Current through Rules and Regulations filed through March 20, 2024
(1)
Summary: Educational
Leadership is part of Georgia's tiered certification system and provides a
statewide structure to ensure that leaders meet minimum certification
requirements and satisfy state leadership effectiveness requirements as defined
in the state evaluation system. Georgia issues two (2) tiers of Educational
Leadership certificates: Tier I and Tier II, and two (2) titles: Standard and
Performance-Based. This rule outlines the requirements for certification at
each tier and for each title.
(2)
Professional Requirements.
(a)
Standard Professional Educational Leadership - Tier I (Georgia Educator /
GaPSC-approved program).
1. Georgia educators
completing GaPSC-approved Tier I certification programs must meet the following
requirements for a Standard Professional Educational Leadership - Tier I
certificate.
(i) Complete a GaPSC-approved
Tier I educator preparation certification-only or master's degree level
program.
(I) If a certification-only program
is completed the educator must hold a level five (5) or higher certificate
prior to enrollment.
(ii)
Meet the following Special Georgia requirements as outlined in GaPSC Rule
505-2-.24 SPECIAL GEORGIA
REQUIREMENTS:
(I) Pass the GACE Content
assessment.
(II) Satisfy the
Special Education requirement with a grade of B or better.
(III) Pass the GACE Ethics for Educational
Leadership assessment.
(IV) Meet
Standards of Conduct.
(iii) Apply for certification following
procedures outlined in Rule
505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND
APPLICATION PROCEDURES.
(b) Standard Professional Educational
Leadership - Tier I (Reciprocity).
1. Prior
to becoming a Georgia educator, individuals applying for initial certification
must meet the following requirements for a Standard Professional Educational
Leadership - Tier I certificate:
(i) Complete
a state-approved Educational Leadership certification program at the master's
degree level or higher from a GaPSC-accepted accredited institution.
(ii) Hold renewable, professional
certification in another state or country in a field that is comparable to the
GaPSC field of Educational Leadership - Tier I or verify completion of a
state-approved Educational Leadership certification program by submission of
the
Approved
Program Completion form.
(iii) Have less than three (3) years of
successful
out-of-state experience in an educational leadership position;
(iv) Meet the following Special Georgia
requirements as outlined in GaPSC Rule
505-2-.24 SPECIAL GEORGIA
REQUIREMENTS:
(I) Pass or exempt the GACE
Content assessment.
(II) Satisfy
the Special Education requirement with a grade of B or better.
A. Certificate may be issued prior to
completion of this requirement; however, the course must be satisfied as part
of requirements to renew or convert the certificate.
(III) Pass the GACE Ethics for Educational
Leadership assessment.
(IV) Meet
Standards of Conduct.
(v)
Apply for certification following procedures outlined in Rule
505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND
APPLICATION PROCEDURES.
2. A Performance-Based certificate is not
issued in the field of Educational Leadership - Tier I.
(c) Performance-Based Professional
Educational Leadership - Tier II (Georgia Educator / GaPSC-approved program).
1. Educators completing GaPSC-approved
Performance-Based Tier II certification programs must meet the following
requirements for a Performance-Based Educational Leadership - Tier II
certificate.
(i) Hold an Educational
Leadership - Tier I certificate or Educational Leadership - Tier II Standard
Professional certificate.
(ii)
Complete a GaPSC-approved Educational Leadership - Tier II educator preparation
certification-only, specialist or doctoral degree level program.
(I) If a certification-only program is
completed the educator must hold a minimum of an Educational Specialist degree
prior to enrollment.
(iii) Meet the following Special Georgia
requirements as outlined in GaPSC Rule
505-2-.24 SPECIAL GEORGIA
REQUIREMENTS:
(I) Pass the GACE Content
assessment.
(II) Pass the
Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL) if completing a
Performance-Based program on or after 7/1/17.
A. This assessment is not required for
individuals completing Building or System -Level Performance-Based
Programs.
(III) Satisfy
the Special Education requirement with a grade of B or better.
(IV) Pass the GACE Ethics for Educational
Leadership assessment.
(V) Meet
Standards of Conduct.
(iv) Apply for certification following
procedures outlined in Rule
505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND
APPLICATION PROCEDURES.
(d) Standard Professional Educational
Leadership -Tier II (Reciprocity).
1. Prior
to becoming a Georgia educator, individuals applying for initial certification
must meet the following requirements for a Standard Professional Educational
Leadership - Tier II certificate:
(i) Meet
one of the following requirements:
(I)
Complete a state-approved Educational Leadership certification program at the
master's degree level or higher from a GaPSC-accepted accredited institution
and have three (3) years of successful out-of-state experience in an
educational leadership position while holding a professional leadership
certificate.
