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

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:

"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:

(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.

(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."

SECTION 2.

All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.