All educators, regardless of their employment status, may use Options 1-3 of the Renewal Credit Matrix to renew their Professional certificate. These options include
Educators employed in a South Carolina public school district or a participating renewal entity have an expanded range of relevant opportunities for earning renewal credits, including the many professional development offerings coordinated by their employers. These expanded opportunities are outlined in Options 4-9 of the Renewal Credit Matrix and allow educators to earn renewal credits for
Additional renewal options are also available to qualifying educators who hold a current license as a Speech-Language Pathologist issued by the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation (LLR), or who hold a standard, renewable out-of-state educator license or certificate and who have qualifying professional education experience.
Courses eligible for renewal credit must directly relate to
- the educator's current certification field(s); or
- a certification field or specialized endorsement the educator is pursuing; or
- to the professional education goals of the educator and/or the educator’s employing district or entity
Eligible coursework must be
- Taken for credit through a regionally accredited college or university, an institution accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), or a college or university with educator preparation programs approved by the State Board of Education (SBE)
- Documented on an official transcript issued by the institution; and
- Result in a grade of C or better or a passing grade in a pass/fail course.
Courses should enhance an educator’s professional knowledge and skills and may relate to a wide range of topics including content, instructional strategies, learning and developmental needs of students, instructional technology, curriculum design, assessing student learning, classroom management, and more.
One semester hour of eligible college credit is worth 20 renewal credits. One quarter hour of eligible college credit is worth 13 renewal credits.
The SCDE has established partnerships with several providers that offer professional development and graduate coursework that may be used for certificate renewal. All courses offered by these providers are pre-approved for earning renewal credits. For information on course enrollment, scheduling, costs, content, or credit type, please contact the coursework provider:
In addition to coursework offered through these SCDE partners, coursework that is approved to satisfy Read to Succeed (R2S) endorsement requirements may also be used for certificate renewal.
The term CEU indicates standardized credit offerings as part of a professional development program. SCDE-approved CEUs include the following:
- CEUs approved by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) for the licensing and ongoing professional learning of speech-language pathologists
- CEUs approved by the SC Board of Examiners of Psychology under Category A for psychologist licensure, or activities approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) or the American Psychological Association (APA)
- Credits approved by the South Carolina Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors, and Psycho-Educational Specialists (LLR) so long as the activity is applicable to PK-12 education
- Credits approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors so long as the activity is applicable to PK-12 education
- CEUs earned via a College Board-approved training for an Advanced Placement course and endorsement
- International Baccalaureate (IB)-approved credits
- CEUs issued by a college or university meeting State Board of Education accreditation requirements and documented on an official transcript
- CEUs offered through an IACET accredited provider. Activities receiving IACET CEUs must be tied to the educator’s certification or goals of the educator and employer.
One CEU is equivalent to 10 renewal credits. One continuing education credit (CE) is equivalent to 1 renewal credit. One contact hour or one participation hour is equivalent to 1 renewal credit.
This renewal option is available only to educators employed in a South Carolina public school district or approved renewal entity.
Educators may earn renewal credits for participating in activities that relate to the educator’s professional growth and development plan, to their certification fields or positions, positions the educator is pursuing, or to the goals and priorities of the employing district or entity. These activities may be offered or provided
- by a national, state, regional, district or locally approved provider;
- as part of the employing district or entity’s collegial professional development plan; and/or
- within professional learning communities (PLCs).
See the Renewal Credit Matrix for additional information on renewal credits that may be earned through high-quality professional learning activities.
This renewal option is available only to educators employed in a South Carolina public school district or approved renewal entity.
An educator may earn renewal credit as an author of a professional publication. Eligible publications must
- appear in a professional education publication (e.g. journal, book or book);
- contribute to the effective practice of the education profession and/or to the body of knowledge of the certification field; and
- be a first-time publication. Revised versions or second editions of publications are not eligible for renewal credit.
See the Renewal Credit Matrix for additional information on renewal credits that may be earned as an author of a professional publication.
This renewal option is available only to educators employed in a South Carolina public school district or approved renewal entity.
Educators may earn renewal credits for instruction so long as the activity is
- beyond the standard job responsibilities of the educator’s position, as defined by the employing school district or educational entity;
- professionally oriented and educationally relevant; and
- offered for the first time by the educator.
Eligible instruction activities include
- credit-bearing courses taught at a college or university;
- professional development courses taught in a district or other setting; or
- formal, prepared presentations given at conferences or meetings.
See the Renewal Credit Matrix for additional information on renewal credits that may be earned through instruction.
