PACE Training
State Department of Education Program of Alternative Certification for Educators Training Program
The State Department of Education’s Division of Educator Quality & Leadership facilitates the training institutes and seminars for PACE participants. These training institutes are offered at five locations across the state. (The winter institute is offered in one location.) Each location will provide training that utilizes a state-adopted curriculum. This curriculum is based on the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) standards. The state-run training program assures that all PACE participants are trained to the same high standards regardless of their location in South Carolina.
All PACE participants are required to complete all stages of the training program. Since this is an accelerated teacher training program, attendance at all training sessions is mandatory. Certification will be based on successful completion of the seminars and the recommendation of the instructors.
Each year the Division of Educator Quality & Leadership will start a new group of teacher in the PACE training. The first group or "cohort" was initiated the 2003-04 academic year. Each cohort will be initially divided into two sections: the participants who attend the summer preservice institute, and the participants who attend the winter preservice institute. These cohorts will merge back into one cohort at the conclusion of the winter preservice.
A typical training calendar for a program participant would be as follows:
- July prior to first year of teaching preservice institute (ten days) or
- If hired after July preservice participants will attend the ten day winter preservice.
- First year of teaching - two weekend seminars (four days)
- June following first year of teaching - inservice institute (ten days)
- Second year of teaching - Saturday seminars (two days)
Participants who started the training program July or December 2003 are considered participants in the State Department of Education PACE Training Program Cohort 1.
Participants who started the training program in July or December 2004 are considered participants in the State Department of Education PACE Training Program Cohort 2.
Participants who started the training program July or December 2005 are considered participants in the State Department of Education PACE Training Program Cohort 3.
Participants who started the training program in July or December 2006 are considered participants in the State Department of Education PACE Training Program Cohort 4.
Participants who started the training program in July or December 2007 are considered participants in the State Department of Education PACE Training Program Cohort 5.