New Option for South Carolina Teacher Certification
The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) today announced that South Carolina legislature voted to accept the Passport to Teaching program, offered by ABCTE, as a new route to full teacher certification.
South Carolina becomes the seventh state joining Florida, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Idaho and Utah to recognize ABCTE’s Passport to Teaching program, as a route to state teacher certification. The Passport to Teaching program is a unique addition to the current alternative certification program, PACE, already available in South Carolina and is designed specifically for career changers.
"We are excited to begin recruiting career changers into the teaching profession in South Carolina and help the state fill teaching positions in critical shortage areas," said David W. Saba, president of ABCTE. "We know that our program will attract more people into teaching and prepare them for the classroom experience."
"ABCTE has the potential to make a real impact in getting more qualified teachers in our classrooms, and we're pleased to welcome this program to our state," Governor Mark Sanford said.
At the start of the 2006 school year South Carolina was short 680 teachers and needed to hire 8,101 new teachers to fill vacancies. More alternatives for teacher licensure are needed, especially since last year there were only 2,114 graduates from colleges of education in South Carolina and 454 graduates of the PACE program. Passport to Teaching certification will help to meet the critical need for new teachers in South Carolina by offering another alternative program that will attract professionals into teaching.
ABCTE will offer Passport to Teaching certification in English, math, general science, biology, physics and chemistry. Candidates enrolled in the Passport to Teaching program must demonstrate mastery on examinations of teaching knowledge and subject area knowledge. Individuals with bachelor’s degrees can prepare for certification on their own time and at their own pace, using preparation materials available from a variety of sources.
