South Dakota School Counselor Certification
South Dakota school counselors need a School Counselor Education Specialist Certificate from the SD Department of Education. Graduates of a school counseling program that meets SD’s CACREP-based standard qualify directly. With a different counseling master’s, you’ll also pass the Praxis 5422 (score 159) and complete a mentored year. New educators also need a 3-credit South Dakota Indian Studies course.
South Dakota Links
Two people finish counseling master’s degrees in the same semester. One completed a school counseling program and can apply for certification right away. The other earned a clinical mental health degree and has a Praxis exam and a supervised year ahead before the certificate arrives. Which group you fall into shapes everything below, so start there.
This page covers school counselor certification through the SD Department of Education. Clinical counseling licenses (the LPC and the LPC-MH) are a separate system run by the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists. A school counselor certificate doesn’t authorize counseling outside a school setting.
For more on what school counselors do in South Dakota schools, see the School Counseling section of the South Dakota Department of Education website.
Which South Dakota School Counselor Certification Pathway Fits Your Degree
South Dakota law requires any school counselor a district employs, full-time or part-time, to hold state certification. The credential is the School Counselor Education Specialist Certificate, and it covers work from early childhood through grade 12. The SD DOE school counselor certification page lists two ways to earn the School Counselor Education Specialist Endorsement that leads to it.
| Pathway | Degree You Hold | Praxis 5422 | Mentor Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pathway 1: School counselor preparation program | Master’s in school guidance or counseling from a program meeting SD’s CACREP-based standard | Not required | Not required |
| Pathway 2: Counseling master’s | Master’s or higher in another counseling area | Score of 159 or higher | One year with a mentor school counselor |
Pathway 1: A School Counselor Preparation Program
South Dakota’s program rule (ARSD 24:53:09:01) requires a preschool through grade 12 school counselor program to award a master’s degree in school guidance or counseling. Its courses and field experiences have to meet the CACREP Standards (the rule names the 2016 edition). The program can be CACREP-accredited, or it can meet those standards without official CACREP recognition. Keep the roles straight: CACREP accredits programs, but the SD Department of Education decides who gets certified. If you complete a qualifying program, you can apply without taking the Praxis or completing a mentor year.
In South Dakota, South Dakota State University in Brookings and Northern State University in Aberdeen both hold CACREP accreditation for school counseling, as of September 2026. If you completed your program in another state, contact the SD DOE certification office before you apply to confirm which pathway your program falls under. Don’t assume an out-of-state program automatically counts as Pathway 1.
Pathway 2: A Counseling Master’s Plus the Praxis and a Mentor Year
If your master’s is in counseling but not school counseling, say clinical mental health or rehabilitation counseling, you’ll need two things beyond the degree.
The first is a passing score on the Praxis School Counselor exam (ETS test code 5422). South Dakota’s qualifying score is 159. The test fee is currently $130, set by ETS and subject to change, and you can register and find preparation materials on the Praxis website.
The second is one year of supervision by a mentor school counselor. Your mentor has to hold a Mentor School Counselor Endorsement, which requires at least three years of experience as a school counselor and a school counselor endorsement of their own. When the year is done, you fill out Part 1 of the School Counselor Mentor Sign-Off Form (EPV11), available on the SD DOE certification forms page. Your mentor completes Part 2 and verifies the year of supervision, and the form is emailed to [email protected].
The SD DOE doesn’t spell out what role or credential you hold during that supervised year. Before you start, ask the certification office and any district you’re talking with how the year will be set up. Line up a mentor early, too. Finding someone with the right endorsement in your district, or within driving distance in a rural area, can take time.
How to Apply for South Dakota School Counselor Certification
Applications run through the SD Educator Certification Portal. South Dakota revised its educator certification rules effective September 8, 2026, and the DOE is still updating its guidance, so confirm current fees and renewal options in the portal before you apply. Here’s what the process looks like.
Create your Educator Profile. Set up a profile in the SD Educator Certification Portal and start the Initial Educator Application.
Request official transcripts. Your university has to send official transcripts for each degree on your application directly to the SD DOE. You can’t upload them yourself. Most schools send them through services like Parchment or the National Student Clearinghouse.
Add your pathway documents. Pathway 2 applicants need a qualifying Praxis 5422 score. They also need a completed Mentor Sign-Off Form on file with the certification office once the supervised year is complete.
Show your South Dakota Indian Studies course. See the section below for what qualifies.
Pay the fee. The initial application fee is currently $60. The fee activates your application, and it’s non-refundable. You can pay online in the portal or mail a personal check or money order payable to the Department of Education to:
South Dakota Department of EducationCertification Office
800 Governors Drive
Pierre, SD 57501
Questions about your application go to the certification office at (605) 773-3134 (press 1 for certification) or [email protected].
Know the Costs
Pathway 1 applicants pay the $60 application fee plus whatever their Indian Studies course costs, if it wasn’t part of the degree. Pathway 2 applicants add about $130 for the Praxis 5422. Fees can change, so check the portal and the ETS site before you pay.
The South Dakota Indian Studies Requirement
Starting July 1, 2025, South Dakota requires all certified educators who are new to the profession or coming from out of state to complete a 3-credit South Dakota Indian Studies course. The SD DOE states that this includes school counselors. The course has to be approved by the department and appear on an official transcript from a regionally accredited institution with a grade of C or higher. South Dakota State University’s CHRD 690, Counseling Indigenous People, is on the approved list and is recommended for school counselors.
The requirement doesn’t apply to educators who were fully SD certified before July 1, 2025.
