Blog
The Teacher’s Academy Welcomes South Carolina Teachers
In the beginning…
In 2012, a group of teachers from Pennsylvania created a small company called Act 48 
Academy. This company started as an approved provider of professional development hours for teachers in Pennsylvania. Soon, word spread… and we began to hear from teachers outside of PA. Teachers from New York, New Jersey, Texas and Oregon were asking if we could offer the same affordable courses in their states! The teachers at Act 48 Academy decided to expand to offer services to the rest of the nation under the name The Teacher’s Academy.
How Does it Work?
The teachers at The Teacher’s Academy have made obtaining professional development hours quick and easy! Our process is simple:
- Create an account
- Shop for courses
- Check out
Once you have purchased the course through our secure checkout, the course and all of the materials you need will be emailed directly to your email address. The course is yours to keep forever! Once you open the course, there are step-by-step directions for saving the course and for uploading your completed projects to your TTA account. All of our courses follow a similar format, so once you’ve completed one course, the next one you purchase will look the same and follow the same procedures for saving and uploading projects. We have a high rate of teachers returning to our site for this reason alone!
Relevant and Useful Professional Development Projects
The Teacher’s Academy is made up of certified teachers who research the latest, most effective teaching strategies and weave them into the course projects. For example, our Blended Learning course gives teachers the opportunity to watch and understand how other schools have implemented Blended Learning activities into the classroom. Armed with this information, teachers can create a customized Blended activity that would compliment their own existing curriculum. Our Mindfulness in Education course focuses on the implementation of mindful practices in the classroom. All of our courses supply teachers with high-quality educational resources and links to quality websites for further research. Teachers can investigate these cutting edge ideas and earn professional development hours for their efforts!
Quick and Affordable
The Teacher’s Academy has considered the financial burden placed on school districts and, more specifically, teachers. To keep costs low, we have created an efficient system of reviewing projects and then issuing your Certificate of Completion and Feedback Form within 5 – 7 business days. The Certificate of Completion verifies the hourly participation in the course, and the Feedback Form lists the skills mastered. These documents serve as the required verification forms that need to be submitted in order to receive renewal credits. Our process is faster and less expensive than community colleges or other private companies.
There are no administrative or extra costs for materials, because everything you need to complete the course is emailed immediately. We have a tech team and support staff ready to assist with any questions.
How we can help busy South Carolina teachers…
According to the South Carolina’s Department of Education, the educator must earn a minimum of 120 renewal credits, as described in the renewal credit matrix, during the five-year validity period of the license. (SC DOE Website, Renewal Page)
The online courses offered by The Teacher’s Academy fall under Option #10 in the Renewal Matrix:
| RENEWAL OPTION 10. Professional Development Activity, includes conferences, workshops, task force, etc.(further information provided at the end f matrix) |
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Renewal credits are awarded only for those professional development activities (e.g., conferences, workshops, task forces) that• are tied to the educator’s area(s) of certification and/or the goals of the employing educational entity; are provided by a national, state, regional, or locally approved sponsor; and involve a minimum of 4 hours of direct contact, excluding meals and breaks. |
RENEWAL CREDITS Maximum: up to 60 renewal credits may be earned via this option during the five-year validity period of the certificate.Accrual rate: 1 hour of direct participation = 1 renewal credit1 CEU = 10 hours of direct participation |
REQUIRED VERIFICATION In order to receive renewal credits via this option, the educator must provide• official documentation from the sponsor verifying the educator’s participation, and• a synopsis of the session topic(s), date(s), and time(s). |
The courses at The Teacher’s Academy are written in 3, 6, 15 and 18-hour increments. Our 15 hour courses would be considered 15 renewal credits or 1.5 CEUs (Continuing Education Credits). This allows teachers to choose from a variety of educational experiences and gain an abundance of educational resources while earning their 60 clock hours.
We are honored to bring our services to the excellent teachers of South Carolina! Check out some of our most popular courses:
Inspiring Ideas for the 21st Century Classroom – 18 Hours, $89.99
Mindfulness in the Classroom – 18 Hours, $89.99
Nutrition – 18 Hours, $89.99
Blended Learning – 15 Hours, $79.99
Computers the VERY Basics for the PC – 15 hours, $79.99
Microsoft Word for Educators – 15 hours, $79.99
2015 Science Website and Apps Review – 3 Hours, $24.99
2015 Pre-K Websites and Apps Review – 3 Hours, $24.99
Check out The Teacher’s Academy website for a listing of all of our courses and information on the education requirements for South Carolina teachers on the South Carolina Department of Education web page.
Enjoy teachers!