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2 Teacher certification grade spans for Richland School District Two: Early Childhood = Pre-K Grade 3 Elementary = Grades 2 6 Middle Level = Grades 5 8 Secondary = Grades 9 12 Certificate Renewal The purpose of the Professional Educator Certificate Renewal Quick Reference Guide is to assist Richland School District Two educators to find up-to-date, relevant information pertaining to certificate renewal and valuable information links. It is the sole responsibility and the contractual obligation of the employee to maintain a valid certificate. An educator s professional certificate is valid for five years and expires on June 30 of the expiration year. Additional detailed information about certification issues can be found at the South Carolina Department of Education s Website To renew a professional certificate, educators must comply with all applicable guidelines relative to certificate renewal options and criteria, renewal credits, and verification requirements, in accordance with the current Certificate Renewal Plan. Certificate Renewal Procedure Richland School District Two Matrix Plan Obtaining Renewal Credit Richland School District Two Educators should contact their certification site representative (located at school site) concerning their certificate renewal. Courses, activities, etc., taken for renewal, are based on the employee's professional growth plan established at the school level. Substitute employees should contact the SC Department of Education concerning certificate renewal. Effective July 1, 2009, an official South Carolina educator certificate will be provided only when an educator qualifies for his or her first South Carolina certificate. Educators can monitor all subsequent certificate changes, additions or modifications to their teaching credential by checking the Certification Status Page from the Office of Educator Certification secure Web site at The Web page includes a message advising educators of changes that have recently been made to their certificate. This message will appear for 30 days after a certificate change has been made. Educators can also print an unofficial copy of their certificate as needed. The Web site s secure environment will serve as the official record of an educator s South Carolina teaching credential. District human resources 1

3 personnel and others who are presented with a copy of an educator s South Carolina credential can check the current status of the credential by accessing the Educator Certification Web site and verifying the current areas of certification and validity dates. This feature is now in place and available to anyone who needs to verify a South Carolina teaching credential. After July 1, 2009, educators wishing to have an official copy of a current certificate issued from our office can do so by submitting a change/action form with a $10.00 fee. An official certificate will then be mailed to the educator s address on file. Renewal Credits Richland School District Two requires that all professional educators maintain certification and provide verification of having earned a minimum of 120 renewal credits during the certificate s five-year validity period. Renewal credits may be earned through professional activities that directly relate to the educator s professional growth and development plan, support the goals of the District, and promote student achievement, as required by the SC State Department of Education. All administrators employed in a South Carolina public school district must complete a minimum of twenty (20) renewal credits (of the required 120 renewal credits) during each five-year validity period in professional development activities that are designed to enhance their skills in supporting and encouraging teachers as professionals. NOTE: Professional educators who do not hold a master s degree must earn a minimum of sixty (60) renewal credits of the 120 credits required during each five-year validity period by completing at least three (3) semester hours of college credit at the graduate level. These credits must be earned from a regionally accredited college or university or through a college or university that has graduate programs approved for teacher education by the State Board of Education. Educators must download and print actual certificates when submitting renewal credits earned taking PDExpress courses. Advancing your Certificate from Initial to Professional To advance your certificate from initial to professional, you must successfully complete your Induction year; complete your ADEPT evaluation at the annual contract level successfully (ADEPT evaluation results are coded on to your record by June 30th of the current year); and complete PLT with a passing score at the appropriate grade level. 2

4 NOTE: No coursework or staff development activity credits are required to move from an Initial certificate to a Professional certificate. Certificates are upgraded automatically over the summer once all requirements are met. The Professional certificate is valid for five years. During the five-year cycle, a teacher must earn 120 renewal credits. Master's Degree - Adding + 30 semester hours An applicant must earn 30 semester hours of graduate credit above the master s degree with 21 hours of graduate credit in one area of concentration. These hours may or may not be in the teacher s initial area of certification. The course work must be completed within seven years from the time it was started. Individuals who do not complete the requirements during the seven years must request that the college/university revalidate the course credits before the work can be submitted for credential advancement. Transcripts must be reviewed by the State Department of Education to determine if the class can be used. Educators must submit the request for change/action form and ask to receive an evaluation. Bachelor's Degree Adding + 18 semester hours An applicant must have 18 semester hours of graduate credit that he or she earns within seven years from the time the course work is started. Individuals who do not complete the requirements during the seven years must request that the college/university revalidate the course credits before the work can be submitted for credential advancement. It would be best if educators submit the request for change/action form and ask to receive an evaluation. Expired Certificate South Carolina professional teaching credential that has been expired for less than five (5) years may be extended upon written request from the educator to the Office of Educator Certification. This nonrenewable extension is valid for one (1) year, during which time the school district or educator must submit verification that the educator has fulfilled all current requirements for renewal of the Professional Certificate. Upon verification that all requirements have been met, the Professional Certificate will be renewed for the remainder of the validation period (i.e., four additional years). Teachers at the professional certificate level are eligible for only one extension. Adding Areas to Certificate Teachers may add additional area(s) of certification to their existing certification by completing the requirements listed under the certification area. The State Board of Education will replace the individual course 3

