Program of Alternative Certification for Educators (PACE)

The Program of Alternative Certification for Educators (PACE) requires an earned bachelor's degree or above from a regionally accredited college with a major in an approved PACE certification field. Applicants can be evaluated for a major equivalency if they have thirty or more semester hours earned in content area coursework with a grade of "C" or better, twenty-one of which were earned at the junior or senior level or above; or twenty-four or more semester hours earned in content area coursework at the graduate level.

In order to qualify for participation in the PACE program, the following minimum requirements must be met:

• Did not student teach in a traditional teacher preparation program;
• Conferred bachelor’s degree with major or equivalency that matches eligible certification field(s);
• Passing score on the appropriate ETS Praxis subject area assessment;
• Current all-clear FBI/SLED background check.

Individuals who have participated in, but not completed, other alternative certification routes in South Carolina are not eligible for participation in another alternative certification program.

Grades Pk-12 Fields

Art
Dance
English for Speakers of Other Languages
Health
Music
Physical Education
School Librarian
Theater
World Languages

Middle Level (Grades 5-8) Fields

Middle Level Language Arts
Middle Level Mathematics
Middle Level Science
Middle Level Social Studies

Secondary (Grades 9-12) Fields

Agriculture
Biology
Business and Marketing Education
Chemistry
Computer Science
English
Family and Consumer Science
History
Industrial Technology
Mathematics
Physics
Science
Social Studies

Step 1

Complete and submit an Alternative Route Application for PACE through My SC Educator Portal, but do NOT pay the non-refundable $105.00 application fee at this time.

Step 2

Submit Official Transcripts from all colleges attended.

Individuals who have completed academic degrees or coursework at an institution of higher education outside the United States must obtain a complete, course-by-course evaluation of their credentials and other relevant documents prior to applying for a South Carolina educator certificate or certificate change. This evaluation must be completed by a member organization of one of the two following national associations of credential evaluation services:

• Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE), or
• National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES)

Once evaluated, submit this report through My SC Educator Portal as a PDF copy. For more information, please refer to the Submitting Requests and Documents webpage.

PAUSE

Wait to receive a formal letter from our office with the results of your transcript evaluation. Applicants may track the receipt and evaluation of their documents at the Office of Educator Services by using My SC Educator Portal.

Step 3

If the evaluation letter indicates approval for PACE, the next step is to schedule, take, and pass the appropriate ETS Praxis subject area assessment. Please make sure ETS reports the official scores to the South Carolina Department of Education (code 8108).

Step 4

After you receive your official passing score report from ETS, schedule and complete the Fingerprinting Process and Criminal Records Review. Specific information necessary for completing the fingerprinting and criminal history review is available through My SC Educator Portal.

Step 5

After the fingerprinting is completed, submit the non-refundable $105 Processing Fee online through My SC Educator Portal.

PAUSE 

Wait to receive a letter from our office granting permission to seek employment as a PACE candidate. This letter is called a Statement of Eligibility (SOE). Districts will ask for this in interviews.

Step 6

Secure employment with a S.C. public school district. Give a copy of your SOE to the interviewing district(s). The hiring district will submit a Confirmation of Employment (COE) to our office so we can invite you to the next PACE training Cohort.

Step 7

Attend and pass the 10-day PACE I Institute to secure your initial PACE educator certificate.

Step 8

Begin your exciting new career as a South Carolina Educator! Review your cohort information for an overview of requirements and timelines.

Educators that have relevant educator experience meeting the Educator Experience Credit Guidelines
after bachelor's degree conferral, but prior to PACE enrollment, may be eligible to receive experience credit on their educator certificate. Please review Adding Experience Credit for more information.

The Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA) offers an Online Application and Job Bank. This system is designed for public school districts and special schools to post teaching vacancies and review applications. It is also designed for job seekers to search and apply for teaching vacancies.

CERRA also sponsors the SC Teacher Expo, a one-day job fair designed to match teacher candidates to current and anticipated district vacancies.
 
Most districts post their teacher vacancies on their district website. Their websites should indicate if they require any additional information beyond CERRA's Online Application. Many districts also offer an annual career fair. You can locate information regarding career fairs on district websites. Additionally, some districts have posted this same information on the CERRA website.

The State Department of Education's Office of Educator Services facilitates training institutes and seminars for PACE participants. These training institutes are currently offered virtually and utilizes a state-adopted curriculum. This curriculum is based on the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) standards. The state-run training program assures that all PACE participants are trained to the same high standards regardless of their location in South Carolina.

