Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who needs continuing education?
Teachers and administrators who have a certificate with the SCACS Professional Employee Certification Service (PECS) program need to earn continuing education or college credits (semester hours) in order to renew their certificate.
2. How many contact hours are required and do professional development courses have to be for specific topics?
All PECS certificate levels require fifteen (15) contact hours per year for renewal. These hours must be in programs that have been approved by SCACS. The majority of a teacher’s contact hours need to be either in general education or in the teacher’s area of endorsement.
3. What is a contact hour?
A contact hour is one hour of instruction in an organized, continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction. No credit will be given for a period of less than thirty minutes. Only instructional time may count for credit. Time spent in preparation, reading or out-of-class assignments may not count for credit.
4. What are the professional certificate renewal requirements?
Certificates may be renewed with either college credit (semester hours) or contact hours of professional development.
5. How do I get college credit?
College credit must be from an accredited or SCACS-recognized college or university. Accredited colleges must be accredited by an agency approved by the USDOE. The SCACS has not published a list of approved colleges, but SCACS has examined a number of colleges according to the standards established by our Accreditation Commission, and you may contact the SCACS office for a determination.
Activities and Programs
6. What activities count for continuing education credit?
Teachers do many things that are good for personal enrichment and professional development (read articles and books, watch video, travel). While these are very good activities, they do not count for continuing education credit, primarily because there is no reasonable method for verifying that the participant was actively engaged in the learning activity or for assigning an appropriate value to the activity. To meet the standards for continuing education credit, an activity must meet all of the following requirements.
- Be sponsored by a responsible agent (college, convention, school, approved
professional development provider). These agencies (1) verify the instructional
time or the instructional time equivalent for on-line studies and (2) provide
certificates verifying completion and the number of contact hours of
instruction. - Be capably directed and supervised.
- Be taught by an instructor qualified by education and experience.
- Provide training in the teacher’s endorsement field(s) or in general education topics
such as classroom management, classroom technology, and teaching methods. - Be taught in a classroom or seminar setting, unless approved on-line instruction.
7. What activities do not count for continuing education credit?
To qualify an activity must meet all of the guidelines listed above. Teachers participate in many worthwhile activities that do not count for continuing education credit for a number of reasons, most often because they cannot be verified, the value of the activity cannot be determined, or the activity is not truly a professional learning activity. Examples of these activities include
- Reading, study, and travel (unless part of a program provided by an approved provider).
- Sunday school classes and church services.
- Staff meetings and in-service training (unless approved for onsite professional
development). - Required trainings that are not related to improving instruction, such as child abuse
prevention training, blood-borne pathogen training, training using your
school’s grading software, or CPR training.
8. What are the approved programs and continuing education categories?
The following categories have been developed by the SCACS Accreditation Commission. The purpose of the categories to clarify the number of contact hours that can be earned from various sources for certification renewal.
All continuing education credit fits in one of these two categories:
Category A
- Audited college course work
- Continuing education programs offered by colleges that are members of the American
Association of Christian Colleges and Seminaries (AACCS) - Other college continuing education programs may be approved. Verify, in advance, with
the SCACS Office. See FAQ 9 and FAQ 10 below. - Approved on-line professional development sources (Training Teachers Online and many
other providers). - The SCACS (state) and SECS (tri-state) teacher conventions offer approved continuing
education programs. - Off-site (not provided at the school facility) professional development activities, upon
approval. See FAQ9 and FAQ 10 below. - On-site (provided at the school facility) professional development provided by a
qualified instructor who is not part of the ministry faculty or staff,
upon approval. See FAQ 9 and FAQ 10 below.
Category B*
Schools may conduct their own continuing education activities. If a school conducts its own continuing education activity, it is necessary to complete the Preapproval Application prior to the activity taking place. This will ensure that the activity will be accepted for continuing education credit. Each teacher is permitted 1/3 of the contact hours for Category B onsite activities toward certificate renewal. To qualify for continuing education credit, an onsite professional development activity must meet all of the following criteria
- Be conducted by an instructor possessing at least a Bachelor’s degree in education
or another field directly related to the activity. - Be conducted in a classroom or seminar setting.
- Directly address the educational process (Bible studies, preaching services, and
self-help workshops do not qualify for continuing education credit) OR address
topics appropriate to the endorsement area(s) of those receiving continuing
education credit. - On-site (provided at the school facility) professional development provided by
qualified faculty or staff. See FAQ 10 or FAQ11 below. - On-site professional development provided by video or audio instruction. The instructor
must be qualified and the learning activity must be supervised and verified by
school administrative staff. See FAQ 10 and FAQ 11 below.
*For certificate renewal, no more than 1/3 of the contact hours may be from Category B. For example, if a professional certificate is renewable with 75 hours of continuing education, then not more than 25 hours may come from Category B.
9. How do I get approval for my activity?
If you wish to submit a request for continuing education credit for a staff development activity, complete the Preapproval Application and submit to the SCACS office for approval prior to the event; one Preapproval Application per event per school. The SCACS office must approve your staff development activity in advance in order for you to receive continuing education credits.
10. How do I verify attendance at a Category B activity or at a Category A activity when the provider does not issue an attendance voucher or certificate?
After the event is completed, copy the approved Preapproval Application on the back of the Attendance Voucher for each participant and submit this two-sided form with the teacher’s other renewal paperwork when he renews his certification. Vouchers without the approved Preapproval Application copied on the back will not be accepted. There must be an Attendance Voucher for each participant.
11. When do I submit paperwork?
Submit the Preapproval Application in advance of the activity.
Submit attendance vouchers and certificates along with all other required paperwork when you submit your certification application at the time of renewal.
12. Are there any limitations to the number of contact hours from a particular category?
Yes. For certificate renewal, no more than 1/3 of the contact hours may be from Category B. (See FAQ 8.)