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Becoming a Renewal Credit Provider

Eligibility

The following entities may apply for South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) approval to offer a course or activity for renewal credit to South Carolina educator certificate holders:

  • Regionally accredited institutions of higher education which provide an approved educator preparation program,
  • Public school districts,
  • Offices of the SCDE, or
  • State funded agencies that are sponsored by an office of the SCDE.

All other entities are considered Third-Party Providers and are not eligible to apply through the SCDE for approval.

Application Procedures

Eligible entities may apply to have coursework, programs, modules, workshops, or trainings approved as a SCDE Renewal Course. Approved courses result in the issuance of 20 renewal credits per 15 hours of participation, including time allotted for completion of assignments. Courses must meet the following criteria to be approved:

  • Relates to education or educator skills,
  • Requires a minimum of 15 contact hours,
  • Is a planned course of instruction (a syllabus or curriculum outline must be submitted as part of the application process),
  • Includes an evaluation of the participants' work to determine a passing or failing grade,
  • Offers participants the opportunity to provide feedback (an exit-survey for participants must be submitted as part of the application process), and
  • Is conducted or implemented by an eligible instructor. To qualify, the instructor must either:
    • hold a master’s degree and have three years of experience in an area of specialization relating to the course, or
    • hold a bachelor’s degree, demonstrate professional contribution to the discipline, and provide a letter of recommendation from the course provider.

Once approved as a SCDE Renewal Course, the course remains approved for a set amount of time, as specified in the letter sent at the time of approval. Course providers may submit a Request to Extend Approval during the year in which a course's approval is set to expire.

Offices of the SCDE may apply to have an activity they are providing approved as a SCDE Renewal Activity. Potentially eligible activities include conferences, trainings, task forces, workshops, modules, webinars, or programs that support the operation or growth of South Carolina public school districts. Approved activities result in the issuance of 1 renewal credit per hour of participation.

Third-Party Providers

Offering Pre-Approved Activities

In order to assist educators in the renewal of their SCDE issued Professional educator certificate, courses and activities offered by private educational entities can be pre-approved for renewal credit by an educator's employing South Carolina public school district.

If you will be offering a course, event, conference, webinar, module, or workshop and would like to offer pre-approved renewal credits to attendees, please contact the South Carolina public school district(s) that you are interested in catering to. Each district has a renewal coordinator who can pre-approve your activity for their employed educators. Each district and entity has their own pre-approval system and may require additional eligibility criteria or Provider Guidelines.

Please keep in mind that a district's approval only extends to their employed educators, not educators otherwise employed.

Offering Activities Without Pre-Approval

Educators employed in South Carolina public school districts may reach out to their employer for approval on an individual basis if the provider has not already received district-wide pre-approval. If not seeking pre-approval through a South Carolina public school district, it is highly recommended that providers advise South Carolina educators of the following:

"Educators holding a South Carolina Department of Education issued Professional certificate are only eligible to receive renewal credit for professional development activities at the approval of their employing South Carolina public school district or renewal entity."

Please bear in mind that educators not employed by a South Carolina public school district have restricted renewal options that do not extend to third-party provider offerings.

Advisory Guidelines for Providers

It is recommended that providers utilize the following guidelines when offering professional development activities to South Caroline educators.

Prior to the Renewal Credit Activity

The activity sponsor/renewal credit provider should advise prospective participants of the following renewal credit guidelines:

  • Renewal credits must be related to the educator's professional growth plan and/or support the goals of the employing educational entity, and, therefore, are subject to the approval of the educational district or entity.
  • The educator is responsible for maintaining all required renewal credit verification and documentation.
  • The educator will be responsible for turning in the verification to the appropriate personnel at their district for processing.

The pre-approval policy will be determined by the educator's district. In order to assist educators, the third-party provider should make the following information available to prospective participants:

  • The title of the activity
  • The name of the sponsor/renewal credit provider, including applicable contact information
  • The date(s) and time(s) of the activity
  • The location of the activity
  • The objectives of the activity
  • The intended audience or participants
  • The projected number of contact hours (excluding all meals and breaks)

This information may be in the form of a brochure, conference program, agenda, outline, syllabus, etc.

Following the Renewal Credit Activity

Within four weeks following the conclusion of the renewal activity, the activity provider should issue a certificate of completion to each participant. This certificate should include the following information:

  • The title of the activity,
  • The completion date of the activity,
  • The location of the activity,
  • The number of contact hours (excluding all meals and breaks) accrued by the participant,
  • The name of the participant, and
  • The name and contact information of the third-party provider,

In addition to providing a certificate of completion to each eligible participant, it is recommended that the provider maintain a record of the participants who successfully complete each activity.

The educator will be responsible for submitting the certificate of completion to their district's designated renewal coordinator personnel. The district determines the qualifying renewal credit option for their educators.