HB1107: HB1107 Excellent Teacher Preparation Act; enact

Georgia does not currently require a standardized, public evaluation of how well its teacher training programs, called educator preparation providers or EPPs, actually prepare graduates for the classroom. This bill, titled the Excellent Teacher Preparation Act, changes that by creating a new law requiring the Professional Standards Commission to build detailed performance measures for every EPP program in the state. By January 1, 2027, the commission must work with the State Board of Education, the Department of Education, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, and the Office of Student Achievement to design these measures, which must track enrollment, graduation numbers, certification exam pass rates, job placement, retention over one, three, and five years, and satisfaction surveys from graduates and their employers. Starting January 1, 2028, and every year after, the commission must report the results to schools, lawmakers, and the public, and the Office of Student Achievement must summarize the findings in its annual workforce report.

• Requires the Professional Standards Commission to develop annual performance measures evaluating every teacher preparation program (EPP) in Georgia by January 1, 2027.
• Requires those measures to include enrollment, graduation, exam pass rates, job placement, and one-, three-, and five-year retention rates for program graduates.
• Requires the commission to create a standard satisfaction survey given to graduates and their employers after the graduate's first year of teaching.
• Requires each teacher preparation program to promptly give the commission any information needed to build these performance reports.
• Requires the commission to publish the performance measures publicly and report them yearly starting January 1, 2028 to schools, state education agencies, and legislative committees.
• Requires the Office of Student Achievement to summarize the EPP performance data in its existing annual report on Georgia's educator workforce.

Colleges and universities that train teachers, the Professional Standards Commission, the Department of Education, the State Board of Education, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, the Office of Student Achievement, local school districts, and new teachers and their employers who will be surveyed and tracked.

Georgians would get a public, standardized way to see which teacher training programs produce graduates who pass certification exams, get hired, stay in the classroom, and perform well, information that is not currently collected or published in one place statewide.

• Section 1 names the law the 'Excellent Teacher Preparation Act.'
• Section 2 adds new Code Section 20-2-988.1, defining terms like 'educator preparation provider' and 'EPP program graduate.'
• Subsection (b) requires the commission to develop EPP performance measures by January 1, 2027, covering enrollment, exam pass rates, job placement, and retention, broken down by age, sex, race, and certification type.
• Subsection (c) requires the commission to report EPP performance measures by January 1, 2028 and annually thereafter to EPPs, state education bodies, local districts, and four legislative committees.
• Subsection (d) requires each EPP to promptly provide requested data to the commission.
• Subsection (e) requires a standardized satisfaction survey for graduates and their employers after one year of teaching, reviewed annually for accuracy.
• Subsection (f) requires the Office of Student Achievement to include a summary of the EPP data in its annual educator workforce report under O.C.G.A. § 20-14-27.
• Subsection (g) requires the Board of Regents to annually review EPP performance measures for University System programs and decide if interventions are needed.

1. 2026-05-05Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-05Act 396
3. 2026-05-05House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-27Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-27Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2026-03-27Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
8. 2026-03-27Senate Tabled (Senate)

• Carmen Rice (R, HD-139)Primary sponsor
• Jan Jones (R, HD-047)
• Chris Erwin (R, HD-032)
• Rick Townsend (R, HD-179)
• Scott Hilton (R, HD-048)
• Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 26, 2026

   166 yea, 0 nay (4 not voting, 7 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #578

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2026

   26 yea, 22 nay (3 not voting, 3 absent)

   Motion To Table Remaining Legislation On The Rules Calendar: Senate Vote #835

3. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2026

   49 yea, 0 nay (0 not voting, 5 absent)

   Passage: Senate Vote #866

• teacher preparation
• teacher training programs
• education accountability
• Professional Standards Commission
• school workforce data