The PACE training provides participants with the tools to be successful in the classroom and takes place during the participants’ first two years in the classroom. Training begins with a ten-day PACE I Institute that focuses on skills needed to step in the classroom for the first time. These skills include: managing the classroom, handling behavior issues, preparing lesson plans, supporting diverse learners, teaching strategies, and more.

PACE instructors will continue to train and support each PACE participant throughout their first two years, making the transition from a previous career to classroom educator successful and rewarding. Additionally, PACE participants have the collegial support of other career-changers like themselves going through the training.

Employment Timeline

Depending on when PACE applicants receive their statement of eligible and verify employment with a South Carolina public school district, they will be assigned to a different cohort (A or B) and will follow different procedures during their first year of certification.

• If hired before summer deadline, educators are eligible for the Summer PACE I Institute. Educators are enrolled in the Summer Cohort (A).
• Educators hired after the summer deadline must now attend the Winter PACE I Institute.  Educators are enrolled in the Winter Cohort (B).
• Educators hired after the winter deadline may be eligible to have their employing school district request a PACE Adjunct certificate. Educators will not attend training during their Adjunct academic year, but with continued employment will be enrolled in the next available cohort.

The two cohorts (A and B) will merge at the conclusion of the winter PACE I and will attend training activities together from that point forward.

Sample Training Calendar

• PACE I Institute (cohort A attends in July and cohort B attends in December; 10 days)
• Spring Seminar (cohort A and cohort B merge for this and all future requirements; March; 1 day)
• PACE II Institute (merged cohorts; June; 10 days)
• Fall Seminar (merged cohorts; October, 1 day)

To fulfill PACE requirements and advance to a Professional certificate, current PACE participants must successfully complete three college courses from the lists of courses approved by the South Carolina Department of Education. Courses identified for individual teachers should be based on the educator’s certification area, experience, knowledge, and skills as well as his or her professional growth and development needs. Participants should complete all courses while an active participant in PACE or within the three years prior to issuance of the first alternative-route certificate. Approved courses taken four or more years prior to issuance of the first alternative-route certificate must be revalidated by the college that issued the course credit for use in PACE.

The three required courses must be pre-approved before completion and should be completed for credit and an assigned grade of B or better. For the purposes of PACE, participants may complete the R2S Content Area Reading and Writing requirement through approved professional development (via Virtual SC or their districts). In addition to R2S, one other professional development graduate course may be used to fulfill a PACE course requirement. In order for a PD graduate course to be used for PACE, the course must correspond directly to one of the three required PACE course categories, must be approved by the Office of Educator Services prior to enrollment, and must be taken for three semester hours of graduate PD credit. Only the PD course may be completed as pass/fail.

Participants have access to a list of pre-approved courses, available on SCPACE Moodle. These courses do not require a course approval evaluation request. If participants want to take one of the required courses that is not on the pre-approved course list, they must submit a PACE Course Evaluation request through My SC Educator Portal and a copy of the course description or syllabus for approval. Courses must be evaluated and approved by the Office of Educator Services before completion.

Only an employing South Carolina public school district may request a PACE Adjunct Certificate.

A PACE candidate who possesses a valid Statement of Eligibility issued by the SCDE teacher certification office may be issued an Adjunct Certificate under one of the following conditions.

Eligibility Requirements

The individual with a valid PACE Statement of Eligibility becomes employed by a South Carolina public school or school district too late in the school year to qualify to attend and successfully complete the PACE I Institute and be issued a first-year PACE certificate for that school year.

The individual is employed by a South Carolina public school or school district but qualifies for a PACE Statement of Eligibility after the start of the PACE Winter PACE I Institute and cannot be issued a first-year PACE certificate.

Employer Requirements

The public school or school district must submit a written request to the SCDE teacher certification office for the issuance of the Adjunct Teacher certificate for a PACE-eligible candidate who qualifies under this option.

The individual must be employed in the certification field for which he or she is PACE-eligible.

The individual may be employed up to 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) for less than a full school year.

The employer must provide appropriate formative support, assistance, and feedback to the educator and must assign a trained mentor certified in the same content area or grade level.

Stipulations

The Adjunct certificate will be issued for the remainder of the school year for which it is requested and will expire on June 30 of that year.

An Adjunct certificate issued under this option cannot be renewed. If offered continued employment by the school or school district, the educator must attend the next available PACE I Institute and qualify for a first-year PACE Alternative Route certificate. If the individual is not offered continued employment by the sponsor, he or she may renew the PACE Statement of Eligibility and seek employment in another public school or school district. Alternately, the individual may seek certification through completion of an approved teacher preparation program at a regionally accredited college or university.

• Cohort 2025
• Cohort 2024
• Cohort 2023
• Cohort 2022
• Cohort 2021