The responsibility for preparing educators is one of the most significant roles of the state and is shared by the State Board of Education (SBE), the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE), the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE), educator preparation providers, and public school districts. South Carolina’s system for overseeing educator preparation, pursuant to state statutes, is supplemented through SBE regulations, rules, guidelines, and policies. The South Carolina Educator Preparation Guidelines: Standards, Policies, and Procedures are comprised of a series of separate documents approved by the SBE.

South Carolina Educator Preparation Guidelines: Standards, Policies and Procedures

• Introduction Approved December 10, 2019

Emergency Policies

• Emergency Provisions for Clinical Experience (Student Teaching) Requirements Approved March 10, 2020
• SCDE Guidance for 2021-22 Field and Clinical Experiences Approved August 2021

Standards

• National Provider Standards Approved February 11, 2020
• South Carolina Provider Requirements Approved November 16, 2021; Last updated January 7, 2025
• Specialty Area Program Approval Standards Approved February 11, 2020; Last updated June 3, 2025

Policies and Procedures

Admission to Educator Preparation Programs

• Program Admission Requirements: Initial- and Advanced-level Certification Programs Approved January 12, 2021
• Undergraduate Program Admission Assessment Requirement Approved June 11, 2019

Field and Clinical Experiences

• Emergency Provisions for Clinical Experience (Student Teaching) Requirements Approved March 10, 2020
• Field and Clinical Experience Requirements Approved August 8, 2012

Programs

• New Program Development Approved August 8, 2012
• Program Approval and Recognition Approved August 8, 2012
• Program Modification Approved August 8, 2012
• Voluntary Termination Approved August 8, 2012
• Content of Middle Level and Secondary Preparation Programs Approved August 8, 2012; Amended December 12, 2017
• Experimental or Innovative Programs Approved August 8, 2012; Amended January 8, 2014

Professional Review

• Professional Review Committee Approved March 9, 2021

Annual Reports

• Annual Reporting Requirements Approved March 8, 2022
• Title II Designations Approved May 11, 2021

Accreditation

• New Provider Eligibility, Approval, and Accreditation Approved November 16, 2021
• National and State Accreditation Decisions Approved March 9, 2021
• Provider Termination of Accreditation and Reestablishment Approved November 16, 2021

Archives

• Expanded Emergency Exemptions Spring 2020 Clinical and Field Experiences Approved March 24, 2020
  Only applicable for the spring 2020 semester.
• Archive of Standards, Policies, and Procedures for South Carolina Educator Preparation Units Approved August 8, 2012; Amended January 8, 2014