Short answer
How do South Dakota teachers renew a certificate and move up the salary schedule?
A South Dakota teacher certificate is valid for five years. To renew it, a teacher completes national board certification, two years as a mentor or mentee in a state-approved program, or six education-related credits, three of them transcripted. Fifteen continuing education contact hours make one renewal credit. Lane moves are set by each district's negotiated agreement.
Source: ARSD chapter 24:28:17, Certification renewal. Checked .
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How do you renew a South Dakota teaching certificate?
Renewal rules sit in chapter 24:28:17 of the Administrative Rules of South Dakota, which was last amended with an effective date of September 8, 2026. Section 24:28:17:12 says a teacher, administrator or education specialist certificate "is valid for five years" and gives three ways to renew inside that window:
- National board certification or recertification.
- Mentoring. At least two years as a mentee or a mentor in a state-approved mentor program.
- Six education-related credits. Three of the six must be transcripted credits.
The calendar is fixed by section 24:28:17:01. A certificate runs until June 30 of its expiration year, and renewal opens on January 1 of that year. If the requirements are not complete by October 1 of the expiration year, the certificate becomes invalid. Credits must be earned between the issue date of the current certificate and that October 1 cutoff, so work done before the current certificate was issued does not count.
Section 24:28:17:07 lists what can make up the six credits:
- Transcripted credits.
- Fifteen continuing education contact hours for one renewal credit. Meals and breaks are not counted.
- One year of employment with the state education department for one credit.
- One semester teaching in an approved educator preparation program for half a credit.
- One passed state-designated content test toward adding an endorsement for one credit.
The transcripted part has its own tests. Under section 24:28:17:04, each transcripted credit must be education-related, carry a grade of C or higher (or a pass), and appear on an official transcript from a regionally accredited institution, with the title, course number, credit and grade listed. Contact hours must also be education-related, and section 24:28:17:05 limits who can provide them to school districts, department-accredited schools, educational service agencies, education-related organizations, health care organizations and public safety organizations.
"Education-related" is defined in section 24:28:17:06: content that pertains to an endorsement area, pedagogy, classroom management, technology in education, student assessment or differentiated instruction. Section 24:28:17:03 adds that two courses with identical content in the same renewal period count as one.
Teachers with more education get a simpler path. Section 24:28:17:29 sets the transcripted split aside for an applicant "with an advanced certificate or a master's degree or higher," who may verify six education-related credits for renewal. Our article on clock hours, CEUs and semester credits explains how contact hours and credits relate, and the license renewal hub compares cycles across states.
One more five-year duty runs alongside renewal. SDCL 13-42-71 requires certified staff employed by a district or accredited school to complete an approved youth suicide awareness and prevention training of at least one hour before starting work and every five years after, and to give the completion certificate to the employer.
Renewal credits and lane credits are judged separately. The state counts contact hours and undergraduate transcripted credit toward renewal. Sioux Falls and Brandon Valley both look for graduate-level coursework before they move a teacher on the schedule.
How is teacher pay set in South Dakota?
South Dakota has no statewide salary schedule. Each district negotiates its own schedule with its teachers' association. What the state does set is a pair of floors that every district schedule has to clear:
- Average compensation must keep pace. SDCL 13-13-73.6 requires each district, from fiscal year 2025 on, to raise its average teacher compensation so the cumulative increase since fiscal year 2024 at least matches the cumulative change in the state's target teacher salary. A district complies if its average reaches 97 percent of the required level.
- A state minimum salary. Under SDCL 13-13-73.8, beginning July 1, 2026, each district must pay every full-time equivalent teacher at least the state minimum salary, which rises each year by the percentage change in the target teacher salary.
- A penalty for missing either. SDCL 13-13-73.9 directs the department to reduce the district's state aid the following year, per full-time equivalent teacher, if it misses the average-compensation increase or the minimum.
None of these statutes says how a district must reward extra coursework. That is left to the local agreement, which is why lane names, credit tests and deadlines differ so much between neighboring districts. A district can use a classic lane grid, as Brandon Valley does, or tie step movement to degree gates, as Sioux Falls does. Our guide to reading a salary schedule walks through both layouts, and how lane changes work covers the general sequence.
What do some of the largest South Dakota districts require?
