Adding Certification Fields & Endorsements

Early Childhood and Elementary Education Teaching Fields 

District and school professional staff members must hold appropriate credentials for the positions they occupy in order to meet accreditation standards mandated by State Board of Education Regulation 43-300. Districts refer to the Required Credentials for Professional Staff Members in the Instructional Programs of South Carolina’s Public Schools for guidance on which certifications must be held in a given employment position. If you are unsure of a given position's title or certification requirements, please contact the employing South Carolina public school district for assistance.

Seeking Coursework Pre-Approval

Prior to beginning online coursework, educators must request approval using My SC Educator Portal. Once a coursework approval request is submitted through the portal, educators must upload a PDF copy of course description information to the portal. This is generally available through the provider's website, course catalog, or academic bulletin; please contact the provider if you encounter difficulties locating their course description information.

Approval for online coursework cannot be given via phone or email.

Seeking Program Pre-Approval

Prior to beginning a program, educators must request approval using My SC Educator Portal. Once a program approval request is submitted through the portal, educators must upload a PDF copy of program description information to the portal. This is generally available through the provider's website or academic bulletin; please contact the provider if you encounter difficulties locating their program description information.

Approval for online programs cannot be given via phone or email.

Leadership Fields

School Principal - Tier 1 (PK-Grade 12)
School Principal - Tier 2 (PK-Grade 12)
District Superintendent (PK-Grade 12)
Career and Technology (CTE) Center Director (Grades 6-12)

Requirements for Adding Leadership Fields

The following requirements must be met:

• Hold a master's degree conferred by a Regionally Accredited institution of higher education;
• Complete an Approved Preparation Program through a Regionally Accredited institution of higher education;
• Earn a qualifying score on the appropriate Subject Area Exam; and
• Complete any additional requirements provided as outlined for the given field in Regulation 43-64 Requirements for Initial Certification at the Advanced Level.

Seeking Program Pre-Approval

Prior to beginning a program, educators must request approval using My SC Educator Portal. Once a program approval request is submitted through the portal, educators must upload a PDF copy of program description information to the portal. This is generally available through the provider's website or academic bulletin; please contact the provider if you encounter difficulties locating their program description information.

Approval for online programs cannot be given via phone or email.

How to Add Leadership Fields

Once all eligibility criteria are met, educators must submit all of the following in order to apply for adding a certification field:

• Submit a request using My SC Educator Portal
• Submit Official Transcripts
• Verify program approval and completion
  • If you attended an out-of-state institution, have the dean, assistant dean, or certification specialist complete a College Recommendation Form - Service & Leadership Fields Form on your behalf; they may email the completed form to certification@ed.sc.gov or you may then upload the completed form using My SC Educator Portal.
  • If you attended an in-state institution, contact the dean, assistant dean, or certification specialist to request verification of program completion be submitted on your behalf; the institute provides this information directly to the SCDE using their provider portal.
• Submit Official Exam Score Reports
• Submit experience verification
  • Have your employer complete an Experience Verification Form on your behalf to verify current or prior employment in a relevant position; they may email the completed form to certification@ed.sc.gov or you may then upload the completed form using My SC Educator Portal.

Service Fields

School Librarian (PK-Grade 12)
School Counselor (PK-Grade 12)
School Psychologist (PK-Grade 12)
Speech-Language Pathologist (PK-Grade 12)

Requirements for Adding Service Fields

The following requirements must be met:

• Hold a master's degree conferred by a Regionally Accredited institution of higher education
• Complete an Approved Preparation Program for the given service field through a Regionally Accredited institution of higher education
• Earn a qualifying score on the appropriate Subject Area Exam
• Complete any additional requirements provided as outlined for the given field in Regulation 43-64 Requirements for Initial Certification at the Advanced Level

Seeking Program Pre-Approval

Prior to beginning a program, educators must request approval using My SC Educator Portal. Once a program approval request is submitted through the portal, educators must upload a PDF copy of program description information to the portal. This is generally available through the provider's website or academic bulletin; please contact the provider if you encounter difficulties locating their program description information.

Approval for online programs cannot be given via phone or email.

