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The state of South Carolina has a two-tiered system. The first tier comprises the Initial certification. An Initial educator certificate is issued for three school years and is non-renewable. Options for maintenance and advancement differ based on South Carolina (SC) employment status. To maintain certification beyond an Initial certificate’s original expiration date, educators must follow one of the following procedures: (1) advance to a Professional Certificate type (requires SC public school employment); (2) extend their Initial Certificate annually (requires SC public or private school employment); (3) advance to a Limited Professional Certificate type (requires SC private school employment).  Moving from an Initial Certificate to a Professional Certificate requires the successful completion of two requirements: Pedagogical knowledge assessment (typically the Praxis II “Principles of Learning and Teaching” exam), and ADEPT summative evaluation process completed during the validity of the current Initial Certificate.  Employees of private SC schools cannot advance to the Professional license, but instead, they advance to a Limited Professional Certificate. In addition to tiers, certification in SC also carries a class level designation. The class level designated on an educator certificate indicates the highest degree earned by the individual. An educator who holds a valid South Carolina credential may be eligible for advancement to another class level by completing additional graduate level coursework or degrees from a regionally accredited college or university.

For additional information about certification, please, consult the Educator Services at the South Caroline Department of Education.