Criteria for “Highly Qualified” Teachers

 To be considered “highly qualified” to teach in the State of Georgia, teachers must be professionally certified to teach by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission and be teaching in their field(s) of certification.

1.  Hold a bachelor’s degree from a Georgia Professional Standards Commission accepted accredited institution of higher education.

2. Hold a valid Georgia teaching certificate.

3. Have evidence of specialized training in the subjects they teach, such as an academic major or the equivalent in the subjects and a passing score on the required content assessment for the area/subjects they teach.

4. Have a teaching assignment that is appropriate for the field(s) listed on the Georgia teaching certificate.

Teachers from out of state with a five (5) year non-renewable certificate will not be considered “highly qualified” until they have passed the appropriate content assessment.

 Non-renewable (Provisional) Certificates

 Non-renewable (provisional) certificates are non-renewable, “entry-level” certificates in a specific field that indicate mastery of minimum content knowledge for the field, verified by college coursework and content assessment.  Provisional certificates allow individuals who have completed “non-education” degrees to enter the teaching field before an approved teacher preparation program has been completed.

 Teachers issued a non-renewable or Intern (TAPP) certificate must be enrolled in a Georgia Professional Standards Commission approved preparation program leading to clear renewable certification in the field(s) in which the teach is teaching.  The teacher must be making satisfactory progress toward acquiring a clear renewable certificate within a 3-year period.

To be eligible for a nonrenewable (provisional) certificate the following is required:

1. A bachelor’s or higher degree

2. A GPA of 2.5

3. Passing score on the GACE Basic Skills tests

4. Passing score on the GACE subject area content assessment test for the area teaching in

5. Acceptance in a PSC-approved teacher certification program in the area teaching in