Transitioning Professionals
Option One
American Board
An applicant who has earned at least a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university and who qualifies for the Passport to Teaching certificate issued by the American Board in the areas of biology, chemistry, English, mathematics, physics, or science may apply for a one-year alternate route license upon verification of an employment offer as a teacher in a South Carolina public school.
Option Two
Carolina CAP
Carolina CAP is an alternative route program offered through the College of Education at the University of South Carolina–Columbia (UofSC) in partnership with the Center for Teaching Quality. Carolina CAP will enroll candidates beginning with summer 2020 and partners with Williston School District Twenty-Nine and other designated school districts.
Drawing upon bachelor’s degree-holding teacher candidates identified by school districts, Carolina CAP provides a combination of coursework and micro-credentials to address the real-time needs of teachers. The program will also draw upon a co-teaching model to lend additional support to candidates.
Option Three
Converse Alternative Certification - Art Education
The Converse Alternative Certification–Art Education (CACAE) at Converse College is a State Board Approved (SBA) alternative route program for the preparation of teachers in the field of Art. The program targets prospective teachers who have obtained undergraduate degrees in studio art and other related applied arts fields. CACAE will enroll candidates beginning with summer 2020 and partners with Spartanburg School District Five, Greenville County School District, and other designated school districts.
Option Four
Greenville Alternative Teacher Education Program (GATE)
Greenville County Schools is offering a district-embedded alternative certification program to prepare outstanding teachers in critical needs areas. In partnership with the South Carolina Department of Education and Public Education Partners, the GATE program provides authentic teaching experiences in a Greenville County School, supported by a team of on-site professional mentors and coaches.
Option Five
PAProgram of Alternative Certification for EducatorsCE
PACE is designed to allow career changers to enter the teaching profession in a PACE approved subject area aligned with their conferred degrees or completed coursework. Over a three-year period, qualified PACE participants work toward full certification while teaching in their content area.
Option Six
Teach for America (TFA)
TFA recruits outstanding and diverse leaders to become TFA “corps members.” Corps members commit to teaching for two years in a low-income community, where they’re employed by local schools and confront both the challenges and joys of expanding opportunities for kids. Upon admittance to TFA, participants will be assigned to teach a grade (preschool through grade twelve) in one of fifty-two partner regions across the country. Corps members teaching in South Carolina are eligible to apply for a South Carolina Alternative Route Teaching Certificate and may qualify for a Professional certificate after their two-year commitment.
Option Seven
Teachers of Tomorrow (ToT)
ToT is an alternative program servicing several states nation-wide. After applying for ToT program enrollment, educators complete a series of self-paced examinations and trainings in order to qualify for a South Carolina Statement of Eligibility to apply for South Carolina public school positions. ToT candidates that gain employment in a South Carolina public school are then eligible to apply for a South Carolina Alternative Route Certificate. After completing two years of successful teaching in a South Carolina public school, ToT participants may be eligible to apply for a standard, Professional certificate.