Requesting Service Field Add-On

Once all eligibility criteria are met, educators must submit all of the following in order to apply for adding a certification field:

• Submit a request using My SC Educator Portal
• Submit Official Transcripts
• Verify program approval and completion
  • If you attended an out-of-state institution, have the dean, assistant dean, or certification specialist complete a College Recommendation Form - Service & Leadership Fields Form on your behalf; they may email the completed form to certification@ed.sc.gov or you may then upload the completed form using My SC Educator Portal
  • If you attended an in-state institution, contact the dean, assistant dean, or certification specialist to request verification of program completion be submitted on your behalf; the institute provides this information directly to the SCDE using their provider portal
• Submit Official Exam Score Reports

Certificates Eligible to Add Teaching Fields

The following minimum requirements must be met in order to add a teaching field to a certificate:

• Educator must hold an Initial or Professional certificate; and
• Educator must have completed an approved educator preparation program for a teaching field. Exclusions and limitations may apply for educators that hold certification solely in service, leadership, Advanced Fine Arts, or Montessori fields.

For guidance on minimum requirements, exclusions, and limitations, please refer to the Guidelines and Requirements for Adding Certification Fields and Endorsements.

Options for Adding Teaching Fields

There are currently three methods by which educators may qualify to add a teaching field to their certificate:

• Add by Program

  Apply to add based on completion of an approved educator preparation program in the given field and an appropriate exam

• Add by Coursework

  Apply to add based on completion of an approved coursework series in the given field and an appropriate exam

• Add by Exam

  Apply to add based on completion of an appropriate exam

For guidance on which methods may be used to qualify for adding a given teaching field, please refer to the Add-On Method Summary Chart.

Eligibility

This method allows educator with an Initial or Professional certificate to add certification fields through completion of an approved educator preparation program. The following requirements must be met to add a certification field by program:

• Hold an Initial or Professional certificate;
• Complete an Approved Educator Preparation Program through a Regionally Accredited institution of higher education; and
• Earn a qualifying score on the appropriate Subject Area Exam.

The teaching fields of Driver Education, Literacy Teacher, Literacy Coach, and Literacy Specialist include additional requirements beyond completion of an approved program. Please refer to the Guidelines and Requirements for Adding Certification Fields and Endorsements for additional advisement.

Seeking Program Pre-Approval

Prior to beginning a program, educators must request approval using My SC Educator Portal. Once a program approval request is submitted through the portal, educators must upload a PDF copy of program description information to the portal. This is generally available through the provider's website or academic bulletin; please contact the provider if you encounter difficulties locating their program description information.

Approval for online programs cannot be given via phone or email.

Applying for Add-On

Once all eligibility criteria are met, educators must submit all of the following in order to apply for adding a certification field:

• Submit a request using My SC Educator Portal
• Submit Official Transcripts
• Verify program approval and completion
  • If you attended an out-of-state institution, have the dean, assistant dean, or certification specialist complete a College Recommendation Form- Classroom Teaching Fields on your behalf; they may email the completed form to certification@ed.sc.gov or you may then upload the completed form using My SC Educator Portal.
  • If you attended an in-state institution, contact the dean, assistant dean, or certification specialist to request verification of program completion be submitted on your behalf; the institute provides this information directly to the SCDE using their provider portal.
• Submit Official Exam Score Reports

Eligibility

This method allows educators with an Initial or Professional certificate to add certification fields through an approved coursework series through Regionally Accredited institutions of higher education. The following requirements must be met to add a certification field by coursework:

• Hold an Initial or Professional certificate;
• Complete a coursework series that aligns with State Board of Education approved Guidelines and Requirements for Adding Certification Fields and Endorsements, and
• Earn a qualifying score on the appropriate Subject Area Exam.

The teaching fields of Driver Education, Literacy Teacher, Literacy Coach, Literacy Specialist, and Montessori Education include additional requirements beyond completion of an approved program. Exclusions and limitations apply to educators holding certification solely in service, leadership, Advanced Fine Arts, or Montessori fields. Please refer to the Guidelines and Requirements for Adding Certification Fields and Endorsements for additional advisement.

Seeking Coursework Pre-Approval

Prior to beginning online coursework, educators must request approval using My SC Educator Portal. Once a coursework approval request is submitted through the portal, educators must upload a PDF copy of course description information to the portal. This is generally available through the provider's website, course catalog, or academic bulletin; please contact the provider if you encounter difficulties locating their course description information.

