South Carolina educators must be appropriately certified for the positions they hold and the courses and grade levels to which they are assigned. State Board of Education Regulation 43-50, Persons Required to Hold a Teaching Certificate, establishes that “each individual employed in an instructional, classroom teaching position or who serves in a position designed for the support of the instructional program of this state must hold an appropriate South Carolina teaching credential.” An educator who is assigned for any period of time in a course or grade-level for which he or she is not appropriately certified is considered to be assigned out-of-field.
The purpose of the following documents is to provide districts and educators with a listing of the acceptable credentials for staff members working in various settings and roles. Regardless of whether a specific position is listed in the documents, all professional instructional staff must hold valid South Carolina educator certificates.
Organization of Required Credentials
Required Credentials is comprised of this overview document and a series of spreadsheets.
Overview
This overview document provides general information and guidance concerning the required qualifications for assigning professional staff. Please review this document alongside the Position and Course Assignment Spreadsheets.
Certification Proviso for Middle Level and First Grade
Until the 2026-27 General Appropriations Act is finalized, the current Continuing Resolution ensures that Proviso 1.54 of the FY 2025-26 Appropriations Act remains in place. This proviso establishes a teacher certification exemption that allows:
- teachers certified in a high school content area to teach the same content area in seventh or eighth grade without adding the corresponding middle level certification, and
- teachers certified in Elementary Education to teach first grade without adding Early Childhood certification.
The proviso is slated to remain in place for 2026-27 although the proviso number may change.
Position and Course Assignment Spreadsheets
These spreadsheets delineate the acceptable qualifications for district level and school-based professional positions as well as for assignment to teach specific courses. Course listings are organized by grade span and subject area and include course and activity codes from the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) course code database.
Required Credentials Archive
