Alternative Certification

American Board 

 
In June 2007 the South Carolina General Assembly passed H.3476, cited as the "American Board for the Certification of Teacher Excellence Act." The Act provides that a SC public school district may hire individuals who use the ABCTE process to obtain a South Carolina teaching certificate.
 
Eligibility: 

To be eligible for an alternative certification program, all applicants must first meet the general eligibility requirements in addition to any requirements set by the program. To review the general eligibility requirements, please visit the webpage Guidance for Prospective Alternative Route Certification Program Participants.

 

Potential candidates for the American Board must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution. American Board does not require a major in the intended certification area. For more information regarding eligibility, please visit the South Carolina American Board website.

 
To obtain more information about ABCTE and the Passport to Teaching certificate, please go to their website: www.abcte.org
 
 
 

PACE

 
The PACE program is an alternative route to certification in South Carolina. To pre-qualify, persons must hold a bachelor's degree in a concentration that has been classified as a critical needs area. This degree must have been received from an accredited college or university. Learn more about the PACE program at: www.scteachers.org/cert/pace/overview.cfm
 
Eligibility:

The Program of Alternative Certification for Educators (PACE) requires an earned bachelor's degree or above from a regionally accredited college with a major in an approved PACE certification field. Applicants can be evaluated for a major equivalency if they have thirty or more semester hours earned in content area coursework with a grade of "C" or better, twenty-one of which were earned at the junior or senior level or above; or twenty-four or more semester hours earned in content area coursework at the graduate level.

In order to qualify for participation in the PACE program, the following minimum requirements must be met:

  • Did not student teach in a traditional teacher preparation program;
  • Conferred bachelor’s degree with major or equivalency that matches eligible certification field(s);
  • Passing score on the appropriate ETS Praxis subject area assessment;
  • Current all-clear FBI/SLED background check.
 
Individuals who have participated in, but not completed, other alternative certification routes in South Carolina are not eligible for participation in another alternative certification program.
 

 

Teachers of Tomorrow

 

During the 2017 legislative session, the General Assembly authorized Teachers of Tomorrow as an alternative route path to certification for individuals with a least a bachelor’s degree but who have not completed a teacher preparation program.

 

Teachers of Tomorrow was founded in Texas in 2005, in response to a growing teacher shortage and is South Carolina's first approved for-profit alternative route teacher preparation provider.

To learn more about this alternative certification program or to apply, please visit the South Carolina Teachers of Tomorrow website.

 

Eligibility: 

To be eligible for an alternative certification program, all applicants must first meet the general eligibility requirements in addition to any requirements set by the program. To review the general eligibility requirements, please visit the webpage Guidance for Prospective Alternative Route Certification Program Participants.

 

Potential candidates for Teachers of Tomorrow must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, meet the program’s minimum cumulative GPA requirement, and have a passing score on the appropriate Praxis subject area assessment(s). For more information regarding eligibility, please visit the South Carolina Teachers of Tomorrow website.