Sioux Falls School District 49-5
Read the full Sioux Falls guide →
The 2023-28 negotiated agreement does not use lanes in the usual sense. Its schedule has rows tied to years of experience and steps 1 through 10, and education works as a gate: a teacher needs at least a BA+24 to advance beyond Step 4, a master's to advance beyond Step 7, and an MA+24 to advance beyond Step 9.
- Credits: the BA+24 must be pre-approved graduate-level coursework in a program of study toward a master's in the major subject area, or toward an added certification or endorsement.
- MA+24: 24 pre-approved graduate-level hours beyond the master's that relate to "what to teach," "how to teach," or "how to more effectively fill the role of teacher."
- Deadline: an intent form to Human Resources by February 1 of the prior contract year, with the coursework finished before September 1 of the year the raise starts.
- Approvals: a joint committee sets the pre-approval guidelines, and its decisions "are final for the contract year and are non grievable."
Brandon Valley School District 49-2
Read the full Brandon Valley guide →
The 2026-27 agreement uses a hiring schedule with BA, BA+15, MA, MA+15 and MA+30 lanes. After a teacher's first year, a lane change is paid as a set amount listed in the agreement; first-year teachers move lanes on the hiring schedule.
- Credits: teachers must show "credit at the graduate level from an accredited University."
- Deadline: a written request with transcript to the Superintendent's Office on or before September 1; a half-year lane change is possible if the paperwork arrives by January 1.
- Verification: the change is made on the request, but the district may recover pay if the transcript and other proof do not show the teacher qualifies.
- Renewal: district requirements for renewing certificates are "the same as the state requirements."
Full district guides for South Dakota
Before you enroll
- Find your expiration year. Renewal opens January 1, the certificate ends June 30, and it becomes invalid if requirements are not complete by October 1.
- Check the subject. Renewal credit must be education-related under the state definition; Sioux Falls MA+24 credit must fit its "what to teach" or "how to teach" test.
- Get pre-approval where the agreement asks for it. Sioux Falls pre-approves coursework for step gates; our pre-approval forms article explains why this step matters.
- Pick the right level. Undergraduate transcripted credit can renew a certificate, but both district agreements here look for graduate-level coursework.
- Mind the dates. February 1 for a Sioux Falls intent form; September 1 or January 1 for Brandon Valley paperwork.
The provider directory groups semester-credit providers by need, and the comparison table shows their costs and formats side by side.
South Dakota questions teachers ask
How many credits do I need to renew a South Dakota teaching certificate?
Six education-related credits within the five-year validity period, at least three of them transcripted. National board certification or two years in a state-approved mentor program are the other two routes.
How many contact hours equal one South Dakota renewal credit?
Fifteen continuing education contact hours make one renewal credit. Meals and breaks are not counted, and the provider has to be one of the types listed in ARSD 24:28:17:05.
What grade do transcripted renewal credits need?
A C or higher, or a pass on a pass/fail scale, on an official transcript from a regionally accredited institution.
Do teachers with a master's degree renew differently?
Yes. ARSD 24:28:17:29 lets an applicant with an advanced certificate or a master's degree or higher verify six education-related credits without the three-transcripted split.
Is there a state salary schedule for South Dakota teachers?
No. Districts negotiate their own schedules. State law sets a minimum salary from July 1, 2026 and requires average teacher compensation to keep pace with the target teacher salary, with a state aid reduction for districts that miss either.
When is the Sioux Falls deadline for a step-gate advance?
The intent form is due to Human Resources by February 1 of the prior contract year, and the approved coursework must be finished before September 1 of the year the increase starts.
Sources
- ARSD chapter 24:28:17, Certification renewal, South Dakota Legislature. Checked
- SDCL 13-42-71, Suicide awareness and prevention training, South Dakota Legislature. Checked
- SDCL 13-13-73.6, Average teacher salary, South Dakota Legislature. Checked
- SDCL 13-13-73.8, State minimum salary, South Dakota Legislature. Checked
- SDCL 13-13-73.9, Penalty, South Dakota Legislature. Checked
- Teacher negotiated agreement 2023-28, Sioux Falls School District 49-5. Checked
- Agreement 2026-27, Brandon Valley School District 49-2. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error