(II) Complete a
state-approved educational leadership certification program at the specialist
or doctoral degree level from a GaPSC-accepted accredited institution and
verify completion of the certification program by submission of the
Approved
Program Completion form or a professional out-of-state
certificate.
(ii) Meet
the following Special Georgia requirements as outlined in GaPSC Rule
505-2-.24 SPECIAL GEORGIA
REQUIREMENTS:
(I) Pass or exempt the GACE
Content assessment.
(II) Satisfy
the Special Education requirement with a grade of B or better.
A. Certificate may be issued prior to
completion of this requirement; however, the course must be satisfied as part
of requirements to renew or convert the certificate.
(III) Pass the GACE Ethics for Educational
Leadership assessment.
(IV) Meet
Standards of Conduct.
(iii) Apply for certification following
procedures outlined in Rule
505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND
APPLICATION PROCEDURES.
(e) Standard Professional Educational
Leadership -Tier II (Legacy).
1. Georgia
educators certified prior to September 30, 2009 who completed a state-approved
certification program in Educational Leadership at the master's degree level or
higher prior to this date, but has never held renewable, professional GaPSC
certification in any Educational Leadership field, must meet the following
requirements for a Standard Professional Educational Leadership Tier II
certificate:
(i) Verify completion of a
state-approved Educational Leadership certification program at the master's
degree level or higher from a GaPSC-accepted accredited institution by
submission of a professional out-of-state certificate or the
Approved
Program Completion form.
(ii) Meet the following Special Georgia
requirements as outlined in GaPSC Rule
505-2-.24 SPECIAL GEORGIA
REQUIREMENTS:
(I) Pass or exempt the GACE
Content assessment.
(II) Satisfy
the Special Education requirement with a grade of B or better.
(III) Pass the GACE Ethics for Educational
Leadership assessment.
(IV) Meet
Standards of Conduct.
(iii) Apply for certification following
procedures outlined in Rule
505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND
APPLICATION PROCEDURES.
(3)
Non-Renewable Professional
Requirements.
(a) One (1)-Year
Non-Renewable Professional Educational Leadership - Tier I or Educational
Leadership - Tier II (Issued to individuals who have not completed renewal
requirements).
1. Issuance.
(i) Hold an expired professional Georgia
certificate in the field.
(ii) Have
the certificate requested by the employing Georgia local unit of administration
following procedures outlined in Rule
505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND
APPLICATION PROCEDURES.
2. Conversion.
(i) Verify completion of requirements
outlined in the renewal rule. (See GaPSC Rule
505-2-.36 RENEWAL
REQUIREMENTS).
(ii) Apply for
conversion following procedures outlined in Rule
505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND
APPLICATION PROCEDURES.
(b) One (1)-Year Non-Renewable Professional
Educational Leadership - Tier I or Educational Leadership - Tier II (Issued to
individuals who meet initial Georgia certification requirements based on
reciprocity, but must satisfy the GACE content assessment).
1. Issuance.
(i) Hold a professional out-of-state
certificate in the field of Educational Leadership.
(ii) Pass the GACE Ethics for Educational
Leadership assessment.
(iii) Have
the certificate requested by the employing Georgia local unit of administration
following procedures outlined in Rule
505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND
APPLICATION PROCEDURES.
2. Conversion.
(i) Pass or exempt the GACE Content
assessment.
(ii) Apply for
conversion following procedures outlined in GaPSC Rule
505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND
APPLICATION PROCEDURES.
(c) Three (3)-Year Non-Renewable Professional
Educational Leadership - Tier I (Issued to individuals who have not completed a
GaPSC-approved program and assigned out-of-field in a leadership position).
1. Issuance.
(i) Hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree
from a GaPSC-accepted accredited institution.
(ii) Pass the GACE Ethics for Educational
Leadership assessment.
(iii) Have
the certificate requested by the employing Georgia local unit of administration
following procedures outlined in Rule
505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND
APPLICATION PROCEDURES.
2. Conversion.
(i) Complete a GaPSC-approved Educational
Leadership - Tier I educator preparation program at the master's degree level.
(I) If a certification-only program is
completed, the educator must hold a minimum of a master's degree from a
GaPSC-accepted accredited institution prior to enrollment.
(ii) Meet the following Special Georgia
requirements as outlined in GaPSC Rule
505-2-.24 SPECIAL GEORGIA
REQUIREMENTS:
(I) Pass the GACE Content
assessment.