This renewal option is available only to educators employed in a South Carolina public school district or approved renewal entity.
Educators may earn renewal credits for serving as a professional assessor or evaluator. Eligible activities
- must be beyond the standard job responsibilities of the educator’s position, as defined by the employing school district or educational entity;
- require that the educator has received training, approval, or certification prior to serving as an assessor or evaluator on a national-, state-, or entity-approved evaluation team (e.g., ADEPT or PADEPP evaluator, Cognia or CAEP evaluator, NBPTS assessor, etc.); and
- may be counted for renewal credit only after the evaluation process has been completed.
See the Renewal Credit Matrix for additional information on renewal credits that may be earned as a professional assessor or evaluator.
This renewal option is available only to educators employed in a South Carolina public school district or approved renewal entity.
Educators may earn renewal credits for providing mentorship, supervision, or coaching to an educator candidate or another educator. Renewal credits may be awarded only for activities that
- are beyond the standard job responsibilities of the educator’s position, as defined by the employing school district or educational entity;
- assist an educator or candidate in advancing their professional skills; and
- are provided in conjunction with an approved educator preparation, induction, training, coaching, or other professional development program.
See the Renewal Credit Matrix for additional information on renewal credits that may be earned through mentorship, supervision, and coaching.
This renewal option is available only to educators employed in a South Carolina public school district or approved renewal entity.
Educators may earn renewal credits for educational projects, collaborations, grants, or research. Renewal credit may be awarded only for those activities that
- are beyond the standard job responsibilities of the educator’s position, as defined by the employing school district or educational entity;
- are coordinated or approved by an educational entity;
- are related to student achievement and/or the goals of the employer;
- result in a product relevant to PK-12 education; and
- are a minimum of 5 hours in length.
See the Renewal Credit Matrix for additional information on renewal credits that may be earned for educational projects, collaborations, grants, or research.
Additional Option: Speech-Language Pathologist
Educators whose only certification field is Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) may renew their educator certificate by submitting a qualifying SLP license from the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation (LLR). The educator may submit a renewal request and their LLR license beginning January 1 of the year the educator certificate will expire. The LLR license submitted must be a current SLP license that is valid beyond the effective date of the renewed educator certificate.
For example, if an educator certificate expires June 30, 2027, the request and LLR license may be submitted beginning January 1, 2027. If the educator certificate would renew effective July 1, 2027, the submitted LLR license must be active beyond July 1, 2027
Educators who hold certification both as a SLP and in an additional teaching, service, or leadership field must complete 120 renewal credits using one or more of the options outlined above.
Educators holding SLP certification must maintain an active LLR license and meet any additional legislative renewal requirements related to their current employment position (such as Jason Flatt or Read to Succeed)
Additional Options: Educators Certified and Employed Out-of-State
Educators who are certified or licensed and employed as an educator in another state or jurisdiction (e.g., a U.S. territory or the Department of Defense Education Activity) may utilize an additional renewal option.
Eligible educators may renew their certificate by submitting a request for renewal through their My SC Educator Portal, along with documentation of a qualifying out-of-state educator credential and one year of qualifying professional educational experience.
To qualify under this option, the out-of-state educator certificate or license must
- be issued by the official educator credentialing authority of another state or jurisdiction;
- be a standard, renewable educator certificate or license;
- be in good standing;
- authorize employment in a public-school educational setting; and
- remain valid for at least one year beyond the expiration date of the South Carolina Professional certificate. If the South Carolina certificate is expired but still eligible for renewal, the submitted credential must remain valid for at least one school year beyond the date the renewal request is submitted to the SCDE.
The following credentials are not acceptable for renewal under this option:
- Temporary certificates or licenses;
- Provisional certificates or licenses;
- Initial, non-renewable certificates or licenses;
- Probationary certificates or licenses;
- Conditional certificates or licenses;
- Emergency certificates or licenses;
- any credential subject to pending disciplinary action; or
- any credential that has been suspended or revoked.
In addition to the qualifying certificate or license, the educator must also submit evidence of employment in a professional education position in the same state or jurisdiction as the presented credential. Eligible experience must:
- be verified on the Experience Verification Form or other documentation in line with standard SCDE experience verification procedures;
- be completed in the same state or jurisdiction as the submitted certificate or license;
- include at least one year of full-time employment in a professional education position;
- be earned during the validity period of the submitted out-of-state certificate or license; and
- be earned within the five-year period prior to submission of the renewal request.
Submission of the out-of-state credential and qualifying experience does not exempt educators from any additional legislative renewal requirements related to their current employment position, such as Jason Flatt Act or Read to Succeed requirements.
