Pursuant to S.C. Code Ann. § 59-25-60, as established by Act 29 of 2025–26, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is authorized to award experience credit for eligible non-teaching occupational experience directly related to the certification content area for which an educator qualifies. The State Board of Education approved implementation guidelines on November 4, 2025.
Non-teaching Occupational Experience Guidelines
Definitions
For the purpose of awarding credit for non-teaching occupational experience, the following definitions will be used.
Non-teaching occupational experience is defined as professional work experience in the public or private sector that is directly related to the content area of the educator certificate for which the individual qualifies.
Full-time employment is defined as a minimum of 35 hours per week per year.
Purpose and Eligibility
Credit for non-teaching occupational experience is granted solely for the purpose of advancement on the teacher salary schedule. Experience credit for non-teaching occupational experience does not count toward retirement or health benefits administered by the Public Employee Benefits Authority (PEBA).
For academic certification fields, eligible experience must be earned after receiving a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
For career and technical education (CTE) work-based certification fields, eligible experience must be earned after receiving a high school diploma or equivalent.
Application Procedures
For evaluation by the South Carolina Department of Education, the applicant must submit:
- A request to add non-teaching occupational experience via the My SC Educator Portal.
- A completed Non-teaching Occupational Experience Verification Form, verified by the employer.*
- A job description from the employer demonstrating relevance to the certification area.*
- For an educator who is self-employed, the verification must be completed by a third party such as an accountant, attorney, or business manager affiliated with the business.
*The experience form and the employer job description may be submitted through My SC Educator Portal, or the employer can email the forms to certification@ed.sc.gov.
Credit Calculation
Educators may earn one year of experience credit for every two years (24 months) of full-time, compensated non-teaching occupational experience (at least 35 hours per week).
Effective Date of Experience Updates for Current Educators
Educators may submit the experience verification when applying for a South Carolina educator certificate for the first time.
Educators who entered the profession prior to July 1, 2025, and possess qualifying non-teaching occupational experience may submit the verification form and additional documentation to request additional experience credit.
- If additional years are awarded, the educator is entitled to have his or her pay adjusted at the beginning of the next school year, from the effective date of the adjustment, to reflect the new experience step on the employing district’s salary schedule.
- An educator is not entitled to retroactive pay for the increased years of experience during prior years of teaching or for any purpose other than advancement on the teacher salary schedule.
