Pursuant to S.C. Code Ann. Section 59-26-30, the South Carolina State Board of Education (SBE) adopts nationally recognized educator assessments for certification purposes and establishes qualifying scores on each assessment. The following information is an overview of the testing and required assessments for South Carolina educator certification.
- Subject Area Assessments. For most certification requirements, South Carolina has adopted the Praxis series of subject area and pedagogy assessments, developed and administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS).
- World Languages. In addition to Praxis, South Carolina has approved and will accept qualifying scores on assessments developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) for certification in designated World Languages. The ACTFL assessments are offered through Language Testing International.
- Pedagogy Assessments. South Carolina has approved three pedagogy assessments for certification purposes:
- the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) exam administered by ETS,
- the PPAT performance assessment administered by ETS, or
- the edTPA performance assessment administered by Pearson Evaluation Systems.
South Carolina Testing Requirements
Testing requirements may vary based on an individual’s certification status and professional goals.
- Initial Certification. A candidate who is not currently certified and is seeking initial South Carolina certification in a classroom teaching field must submit qualifying scores on the required subject area exam(s) for the specific certification field and on an approved pedagogy assessment for the specific grade or age span.
- Adding Teaching Fields. A classroom teacher seeking to add another teaching field to an existing, valid South Carolina certificate must earn a qualifying score on the required subject area assessment for the specific certification field. Since the individual is already certified in a teaching field, an additional pedagogy exam is not required.
- Adding Service or Leadership Fields. An educator who has completed an approved program leading to certification in a service or leadership field must earn a qualifying score on the required subject area assessment for the specific certification field.
- Out-of-State Certified Educators. An out-of-state applicant who holds a current, standard credential in another state must provide documentation of meeting certification assessment requirements in another state. If the individual is issued an Initial South Carolina certificate, the educator must present a passing score on a pedagogy assessment during the three-year validity of the Initial certificate in order to advance to a Professional certificate.
- Alternative Route Candidates. A candidate seeking eligibility for an approved alternative route program must earn a qualifying score on the required subject area assessment in the certification field prior to program admission and issuance of an Alternative Route certificate. In order to advance to a standard Professional certificate, the individual must subsequently submit a qualifying score on the required pedagogy assessment during the three years of program participation.
Praxis Preparation Resources
The Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA) and TeachSC are partnering with Study.com to provide free test preparation resources for future educators. This initiative aims to unlock opportunities for future educators that need assistance preparing for their teacher certification tests.
Aspiring South Carolina educators are encouraged take advantage of the free access to Praxis test prep provided through this partnership.
Registering for Praxis Assessments
A candidate must create a user account with ETS prior to registering for a Praxis test; score reports are available to test-takers through their ETS user accounts for a period of ten years.
Each test-taker seeking certification in South Carolina must provide the following information when registering for a Praxis assessment.
- Identification Number. The test-taker must provide ETS with his or her complete nine-digit Social Security number when registering in order for test scores to be reported to the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE). ETS transmits Praxis scores to the SCDE electronically, and score reports are matched to individual records in South Carolina’s electronic certification system based on a complete, accurate Social Security number. If a Social Security number is not listed on a test-taker’s score report—or if it is listed incorrectly, processing of that individual’s certification will be delayed and may require the test-taker to request an official score report from ETS at an additional cost.
- Score Report Recipient. The test-taker must also designate the South Carolina Department of Education (state code 8108) as an official score report recipient so that ETS will transmit an official score report.
Praxis Testing Centers and Online Testing Options
Praxis assessments are computer-based and are offered at testing centers in a variety of locations in South Carolina, across the United States, and in other countries. Additionally, most Praxis assessments are now available online through the Praxis at home testing option. Test-takers may learn more about the Praxis series of assessments including South Carolina testing requirements at https://www.ets.org/praxis/sc.
Testing Accommodations
With acceptable documentation, ETS offers paper-based testing and other appropriate accommodations for test-takers with disabilities and medical-related needs. Additional information regarding testing accommodations is available on the ETS website at http://www.ets.org/praxis/register/disabilities.
Test-takers whose primary language is not English (PLNE) may be eligible for extended time for testing with appropriate documentation. Additional information is available on the ETS website at http://www.ets.org/praxis/register/plne_accommodations.
Certification Assessments for World Languages
South Carolina has approved and will accept qualifying scores on assessments developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL). Candidates seeking certification in a world language using ACTFL assessments must take both the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and the Writing Proficiency Test (WPT). The ACTFL assessments are administered by Language Testing International. Information regarding these assessments is available at http://www.languagetesting.com.
Submitting Official Score Reports
To be considered official, score reports must be submitted directly from the exam provider to the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE). Please contact the exam provider for instructions on submitting official score reports to the SCDE.
