edTPA for South Carolina

The South Carolina State Board of Education has approved edTPA as an assessment option for educator preparation providers to implement within their approved programs. Teacher candidates enrolled in these programs utilizing edTPA may use a passing score on the assessment for certification purposes in lieu of the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) assessment. Certification applicants who have completed an out-of-state program utilizing edTPA may also use a successful score on the assessment for certification purposes in South Carolina.

For more information on teacher certification in South Carolina, please visit the South Carolina Department of Education's website link opens in a new window .

Educator Preparation Providers

Please contact the Educator Preparation staff link opens in a new window in the South Carolina Department of Education for additional information on implementing edTPA within preparation programs at your institution.

Assessment Areas for South Carolina

The table below matches South Carolina initial teaching fields with the respective edTPA Handbook. Passing scores for the initial implementation of edTPA in South Carolina are indicated below.

Certification Field	edTPA Handbook	Passing Score
Agriculture (PK–12)	Agriculture Education	37
American Sign Language (PK–12)	World Language	32
Art (PK–12)	Visual Arts	37
Biology (9–12)	Secondary Science	37
Business/Marketing/Computer Technology (7–12)	Business Education	37
Chemistry (9–12)	Secondary Science	37
Chinese (PK–12)	World Language	32
Computer Science (9–12)	Secondary Science	37
Dance (PK–12)	K–12 Performing Arts	37
Early Childhood (PK–3)	Early Childhood	37
Economics (9–12)	Secondary History/Social Studies	37
Elementary (2–6)	Elementary Literacy	37
	Elementary Mathematics	37
	Elementary Education: Literacy with Mathematics Task 4	44
	Elementary Education: Mathematics with Literacy Task 4	44
English (9–12)	Secondary English Language Arts	37
English as a Second Language (PK–12)	English as an Additional Language	37
Family & Consumer Sciences (9–12)	Family and Consumer Science	37
French (PK–12)	World Language	37
Geography (9–12)	Secondary History/Social Studies	37
German (PK–12)	World Language	32
Government (9–12)	Secondary History/Social Studies	37
Health (PK–12)	Health Education	37
History (9–12)	Secondary History/Social Studies	37
Industrial Technology Education (9–12)	Technology and Engineering Education	37
Japanese (PK–12)	World Language	32
Latin (PK–12)	Classical Language	32
Mathematics (9–12)	Secondary Mathematics	37
Media Specialist (PK–12)	School Librarian/Library Specialist	37
Middle Level Language Arts (5–8)	Middle Childhood English Language Arts	37
Middle Level Mathematics (5–8)	Middle Childhood Mathematics	37
Middle Level Science (5–8)	Middle Childhood Science	37
Middle Level Social Studies (5–8)	Middle Childhood History/Social Studies	37
Montessori Early Childhood (3K–5K)	Early Childhood	37
Montessori Elementary I (1–3)	Elementary Literacy	37
	Elementary Mathematics	37
	Elementary Education: Literacy with Mathematics Task 4	44
	Elementary Education: Mathematics with Literacy Task 4	44
Montessori Elementary II (4–6)	Elementary Literacy	37
	Elementary Mathematics	37
	Elementary Education: Literacy with Mathematics Task 4	44
	Elementary Education: Mathematics with Literacy Task 4	44
Montessori Middle Language Arts (6–8)	Middle Childhood English Language Arts	37
Montessori Middle Math (6–8)	Middle Childhood Mathematics	37
Montessori Middle Science (6–8)	Middle Childhood Science	37
Montessori Middle Social Studies (6–8)	Middle Childhood History/Social Studies	37
Music Education (All Areas)	K–12 Performing Arts	37
Physical Education (PK–12)	Physical Education	37
Physics (9–12)	Secondary Science	37
Psychology (9–12)	Secondary History/Social Studies	37
Russian (PK–12)	World Language	32
Science (9–12)	Secondary Science	37
Social Studies (9–12)	Secondary History/Social Studies	37
Sociology (9–12)	Secondary History/Social Studies	37
Spanish (PK–12)	World Language	32
Special Education (All Areas)	Special Education	37
Theater (PK–12)	K–12 Performing Arts	37

Passing Scores for South Carolina

Effective January 1, 2018, the State Board of Education has adopted initial edTPA passing scores one Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) below the national recommended professional performance standard. The South Carolina Department of Education will monitor implementation of edTPA and review candidate performance data annually to determine if adjustments to cut scores are warranted in the future. Candidates who participate in edTPA and earn a successful score may use their edTPA performance for certification purposes in lieu of the PLT.

If you have additional questions about using the edTPA for certification in South Carolina, please visit the South Carolina Department of Education's website link opens in a new window for further information.

For additional information regarding edTPA state policies, please review state participation information at edtpa.org link opens in a new window .

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