Educator Preparation Program Completer

Educators that have completed a traditional, approved preparation program through a regionally accredited institution of higher education (IHE) may apply for an Initial certificate through completion of South Carolina's required content knowledge and pedagogy knowledge assessments.

Please note that educators holding a current, valid out-of-state teaching credential may be eligible to have their credential reciprocated in South Carolina without requiring completion of South Carolina's assessments.

How do I apply for certification?

Applicants who have completed an approved educator preparation program but do not currently hold a valid, professional out-of-state certificate must complete the following steps in order to gain South Carolina certification:

Complete a certification application prior to all other steps;
Complete the fingerprinting process and criminal records review;
Submit the non-refundable $105 processing fee online through My SC Educator Portal;
Submit an official transcript from each college or university attended;
Submit a College Recommendation Form for Classroom Teaching Fields or Service & Leadership Fields signed by your designated college official;
Submit official score reports verifying passing scores on an approved Content Knowledge Assessment; and
Submit official score reports verifying passing score on an approved Pedagogy Knowledge Assessment.

Please note that applicants seeking certification for Service fields (School Psychologist, Speech-Language Pathologist, School Counselor, and School Librarian) are not required to complete a pedagogy knowledge assessment.

For more information on submitting application materials, please visit the Submitting Requests and Documents webpage.

Which assessments / exams do I need to complete?

Candidates seeking an Initial certificate in a classroom teaching field in South Carolina must submit qualifying scores on both the content knowledge and pedagogy assessments approved by the State Board of Education (SBE) in order to be eligible for and issued a certificate.

Candidates seeking an Initial certificate in a service field (School Counselor, School Psychologist, School Librarian, or Speech Language Pathologist) must submit a qualifying score on the content knowledge assessment approved by the SBE in order to be eligible for and issued a certificate.

Prior to taking any South Carolina educator certification assessments, It is highly recommended that educators who completed their approved program through an out-of-state provider should first:

complete an application for certification; and
have their program provider complete a College Recommendation Form.

Each state recognizes differing fields and grade ranges for certification purposes; please allow the Office of Educator Services to evaluate your program for certification eligibility and to determine which assessments you must complete.

For additional information, please visit the Required Assessments for Educator Certification webpage.

How do I check on the status of my application or certificate?

Please utilize My SC Educator Portal feature of our website to track certification updates, review documents received by the Office of Educator Services, view correspondence, and print copies of current, valid certificates.

How do I know if my college/university program is accepted for inital certification purposes?

In order for an educator preparation program to be used to obtain a first time certificate or to add a field to an existing certificate, the program must:

Be completed at a regionally accredited Institution of Higher Education (IHE);
Be approved either by that state’s licensing authority or by NCATE/CAEP;
Be approved for certification by the Department of Education in the state in which the program provider is located; and
Include a sufficient student teaching or internship component.

An overview of information on Approved Educator Preparation Program and Requirements is available.

Please note that out-of-state alternative certification programs are not accepted for South Carolina initial certification purposes. Educators that completed out-of-state alternative certification programs must either present a valid, standard certificate from out-of-state to apply for reciprocity or must enroll in a South Carolina Alternative Certification Program.

Do I need to resubmit documents used for a prior certification application?

Educators holding an expired South Carolina educator certificate and reapplying for a new certificate follow the same procedures, but may not need to resubmit official transcripts, college recommendations, or assessment score reports that are already on file at the Office of Educator Services.

Please note that assessments may be discontinued, replaced, or updated over time. If a completed assessment does not align with current SBE requirements, it may not be accepted for certification application purposes. Educators are encouraged to contact the Office of Educator Services for assistance in verifying eligibility for reapplication and determining which documents or assessments do not need to be resubmitted.