(II) Satisfy the
Special Education requirement with a grade of B or better.
(III) Pass the GACE Ethics for Educational
Leadership assessment.
(IV) Meet
Standards of Conduct.
(iii) Apply for certification following
procedures outlined in Rule
505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND
APPLICATION PROCEDURES.
(d) Three (3)-Year Non-Renewable Professional
Educational Leadership - Tier II (Issued to individuals who have not completed
a GaPSC-approved program and are assigned out-of-field in a leadership
position).
1. Issuance.
(i) Hold a minimum of a master's degree from
a GaPSC-accepted accredited institution or hold a Standard Professional
certificate in Educational Leadership - Tier I.
(ii) Have the certificate requested by the
employing Georgia local unit of administration following procedures outlined in
GaPSC Rule
505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND
APPLICATION PROCEDURES.
2. Conversion.
(i) Complete a GaPSC-approved Tier II
educator preparation at the Specialist or Doctoral degree level.
(I) If a certification-only program is
completed the educator must hold a minimum of an Educational Specialist degree
from a GaPSC-accepted accredited institution prior to enrollment.
(ii) Meet the following Special
Georgia requirements as outlined in GaPSC Rule
505-2-.24 SPECIAL GEORGIA
REQUIREMENTS:
(I) Pass the GACE Content
assessment.
(II) Pass the
Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL) if completing a
Performance-Based program on or after 7/1/17.
A. This assessment is not required for
individuals completing Building or System - Level Performance-Based
programs.
(III) Satisfy
the Special Education requirement with a grade of B or better.
(IV) Pass the GACE Ethics for Educational
Leadership assessment.
(V) Meet
Standards of Conduct.
(iii) Apply for certification following
procedures outlined in Rule
505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND
APPLICATION PROCEDURES.
(e) An educator working in a Tier II position
who does not hold Tier I certification will be issued a Non-Renewable
Professional certificate in each tier. If the Tier I certificate is converted
to a Standard Professional certificate, the Non-Renewable Performance-Based
Professional certificate in Educational Leadership - Tier II may be extended
for an additional three (3) years to meet Tier II certification
requirements.
(4)
Additional Certificate Title Issued in the Field.
(a) Retired Educator (See GaPSC Rule
505-2-.44 RETIRED
EDUCATOR).
(5)
To
Add the Field (See GaPSC Rule
505-2-.34 ADD A FIELD).
(a) To add a renewable, professional
certificate in Educational Leadership (Tier I or Tier II) to a valid or expired
Georgia certificate in any field, an educator must complete a GaPSC-approved
certification program in Educational Leadership to include all applicable
Special Georgia Requirements (See GaPSC Rule
505-2-.24 SPECIAL GEORGIA
REQUIREMENTS). Georgia educators who complete out-of-state programs not
approved by the GaPSC will not be eligible for Georgia certification in
Educational Leadership.
(6)
To Upgrade the Level (See GaPSC
Rule 505-2-.33
CERTIFICATE UPGRADE):
(a) In
accordance with O.C.G.A.
20-2-212, an educator may be
assigned a leader level at the time of initial certification in an Educational
Leadership field. This leader level applies only to any Educational Leadership
fields held, and is used for placement on the State Salary Schedule only when
the educator is employed in a position requiring Educational Leadership
certification (See Section (6) of GaPSC Rule
505-2-.02 CLASSIFICATION).
(b) An upgrade that is earned by completion
of an advanced degree that is in-field with an Educational Leadership
certificate field will be applied to the leader level of the educator's
certificate unless the certificate has not previously been assigned a leader
level. If there is no previously assigned leader level, the upgrade will be
applied to the general level (See GaPSC Rule
505-2-.33 CERTIFICATE
UPGRADE).
(c) Educators completing
a GaPSC-approved Educational Leadership - Tier II program at the doctoral level
will not qualify for leadership certification or an upgrade to level six (6)
based on achieving All But Dissertation (ABD) status during the doctoral
program. A New-Field upgrade requires completion of the GaPSC-approved program
in Educational Leadership. An educator enrolled in a doctoral program will not
qualify for leadership certification or a New-Field upgrade until completion of
the Educational Leadership - Tier II doctoral program and meeting all
requirements to add the field.
(7)
Renewal Requirements (See
GaPSC Rule
505-2-.36 RENEWAL
REQUIREMENTS).
(8)
Exceptions.
