GEORGIA
STATE RESOURCES

The minimum degree requirement for all Georgia professional certificates is a bachelor’s degree. If you do not currently hold a bachelor’s degree, you may complete a traditional educator preparation program leading to a bachelor’s degree. Programs like this are offered at many colleges and universities. When choosing any program, remember to confirm that the program selected leads to initial educator certification and is approved by the certification office in the institution’s home state. 

GACE ASSESSMENTS RELATED TO SPECIAL EDUCATION: 

• GACE 003 and 004 - Special Education General Curriculum/Elementary Education (P-5) 

  • Only educators who complete a state-approved educator preparation program in Special Education General Curriculum/Elementary Education can and must pass the GACE 003 and 004 for initial teaching certification. This assessment does not count toward any certification requirements for any other individuals except those who complete the state-approved program in this field. 

  • For those individuals who hold certification in the Special Education General Curriculum/Elementary Education field and have passed GACE 003 and 004, the educator can teach every core academic subject, as the teacher of record, in the regular P-5 classroom and/or teach special education students who are in the general curriculum through fifth grade. Educators cannot pass GACE 003 and 004, and add that field to an existing Clear Renewable certificate. Refer to GaPSC Certification Rule 505-2-.34. 

  • To teach the special education adapted curriculum, the above educator will have to pass GACE 083 and 084 (Special Education Adapted Curriculum). 

• GACE 081 and 082 - Special Education General Curriculum (P-12) 

  • By passing GACE 081 and 082 (Special Education General Curriculum), the educator can serve as a consultative special education teacher for special education general curriculum in grades P-12, not as the teacher of record. 

  • In addition to passing GACE 081 and 082, the educator may pass GACE 087 (Special Education: Reading, English Language Arts, and Social Studies) and/or 088 (Special Education: Mathematics and Science) to serve as the teacher of record in all five concentration areas (Language Arts, Reading, Mathematics, Social Science, and Science) for students in special education general curriculum in grades P-8. The educator will have to pass the appropriate 6-12 GACE content assessment(s) to teach, as the teacher of record in core academic subject areas, special education students in grades 9-12. 

  • To teach the special education adapted curriculum, the above educator will have to pass GACE 083 and 084 (Special Education Adapted Curriculum). 

• GACE 083 and 084 - Special Education Adapted Curriculum (P-12) 

  • By passing GACE 083 and 084 (Special Education Adapted Curriculum), the educator can serve as a consultative special education teacher for students in the adaptive curriculum in grades P-12, not as the teacher of record. 

  • In addition to passing GACE 083 and 084, the educator may pass GACE 087 (Special Education: Reading, English Language Arts, and Social Studies) and/or 088 (Special Education: Mathematics and Science) to teach, as the teacher of record, students in special education adapted curriculum in grades P-8 in the five concentration areas (English/Language Arts, Reading, Mathematics, Social Science, and Science). 

• GACE 085 and 086 - Special Education Deaf Education (P-12) 

  • By passing GACE 085 and 086 (Special Education Deaf Education), the educator can serve as a consultative special education deaf education teacher in grades P-12. 

  • In addition to passing GACE 085 and 086, the educator may pass GACE 087 (Special Education: Reading, English Language Arts, and Social Studies) and/or 088 (Special Education: Mathematics and Science) to teach, as the teacher of record, students in special education deaf education in grades P-8 in the five respective concentration areas (English/Language Arts, Reading, Mathematics, Social Science, and Science). 

• GACE 087 and 088 (Special Academic Content Concentrations) to teach, as the teacher of record in core academic subject areas, special education deaf education students in grades P-8. 

  • In addition to passing GACE 085 and 086, the educator will have to pass the appropriate 6-12 GACE content assessment(s) to teach, as the teacher of record in core academic subject areas, special education deaf students in grades 9-12. 

• GACE 087 - Special Education: Reading, English Language Arts, and Social Studies 

  • GACE 087 (Special Education: Reading, English Language Arts, and Social Studies is designed to measure minimal content knowledge in the core academic content concentration areas of Reading, English Language Arts, and Social Studies for students in special education grades P-8. By passing the GACE 087, along with the appropriate special education GACE assessment for the special education general curriculum or adapted curriculum, the educator can serve as the teacher of record in the these three concentration areas appropriate to the area of certification for grades P-8. 

  • Another option for educators to add academic content concentrations in order to serve as the teacher of record in a given content area is by passing the appropriate middle or secondary content area GACE assessments. Also, those individuals that hold a Clear Renewable special education certificate can pass the GACE 001 and 002 (Elementary Education) to add the academic concentrations. There may be other options for adding these core academic subjects to a special education teaching certificate. 

  • As stated earlier, please note that a teacher's content level expertise in the core academic content area(s) must be at or above the level of instruction prescribed by the student's IEP. 

• GACE 088 - Special Education: Mathematics and Science 

  • GACE 088 (Special Education: Mathematics and Science) is designed to measure minimal content knowledge in the core academic content concentration areas of Mathematics and Science for students in special education grades P-8. By passing the GACE 088, along with the appropriate special education GACE assessment for the special education general curriculum or adapted curriculum, the educator can serve as the teacher of record in the these two concentration areas appropriate to the area of certification for grades P-8. 

  • Another option for educators to add academic content concentrations in order to serve as the teacher of record in a given content area is by passing the appropriate middle or secondary content area GACE assessments. Also, those individuals that hold a Clear Renewable special education certificate can pass the GACE 001 and 002 (Elementary Education) to add the academic concentrations. There may be other options for adding these core academic subjects to a special education teaching certificate. 

