1600 Educator Preparation

Initial and advanced educator preparation programs at the undergraduate and master’s levels are administered by the Professional Education Faculty, an organization of faculty members from the College of the Arts, College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Development, and Perimeter College and local public-school teachers and administrators. The Professional Education Faculty is a multidisciplinary team committed to teaching, research, and service in partnership with school and community agencies. Its mission is to prepare educators as leaders, thinkers, and change agents who are grounded in theory, content, and practice. Advanced educator preparation programs beyond the master’s level are administered by the College of Education and Human Development.

Professional Education Faculty governs all educator preparation programs leading to licensure by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. The GaPSC approval process covers all initial teacher preparation programs, programs leading to service and educational leadership certificates, and endorsements in teaching or service fields offered at Georgia State University.

Teacher preparation programs in Music Education are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, and teacher preparation programs in Art Education are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The Master of Education program in School Counseling is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Programs; and the Master of Science program in Communication Sciences and Disorders is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The Master of Education and Specialist in Education in School Psychology, a concurrent program, is accredited by the National Association of School Psychologists.

1610 Professional Education Faculty

The Professional Education Faculty’s primary duty is to promote and facilitate constructive interaction of the members of the Professional Education Faculty, especially along interdisciplinary lines, in the interest of maintaining excellence in professional education programs at Georgia State University.

The Dean of the College of Education and Human Development is the presiding officer of the Professional Education Faculty. The faculty meets at least twice each year, once during Fall Term and once during Spring Term. Quotidian governance of the Professional Education Faculty is conducted by the Professional Education Council, which consists of faculty members elected from the various teacher education areas, faculty members appointed by the Dean of the College of Education and Human Development, students appointed by their departments, and is advised by representatives from various Metro-Atlanta area school districts, which are a part of the Metro-Atlatna P-16 Community Council. The chair of the Professional Education Council is elected annually, and the position alternates between members of the College of Education and Human Development and members of the College of Arts and Sciences, College of the Arts, or Perimeter College.

1620 Conceptual Framework

The Professional Education Faculty’s conceptual framework illustrates its philosophies and purposes in regard to effective educator preparation. The framework builds on the College of Education and Human Development mission statement and includes the Professional Education Faculty’s purpose, assumptions underlying educator preparation, and candidate outcomes. The conceptual framework is described fully at mycehd.gsu.edu/faculty/resources-policies-forms/.

1630 Teacher Education Warranty

Georgia State University teacher education programs provide a limited warranty and guarantee the following:

The Professional Education Faculty of Georgia State University guarantees the quality of any educator that they recommend for initial certification in Georgia.
Georgia State University guarantees educators during the first two years immediately following graduation from Georgia State or following recommendation by Georgia State for an initial certificate, whichever occurs first.
Any Georgia State University educator in a Georgia school who fails to demonstrate essential skills can receive additional training at no expense to the educator or the employer.

1640 Graduate Professional Education Core

All students enrolled in professional education programs at the master’s level must complete the graduate professional education core as it is described in the program requirements for their major. The professional core consists of three areas of study: research, social foundations, and psychology of learning. The Professional Education Faculty has designated the following courses as fulfilling the professional education core requirements:

Research (minimum of 3 semester hours)

Social Foundations (minimum of 3 semester hours)

Psychology of Learning (minimum of 3 semester hours)

1650 Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE)

Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment (Test 351) OR Georgia Ethics for Educational Leadership (Test 352)

The two ethics assessments (Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment [Test 351] and the Georgia Ethics for Educational Leadership) became effective July 1, 2025. These assessments focus on professionalism in education, in relationships with students, schools, colleagues, and communities.

Find your assessments at: https://www.gace.es.pearson.com/

Click on Find Your Assessment (bottom right corner)
Search for the Georgia Educator Ethics, Content, and/or Literacy assessments
Click on Register

The Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment (Test 351) is for candidates seeking admission to or enrolled in a teacher preparation program. It is required for certification by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC). Completion of this assessment is required for admission, though there is no “Pass/Fail” grade assigned. Program entry candidates must add your program provider (Georgia State University, school code 5090) as a score recipient when you register, or we will not receive notification that you have completed the assessment. Select Reason for Testing #2.
The Georgia Ethics for Educational Leadership (Test 352) is for candidates seeking admission to or enrolled in educational leadership programs (M.Ed. & Tier 1 Add-On certification). It is required for certification by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC). Completion of this assessment is required for admission, though there is no “Pass/Fail” grade assigned. Program entry candidates must add your program provider (Georgia State University, school code 5090) as a score recipient when you register, or we will not receive notification that you have completed the assessment. Select Reason for Testing #7.

Georgia Assessments for Certification of Educators (GACE): GACE Content Assessments and GACE Literacy Assessments

The GACE Content and Literacy assessment(s) will be taken after enrollment and prior to program completion.

