Program Overview
In July 2011, the South Carolina Department of Education updated superintendents regarding amendments to Regulation 43-64 (Requirements for Certification at the Advanced Level). Amendments to this regulation addressed the alternative certification of principals (Alternative Route for Career Changers) and became effective July 1, 2012. (Regulation 43-64). A primary reason for the amendment was to provide district superintendents another option for filling assistant principal positions with talented candidates, especially in more rural areas of our state.
The school district superintendent serves as the gatekeeper for South Carolina Career Changers Alternative Principal Pathway (CCAPP). The superintendent will identify potential candidates and determine if the candidate has the attitudes, competencies and dispositions to succeed as a school administrator. CCAPP is the avenue by which the candidate builds instructional leadership, knowledge, and skills while developing administrative experience. The superintendent will recommend the candidate for Tier I Alternative Route for Career Changers licensure through the Office of Educator Services when he/she is hired by the district as an assistant principal. The Office of Effectiveness and Leadership will assist the superintendent and candidate in constructing and implementing an Individual Development Plan based on the candidate’s experience and needs. Provided that requirements in the regulation and the alternative principal certification program are fulfilled, the candidate would then be eligible for Tier I principal certification after three years of successful experience as an assistant principal in that district (please refer to the regulation).
Program Eligibility
As stipulated in the regulation, a candidate would be eligible for an initial one-year alternative principal certificate if the candidate:
- Has a master’s degree;
- Provides verification of at least three years of successful experience in leadership, supervision, upper-level management, or other position in a business, corporation, agency, or the military with responsibilities similar to those of a principal; and
- Has the recommendation by the superintendent of a South Carolina public school district planning to employ the individual as an assistant principal.
If you are a district leader considering a candidate for an assistant principal’s position under the Career Changers Alternative Principal Pathway (CCAPP), please contact Tom Smith (tsmith@ed.sc.gov) in the Office of Educator Effectiveness and Leadership Development to discuss your candidate’s specific situation and how we may assist your district.