(a) Educational
Leadership (Field 704): Prior to January 15, 2016, this field was issued to
some out-of-state educators earning initial Georgia certification through
interstate reciprocity, and to Georgia educators who completed a state-approved
certification program in Educational Leadership at the master's degree level or
higher prior to September 30, 2009. Educators holding this field were able to
serve in any Educational Leadership position. Certificates in this field were
converted to the Standard Professional Educational Leadership -Tier II on
January 15, 2016.
(b) Educational
Leadership Building-Level (Field 706): Prior to January 15, 2016, this field
was issued to individuals who completed a GaPSC-approved performance-based
certification program in the field. Educators holding this field were able to
serve in Educational Leadership positions at the school building level, such as
Principal. Certificates in this field were converted to the Standard
Professional Educational Leadership -Tier II on January 15, 2016.
(c) Educational Leadership System-Level
(Field 707): Prior to January 15, 2016, this field was issued to individuals
who completed a GaPSC-approved performance-based certification program in the
field. Educators holding this field were able to serve in Educational
Leadership positions at the school system level. Superintendents were required
to hold Educational Leadership certification in both System-Level and
Building-Level. Certificates in this field were converted to the Standard
Professional Educational Leadership -Tier II on January 15, 2016.
(d) Pre-Service Leadership (Field 705): Prior
to December 15, 2010, this non-renewable field was issued to individuals who
held a master's degree or higher and passed the GACE Educational Leadership
assessment. Holding this field indicated an educator's eligibility for a
Non-Renewable Educational Leadership certificate upon employment in an
Educational Leadership position, but did not allow the holder to serve in any
type of Educational Leadership position. Certificates in this field were not
eligible for conversion to any other type of Educational Leadership
certificate.
(e) A Georgia educator
who earned an initial Georgia teaching and/or service certificate through
interstate reciprocity prior to January 15, 2016, and was denied Georgia
Educational Leadership certification at that time, may reapply under the
reciprocity requirements outlined in this rule, subject to the following
conditions:
1. Only the degrees, experience,
out-of-state certifications, and out-of-state test scores held at the time the
initial Georgia certificate was issued may be evaluated under reciprocity
requirements.
2. If a general
certificate level was assigned based on a degree that was not accepted for
Educational Leadership certification at the time of initial application, the
general level will remain intact.
(f) Upon meeting requirements for Educational
Leadership - Tier II certification as outlined in (2)(c) above, the Educational
Leadership - Tier I certificate previously held with be invalidated.
(9)
Restrictions.
(a) Georgia educators who complete
out-of-state programs that are not GaPSC-approved will not be eligible for
Georgia certification in Educational Leadership or an upgrade to the
certificate level based on the degree in educational leadership unless the
degree meets In-Field Upgrade requirements as outlined in the Upgrade Rule
(505-2-.33
CERTIFICATE UPGRADE).
(b) The One
(1)-Year Non-Renewable certificate is not available to individuals who
held/hold a Non-Renewable certificate in Educational Leadership to complete a
GaPSC-approved program and did not meet requirements for Professional
certification.
(10)
Alternative Preparation for Educational Leadership Program (See
Rule 505-3-.76
ALTERNATIVE PREPARATION FOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM).
(a) Educators enrolled in the Alternative
Preparation for Educational Leadership Program must meet degree and admission
requirements outlined in the Educator Preparation Program Rule, be employed by
a local unit of administration, and have the certificate requested following
procedures outlined in GaPSC Rule
505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND
APPLICATION PROCEDURES.
(b)
Educators completing the Alternative Preparation for Educational Leadership
Program must meet minimum degree requirements outlined in Rule
505-3-.76 Alternative Preparation for
Educational Leadership Program and requirements for issuance of the Educational
Leadership Tier I certificate outlined in (2)(a)1 and Educational Leadership
Tier II certificate outlined in 2(a)c.
(11)
Superintendent (See GaPSC
Rule 505-2-.154
SUPERINTENDENT).
(a) A Superintendent
certificate is required for an individual who is selected to serve as a
Superintendent and meets the requirements outlined in GaPSC Rule
505-2-.154 SUPERINTENDENT.
(12)
In-Field
Statement.
(a) Educational Leadership -
Tier I is the entry-level Standard Professional Educational Leadership
certification. Educators certified in this field may work in school-level
leadership positions below the principal and district-level leadership
positions that do not supervise principals.
(b) Educational Leadership - Tier II
(Standard or Performance-Based) is the advanced-level Educational Leadership
certification. Educators certified in this field may work in any leadership
position, including school-level principal, superintendent, or another type of
position that supervises principals.
O.C.G.A. §
20-2-200.