South Carolina Teaching Standards 4.0
Statewide teacher observation and evaluation rubric used within South Carolina's Expanded ADEPT Support and Evaluation System, covering Instruction, Planning, Environment, and Professionalism domains.
The SC Teaching Standards is organized into 4 domains, 23 criteria, and a 4-level rating scale.
Used statewide in South Carolina for teacher evaluation.
Domains and Criteria
The SC Teaching Standards domains and criteria
Instruction
1: Standards and Objectives
2: Motivating Students
3: Presenting Instructional Content
4: Lesson Structure and Pacing
5: Activities and Materials
6: Questioning
7: Academic Feedback
8: Grouping Students
9: Teacher Content Knowledge
10: Teacher Knowledge of Students
11: Thinking
12: Problem Solving
Planning
13: Instructional Plans
14: Student Work
15: Assessment
Environment
16: Expectations
17: Engaging Students and Managing Behavior
18: Environment
19: Respectful Culture
Professionalism
P1: Growing and Developing Professionally
P2: Reflecting on Teaching
P3: Community Involvement
P4: School Responsibilities
Rating Levels
SC Teaching Standards rating levels
Unsatisfactory
Heavy emphasis on Teacher Direction - Minimal Evidence of Student Ownership of Learning
Needs Improvement
Moving Towards Student Centered Learning/Student Ownership of Learning- Consistent Reliance on Teacher Direction.
Proficient
Some Evidence of Student Centered Learning/ Student Ownership of Learning - Teacher Facilitates the Learning
Exemplary
Consistent Evidence of Student Centered Learning/Student Ownership of Learning- Teacher Facilitates the Learning.
Source
Official SC Teaching Standards source
Source: South Carolina Department of Education (adopted from NIET), Updated Environment SCTS 4 0 Rubric Landscape View with Footnotes 051922 (4.0 (2022 revision with updated Environment domain)). Verified 2026-06-01. View the official rubric
Rubric facts verified 2026-06-01 against the official source.
Giving feedback on the SC Teaching Standards
The slow part is the write-up
Aligning observation evidence to every SC Teaching Standards domain and standard by hand, for every teacher and every visit, is what eats a principal's week. Observation Copilot does that mapping for you.
How Observation Copilot Helps
AI-powered SC Teaching Standards feedback in seconds
Paste your observation notes. Copilot maps your evidence to the right SC Teaching Standards domains and drafts structured, rubric-aligned feedback - ready to review and share. Walkthrough notes return a focused single-indicator debrief; full lesson observations return a multi-domain rubric-aligned report.
- Organizes observation notes by the four SC Teaching Standards domains
- Generates evidence-based feedback aligned to the South Carolina evaluation rubric
- Suggests performance levels based on observed evidence
- Creates targeted next steps tied to specific SC Teaching Standards indicators
- Reduces post-observation write-up time for South Carolina principals
Frequently Asked Questions
SC Teaching Standards FAQ
- What is the SCTS 4.0?
- Statewide teacher observation and evaluation rubric used within South Carolina's Expanded ADEPT Support and Evaluation System, covering Instruction, Planning, Environment, and Professionalism domains.
- What are the domains of the SCTS 4.0?
- The SCTS 4.0 is organized into 4 domains: Instruction, Planning, Environment, and Professionalism.
- How is the SCTS 4.0 scored?
- Performance is rated on a 4-level scale: Unsatisfactory, Needs Improvement, Proficient, and Exemplary.
- What does SCTS stand for?
- SCTS stands for South Carolina Teaching Standards, the rubric used within the Expanded ADEPT Support and Evaluation System.
- Which version of the South Carolina Teaching Standards is current?
- The current rubric is South Carolina Teaching Standards 4.0 (the 2022 revision with the updated Environment domain), verified against the South Carolina Department of Education source on June 1, 2026.
Used In
States Using SC Teaching Standards
Related Reading
SC Teaching Standards Resources for Principals
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