Approval for online coursework cannot be given via phone or email.

Applying for Add-On

Once all eligibility criteria are met, educators must submit all of the following in order to apply for adding a certification field:

• Submit a request using My SC Educator Portal
• Submit Official Transcripts
• Submit Official Exam Score Reports

Eligibility

This method allows educators with a Professional certificate to add certification fields through completion of an appropriate subject area exam. The following requirements must be met to add a certification field by exam:

• Hold a Professional certificate; and
• Earn a qualifying score on the appropriate Subject Area Exam.

Not all teaching fields are eligible to be added by exam and some include additional eligibility criteria.  Please refer to the Add-On Method Summary Chart for advisement.

Exclusions and limitations apply to educators holding certification solely in service, leadership, Advanced Fine Arts, or Montessori fields. Please refer to the Guidelines and Requirements for Adding Certification Fields and Endorsements for advisement.

Applying for Add-On

Once all eligibility criteria are met, educators must submit all of the following in order to apply for adding a certification field:

• Submit a request using My SC Educator Portal
• Submit Official Exam Score Reports

Certification endorsements reflect completion of specialized training in addition to an educator's certification fields.  Some endorsements may be required to teach a specific course in a South Carolina public school district, while others serve as testaments to an educator's dedication to continuing professional development in a specialized area.

Certification Endorsements

• Advanced Placement (AP)
• Dual Language Immersion Teacher
• Dual Language Immersion Coach
• Dual Language Immersion Instructional Leadership
• English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
• Gifted and Talented
• Online Teaching
• Project-based Learning
• Read to Succeed Literacy Requirement
• Read to Succeed Literacy Teacher
• Read to Succeed Literacy Coach
• Read to Succeed Literacy Specialist
• Science, Technology, Arts, Engineering, Mathematics (STEAM) Education
• Secondary Transition Specialist
• Teacher Leader
• Teaching Children of Poverty

Endorsement Eligibility

Requirements for adding certification endorsements vary; please refer to the Guidelines and Requirements for Adding Certification Fields and Endorsements for eligibility advisement.
To add any specialized endorsement to a teaching certificate, an educator must meet the following pre-requisites:

• Bachelor's degree or higher;
• Initial, Professional, or Alternative Route certificate at the early childhood, elementary, middle, secondary, or PK-12 Level*; and
• Completion of all required coursework with an equivalent grade of “C” or better.

An examination/assessment is not required to add an endorsement.

Adding Endorsements

Once all eligibility criteria are met, educators must submit all of the following in order to add a certification endorsement:

• Submit a request using My SC Educator Portal
• Submit Official Transcripts (if semester credit coursework is required)
• Submit certificates of completion (if training or professional development is required)
  • Certificates may be uploaded using My SC Educator Portal

Online Teaching Endorsement Waiver Requirements

Online Teaching is an optional specialized certification endorsement intended to enhance an educator’s skills and knowledge beyond that required for traditional teaching and to prepare the individual to teach classes within an online environment. The online endorsement is only valid for educators to teach in the specific content area(s) in which they are certified.
Coursework required to complete this endorsement may be waived and certification in Online Teaching granted for teachers who have successfully taught three online courses through an accredited educational institution or professional development program that meets the following requirements:

1. The courses must have been taught within three calendar years of the date of application for the waiver.
2. The courses must have been designed to be delivered in a fully online course format.
3. The courses must have been delivered utilizing fully online facilitation methods.
4. The duration of the courses must have represented an entire credit of academic course work.
5. The courses must have been taught through an accredited education institution or professional development program approved by the SCDE. Qualifying programs include State Board of Education-approved district virtual programs under Proviso 1.91, a state-authorized virtual charter school, an SCDE-approved virtual program, or a regionally accredited institution of higher education.

Educators that meet these criteria may apply for an Online Teaching endorsement waiver by submitting the following materials to the Office of Virtual Education at OnlineTeachingWaiver@ed.sc.gov:

• A signed verification statement from a school administrator on school letterhead that states: 
  • the applicant's name,
  • the applicant's certification number,
  • the name of the course(s) taught online, and
  • the date that the courses were taught online at their institution
• A completed Online Teaching Endorsement Waiver Form

After being evaluated and approved by the Office of Virtual Education, educators can then submit a request and upload their signed form using My SC Educator Portal.