Certification

License Information: 

Initial License: Educators holding an initial certificate (3-year validity) will begin the 120-credit renewal process after they receive a professional certificate. To move from an initial to a professional certificate, an educator must be employed with a South Carolina district in a teaching position while holding a valid initial license. After the educator has successfully completed all South Carolina requirements while employed in a South Carolina district, (i.e., ADEPT/SCTS, PACE, etc.) the SCDE will automatically issue a professional license to the educator. 

Professional License: Educators holding a professional certificate must earn a minimum of 120 renewal credits during the 5-year validity period of their certificate. The renewal process is a continuous cycle for the educator every 5 years. Upon completion of 120 renewal credits for each renewal cycle the educator will complete the district’s renewal process. (See attached from SC Department of Education)

• Professional Renewal Requirements
  
  All official transcripts and certificates of completion regarding renewal credits should be submitted to Ashley Watson and Michelle Killian. 
  
  As part of earning 120 renewal credits within a given renewal period, educators may also be required to meet the following criteria in order to renew their professional educator certification:
   
  • Read to Succeed (R2S) Endorsement(s) - Educators holding professional certification expiring in 2020 and beyond are currently required to earn the appropriate R2S endorsement to be eligible for further certification renewals. 
    • Upon the completion of R2S courses, you must also complete the SCDE Request for Change/Action Form (link below) and submit it to the SCDE along with copies of your R2S certificates of completion. Note: District renewal coordinators are unable to mark you as sufficient to renew without the appropriate R2S endorsement(s). 
       
  • Jason Flatt Requirement - Educators working in public middle or high school settings must satisfy the Jason Flatt Act requirements before their professional certificate can be renewed. This requirement may be completed by visiting the Jason Foundation Website, signing up for the free professional development series, and completing the Mental Health Issues Surrounding Suicidal Ideation (Module 2) training. 
     
  • Elimination of the Graduate Course Requirement - EffectiveJune 26, 2020, Regulation 43-55 was amended to remove the graduate course requirement for educators who do not hold a master's degree. 

As a reminder, an official educator license will be issued by the state department only when an educator qualifies for the very first South Carolina license. All subsequent changes, additions or modifications to a license may be confirmed and printed by the educator from the Licensure Status page on the website www.ed.sc.gov

All certified educators are expected to earn one or more of the R2S endorsements depending on their certified field(s) as part of their regular Professional certificate renewal cycles. 

The R2S Literacy Teacher endorsement applies to educators holding a Professional certificate in the fields of Early Childhood, Elementary, ESOL, Special Education, or Montessori Education. To earn this endorsement educators must complete the R2S courses below and submit evidence of completion along with a Request for Change/Action form to the SCDE. 

• Foundations in Reading
• Instructional Practices 
• Assessment of Reading
• Content Area Reading and Writing 

The R2S Requirement endorsement applies to educators holding a Professional certification in the fields of Middle School (all content areas), High School (all content areas), PreK-12 (except for Special Education), Career and Technology, Library Media Specialist, Leadership and Administrative, School Guidance Counselor, School Psychologist, or Speech-Language Pathologist. To earn this endorsement educators must complete the R2S Content Area Reading and Writing course. 

For more information, including R2S deadlines, click here. 

If you have completed a Virtual SC PD course but lost the certificate of completion, you may complete this Google Form to obtain a copy (Note: This form was not created or maintained by F1S) 

Read more here regarding Proviso 1.105 impacting Read to Succeed Endorsements. 

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs)

Policies on renewal for Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) recently changed. SLPs employed full-time by a South Carolina public school district will now be renewed by the district renewal coordinator, not by the SCDE.

Educators who are certified as Speech-Language Pathologists by the SCDE are required to show current SC LLR licensure as a Speech-Language Pathologist in order to renew their educator certification. To do this, educators should submit a current Speech-Language Pathologist license from the SC LLR during the expiration year of their educator certificate to their district renewal coordinator; this LLR license must extend beyond the expiration date of the current educator certificate. (Example: The educator certificate issued by the SCDE expires June 30, 2023. The LLR license can be presented no earlier than January 1, 2023, and the LLR license must have an expiration date beyond June 30, 2023.) An SLP certificate will not be sufficient to renew unless they present their current SC LLR license during the expiration year of their educator certificate. The LLR license does not exempt educators from any additional renewal requirements, such as Jason Flatt or Read to Succeed.

Educators who hold Speech-Language Pathologist certification in addition to other educator certification fields from the SCDE must meet their 120 renewal credits through Options 1-11 of the Renewal Matrix as appropriate, in addition to presenting the current LLR license.

National Board Certification is the most respected professional certification available in education and provides numerous benefits to teachers, students and schools. It was designed to develop, retain and recognize accomplished teachers and to generate ongoing improvement in schools nationwide. 

SC Educator Portal

Jason Flatt (Module 2)

Kickup - Professional Development Platform

Virtual SC PD

SCDE: Main Page

SCDE: Renewing a Professional Certificate

SCDE: How to Submit Forms and Documents

SCDE: Class Levels and Changes

SCDE: Adding Certification Fields and Endorsements

National Board Certification