SB 484: Certificated Professional Personnel; pathway to certification by the Professional Standards Commission for experienced teachers; provide

Currently, teachers in Georgia typically earn certification through college teacher preparation programs. This bill adds a new option to Georgia law (O.C.G.A. Title 20) for people who already have years of teaching experience but lack a formal education credential. Under the bill, someone with a bachelor's degree and at least four years of verifiable teaching experience (in kindergarten through 5th grade for elementary candidates, or grades 6-12 or relevant college teaching for secondary candidates) could qualify for a professional certificate. They would need to complete a shorter 'experience based teacher preparation program' of either six semester hours of coursework or 80 hours of professional development covering pedagogy, reading instruction, child development, special education, and related topics. They would also need to pass the ethics and content portions of the Georgia Assessments for Certification of Educators (GACE). The Professional Standards Commission could not add extra requirements beyond these, and schools could not treat teachers certified this way differently, including barring them from job fairs or recruitment events.

• Creates a new certification pathway allowing teachers with at least four years of verifiable experience and a bachelor's degree to become certified without a traditional teacher preparation degree.
• Defines an 'experience based teacher preparation program' as either six semester hours of specific coursework or 80 hours of professional development on the same topics.
• Requires candidates to pass the ethics assessment and the content assessment portions of the GACE for their teaching field.
• Bars the Professional Standards Commission from adding requirements beyond those listed in the bill for this certification pathway.
• Prohibits local school systems and public schools from discriminating against or treating differently teachers certified through this new pathway, including denying them access to job fairs or recruitment events.

Experienced teachers who lack a traditional education degree, local school systems and public schools that hire and recruit teachers, the Professional Standards Commission which issues certificates, and postsecondary institutions that may offer the new preparation programs.

Teachers with years of classroom experience but no formal education degree could become certified faster, potentially easing staffing shortages. Schools would have to treat these certificate holders the same as traditionally certified teachers, which could change hiring and recruitment practices statewide.

• New Code section 20-2-206.1(a) defines an 'experience based teacher preparation program' as six semester hours of coursework or 80 hours of professional development covering pedagogy, reading science, evaluation, ethics, classroom management, child and adolescent development, and special education.
• Subsection (b) requires a bachelor's degree, at least four years of verifiable teaching experience (specific grade ranges for elementary versus secondary candidates), completion of the preparation program, and passing scores on the GACE ethics and content assessments.
• Subsection (c) prohibits the Professional Standards Commission from imposing additional or substitute requirements for this certification pathway.
• Subsection (d) prohibits local school systems and public schools from discriminating against or treating differently teachers certified under this pathway, including denying access to job fairs or recruitment activities.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-02-11Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-02-10Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Ed Setzler (R, SD-037)Primary sponsor
• Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)
• Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-052)
• Ben Watson (R, SD-001)
• Mike Hodges (R, SD-003)

• teacher certification
• education policy
• teacher shortages
• Professional Standards Commission
• school hiring