporary Native American issues
• Educational theory studies, including a review of how Indian education works
• How to manage Indian learning styles and assessment points

Additional Application Points

All teachers must complete the necessary exams for teaching in South Dakota. They must also complete a background check with a fingerprint file.

A University Sign-Off paper is also required. The Sign-Off document comes from a teacher education program and confirms you completed your work and graduated from the course.

Tests to Complete for a South Dakota Teacher

South Dakota uses the Praxis system for testing in most situations. You must complete the Praxis I core skills test and a PLT course surrounding pedagogical concepts in the grade area you will teach.

The Praxis II course area test will involve reviewing your capability of teaching a subject. You will be tested on how well you understand the field. The test’s qualifying score will vary by subject, but you can expect the score to go from 140 to 160 in most situations.

The state Department of Education also conducts tests for people looking to teach technical or career-based courses. These come from the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) system of tests. These NOCTI exams include health, hospitality, computer programming, criminal justice, automotive technology, and accounting.

How Long Does a South Dakota Teacher Certificate Last?

Your certificate to teach in South Dakota will last for five years. You can renew your license after that five-year period ends.

You may also upgrade to a ten-year license if you hold a graduate degree in your field or you have been certified by the National Board. The license confirms your experience and professional stature in the field and allows for twice as much time before you need to renew your license.

You may also apply for a one-year license if you have not completed all the education and exam requirements. The license may allow you to teach courses in emergencies, including cases where there is a substantial teacher shortage in your area and your teaching field.

Meeting Content Standards

All South Dakota educators must meet the state’s content standards when teaching students. The South Dakota Department of Education provides licensing standards surrounding how teachers can manage problem-solving skills while establishing students’ expectations. You can consult the Department of Education to learn about the unique content standards surrounding whatever you wish to complete.

Renewing Your South Dakota Teacher License

You can renew your license to teach in South Dakota by completing the renewal process every five or ten years, depending on your contract terms.

You will require six education-related semester hours of continuing education. The work includes studies in your content area.

You may also complete enough continuing education hours for the study if you wish. The study work may include pedagogical studies. Your work should equal six semester hours of study.

You must meet all the requirements for renewal before October 1 of the year your license expires. Your license will become invalid if you fail to renew it before then. You can reinstate your credential later, but you’d have to complete six semester hours of continuing education study after the license expires before you can complete your renewal effort.

Resources

https://doe.sd.gov/certification/ – South Dakota Department of Education certification website

https://doe.sd.gov/certification/requirements.aspx – Details on the state’s Indian Studies course

https://doe.sd.gov/certification/documents/SDTests.pdf – Reports on the state tests necessary for teaching in South Dakota

https://www.nocti.org/ – NOCTI tests

https://doe.sd.gov/ContentStandards/index.aspx – Content standards for South Dakota educators

https://doe.sd.gov/board/packets/documents/011917/item12doc4.pdf – How to renew a license in South Dakota