- Charleston County School District
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- Pathways to Certification
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Educator Certification
The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) and Charleston County School District (CCSD) require that all district and school professional staff members hold appropriate credentials for the positions they occupy in order to meet accreditation standards mandated by State Board of Education Regulation 43-300.
Helpful Certification Reminders
- Maintain a valid, current teaching certificate as required for your current position with CCSD. Share a copy of your certificate with your principal each year.
- Review your Certification Status (Name, Certificate Type, Class, Years of Experience, Expiration Date, and Mailing Address). Print a copy of your Educator License to check your mailing address. Educators are responsible for updating name and contact information relevant to their SC Certificate.
Contact CCSD’s Human Resources’ Director of Certification for assistance.
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Types of Certification
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Charleston County School District requires that all individuals seeking placement in a CCSD public school setting must apply for Student Teaching and Clinical Experience Clearance.
Individuals who have Student Teaching and Clinical Experience Clearance with the SCDE must contact CCSD’s Director of Certification for a placement request prior to contacting principals and teachers in a CCSD school. Student Teaching placements are coordinated through CCSD’s Human Resources.
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Add-On
Educators can add a new teaching field to an existing, South Carolina teaching certificate through three options: add-on certification through a state-approved teacher preparation program, add-on certification through successful completion of course-by-course requirements and the qualifying score on the subject area assessment, or add-on certification through successful scores on the subject area assessment.
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A current, valid Professional Certificate is issued for a five-year renewal cycle and must be renewed during the validity period and prior to the expiration of the Professional Certificate through CCSD’s Human Resources’ Certificate Renewal Coordinator. Certificate renewal documentation (Renewal Packet) is processed through the local school district and may not be submitted directly to the SCDE.
Contact CCSD’s Human Resources’ Certificate Renewal Coordinator between 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, to set up an appointment to discuss your Certification Renewal.
Professional Certification Renewal
Renewal Credit Requirement Educators must earn a minimum of 120 renewal credits within the certificate’s validity period using the Renewal Matrix to determine acceptable renewal credits.
Graduate Coursework Requirement Educators who have not earned a Master’s degree must earn at least 60 of the required 120 renewal credits, three (3) semester hours or five (5) quarter hours of graduate-level coursework, through a regionally accredited institute of higher education. CATE Work-Based Certification exclusively are NOT required to fulfill the graduate coursework requirement for certificate renewal. Educators are reminded to verify that coursework is from a state-approved, regionally accredited institute of higher learning. (Note: Limestone College does not offer graduate level coursework.)
Completing the Certification Renewal Process
Step 1. Start a file (Renewal Packet) that includes all documentation. Add a copy of your Educator License with the Validity Period or renewal cycle of your certificate.
Step 2. Add documentation to your Renewal Packet to verify 120 renewal credits. Documentation may include, but is not limited to, transcripts and certificates from your Entrack profile. Educators who are required to complete 60 renewal credits with graduate coursework must include official, sealed transcripts from the institute of higher learning.
Step 3. Add a completed Computation Sheet and Request for Change Action Form to the Renewal Packet.
Step 4. The SCDE passed the Jason Flatt Act in 2104 that requires all teachers in a middle or high school setting to complete the 2-hour Jason Flatt Suicide Prevention and Awareness Training as part of the Professional Certificate renewal process. Educators who have completed the Jason Flatt training in a previous Professional Certificate renewal cycle are not required to repeat the training. Verify completion of Jason Flatt Training by adding the Certification of Completion to the Renewal Packet, if applicable.
To complete the training, access it through Charleston County School District’s Safe Schools Training on the CCSD Intranet. For educators who do not have access to the CCSD Intranet Safe Schools Training can access training materials here. The two-hour Module Two training video can be located under “Training” and then “Two-Hour Courses.”
Step 5. The Read to Succeed (R2S) Act requires that all certified educators earn the appropriate R2S Endorsement(s) for their certification area(s) as part of the Professional Renewal cycle.
If the required R2S endorsement has not been added to your certificate, submit the R2S course certificate and/or worksheet from the SCDE in your Certificate Renewal Packet to the CCSD Certificate Renewal Coordinator to verify your completion of the R2S requirement to date.
Access additional information about the Read to Succeed Requirement for Educators at the SCDE’s website here and the CCSD website here.
For additional assistance with this certification requirement, please contact the SCDE’s Office of Educator Services, 803.896.0325.
Step 6. Submit the Renewal Packet to the Certificate Renewal Coordinator via interoffice courier or deliver it to Human Resources, 75 Calhoun Street, within the final year of certificate validity, but no later than one month prior to the expiration date of the Professional Certificate.
Professional Certification Extensions
CCSD’s Human Resources will assist educators in seeking an extension on an expired Professional Certificate. Send an email request to both CCSD’s Director of Certification and the Certificate Renewal Coordinator. Include your full name, school location, a request for an extension, and a brief description of the reason for the extension in the email.
Regionally Accredited Institute of Higher Education
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Upon initial entry as a South Carolina classroom educator, the SCDE provides an Initial Certificate to qualified candidates. The three-year, non-renewable Initial Certificate requires that educators meet Initial Certification requirements for advancement to Professional Certification prior to the expiration date of the Initial Certificate.
The SCDE will automatically advance eligible Initial Certificates to Professional Certification in late July of each year. Educators are encouraged to monitor their Certification Status for advancement.
Initial Certification Requirements for Advancement
Successful completion of the Praxis II “Principles of Learning and Teaching” exam that corresponds with the educator’s certification area. Educators who completed an in-state approved teacher preparation program at a college or university must meet the Praxis II “Principles of Learning and Teaching” exam requirement while enrolled in the teacher preparation program and prior to receiving an Initial Certificate. Educators seeking an Initial Certificate as an out-of-state candidate through reciprocity must meet the Praxis II “Principles of Learning and Teaching” exam requirement before advancing to a Professional Certificate.
Successful completion of the ADEPT Summative Evaluation process.
Initial Certification Extensions
CCSD employed educators holding an Initial Certificate that has been expired for less than one school year or who have not met the requirements for advancement to a Professional Certificate prior to the expiration of the Initial Certificate may be eligible for a one-year extension on the Initial Certificate. The extension provides one year to successfully complete the Initial Certification requirements for advancement to a Professional Certificate and/or other certification requirements of a specific certification pathway.
CCSD employed educators should request an extension on their Initial Certificate by emailing CCSD’s Certificate Renewal Coordinator.
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