Program Content Assessments:

The content assessment tests your content knowledge and is taken after enrollment and prior to program completion. There are different content assessments for each program. You will receive specific information regarding this test as you near completion of your program (required for certification).

Program Literacy Assessments:

The literacy assessment tests your knowledge/application of literacy and is taken after enrollment and prior to program completion. There are different literacy assessments for each program. You will receive specific information regarding this test as you near completion of your program (required for certification).

Both assessments help the GaPSC ensure that candidates have the knowledge and skills needed to perform the job of an educator in Georgia’s public schools.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The testing supplier for the GACE program has changed from Educational Testing Service (ETS) to Evaluation Systems of Pearson (ES) and is effective July 1, 2025.

Because scores from tests offered by different test suppliers are not comparable, examinees must pass all parts of an assessment with the same testing supplier for that assessment to count toward certification. Passing scores on tests within an assessment cannot be split between the two suppliers.

Find your assessments at: https://www.gace.es.pearson.com/

Click on Find Your Assessment (bottom right corner)
Search for the Georgia Educator Ethics, Content, and/or Literacy assessments
Click on Register
Content and Literacy Assessments: Graduate students - select Reason for Testing #3
Content Assessments for Educational Leadership: Graduate students - select Reason for Testing #2.

1660 Educational Field Experiences

education.gsu.edu/office-of-field-placements-and-certification/

All Georgia State University students who are accepted into a teacher education program and will be completing a field placement must complete the requirements to obtain a Pre-Service Certificate through the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) which includes a criminal background check and the ethics module.

All teacher preparation programs require an Opening School experience in addition to practicum and student teaching placements. Opening school experiences vary by program and can include the Georgia State student spending 1-2 weeks with a mentor teacher during pre-planning and the first week of school. Due to the schedules of the county schools where Georgia State places students, the opening school experience may occur prior to the start of the Georgia State fall term. Students should check with their program faculty regarding the specific number of days/hours required for their opening school experience for their program.

Students accepted into teacher education programs will not be able to begin their field placement(s) until they receive their Pre-Service certificate number from the GaPSC and provide proof to the Office of Field Placements and Certification.

Upon admission to a teacher education program, you will receive an email from the Office of Field Placements and Certification with instructions for how to apply for your Pre-Service certificate. Do not submit your Pre-Service Certificate application before you are admitted. If you have been hired by a school district and have a Provisional Certificate, then you will need to provide this evidence instead of the Pre-Service Certificate.

Extended field experiences, opening school, practicum and/or student teaching (i.e. experiences involving interactions with students, tutoring or classroom teaching in school settings) will be arranged by the Office of Field Placements and Certification and program coordinators in the educator preparation departments of the students’ major fields of study.

Students must successfully complete the prerequisite courses in their program of study with respect to securing a placement.

It is the responsibility of the student to check with their faculty advisor regarding specific departmental procedures required to request a practicum or student teaching placement.

Students may not contact a school or school system office or report to a school site until they are notified by their department or the Office of Field Placements and Certification of their placement confirmation.

An additional lab fee of $125.00 will be charged at the time students register for selected field experiences. Educator preparation students must be aware that extra costs such as tort liability, criminal background check, and transportation will be incurred at various times during the completion of educational field experiences.

Teacher education and school counseling students are required to purchase tort liability prior to placements in field experience courses, practicum, or student teaching. Students will be expected to show proof of coverage to program coordinators/supervisors prior to field placements.

1665 Continuing Duty to Report Criminal Events

In addition, Georgia State University students have the continuing duty to report criminal events that occur after application to the University per the Georgia State Student Code of Conduct. Students enrolled in educator preparation programs or in education coursework requiring field-based experiences must (1) report to the Office of Field Placements and Certification any criminal events described below that occur after the criminal background check required for field placements was conducted (i.e., notice to Office of Field Placements and Certification must be made within 72 hours of the student’s notice of the event); (2) consent to a new criminal background check; and (3) provide written consent for the release of the criminal background report and all information about the criminal event to any field placement site at which the student is currently student teaching or at which Georgia State attempts to place the student in the future. Failure to comply with the notice requirement described herein may result in sanctions up to and including immediate withdrawal from the University. Failure to comply with the criminal background check and release of information requirement described herein will result in immediate removal from all current field placements and courses and denial of future requests for field placement.

Conviction of a crime other than a minor traffic violation.
Criminal charges filed against the student.
Entering a plea of guilty, a plea of no contest, a plea of nolo contendere, an Alford plea, or a plea under any first offender act in response to charges filed against the student.

1670 Criteria on Academic and Professional Integrity

The College of Education and Human Development is committed to upholding standards of academic and professional integrity. These standards require that students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs within the College of Education and Human Development adhere to both the University’s Student Code of Conduct as described online at codeofconduct.gsu.edu/ as well as their individual degree program’s Policy on Student Professionalism, Integrity and Retention. Students should contact their department for a copy of their degree program’s policy.