Educators Employed in a SC Public School District
Obtaining Renewal Credits
Educators are responsible for ensuring that all renewal options and activities meet the following guidelines.
An individual who is employed in a position that requires South Carolina educator certification and is employed in a South Carolina public school district must earn renewal credits through professional development activities that
- directly relate to the educator's professional growth and development plan;
- support the goals of the employing public school district; and
- promote student achievement, as required by State Board of Education Regulation 43-205.1, Assisting, Developing, and Evaluating Professional Teaching (ADEPT), and Regulation 43-165.1, Program for Assisting, Developing, and Evaluating Principal Performance (ADEPP).
Submitting Renewal Credits
An educator who is employed in a South Carolina public school district or State Department of Education-approved Renewal Credit Plan agency and holds a position that requires South Carolina educator certification must
- earn a minimum of 120 renewal credits that meet the appropriate eligibility criteria for each certificate renewal option/activity, as specified in the renewal credit matrix;
- maintain all required verification, as described in the renewal credit matrix;
- adhere to all district/educational agency policies related to pre-approval and processing of renewal credit; and
- submit necessary verification to the designated district/agency administrator for review, approval, and signature.
Note: Any educator who has not earned a master’s degree must earn at least sixty renewal credits (three semester hours) in graduate-level coursework to renew his or her current certificate. Educators who hold Career and Technology Education Work-Based Certification exclusively are not required to fulfill the graduate-level coursework requirement.
All administrators employed in a South Carolina public school district must complete 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.
Related Links
- District Plan Summary
- Renewal Credit Matrix (5 page pdf)
- District Coordinators (3 page pdf)