  • As stated earlier, please note that a teacher's content level expertise in the core academic content area(s) must be at or above the level of instruction prescribed by the student's IEP. 

To be professionally certified, an educator must meet minimum education requirements, complete an approved or accepted educator preparation program, and complete certification assessment requirements. Future educators pursue certification either through traditional means (completing certification requirements and then seeking employment as a teacher) or alternative means (meeting minimum requirements, attaining employment as a teacher, and completing certification requirements while teaching).

To become certified, you must complete a GaPSC-approved or –accepted educator preparation program, in addition to other requirements. A qualifying program will have the following characteristics:

• Approved by the educator certification office of the state in which the college/university is administered:

  • Programs offered by Georgia colleges/universities are approved by the GaPSC. You may search for GaPSC-approved programs here;

  • Programs offered by a college/university located in another U.S.; state must be approved by that state’s certification office. Remember that some institutions may offer online courses to Georgia residents or have satellite campuses in Georgia. However, any program you complete for certification must be approved by the state in which the institution is headquartered.

• Approved to lead to initial certification:

  • Some advanced degrees are designed for already-certified educators. These programs do not lead to initial certification.

• Include student teaching, field experiences, or an education practicum:

  • If you are completing a state-approved online educator preparation program while living in Georgia, you may be able to complete field experience requirements in Georgia schools. This will require a Pre-Service certificate requested by your college/university. Any field experiences in Georgia schools must be arranged by your college/university.

• If you are completing a traditional educator preparation program in the state of Georgia or completing an educator preparation program based in another state but will be completing your field experiences in Georgia, you will need to fulfill the requirements for the Induction Certificate including Special Georgia Requirements in order to become certified.

Educators who move in from other states can apply to have their degrees and their valid teaching licenses considered for reciprocity; however, these candidates must meet all Georgia certification requirements. Candidates who meet some (but not all) of GPSC’s requirements might be considered eligible to work in a high-need area, such as special education.  

Educators with teaching licenses earned at foreign institutions can pursue the GPSC’s International Exchange Routes, which permit qualified teachers from outside the U.S. to teach in the Georgia public school system for up to three years. Candidates must submit a foreign credential report and prove equivalency with Georgia teacher preparation requirements. 

Advanced Degree Program – If you already hold a bachelor’s degree, you may wish to pursue a master’s degree while you complete an educator preparation program. Most initial certification programs lead to a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree. It may be possible for you to teach up to 3 years while you are completing a master’s degree program leading to teacher certification.  

Certification Only Program – These programs allow a future educator to take only the coursework needed for certification. These programs are offered by colleges or universities, but do not lead to an additional degree. It may be possible for you to teach up to 3 years while you are completing a certification-only program leading to teacher certification.  

Transition from Military Service to Education – To ease transition from service member to teacher, the GaPSC offers a military support personnel certificate which will allow eligible individuals to teach for up to 3 years while completing requirements for professional Georgia certification. Employment is required for issuance.  

Issuance requirements for the Military Support Provisional Certificate are as follows:  

• Be a participant of the Troops to Teachers program by submitting an application  

• Meet minimum degree requirement for certification field sought  

• Complete the GACE Educator Ethics assessment  

• Become employed as a Georgia educator and have the certificate requested by a Georgia Local Unit of Administration (LUA)  

• Submit DD-214 form confirming honorable military service 

GATAPP – Georgia Teacher Academy for Preparation and Pedagogy (GaTAPP) is Georgia’s only alternative route to initial teacher certification. Designed for those who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher but have not yet completed a teacher preparation program, these programs can be a good fit for career changers, as well as recent graduates from bachelor’s degree programs.  

Visit the GaTAPP Candidate Admission Requirements page for more information. https://www.gapsc.com/EducatorPreparation/GaTAPP/GaTAPP_Admission_Requirements.aspx    

• Augusta University - B.S.Ed.; M.A.T.

• Brenau University (Gainesville) - B.S.Ed.; M.A.T.

• Brewton-Parker College - B.S.Ed. 

• Clark Atlanta University - M.A. 

• Columbus State University - B.S.Ed.; M.A.T.; Ed.S. 

• Georgia College and State University - B.S.; M.A.T.; M.Ed.; Ed.S. 

• Georgia Gwinnett College - B.S.

• Georgia Southern University - B.S.Ed.; M.A.T.; M.Ed. 

• Georgia Southwestern State University - B.S.Ed.

• Georgia State University - B.S.Ed.; M.A.T. 

• Kennesaw State University - M.Ed.; Ed.S. 

• Piedmont University - B.A.; M.A.T. 

• Point University - BS

• Thomas University - B.S.Ed.; M.A.T.

• University of Georgia - B.S.Ed.; M.A.T.; Ed.S. 

• University of West Georgia - B.S.Ed.; M.A.T.; M.Ed.; Ed.S.

• Valdosta State University - M.A.T.; Ed.S.

• Georgia Council for Exceptional Children: https://georgia.exceptionalchildren.org/ 

• The Georgia Department of Education, the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, and the University System of Georgia have also created P-20 Collaboratives to help pre-service candidates transition into professional educators and provide ongoing professional learning for practicing educators. 

  • https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Special-Education-Services/Pages/default.aspx 

• https://www.gafutures.org/federal-aid-scholarships/federal-student-grants/teach/  

• https://gae.org/grants  

• https://www.pageinc.org/scholarships/scholarships-offered   

• https://www.gafutures.org/hope-state-aid-programs/hope-zell-miller-grants/hope-grant/eligibility/