The South Carolina General Assembly has allocated funds to the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) through a legislative proviso to provide teacher endorsement activities (graduate courses) for teachers assigned to teach gifted and talented students as required by State Board of Education (SBE) Regulation 43-220(II)(C)(1):
- Teacher Qualifications
- Teachers must hold valid teaching certificates appropriate to the grade level(s) or subject area(s) included in the programming.
- Each teacher of a state-funded gifted and talented course or class shall have completed a gifted and talented endorsement program approved by the SCDE. There are three levels of educator credentialing for gifted and talented: beginning endorsement, intermediate endorsement, and certification. The minimal credential level required will be established by the SCDE.
- Exception 1: Newly assigned teachers will have one year to meet gifted and talented endorsement requirements.
- Exception 2: Teachers who have a master's degree or higher in gifted education from an accredited institution of higher learning may have this requirement waived upon approval of credentials by the SCDE.
Gifted and Talented (GT) Graduate Course Program funding will be provided to institutions of higher education that offer tuition-free graduate courses for teachers who are pursuing either endorsement or certification in GT education. These courses will be designed for the following topics:
- Nature and Needs of Gifted and Talented Students;
- Introduction to Curriculum and Instruction for Gifted and Talented Students;
- Advanced Curriculum for Gifted and Talented Students;
- Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Learners; and
- Special Topic Seminars in Gifted and Talented Education.
To comply with the SBE regulation, the purpose of the GT Graduate Course Program is to provide teachers in each of the eight GT regions in the state with access to GT endorsement classes and advanced classes. Funds are intended to be used for this purpose.
To ensure that access to the grant-funded GT graduate courses is equitable to teachers across the state, the SCDE strives to fund courses in each GT region. Participant recruitment must target teachers in districts that are or were the original trial and plaintiff school districts in the Abbeville County School District, et al. v. The State of South Carolina, et al. lawsuit. Priority seating in courses must also be given to teachers from these districts.
Allowable expenses include the cost of hiring a professor and master teacher/consultants and the cost of materials and supplies for participants.
Approximately $200,000 was available in funding in FY20.
Approximately $200,000 was available in funding in FY19.
Approximately $200,000 was available in funding in FY18.