Rule 505-2-.24 - Special Georgia Requirements(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).(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: 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.Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 505-2-.24
O.C.G.A. § 20-2-200.
Original Rule entitled "Application for Renewals/Duplicates, Name Changes, PB Certificates" adopted. F. Dec. 18, 1991; eff. Jan. 7, 1992.Repealed: Rule Reserved. F. Dec. 16, 1992; eff. July 1, 1993, as specified by the Agency.Amended: New Rule entitled "International Exchange Certificate" adopted. F. Apr. 7, 2000; eff. May 1, 2000, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. May 10, 2001; eff. June 1, 2001, as specified by Agency.Repealed: New Rule entitled "Standard Renewal Requirements" adopted. F. Feb. 20, 2004; eff. Mar. 15, 2004, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. Aug. 20, 2004; eff. Sept. 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. Aug. 3, 2006, eff. Sept. 1, 2006, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. Apr. 16, 2008; eff. May 15, 2008, as specified by the Agency.Repealed: New Rule entitled "Standard Renewal Credit" adopted. F. Aug. 15, 2008; eff. Sept. 15, 2008, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. Apr. 20, 2009; eff. May 15, 2009, as specified by the Agency.Repealed: New Rule of same title adopted. F. June 7, 2010; eff. July 15, 2010, as specified by the Agency.Repealed: New Rule entitled "Special Georgia Requirements" adopted. F. June 11, 2014; eff. July 1, 2014, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. Jun. 13, 2014; eff. July 3, 2014.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. Apr. 13, 2016; eff. Apr. 15, 2016, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. May 25, 2016; eff. June 15, 2016, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. June 8, 2017; eff. July 1, 2017, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. Oct. 3, 2018; eff. Oct. 15, 2018, 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.Repealed: New Rule of same title adopted. F. June 11, 2020; eff. July 1, 2020, as specified by the Agency.Amended: F. Mar. 26, 2021; eff. Apr. 15, 2021, as specified by the Agency.