Timing matters here. Provisional status lets you hold a certificate while you finish the course. The rule limits it to reciprocal certificates and initial educator permits, and the DOE’s out-of-state guidance offers it to teachers and administrators. As a school counselor, plan to finish the course before you apply, and confirm with the certification office. The approved course list is on the SD DOE Indian Studies requirements page.
What Your School District Handles
Two requirements often listed as certification steps actually happen when a district hires you.
Background check. Under South Dakota law, accredited schools must run a criminal background check on every new employee over 18. The school submits your fingerprint cards to the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the prints are also checked by the FBI. Your district will tell you when and where to get fingerprinted.
Suicide awareness and prevention training. South Dakota requires at least one hour of approved youth suicide awareness and prevention training before you start working in a school, and again every five years. Since July 1, 2024, completion is verified through your district, not the certification office. The SD DOE keeps the list of approved trainings on its Suicide Prevention page, and several approved online options take about an hour.
South Dakota School Counselor Certification Renewal
Your certificate is valid for five years, through June 30 of the year it expires. You can renew online through the SD Educator Certification Portal any time from January 1 to June 30 of your expiration year.
To renew, you’ll need six education-related renewal credits. They can come from transcripted college credits, specialized learning experience hours, continuing education contact hours, or a mix. Fifteen contact hours count as one renewal credit, so six credits could be 90 contact hours, or 45 contact hours plus three transcripted credits. National board certification or recertification is also accepted in place of the six credits, and the SD DOE recognizes the National Certified School Counselor (NCSC) credential as national board certification for school counselors. The renewal fee is $60. Because the rules changed in September 2026, confirm current options in the portal before your renewal year.
For renewal questions, call the SD DOE at (605) 773-3134.
South Dakota School Counselor Certification Through Reciprocity
If you hold a school counselor certificate from another state, you’ll apply through the same Initial Educator Application. South Dakota doesn’t automatically accept out-of-state credentials. It reviews yours against its own requirements.
Required materials for out-of-state applicants:
- Completed profile and Initial Educator Application in the SD Educator Certification Portal
- Official transcripts for each degree on your application, sent directly by your university
- A copy of your out-of-state certificate
- The OSF2 form (Out-of-State Educator Certification Verification), completed by the agency that issued your certificate
- Proof of the 3-credit South Dakota Indian Studies course
- The $60 initial application fee
The DOE’s out-of-state guidance offers provisional status to teachers and administrators. As a school counselor, plan to finish the Indian Studies course before you apply, and confirm with the certification office.
The SD DOE’s out-of-state applicant guide explains when a South Dakota test applies. A test may come into play if your certificate is no longer valid, you’ve never held one, or you’re adding an endorsement. If any of those fit your situation, or you’re not sure, confirm your testing requirement with the certification office before you apply. The out-of-state applicant guide walks through each form.
South Dakota School Counseling Certification Resources
These organizations offer professional development and continuing education for South Dakota school counselors:
- South Dakota School Counselor Association
- South Dakota Counseling Association
- American School Counselor Association
- National Board for Certified Counselors
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to take the Praxis exam to become a school counselor in South Dakota?
Only if your master’s is in counseling but not school counseling. Those applicants need a score of 159 or higher on the Praxis School Counselor exam (test code 5422). If you completed a school counselor program that meets South Dakota’s program standard, no Praxis is required.
Does the Indian Studies course apply if I trained in South Dakota?
Yes. The requirement covers all certified educators new to the profession as well as those coming from out of state, and the SD DOE confirms it includes school counselors. The DOE’s out-of-state guidance offers provisional status to teachers and administrators, so plan to finish the course before you apply and confirm with the certification office. Educators fully SD certified before July 1, 2025 are exempt.
What does the mentor year involve?
Pathway 2 applicants complete one year of supervision by a mentor school counselor who holds South Dakota’s Mentor School Counselor Endorsement, which requires at least three years of school counseling experience. At the end of the year, you and your mentor complete the School Counselor Mentor Sign-Off Form (EPV11) and email it to the certification office. Ask the SD DOE how your supervised year should be set up before you begin.
Is South Dakota school counselor certification the same as an LPC license?
No. School counselor certification comes from the SD Department of Education and qualifies you to work in PreK-12 schools. The LPC and LPC-MH are clinical licenses issued by the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists. A school counselor certificate doesn’t authorize counseling outside a school setting, and neither credential substitutes for the other.
How do I renew my certificate, and what counts toward renewal credits?
Renew online between January 1 and June 30 of your expiration year. You’ll need six renewal credits from transcripted college credits, specialized learning experience hours or continuing education contact hours, with 15 contact hours equal to one credit. National board certification or recertification, including the NCSC credential, can take the place of the credits. The fee is $60, and you should confirm current options in the portal because the rules changed in September 2026.
- Your degree sets your pathway: A school counseling master’s from a qualifying program means you can apply directly. Any other counseling master’s adds the Praxis 5422 (score 159) and a mentored year.
- Indian Studies applies to new counselors too: Since July 1, 2025, new and out-of-state educators, including school counselors, need an approved 3-credit South Dakota Indian Studies course with a C or higher.
- Budget for modest fees: The application is currently $60, plus about $130 for the Praxis if you’re on Pathway 2.
- Some steps belong to your district: The background check and suicide prevention training happen at hiring, not at certification.
- Plan for a five-year renewal cycle: Renew between January 1 and June 30 of your expiration year with six renewal credits and a $60 fee.
The fastest route to South Dakota certification starts before you enroll. A school counseling program that meets the state’s CACREP-based standard lets you skip the Praxis and the mentor year, so check that before you commit to a program.
