Initial Teacher Certification as an Undergraduate and Transfer Student

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1 Initial Teacher Certification as an Undergraduate and Transfer Student 1. Complete an initial teacher certification program. The teacher education program for initial teacher certification through the Eugene T. Moore School of Education is a four-year program which is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). When students apply for acceptance to Clemson University through the Office of Admissions, students will at that time indicate the education program they wish to pursue. The teacher education programs offered through the Eugene T. Moore School of Education may be found at the following link: Initial Undergraduate Teacher Certification Programs. Initial Undergraduate Teacher Certification Programs Program Grade Span Degree Early Childhood Education PK 3 BA Elementary Education 2 6 BA Special Education K 12 BA Mathematics Teaching 9 12 BS Science Teaching-Biological or Physical 9 12 BS Career and Technology Education 6 12 BS Secondary Education Biology 9-12 BA English 9 12 BA Mathematics 9 12 BA French K 12 BA Spanish K 12 BA Social Studies 9 12 BS History, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology Agricultural Education (grades 9 12) is offered as a cooperative program through the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences and the College of Health, Education, and Human Development. Please refer to the Department of Agricultural Education for more details. 2. Students in the undergraduate degree teacher certification programs must meet the requirements for admission to the Professional Level of the Education Program. Click Admission to the Professional Level of the Education Program for details. Admission to the Professional Level of the Education Program In order to be admitted to the Professional Level of the Education Program, students must meet the two requirements listed below: 1. A minimum GPA of 2.50 at Clemson University

2 2. The applicable requirement listed below. Pass all three parts of the Praxis I Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST) Or a score of 1100 or better on the two part SAT Or a score of 1650 or better on the three part SAT Or an ACT score of 24 or better A summary of the test information for the Praxis I PPST may be found through the Educational Testing Service (ETS) website at During a student s sophomore year, he/she will be evaluated for acceptance into the Professional Level of the Education Program and will be notified of acceptance or denial by letter from the HEHD Academic Advising Center in 309 Edwards Hall. Acceptance is granted for undergraduates after the student has earned at least forty five (45) semester hours and will complete 60 credit hours during the semester. Those students who already have a bachelor s degree but are seeking initial certification (Post Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program students) will be considered after meeting the requirements for admittance to the Professional Level. A student who does not meet the requirements for admittance to the Professional Level will be conditionally placed in an Education Undeclared program (major code 301) for a period not to exceed one year. Students who fail to meet the GPA and PPST requirement within one year of the date of conditional admission may be dropped from the program. Students who have not been admitted to the Professional Level of the Education Program will NOT be allowed to enroll in selected 300-level education courses and the 400-level Education courses (including ED EL, ED EC, ED SEC, CTE, and READ). 3. Students must pass the appropriate Praxis II teacher area examination as adopted by the South Carolina Board of Education. Students will not be recommended for certification until he/she has passed the specialty area examination(s). For more details click on Required Praxis II Exams. Required Praxis II Exams In addition to the completion of the specific approved education program, an individual is required to have passing scores on the appropriate teacher area examinations as adopted by the South Carolina State Board of Education. The student is required to pass the Praxis II Specialty Area exam(s) for their teaching area and the appropriate Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) exam. Please refer to the following website for a list of the required South Carolina examinations: Students may register for the Praxis exams at

3 Scores for the examinations are sent to Clemson University electronically by Educational Testing Services. Students are required to take this examination(s) and report their scores prior to graduation. Failure to report scores on the required exams will result in a grade of incomplete for student teaching, which may keep a student from graduating. Principles of Learning and Teaching Exam It is recommended that students take the appropriate Praxis II Principles of Learning and Teaching exam after completing Educational Psychology (ED F 302). Students are not recommended for teacher certification until passing this exam. Praxis II Special Area Exams The specialty area examination is designed primarily for one s undergraduate major or the area in which one is seeking certification. Students should take this examination(s) during the semester immediately preceding the semester in which student teaching is to be completed. The majority of one s teaching major courses should have been completed prior to taking the specialty area examination(s). A summary of the test information is available through the Educational Testing Service (ETS) at the following website: The ETS site has specific information on each test, sample test questions, and registration information. Descriptions of the question categories in each of the Praxis exams are found online at When registering for Praxis tests through ETS, please provide your social security number in order for your scores to be reported to Clemson University and the South Carolina Department of Education. Scores are reported electronically and matched to our database using your social security number. If the social security number is not listed on your score report, processing of your certificate will be delayed and you may be required to request another official score report from ETS at an additional cost. 4. The individual must be at least eighteen years of age to receive a teaching certificate. 5. The student must complete the following requirements for certification the semester prior to beginning the block/methods courses: a. Complete the Application for Educator Certificate. Click on Application for Educator Certificate for details b. Complete the electronic fingerprint process. Click Criminal Records Check for details.

