PACE Cohort 2026

First-time PACE participants who meet all admission criteria and begin teaching employment in a South Carolina public school district for the 2026-27 school year will be assigned to the PACE 2026 Cohort. With the offer of employment, the hiring school district must submit an electronic Confirmation of Employment form on behalf of the PACE candidate to the SCDE Office of Educator Services. The candidate must then attend the next available PACE I Institute, a ten-day pre-service program that provides an intensive introduction to lesson and unit planning, instruction and assessment, classroom management, and other critical components of effective teaching. To be issued the first one-year Alternative Route teaching certificate, a candidate must successfully complete the PACE Institute. 

The SCDE offers the PACE I Institute twice annually; one session is held each summer and another each winter. The PACE I session to which a candidate is assigned depends on the date the SCDE receives the Confirmation of Employment from the hiring district.

For the 2026-27 academic year, the PACE instructional program will be conducted online and not in regional training locations.

PACE Cohort 2026 Instructional Program - Summer Start

Event	Date	Day
Confirmation of Employment Receipt Deadline	June 15, 2026	Monday
Registration and Payment Receipt Deadline	June 22, 2026	Monday
SCPACE Moodle Registration Deadline	July 1, 2026	Wednesday
PACE I Institute	July 6-17, 2026	Monday-Friday only
Spring Seminar	March 20, 2027	Saturday
PACE II Institute	June 7-18, 2027	Monday-Friday only
Fall Seminar	October 16, 2027	Saturday

PACE Cohort 2026 Instructional Program - Winter Start

Event	Date	Day
Confirmation of Employment Receipt Deadline	October 15, 2026	Thursday
Registration and Payment Receipt Deadline	November 3, 2026	Tuesday
SCPACE Moodle Registration Deadline	November 10, 2026	Tuesday
PACE I Institute	November 14-15, 2026 November 21-22, 2026 December 5-6, 2026 December 12-13, 2026 December 19-20, 2026
Spring Seminar	March 20, 2027	Saturday
PACE II Institute	June 7-18, 2027	Monday-Friday only
Fall Seminar	October 16, 2027	Saturday

Training and Associated Costs

Participants must submit a non-refundable $250 registration fee for PACE I training and a non-refundable $250 registration fee for PACE II training. The registration fee must be submitted by the assigned deadline to attend training. This fee covers training costs associated with PACE I, Spring Seminar, PACE II, and Fall Seminar. The materials listed below will used during PACE training for Cohort 2025 participants. Participants are responsible for purchasing PACE training books. 
 

PACE I Training

The First Year Teacher’s Survival Guide by Julia G. Thompson
101 Answers for New Teachers and Their Mentors by Annette L. Breaux
 

Spring Seminar

Understanding by Design, Expanded (Textbook)
Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement 2nd Edition
 

PACE II

Understanding by Design Professional Development Workbook (Workbook)

Resources for Cohort 2026

PACE I participants must be prepared with the following resources for training each day:

• Each participant must have a fully charged laptop daily to access course content through the learning management system and to submit assignments during sessions.
• Each participant must download an electronic copy of the state college and career-ready academic standards for his or her content area. These standards are available on the SCDE website.

The following resources will be provided to participants at training:

• PACE Participant Handbook

PACE Course Management System (SCPACE Moodle)

PACE participants will access course content and upload assignments and other documents through SCPACE Moodle, the course management software utilized by the SCDE. Participants may answer many questions regarding PACE by reviewing materials readily available through SCPACE Moodle. 

Each PACE participant must maintain current access to SCPACE Moodle with an operational email account that does not change and that the participant checks on a regular basis. The email address provided by a participant during pre-registration is used to create everyone’s SCPACE Moodle account and profile. Group announcements, assignment information, announcements from instructors, and SCPACE Moodle alerts will be disseminated using the e-mail address listed in the profile/messaging settings. A participant’s failure to maintain access to this email account and Moodle may impact his or her success in the program.