Alternative Teaching Certification in South Dakota
South Dakota’s Department of Education offers three alternative teaching certification routes: General Education, Teach for America, and Career and Technical Education. All three require a bachelor’s degree, a job offer from a South Dakota public or department-accredited school, and an Alternative Preliminary Certificate before you can start teaching, with up to three years to finish the remaining requirements.
Sponsored School(s)
South Dakota’s alternative certification route lets you start teaching with a bachelor’s degree in hand, even if you didn’t complete a traditional teacher preparation program. It’s not a university program. It’s a state process tied directly to employment: you find a South Dakota school willing to hire you, then work toward full certification while you’re already in the classroom and drawing a paycheck. See South Dakota’s teacher salary and benefits for what that paycheck typically looks like.
Interested in learning about the traditional approach? Contact schools offering teaching certification programs in South Dakota.
Alternative Certification Requirements
Eligibility and the Alternative Preliminary Certificate
Every alternative route in South Dakota starts the same way: you need a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution. (Career and Technical Education candidates have additional options here, covered below.) Before you can apply for any teaching position through alternative certification, you’ll need to hold an Alternative Preliminary Certificate. You get one by creating an account on the state’s Educator Portal, completing your Educator Profile, and submitting the Initial Educator Application with “Alternative Preliminary” selected as your certificate type.
This isn’t a certificate to teach with on its own. It only qualifies you to be hired. Once a South Dakota public or department-accredited school makes you a job offer, you go back to the Educator Portal and apply for the specific alternative route that matches the position.
Which Route Fits You
South Dakota runs three alternative certification routes for teachers, each governed by its own section of the Administrative Rules of South Dakota (ARSD 24:28).
| Route | Grades You Can Teach | Who It’s For |
|---|---|---|
| General Education (GE) | Grades 5-8, secondary, or K-12 | Career changers with a bachelor’s degree in a general content area like math, science, English, or art |
| Teach for America (TFA) | Elementary, secondary, or K-12 | TFA corps members with a bachelor’s degree, subject to additional TFA program requirements |
| Career and Technical Education (CTE) | Grades 7-12 in CTE endorsement areas | Candidates with a bachelor’s degree, an A.A.S. or higher in a CTE field, 4,000+ documented hours of related work experience, or a national CTE certification |
None of the three routes let you teach early childhood education or special education, and GE and TFA candidates also can’t teach self-contained or subject-specific grades K-4. If you’re set on elementary licensure, South Dakota requires the traditional teacher preparation route instead.
Certification Exams
Alongside your coursework, South Dakota requires the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) test that matches your grade level, plus the Praxis Subject Test for your specific endorsement area. Exact tests and qualifying scores vary by subject, so check the state’s ETS/Praxis testing page for your endorsement before registering. As you make progress each year, the state accepts an official transcript showing a completed course, a Praxis scoresheet showing a passing score, or documentation that you’ve registered for the remaining course or test.
Application Steps and Timeline
Once you’re hired, you have up to three years to complete your alternative certification while teaching under your Alternative Preliminary Certificate. Each year follows the same basic pattern: your employing school files an Intent to Employ form with the state, you submit proof of progress toward your remaining coursework or testing, and your school confirms your progress with an annual report. When you’ve finished every requirement, your school signs off and you apply to transition from your alternative certificate to a full professional teaching certificate. From there, staying certified means keeping up with renewing your South Dakota teaching certificate on schedule.
Criminal History Background Check
Every applicant for a South Dakota teaching certificate, alternative or traditional, goes through a criminal background check as part of the certification process. Your employing school will walk you through fingerprinting and submission once you’re hired, and the results are reviewed by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and the FBI.
Contact Information
For questions about any of South Dakota’s alternative certification routes, application steps, or your specific eligibility, contact the South Dakota Department of Education’s Office of Educator Certification at [email protected] or 605-773-3134. Their office is located at 800 Governors Dr., Pierre, SD 57501.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is South Dakota’s Alternative Preliminary Certificate?
It’s the certificate you need before you can apply for a teaching job through any of South Dakota’s alternative routes. It doesn’t let you teach on its own. It only qualifies you to be hired, after which you apply for the specific route (General Education, TFA, or CTE) tied to your job offer.
Can I teach elementary school through alternative certification in South Dakota?
Not through the General Education or Teach for America routes. Both exclude self-contained and subject-specific grades K-4, along with early childhood education and special education. If elementary licensure is your goal, South Dakota requires completing a traditional teacher preparation program instead.
How long do I have to complete South Dakota’s alternative certification requirements?
Up to three years. You teach under your alternative certificate while finishing coursework and testing, with your school confirming your progress annually until you transition to a full professional certificate.
Do I need a job offer before applying for South Dakota alternative certification?
Yes. You first get an Alternative Preliminary Certificate, then apply for teaching positions. Only after a South Dakota public or department-accredited school offers you a job can you apply for the specific alternative route (General Education, TFA, or CTE) that matches the position.
What tests does South Dakota require for alternative certification?
The Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) test for your grade level, plus the Praxis Subject Test for your endorsement area. You’ll typically need to show progress toward passing these each year you’re on your alternative certificate, alongside your required coursework.
- Three routes, three rule sets — General Education, Teach for America, and Career and Technical Education each fall under a separate section of ARSD 24:28, with different eligibility rules and grade restrictions.
- The job offer comes first — you get an Alternative Preliminary Certificate, then a job offer from a South Dakota school, then apply for the specific route.
- Elementary licensure isn’t available this way — General Education and Teach for America both exclude K-4 self-contained and subject-specific grades, along with early childhood and special education.
- Three years to finish — you teach on your alternative certificate while completing coursework and Praxis testing, with annual progress reports from your school.
- One office handles all the routes — the SD DOE Office of Educator Certification ([email protected], 605-773-3134) is the single point of contact regardless of which alternative route you’re pursuing.
Find accredited teacher certification programs in South Dakota, including options for the general education, coursework, and endorsement requirements behind your alternative certification route.
