Become a DCS Teacher - Position Requirements
Current Teacher Requirements: Must have a bachelor-level or higher degree, hold a valid professional teaching certificate issued by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) in the assigned teaching field, and must have met the content knowledge requirement (either through the appropriate content assessment or coursework).
Out-of-state professional certificates are transferrable to Georgia through reciprocity. However, if you did not pass a content assessment, or your state did not require a content assessment, you may be required to pass Georgia’s assessment for the specific teaching field(s). Georgia currently uses Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) testing. It’s possible to exempt the assessment by submitting proof of recent out-of-state teaching experience (successful in-field teaching for all of the last five-year period) as part of the Georgia teacher application, which may be found at the following website: http://www.gapsc.com/Certification/FormsandApplications.aspx.
In lieu of professional certification, applicants interested in seeking teaching positions may be interested in one of the following alternate routes to certification (in summary).
Georgia Teacher Academy for Preparation and Pedagogy (GaTAPP) Intern Program:
- Must hold a Bachelor’s Degree with a minimum 2.5 GPA (or higher Degree) from an accredited institution recognized by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC). GaPSC accepts institutions listed on the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) website: http://www.chea.org/search/default.asp. GPA requirement may be waived if the degree was awarded more than 10 years prior, or if the applicant holds a Masters or higher degree.
- Must have passed the GACE Program Admission Assessment (Test #’s 200, 201, & 202) OR hold exemption scores (i.e., SAT, GRE, or ACT, if scores meet the minimum requirement). Complete list of exemptions may be found at http://www.gapsc.com/EducatorPreparation/Assessment/BasicSkillsInfo.aspx.
- Must have passed the GACE Content Assessment in the subject area/field to be certified. If the degree major matches the subject area/field to be taught, the assessment could be waived as an entrance requirement, then taken during the first year of GaTAPP; however, it is preferred that the assessment be passed prior to employment. Early Childhood candidates MUST pass the assessment prior to entering the program.
- Must complete the GACE Educator Ethics Entry Exam.
- Must be offered a full-time teaching position from an employing GA School System.
The GaTAPP program is a two to three-year program that requires various coursework, seminars, and assessments (tuition and fees are the responsibility of the candidate). Not all certification areas are provided through the GaTAPP program. For further information, please contact our system’s provider, Middle GA RESA, at (478) 988-7170 or visit
www.mgresa.org. RESA has a Screening Application process candidates should complete which will provide valuable information regarding subject area eligibility.
State-Approved College Program:
- Degree requirements (same as above).
- GACE Program Admission Assessment (same as above).
- GACE Content Assessment in the subject area/field to be certified is required prior to employment, regardless of degree major (no exceptions).
- GACE Educator Ethics Entry Exam (same as above).
- Must be offered a full-time teaching position from an employing GA School System.
If the above requirements are met, the candidate may be hired and a three-year non-professional non-renewable certificate could be requested by the employing school system. Soon after employment (or before) the teacher candidate would need to seek enrollment into a state-approved educator preparation program through the college/university of their choice (tuition and fees are the responsibility of the candidate).
Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE): http://www.gace.ets.org/
Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC): www.gapsc.com