Alternative Route Certificate

An educator credential and certification level that may be issued to an eligible candidate participating in a South Carolina-approved alternative route teacher preparation program. This certificate is valid for 1 school year. With continued employment in a South Carolina public school and successful progress toward completion of the specific preparation program, it may be renewed annually for a defined period as allowed by state and federal statutes and regulations. Upon successful completion of all requirements of the program within the certification period, the educator is eligible for advancement to a renewable professional certificate.

Annual Certificate

A type of teaching certificate in South Carolina that typically refers to specific credentials or extensions that must be renewed or requested every year. The credentials include provisional initial certificates, alternative route certificates, international certificates, and internship certificates.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Certification

A nontraditional certification pathway to classroom teaching designed for individuals with industry work experience in specific career and technical fields, who may not have completed a standard educator preparation program. This certificate provides eligibility to teach grades 9–12 in South Carolina public school districts in career and technical fields such as health sciences, automotive technology, welding, and other vocational areas.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Induction Certificate

A certificate level issued to industry professionals allowed to begin teaching while completing certification requirements through a 2-year process. In the 1st year, teachers must complete two required courses and earn a passing score on a basic skills examination. In the 2nd year, teachers must complete two more required courses, earn a passing score on required certification exams, and receive a successful formative or summative evaluation of their teaching performance.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Pre-Professional Certificate

For those in the career and technical education field, a certificate level issued during a teacher’s 3rd through 5th years as they work toward obtaining a professional certificate. During this time, teachers must earn a passing score on all sections of a basic skills examination, complete 6 hours of professional education coursework, and receive a successful summative evaluation of their teaching performance.

Initial Certificate

A certificate level and educator credential valid for 3 school years, issued to individuals who have completed an approved undergraduate or graduate educator preparation program. This certificate is primarily granted to beginning educators or those returning to teaching without recent experience. An out-of-state certified educator who meets all South Carolina certification requirements but has fewer than 27 months of qualifying teaching experience in the last 7 years in their previous state will also be issued this certificate type.

Lateral Mover

A public school teacher who moved from one South Carolina public school district and/or school to another.

• Interdistrict Lateral Mover: A public school teacher who moved from a school in one district to a school in a different South Carolina district.
• Intradistrict Lateral Mover: A public school teacher who moved between schools within the same South Carolina district. In cases where districts may reassign teachers without their choice, teachers are called nonvoluntary intradistrict lateral movers.

Leaver

A teacher who has left public school teaching in South Carolina. Such teachers may have retired, relocated to teach in another state or country, moved to a private or home school, or left the profession for other reasons.

Mobility

Any movement of teachers between classroom teaching positions within South Carolina public schools, including interdistrict and intradistrict transfers.

Position Code

A numerical designation assigned by the state or district to categorize an educator’s role within the school system (e.g., classroom teacher, instructional coach, administrator). For all SC TEACHER research, teachers are those with position codes 3–9, which include PK–12 classroom teachers, special education teachers (i.e., self-contained, resource, itinerant), and retired teachers returning to teach.

Professional Certificate

A teaching certificate level and standard educator credential valid for a period of 5 school years, which may be renewed by meeting continued professional learning requirements established by the State Board of Education. An educator who has advanced to a professional certificate must earn 120 renewal credits during that 5-year period to renew the certificate.

Reciprocity

A process that streamlines hiring for districts and enables qualified teachers to move more easily across state lines. SCDE, through the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) Interstate Agreement, recognizes valid, standard teaching credentials from other states, provided they meet specific criteria. If the out-of-state credential reflects completion of an approved educator preparation program (traditional or alternative route) and is a standard (not temporary, emergency, or provisional) certificate, South Carolina will issue a comparable certificate, if one exists.

Reciprocity Professional

A teacher hired in a South Carolina public school having entered the state via reciprocity and received a professional teaching certificate. These individuals hold valid, standard educator credentials from other jurisdictions recognized through South Carolina’s participation in the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement, provided the credentials meet specified requirements.

Retention

When a teacher remains in the South Carolina public school teaching profession from one year to the next. Retention can be analyzed at multiple levels:

• State-Level Retention: When a teacher continues to teach in a South Carolina public school, regardless of district or school changes.
• District-Level Retention: When a teacher continues to teach in the same district, even if they switch schools within that district.
• School-Level Retention: When a teacher continues to teach in the same school.

Role-Changer

A public school educator who changes positions within South Carolina public schools from one year to the next. This includes moving from teaching to a nonteaching role (e.g., administrator, instructional coach) or moving from a nonteaching role into teaching.

Teacher

Any public school educator in South Carolina assigned a position code of 3–9. This includes PK–12 classroom teachers, special education teachers (i.e., self-contained, resource, itinerant), and retired teachers returning to teach.

Teacher Pipeline

A conceptual model depicting how teachers enter, move within, and exit the public school workforce. It includes new teachers (e.g., recent graduates, out-of-state hires), returning educators (e.g., retirees, boomerangs), and those leaving or moving between schools and districts.

Teaching Certificate Level

A level which indicates where teachers are in the certification process. Levels include pre-initial, initial, conditional alternative route, and other annual or temporary certificate levels that lead to a professional certificate once all requirements for full certification have been met. Some certificate levels, like international certificate, cannot lead to a professional certificate.

Teaching Certificate Pathway

Teaching certificate information which describes the route a teacher takes to become certified. Pathways include undergraduate, graduate, alternative certification, career and technical education, critical needs, and reciprocity.