Office of Accreditation & Teacher Quality

Alternative Route to Certification Program Obtaining a Teaching Certificate

Praxis II is South Dakota's state licensure exam. A candidate must complete both the appropriate content area and pedagogy Praxis II exams with passing scores in order to be considered for full state certification.  Out-of-state licensure exams may substitute for the South Dakota Praxis II examination.

The candidate must send an original document indicating his/her licensure exam scores to:

Department of Education
Alternative Certification
700 Governor’s Drive
Pierre, SD 57501.

Once the candidate has successfully completed all the Alternative Route to Certification Program, including the coursework, the Praxis II examinations, and has received a positive recommendation from his/her on-the-job mentor, the candidate must file an alternative certification application for a five year certificate with the State Department of Education in order to obtain his/her official teaching certificate.

Issuance of the certificate depends on the review of the candidate's completed Alternative Route to Certification Program plan by the Office of Accreditation & Teacher Quality and the positive recommendation by Secretary of Education or his/her designee.