Rule 505-2-.05 - Professional Certificate(1)Summary: The Professional certificate is part of Georgia's tiered teacher certification system and provides a statewide structure to ensure that classroom teachers meet minimum requirements and satisfy state teacher effectiveness requirements as defined in the state teacher evaluation system. The Professional certificate is also issued in service and leadership fields to educators meeting professional requirements as outlined in the individual field rules. Georgia issues two (2) types of renewable Professional certificates: Standard and Performance-Based.(2)Professional Requirements.(a) Standard Professional teaching certificate: The Standard Professional teaching certificate is intended for those individuals evaluated by a school, district, or agency-approved evaluation system and not evaluated by the statewide evaluation system. It is issued to individuals who do not meet the requirements for the Performance-Based Professional teaching certificate but do meet the following requirements: 1. For individuals applying by reciprocity, meet the following requirements: (i) Hold a valid or expired out-of-state professional certificate at the bachelor's degree level or higher, with three (3) or more years of successful experience as defined in GaPSC Rule 505-2-.25 EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS. Experience must have been earned while holding a professional educator certificate or a non-professional certificate that was subsequently converted to professional status in the state, field and grade level of experience.(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) Meet Standards of Conduct.(iii) Apply for certification following procedures outlined in Rule 505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND APPLICATION PROCEDURES.2. For individuals holding an Induction certificate, meet the following requirements: (i) Have three (3) full years of successful experience while holding the Induction certificate.(ii) Meet or have met 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) Pass the GACE Educator Ethics Assessment.(III) Satisfy the Special Education requirement with a grade of B or better.(IV) Meet Standards of Conduct.(iii) Apply for conversion following procedures outlined in Rule 505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND APPLICATION PROCEDURES.3. For individuals holding a Provisional or previously issued equivalent type certificate, meet the following requirements: (i) Complete a GaPSC-accepted educator preparation program.(ii) Have three (3) full years of successful experience while holding the Provisional or previously issued equivalent type certificate.(iii) 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) Pass the GACE Educator Ethics Assessment.(III) Satisfy the Special Education requirement with a grade of B or better.(IV) Meet Standards of Conduct.(iv) Apply for conversion following procedures outlined in Rule 505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND APPLICATION PROCEDURES.(b) The Standard Professional Service certificate is issued in service fields to individuals meeting the requirements outlined in the GaPSC rule appropriate to the specific service field (See GaPSC Rules 505-2-.140 AUDIOLOGY through 505-2 .149 TEACHER LEADERSHIP).(c) The Standard Professional Leadership certificate is issued in the field of Educational Leadership to individuals meeting the requirements outlined in GaPSC Rule 505-2-.153 EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP.(d) For Healthcare Science and Career and Technical Specializations, complete requirements outlined in GaPSC Rule 505-2-.87 HEALTHCARE SCEINCE and 505-2-.90 CAREER AND TECHNICAL SPECIALIZATIONS, and meet requirements in (2)(a) above.(e) Performance-Based Professional certificate: The Performance-Based Professional teaching certificate is intended for those teachers evaluated by the Georgia statewide evaluation system. 1. Educators must meet the following requirements:(i) Complete requirements to qualify for the Standard Professional certificate.(ii) Have a minimum of three (3) years of successful educator experience (as defined in GaPSC Rule 505-2-25 EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS). All three (3) years must have been earned in a Georgia school with a summative performance rating of "Proficient" or "Exemplary" while being evaluated on the Teacher Assessment on Performance Standards (TAPS) component of the statewide evaluation system, Teacher Keys Effectiveness System (TKES).(iii) Meet Standards of Conduct.(iv) Apply for certification following procedures outlined in Rule 505-2-.27 CERTIFICATION AND APPLICATION PROCEDURES.2. The Performance-Based Professional Leadership certificate is issued in the field of Educational Leadership to individuals meeting the requirements outlined in GaPSC Rule 505-2-.153 EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP.(f) Official implementation of TKES began with the 2014-2015 school year, after a two-year pilot period. Successful experience to qualify for the Performance-Based Professional certificate outlined in (2) (e) above begins with the 2014-2015 school year.(3)Non-Renewable Professional Requirements (See GaPSC Rule 505-2-.09 NON-RENEWABLE PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE).(4)Renewal.(a) The Standard Professional teaching certificate and Performance-Based Professional teaching certificate may be renewed by satisfying requirements as outlined in GaPSC Rule 505-2-.36 RENEWAL REQUIREMENTS.(5)Restrictions.(a) Individuals who have received any combination of two (2) "Unsatisfactory", "Ineffective" or "Needs Development" annual performance summative evaluations in the previous five (5)-year period shall not be entitled to a renewable certificate prior to demonstrating such performance deficiency has been satisfactorily remediated (See GaPSC Rule 505-2-.43 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATION).(6)Validity.(a) Professional certificates are valid for five (5) years with the following exceptions: 1. A Performance-Based Professional certificate issued to replace a valid Standard Professional certificate is only valid for the remaining validity period of the Standard Professional certificate being replaced.2. The standard validity period may be decreased by the number of years for which the educator has held a Non-Renewable certificate or license, including a Waiver certificate, in the same field.Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 505-2-.05
O.C.G.A. § 20-2-200.
Original Rule entitled "Referral to Professional Practices Commission" adopted. F. Dec. 18, 1991; eff. Jan. 7, 1992.Repealed: New Rule of same title adopted. F. Dec. 16, 1992; eff. July 1, 1993, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. June 5, 1998; eff. July 1, 1998, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. June 8, 1999; eff. July 1, 1999, as specified by the Agency.Repealed: New Rule entitled "Intern Certificate" adopted. F. Feb. 20, 2004; eff. Mar. 15, 2004, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. June 23, 2005; eff. July 15, 2005, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. Feb. 10, 2006; eff. Mar. 15, 2006, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. Nov. 9, 2006; eff. Dec. 15, 2006, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. June 18, 2007; eff. July 15, 2007, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. Apr. 20, 2009; eff. May 15, 2009, as specified by the Agency.Repealed: New Rule entitled "Professional Certificate" adopted. F. Jun. 11, 2014; eff. July 1, 2014, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. Dec. 22, 2014; eff. Jan. 15, 2015, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. Mar. 25, 2015; eff. Apr. 15, 2015, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. Sep. 24, 2015; eff. Oct. 15, 2015, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. June 8, 2017; eff. July 1, 2017, as specified by the Agency.Repealed: New Rule of same title adopted. F. Dec. 13, 2019; eff. Jan. 1, 2020, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. June 11, 2020; eff. July 1, 2020, as specified by the Agency.