(1)
Summary: All individuals
applying for certification in Georgia shall satisfy certain Special Georgia
Requirements. These requirements are in the areas of: content knowledge;
standards of conduct; special education; ethics assessments; and content
pedagogy assessments. Special Georgia Requirements, with the exception of the
standards of conduct, do not apply to individuals holding Georgia Life
certificates.
(2)
Content
Knowledge Assessment(s). An individual applying for certification in
Georgia must pass or meet exemption criteria for content knowledge
assessment(s) appropriate to the field of certification and/or any other
assessment(s) as required by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission
(GaPSC) (See GaPSC Rule
505-2-.26 CERTIFICATION AND LICENSURE
ASSESSMENTS). GACE content assessments have two passing levels:
Induction and Professional. All passing scores earned on GACE assessments will
be treated as Professional level scores even if the official score report
reflects an Induction level score. As of October 15, 2011, Georgia educators
who complete out-of-state programs and/or pass out-of-state assessments leading
to certification in a new field in another state must pass the appropriate GACE
content assessment for Georgia certification in the new field.
(a) An individual may be exempt from passing
the GACE content knowledge assessment(s) in the following scenarios:
1. Out-of-state certificate holders applying
for initial Georgia certification who satisfy the out-of-state certificate and
experience criteria outlined in paragraph (6) below.
2. Out-of-state professional certificate
holders applying for initial Georgia certification who have passed the
out-of-state content assessment required for issuance of the out-of-state
certificate field.
3. Individuals
holding valid National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)
certification in the specific field, with the exception of the Middle Grades
Generalist Field. The NBPTS Middle Grades Generalist field does not exempt the
GACE Middle Grades content assessments.
4. Individuals seeking certification in a
field for which the GaPSC has not adopted a content assessment.
(b) Completers of GaPSC-approved
programs who have satisfied all program requirements with the exception of the
content knowledge assessment(s), and have obtained a valid recommendation from
the educator preparation provider (EPP) may be issued a one (1)-year Induction
or Non-Renewable Professional certificate, as appropriate, at the request of an
employing Georgia local unit of administration (LUA).
(c) Additional information on the required
content assessment(s) is available on the GaPSC web site at
https://www.gapsc.com/EducatorPreparation/Assessment/Testing.aspx.
(3)
Standards of
Conduct. An individual applying for certification in Georgia must comply
with the ethical standards of the profession. An FBI background check
(fingerprint) is required for employment in Georgia public schools and a
Georgia criminal history check is required every five (5) years for certificate
renewal. In addition, individuals applying for certification must respond to
background check questions on the application form. Individuals applying for or
already holding certification who violate standards of conduct may be subject
to a GaPSC investigation, which could involve certificate denial, suspension or
revocation (See GaPSC Rule
505-2-.30 REFERRAL TO EDUCATOR ETHICS
DIVISION).
(4)
Special Education.
(a) A
GaPSC-accepted course in the identification and education of children who have
special educational needs is required for issuance of a certificate in any of
the following:
1. Teaching fields.
2. Leadership fields.
3. Service fields of Media Specialist and
School Counseling.
(b)
The following certificates may be issued prior to completion of the special
education requirement (course must be satisfied to renew or convert the
certificate):
1. Initial Professional or
Induction certificate issued based on interstate reciprocity.
2. Initial Induction certificate issued based
on completion of an out-of-state approved educator preparation program with
student teaching outside of Georgia.
3. Initial Professional certificate in School
Counseling based on holding an acceptable valid state license issued by the
Georgia Secretary of State Office.
(c) The course may be satisfied by the
following:
1. Earning three (3) semester hours
of college credit with a grade of "B" or better
(i) The grade requirement of "B" or better is
effective July 1, 2019, for courses completed on or after this date.
2. Earning five (5) Georgia
professional learning units satisfied through a Georgia public school system or
RESA.
3. Holding valid National
Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification.
4. Meeting out-of-state experience exemption
outlined in section (6) below.
(5)
Ethics Assessment.
(a) A passing score on the GACE Educator
Ethics Assessment is required for the following:
1. Issuance of a Pre-Service
certificate.
2. Issuance of an
initial Clearance certificate to individuals who are not required to hold an
in-field certificate as outlined in GaPSC Rule
505-2-.42 CLEARANCE
CERTIFICATE.
3. Issuance of a
Provisional teaching certificate.
4. Issuance of an Induction certificate in a
teaching field.
5. Issuance of the
International Exchange certificate.
6. Conversion of a Provisional or Induction
Pathway 4 teaching certificate to a Professional certificate.
7. Issuance of an initial three-year
Permit.
8. Conversion to the
five-year Permit if initial Permit was issued on or after October 15,
2017.
(b) A passing
score on the GACE Ethics for Educational Leadership is required for the
following:
1. Issuance of a Non-Renewable
certificate in educational leadership for completion of an approved
program.
2. Issuance of an initial
professional certificate in educational leadership.
3. Issuance of an initial Superintendent
Permit
4. Conversion to the
five-year Permit if initial Permit was issued on or after October 15,
2017.
(6)
Out-of-State Experience Exemption. Veteran out-of-state educators
moving into Georgia may be eligible to exempt all Special Georgia Requirements
except the Standards of Conduct. To be eligible, the applicant must hold a
valid out-of-state certificate and have a minimum of five (5) full years of
successful education experience as defined in section (5) of GaPSC Rule
505-2-.25 EXPERIENCE
REQUIREMENTS.
