Applicants that do not currently hold South Carolina educator certification may apply to receive initial certification for a field of Montessori Education by meeting the following eligibility requirements:

• Hold a bachelor's degree (or higher/equivalent) conferred by a regionally accredited institution of higher education;
• Complete a Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE) accredited training program;
• Present a qualifying score on the appropriate Pedagogical Knowledge Assessment; and
• Present a qualifying score on the appropriate Content Knowledge Assessment.

Once initial certification is issued for a Montessori Education field, educators may apply for additional Montessori Education fields by completing MACTE accredited training programs and content knowledge assessments corresponding with the Montessori Education field. Please note that educators issued initial certification for Montessori fields must complete an approved educator preparation program through a regionally accredited institution of higher education in order to apply for adding any non-Montessori fields.

Montessori Certification Fields

The following Montessori certification fields are available for initial certification applicants:

• Montessori Early Childhood (3K-5K)
• Montessori Elementary I (1-3)
• Montessori Elementary II (4-6)
• Montessori Middle Language Arts (6-8)
• Montessori Middle Math (6-8)
• Montessori Middle Science (6-8)
• Montessori Middle Social Studies (6-8)

Assessment Requirements by Field

To be eligible for initial certification, applicants must complete a matching set of Pedagogical Knowledge and Content Knowledge Assessments corresponding with their MACTE training program.

• Montessori Early Childhood applicants must complete assessment requirements given for Early Childhood Education
• Montessori Elementary I applicants must complete assessment requirements given for either Early Childhood Education or for Elementary Education.  Please note that the pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge assessments completed must align with the same field
• Montessori Elementary II applicants must complete assessment requirements given for Elementary Education
• Montessori Middle Language Arts applicants must complete assessment requirements given for Middle Level Language Arts
• Montessori Middle Math applicants must complete assessment requirements given for Middle Level Math
• Montessori Middle Science applicants must complete assessment requirements given for Middle Level Science
• Montessori Middle Social Studies applicants must complete assessment requirements given for Middle Level Social Studies

Applying for Montessori Certification

Upon completion of program and examination requirements, please submit the following materials in order to apply for Montessori initial 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 passing scores on an approved Content Knowledge Assessment (please be aware that official score reports must be received),
• Submit passing score on an approved Pedagogical Knowledge Assessment (please be aware that official score reports must be received), and
• Submit verification of completion of a training program at the appropriate level accredited by MACTE. Verification may be documented by submitting one or more of the following:
  • Montessori Recommendation Form; or
  • MACTE Certificate.

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