Educational Psychology
Self-paced online Educational Psychology course (Psychology 120). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →South DakotaTeachers
South Dakota teaching licence renewal: hours, credits and conversions
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
South Dakota renewal credits and contact hours convert at a fixed rate: 15 continuing education contact hours make one renewal credit under ARSD 24:28:17:07. You need six education-related credits in five years, at least three transcripted. A passed content test or a year with the Department also earns one credit each.
The conversion table
Rule 24:28:17:07 lists every way to earn a renewal credit. This table puts them side by side.
| Activity | Renewal credit |
|---|---|
| One transcripted college credit | 1 credit |
| 15 continuing education contact hours | 1 credit |
| One year of employment with the Department of Education | 1 credit |
| One semester teaching in an approved educator preparation programme | Half a credit |
| One passed state content test toward adding an endorsement | 1 credit |
The three-transcripted rule
Of the six credits, at least three must be transcripted (24:28:17:12). Contact hours, tests and employment can fill the other three, but not those first three.
Transcripted credit has its own rule (24:28:17:04). The course must be education-related, show a C or higher or a pass, and appear on an official transcript from a regionally accredited institution, issued by the registrar, with the course title, number, credit and grade.
- A three-credit college course covers the whole transcripted share in one go.
- Two courses with identical content in one renewal period count as one (24:28:17:03).
- Teachers with an advanced certificate or a master's may verify six education-related credits (24:28:17:29); ask how that applies to you.
Contact hours: who can provide them
Continuing education hours must be education-related and come from one of the provider types in 24:28:17:05: school districts, Department-accredited schools, educational service agencies, education-related organisations, health care organisations or public safety organisations.
Count only teaching time. Meals and other breaks do not count toward contact hours. A six-hour in-service day with a one-hour lunch is five contact hours, not six.
Three sample mixes
Each of these meets the six-credit route, if every item is education-related and the Department agrees with the transcript.
- One three-credit college course plus 45 contact hours of district training.
- Two three-credit college courses and nothing else.
- One three-credit course, 30 contact hours and one passed content test for a new endorsement.
Keeping records for the Department
Keep proof as you go, not in the last month. For transcripted credit, that means an official transcript issued by the registrar showing the course title, course number, credit and grade, which is what rule 24:28:17:04 asks for. For contact hours, keep each certificate with the provider's name, the date, the topic and the number of hours, with breaks taken out.
Write a one-line note beside each item saying which education-related area it fits: your endorsement area, pedagogy, classroom management, technology in education, student assessment or differentiated instruction. If the Department asks, you can answer straight away.
- Official transcript: title, number, credit, grade.
- Contact-hour certificate: provider, date, topic, hours.
- A note linking each item to an education-related area.
Where UPI Study fits
UPI Study offers Educational Psychology, Psychology of Diversity and Research Methods in Psychology on PRO at $99 a month. They are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended. We are not a college and not accredited, so a course can count toward the transcripted share only via a transcript from a regionally accredited college, and only if the Department agrees it is education-related. Partner colleges such as Thomas Edison State University, University of the People and Newlane University consider such credit. Ask the Department in writing before you enrol.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Before you enrol, email the South Dakota Department of Education's certification office and ask in writing whether the named course, posted via a college transcript, will count as education-related transcripted credit for your renewal, and keep the reply.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
Can contact hours replace all six credits?
No. At least three of the six credits must be transcripted under ARSD 24:28:17:12. Contact hours can make up the rest, at 15 hours per credit, if they are education-related and from a listed provider type.
Does a passed Praxis-style content test count toward renewal?
One passed state-designated content test toward adding an endorsement counts as one renewal credit under ARSD 24:28:17:07. Check with the Department that the test you plan is the designated one.
Do half credits from teaching in a preparation programme add up?
Each semester of instruction you give in an approved educator preparation programme counts as half a renewal credit, so two semesters make one credit. Keep a letter from the programme as proof.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Psychology of Diversity
Self-paced online Psychology of Diversity course (Psychology 112). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Research Methods in Psychology
Self-paced online Research Methods in Psychology course (Psychology 111). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Ask the Department of Education in writing first, then take the courses that fit your endorsement.
Sources
- South Dakota Administrative Rules, chapter 24:28:17 Certification renewal (sdlegislature.gov) (official)24:28:17:12: certificate valid five years; renew by national board certification, two years as mentee or mentor in a state-approved programme, or six education-related credits, three transcripted (source 53 SDR 22, eff. 8 Sep 2026). 24:28:17:07: transcripted credits; 15 CE contact hours = 1 credit; 1 year of employment with the department = 1 credit; 1 semester teaching in an approved preparation programme = half a credit; 1 passed state content test toward a new endorsement = 1 credit. 24:28:17:04: transcripted credit education-related, C or higher or pass, official transcript from a regionally accredited institution. 24:28:17:06: education-related defined. 24:28:17:01: renew 1 Jan to 30 Jun of expiry year; invalid if not complete by 1 Oct. 24:28:17:13 and :14 repealed. 24:28:17:29: advanced certificate or master's may verify six education-related credits. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.