5 requirements for certification with Standards Based Teacher Certification requirements by July 1, 2003 to add an area to a certificate, a teacher needs to: Complete the specific courses required for add-on certification in the area(s), Submit a passing score on the required specialty examination, Submit a Request for Change/Action form, and Complete an approved program in the certification area (if applicable). Highly Qualified All teachers in all schools who provide primary instruction in core academic subjects must be highly qualified. i-learn online Videos for Technology Proficiency All South Carolina certified teachers are mandated by the State Department of Education to complete the online I-LEARN training once every five (5) years. To access i-learn online, go to for further details and instructions. Teaching certificates cannot be renewed unless this training is complete. Upon completion of the training, each teacher will receive a certificate. A copy of the certificate should be sent to Jean Daves at the District Office and Pam Hanfland at Longleaf Middle School. ATTENTION - MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS Beginning with the school year, all middle and high school certified educators will be required to complete two-hours of training in youth suicide awareness for the renewal credentials in accordance with The Jason Flatt Act. The required two-hours of training earned will count toward the required 120 renewal credits. The Jason Foundation offers this online training at NO COST. Upon entering the training modules site you will find four modules. To gain a comprehensive understanding, it is recommended that all four modules be viewed. After completion of the viewing, a short 4

6 certification assessment must be completed and a certificate printed out. What is Your Certification Status? Visit the SDE s Division of Teacher Quality website Teacher Certification Inquiry at Click on certification status. Forms Request for Change/Action Form Recertification Computation Sheet Verification of Teacher Experience 5

7 Directory for Certification Information PRAXIS Information For questions and information, visit the ETS website at Certification Issues Karen P. Lovett, EdD, Executive Director of Human Resources Jean C. Daves, Human Resources Supervisor for Certified Employment Lisa Wilkes-Davis, Human Resources Specialist Teacher Recruitment To Be Announced HQ and ADEPT Information Michele Taylor-Brown, Director of Teacher Quality LaSaundra Duncan-Ragland, Human Resources Specialist South Carolina State Department of Education Division of School Effectiveness Office of Educator Licensure 8301 Parklane Road Columbia, SC Fax Phone lines are open from 1:00 4:30 pm Monday through Friday 6

8 Sample Professional Development Opportunities to Earn Renewal Credits The South Carolina Online Professional Development (SCOPD). elearning South Carolina Teacher Step Professional Development Education Courses for Teachers PBS TeacherLine s Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) University of Phoenix Grand Canyon University Online Southern Wesleyan University Webster University PD Express emedia 7

9 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ s) Will educators be allowed to choose from any of the options on the Renewal Credit matrix for renewal credit work? All educators employed in a SC public school district can utilize all matrix options provided they correspond with his or her professional growth and development plan, and Richland School District Two s policy. All other educators will continue to earn renewal credit in college/university work or SDE recertification courses in that educator s certification area, technology, Special Education or a new area of certification. Who is responsible for maintaining an educator s renewal credit? The educator must keep verification for all renewal work. Educators employed in Richland School District Two must follow the district s process for submitting the renewal credits. Why can t all educators use all of the options on the Renewal Credit Matrix? South Carolina guidelines state all renewal work must be based on the educator s professional growth and development plan. Full-time educators employed in Richland School District Two work with an administrator to coordinate his/her growth plan for renewal work. The district administrator must review, approve, verify and process the credits. How will an educator receive his or her renewed certificate? The Office of Educator Certification updates all certificates online. The State Department will no longer mail official copies of certificates to educators, with the exception of an individual's very first certificate (...when a certificate number is assigned). Educators may view subsequent certificate updates via the State Department s website at Also, individuals may print copies of their certificate at any time from the State Department s website through a secure process. If an educator leaves a district, what happens to his or her renewal credit? An educator is responsible for processing all completed renewal work with his or her current district coordinator for approved, completed renewal work to be credited to the educator s records. That district will post the credit in the SDE Certification Portal System. Credit that is posted on the SDE CPS automatically is accepted by the district where the educator relocates. Any renewal credit work that has not been completed may be presented for review to the district coordinator or designee of the district where the educator has relocated if in South Carolina. How do you determine if a Continuing Education Unit (CEU) is an International Association of Continued Education Training (IACET) CEU for Option 11? The IACET website, has a complete list of authorized providers and the standards used for CEU credit. 8

10 Why would a district refuse renewal credit for an activity an educator completed? The renewal credit work must support the educator s professional growth and development plan. The credit work cannot be a part of the educator s contracted duties. Pre-approval policy within a district must be followed. The verification must meet the credit matrix description. 9