Teacher Certification Procedures

for

To Become Provisionally Certified in Georgia:

Hold a Bachelor’s Degree suitable for curriculum in Georgia high schools or middle schools; BA in English, History, Political Science, or a foreign language or BS in sciences, or math. Content courses from other degree programs will be evaluated individually (see #3 “To Earn a Clear Renewable Certificate”)

Having completed SPEC 2000 (Serving Students with Diverse Needs) will help your provisional certification process; it’s not necessary but will help

Have a minimum 2.5 GPA
Have taken and passed Praxis I and Praxis II (before September 1, 2006) or GACE I and GACE II (after September 1, 2006)

Level I test is basic skills, reading, writing, and math and can also be exempted with minimum SAT scores of 1000 in verbal and math, ACT scores of 43 in English and math, or GRE scores of 1030 verbal and quantitative.
Level II tests are taken in your content area, the area you are seeking certification

Apply for and be hired as a teacher in a Georgia Public School
The school system will apply for your provisional certificate which is non-renewable and in effect for 5 years.

To Earn a Clear Renewable Certificate in the State of Georgia:

Complete 1-5 above
Affiliate with a university to enter their alternative certification program
At Valdosta State University – submit an application for review of transcript for certification to the Director of Field Experiences- Dr. McGahee, located in the Dean’s Office, College of Education. ($35 fee for evaluation).
You will receive a transcript evaluation from the content area faculty member which will indicate:

Necessary courses to take in teaching content areas (Although a candidate for certification may have passed Praxis II or GACE II, a transcript evaluation will assess if a candidate has completed content courses equivalent to those found in our undergraduate degree programs).
Necessary education courses
Other requirements that might be missing

Timeline for entering ACT Program (Alternative Certification for Teachers). Cohorts only begin in June of each year.
Selection of necessary courses AND/OR
Begin admission to Graduate School procedures

Complete Application
Take either the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) or MAT (Miller’s Analogy Test)
Submit supporting documents, including Praxis I and Praxis II or GACE I and GACE II scores.

Upon preliminary acceptance to graduate school having met necessary minimum requirements of all test scores, GPA, and other documentation, you will receive an invitation to a group interview and writing assessment from the Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education. Both of these tasks must be completed satisfactorily.
A group of no more than 20 will be selected for each June cohort.
Your satisfactory completion of the first year of the graduate program, and all certification requirements, will enable us to recommend you for a T-4 renewable certificate.

Your satisfactory completion of the next 18 hours (which can be completed in 12 months or more) will result in awarding you a M.Ed. degree in education and will enable us to recommend you for a T-5 renewable certificate.