South Carolina Teacher Requirements

Requirements For Becoming a South Carolina Teacher

Below are all the requirements you must meet to become a South Carolina teacher.

• Bachelor’s degree with a focus on your endorsement and a grade level
• Completion of a teacher education program
• Passing the three Praxis tests
• Letter of recommendation from your teacher education program
• Electronic fingerprint scan
• Copy of your Social Security card; you must mail a physical copy of your card to the board

Exams to Complete

• Praxis I test
• Praxis PLT exam
• Praxis II exam

Requirements For a Professional Certificate

• Eighteen hours of graduate credit
• Completion of at least three years of teaching experience

Renewal Requirements for a South Carolina Teacher

• 120 hours of professional development

Who Provides Licenses In South Carolina?

The South Carolina State Department of Education Office of Certification provides licensing supports to teachers who wish to become educators. The program includes coverage for all education levels, focusing on identifying teachers who can support students in different age groups.

Completing Your Education

You must have a bachelor’s degree or higher to apply to be a teacher in South Carolina. You should have a major in whatever field of teaching you wish to serve in the state. This point includes a major in early childhood, elementary, or secondary education. A unique subject major is ideal to confirm your ability to teach students surrounding a specific field. There are no credit hour requirements for whatever subject area you will cover.

Finding An Endorsement

You must apply for an endorsement to teach in South Carolina. Your endorsement will reflect the subject matter you studied in college. There are multiple endorsements available in fields like these:

• Early childhood education
• Elementary education, including Montessori education
• Middle school education, including for Montessori students
• High school teaching for various subjects and specialties
• All grades fields for music education, fine arts, health education, and theater
• World language teaching; this is for all grade levels
• Career teaching for high school students, including for electronics, culinary arts, automotive technology, and many other factors

You can provide information on any courses you have completed in college to meet the endorsement you wish to complete. Your college transcript should provide information on whatever courses you are trying to teach.

Completing a South Carolina Teacher’s Program

You will participate in one of the state’s teacher preparation programs before you can attain your license. Your study will last for one or two semesters and will cover:

• Pedagogical studies
• How to design lesson plans
• How to assess students
• Guiding the classroom; you may be asked to lead a class
• Observing how professional teachers conduct their classes

An internship may work during one of these programs. You can complete a teacher program through one of the state’s approved setups, although the state does accept out-of-state programs people may finish.

Testing Rules

You must complete the three main Praxis tests for attaining your license:

1. Praxis I

The Praxis I core test entails reading, writing, and math skills. The test is consistent for all South Carolina teachers regardless of what grade levels they plan on teaching.

• PLT

The PLT exam focuses on pedagogical concepts. There are four PLT tests based on different grade levels you may teach.

• Praxis II

The Praxis II content area test focuses on different subjects you will teach. The passing score you require will vary surrounding the test you will complete. The Praxis website provides full details on the tests it provides to prospective South Carolina teachers.

Other Points For Your South Carolina Teacher Application

Your application to teach in South Carolina must also include transcripts from the schools you attended and a letter of recommendation from a teacher education program. An electronic fingerprint scan is also necessary. The background check works alongside FBI data surrounding your profile.

You will also require a copy of your Social Security card. It can be photocopied, but it must be sent by physical mail. The state will not accept copies of the card if they are sent by email.

Adding Certification Endorsements

The state recommends teachers acquire certification endorsements. These endorsements entail your ability to manage teaching activities in many forms. You can find such certification points for online teaching, supporting gifted students, and STEM education support.

You must complete the necessary study hours for whatever certification endorsements you wish to add. These include guidelines supported in the state’s Guidelines and Requirements for Adding Certification Fields and Endorsements report. You may need to complete the necessary state exams for some certifications.

Upgrading to a Professional Certificate

Your first license in South Carolina will be your Initial Certificate. Your license works for three years, but you can upgrade to a Professional Certificate. To do this, you must attain eighteen or more graduate credit hours and have three or more years of teaching experience in the state.

Your Professional Certificate will be good for five years before you need to renew your work.

Renewing Your South Carolina Teacher License

You will need to renew your teaching license every five years. A one-year grace period is available for Initial Certificates. The South Carolina Department of Education will dictate the requirements for renewal and will support all renewal applications.

You will require 120 renewal credits to renew your license. One credit is equal to an hour of direct participation in a program. One semester hour of study is good for twenty renewal credits.

You can complete continuing education courses surrounding your field of teaching. The state also provides access to pedagogy studies and courses you can complete to meet the state’s requirements.

The state also requires people to complete suicide prevention training programs. The Jason Flatt Act states that teachers must complete training in the Signs Matter program and Jason Foundation’s Mental Health Issues program. The program helps teachers identify concerns in students who have mental issues and discusses how to intervene and resolve situations before becoming worse or life-threatening.

Resources

https://ed.sc.gov/educators/certification/ – South Carolina Education Department state certification

https://ed.sc.gov/educators/certification/add/ – Endorsements for South Carolina educators

https://ed.sc.gov/educators/certification/certification-legislation-and-policy/certification-regulations/add-on-guidelines/ – Steps for adding endorsements

https://ed.sc.gov/educators/teaching-in-south-carolina/epp/ – Education programs for prospective teachers in South Carolina

https://www.ets.org/praxis/sc/requirements/ – Praxis testing standards

https://ed.sc.gov/educators/certification/professional/ – How to renew your license in the state