Teacher Certification Renewal Process
Professional Certificate Renewal Guidelines
To renew a professional teaching certificate, verification of having earned a minimum of 120 renewal credits based on the Renewal Credit Matrix must be submitted to the Office of Human Resources. 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. All credits must be earned during the five-year validity period of the certificate (e.g. July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2025). Renewal credit that is more than five years old will not be accepted for renewal purposes.
Important Requirements:
- Graduate Course Requirement: Effective June 26, 2020 this requirement has been waived by the SDE.
- Pre-Approved Renewal Course Providers: The following providers offer pre-approved coursework that meets the requirements of either Option 1 or 2 of the renewal credit matrix:
- VirtualSC Professional Development (virtualscpd.com)
- SCETV Professional Development (https://www.scetv.org/teachercourses#/)
- PBS TeacherLine Southeast Professional Development (pbs.org/teacherline/)
(Only PBS TeacherLine Southeast's facilitated courses are pre-approved, not the self-paced courses.)
- TeacherStep Professional Development(Teacherstep.com)
- org (OEC)
- Jason Flatt Act (Middle and High School Only): Educators working in a middle or high school setting must satisfy the Jason Flatt Act requirements once in their career before the Professional Certificate can be renewed. This requirement can be met by visiting the Jason Foundation Website and completing the Mental Health Issues Surrounding Suicidal Ideation Training (Module 2). A certificate of completion must be submitted as verification.
- Extension Requests: If renewal requirements are not met by June 30th, a one-year extension can be requested. This option is only available if an extension has not been granted in the last five years. To apply for an extension, a Request for Change/Action form must be submitted to the Office of Educator Services at the State Department of Education. When an extension is granted, the following certificate validity period will be issued for four years instead of five years.
Directions for Submitting Documentation:
- The Renewal Computation Sheet must be completed with renewal credits listed under the appropriate option. Refer to the Renewal Credit Matrix as a guide.
- All supporting verification (renewal credit certificates, official transcript(s), etc.) must be attached to the computation sheet.
- The completed renewal computation sheet and all necessary verification must be submitted to the designated school-level administrator for review, initial approval, and signature.
- The completed renewal computation sheet and all necessary verification must be submitted to the Office of Human Resources for final approval and renewal.
*Sufficient verification documentation must be provided to the Office of Human Resources for renewal credit. Renewal documents should never be sent to the State Department of Education.
Resources & Forms
Teacher Certification Renewal Process
South Carolina Department of Education Request for Change Action Form
OCSD Revised Renewal Matrix
OCSD In-district Computation Sheet
Jason Flatt Implementation