4 Application for Educator Certificate The required form titled Application for Educator Certificate will be available to students during a meeting scheduled the semester prior to beginning the block/methods courses. Students will be informed of this meeting by from the Office of Field Experience. The completed form will be returned to the Office of Field Experience by a specified deadline, and in turn, that office will forward the completed forms to the South Carolina Department of Education by their established deadline. The student may jeopardize their enrollment in student teaching/internship if the application is not returned by the designated deadline. A photocopy of the student s Social Security card must be included with the application. If the photocopy is not included, the South Carolina State Department of Education will not process the application. The South Carolina State Department of Education requires a fee of $75.00 to process the Application for Educator Certificate. The student must pay in the form of a money order or bank check (personal checks are not accepted) payable to the South Carolina State Department of Education. The student s social security number should be noted on the check so that the student will be credited with the payment. The check must be included with the application. Criminal Records Check Please be advised that a prior criminal record could prevent certification as a teacher in the State of South Carolina in accordance with State Board of Education guidelines. South Carolina State Law, SC ST SEC , passed January 1, 2005, specifies that before beginning full-time clinical teaching experience in South Carolina, a teacher education candidate shall undergo a state criminal records check by SLED and the FBI. The cost associated with the FBI background checks are those of the applicant. Information reported relative to prior arrests or convictions will be reviewed by the State Department of Education, and the State Board of Education when warranted, according to board guideline. A teacher education candidate with prior arrests or convictions of a serious nature that could affect his/her fitness to teach in the public schools of South Carolina may be denied the opportunity to complete the clinical teaching experience, and thus affect eligibility for initial teacher certification. An individual who is denied this opportunity as a result of prior arrests or convictions, after one year, may request reconsideration under guidelines established by the State Board of Education. The criminal records check will be handled through the Office of Teacher Certification at the South Carolina State Department of Education and will be considered phase one of a person s application for a teaching credential. Provided the criminal records check is conducted within 18 months of the time the teacher candidate formally applies for a teaching certificate, the fingerprinting will not have to be repeated at the time of application. A graduate of a teacher education program applying for initial teacher certification must have completed the FBI fingerprint process within eighteen months of formally applying for initial teacher certification or the fingerprint process must be

5 repeated. If the fingerprint card cannot be processed, the SC State Department will inform the individual that it will be necessary to complete another fingerprint card and submit it to their office as soon as possible. Background checks from other employment or other states are not transferable to the South Carolina Department of Education. SLED/FBI Background Check Procedures A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fingerprint review of all applicants for educator certification is required by State law ( ). To better serve applicants and the Office of Educator Certification, the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), has partnered with Integrated Biometric Technology (IBT) to provide a more efficient procedure for applicant fingerprint processing. Processing centers have been established in major population areas throughout the state to do a live scan of applicant fingerprints and receive identifying information for electronic submission to SLED for processing. All processing will be performed by SLED personnel after submission by IBT staff; no criminal history information will be available to IBT. SLED personnel will forward the fingerprints to the FBI which will cause a criminal background report to be sent to the Office of Educator Certification to be used solely for the determination of eligibility for educator certification. Turn around time for the criminal background report is anticipated to be 1-2 weeks. For more information about the background check process or the educator certification process please visit the Office of Educator Certification Web site at or call (Toll-free in South Carolina), (Columbia area or out-of-state) from1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday. Options for Submitting Fingerprints Electronic Live Scan: The preferred method of registration is to schedule an appointment with IBT by registering online at Applicants without internet access may register by calling the IBT toll-free number, A processing form is provided outlining the required information you must provide. The processing fee is $29.25 payable to IBT. Manual Card Scan (Non-Resident): If you are not in South Carolina and wish to have your fingerprints done manually by a local police department, request a fingerprint card from the Office of Educator Certification, complete a check or money order for $29.25 payable to IBT and mail it with the fingerprint card to: INTEGRATED BIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGY ATTN: SC Card Scan 1650 Wabash Ave Suite D Springfield, IL

6 Please have the following information available when scheduling the appointment to have your fingerprints taken. A processing form is provided listing the identifying information that will be requested when you register. Agency ORI: SC920060Z Agency Name: SC DEPT OF EDUCATION Reason Fingerprinted: TEACHER CERTIFICATE 6. Complete the application for student teaching. For details click 7. Complete the online Diploma Application. See Graduation Requirements for more details. Graduation Requirements The Diploma Application must be submitted through SISWeb at tigerweb.clemson.edu. This form must be completed in order to receive your degree and graduate. Students must complete this form even if they do not plan to attend the graduation ceremony. Candidates for degrees are required to apply for their diplomas by the designated deadline which may be found on the Registrar s website: Normally, the deadline to apply is within three weeks following the opening of the final semester or the opening of the first summer session prior to the date the degrees are to be awarded. Only candidates who have completed all graduation requirements are permitted to participate in the graduation ceremony. 8. Order invitations, cap, and gown. These may be order through the Clemson University Bookstore, other stores that offer these items, or online. Be aware of the deadlines for ordering in order for the items to be in your possession by the graduation date. 9. Have an official copy of your transcript sent to the South Carolina State Department of Education. For more details click on Transcripts.

7 Transcripts In order to meet the requirements for teacher certification, the South Carolina Department of Education requires an official transcript showing that the student has received his/her undergraduate degree. Also, the SC State Department of Education requires transcripts from all the colleges and universities the student attended. The Clemson University transcript does not list the courses that you took at other institutions. Therefore, if you took courses at an institution other than Clemson, you will need to request that a transcript be sent from that institution directly to the South Carolina State Department of Education. The form and information for requesting an official Clemson University transcript may be found at the Registrar s website: The mailing address for the South Carolina State Department of Education is Division of Teacher Quality, 3700 Forest Drive, Suite 500, Columbia, SC,