Senate Bill 484
By: Senators Setzler of the 37th, Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Hufstetler of the 52nd, Watson of
the 1st and Hodges of the 3rd
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Subpart 1 of Part 6 of Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20, relating to certificated
professional personnel, so as to provide a pathway to certification by the Professional
Standards Commission for experienced teachers; to provide requirements for such
certification; to prohibit discriminatory or disparate treatment of teachers and candidates for
such certification; to provide a definition; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting
laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Subpart 1 of Part 6 of Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20, relating to certificated professional
personnel, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
<ins>"20-2-206.1.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Experience based teacher preparation program' means a program of study approved
by the commission that consists of:
(A) Six semester hours of coursework, which shall include:
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<ins>(i) A course of three semester hours that includes information on pedagogy, the
science of reading, evaluation, ethics, classroom management, and professional
practice; and
(ii) A course of three semester hours that includes information on child, adolescent,
and young adult development and psychology, and special education; or
(B) Eighty hours of professional development that includes instruction on the
information included in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph.
(b) Upon an offer of employment by a local school system or public school, the
commission shall issue a professional certificate to a teacher candidate who meets the
following requirements:
(1) Holds a bachelor's degree or higher from a postsecondary educational institution
accredited by a regional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department
of Education or its successor;
(2) Has:
(A) Not less than four years of verifiable teaching experience in kindergarten through
grade five in a public or private school for an elementary school teacher candidate; or
(B) Not less than four years of verifiable teaching experience in grades six through 12
in a public or private school or not less than 72 semester hours, or the equivalent quarter
hours, of verifiable teaching experience at a postsecondary educational institution
accredited by a regional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department
of Education or its successor for a secondary school teacher candidate;
(3) Completes an experience based teacher preparation program;
(4) Attains a passing score on the Georgia educator ethics assessment portion of the
Georgia Assessments for Certification of Educators (GACE); and
(5) Attains a passing score on the content assessment portion of the GACE for the
teaching field for which such candidate seeks certification.
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<ins>(c) The commission shall not impose requirements in addition to or in lieu of the
requirements provided for in this Code section for a teacher candidate to receive a
professional certificate pursuant to this Code section.
(d) A local school system or public school shall not discriminate or treat differently in any
manner a teacher possessing a professional certificate pursuant to this Code section,
including, but not limited to, refusal to admit such teacher to a job fair or other teacher
recruitment activity."
</ins> SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.