Certification Pathways
Georgia has different routes to becoming a public school (K-12) teacher. All teachers are required to have certification to be eligible to teach. The Georgia Professional Standards Commission is the state agency that provides certification and write the rules (approved by legislation) governing teacher preparation and teacher certification. Each state has a different set of policies and procedures for certification.
Traditional and alternative (non-traditional) routes
The two main pathways to becoming a teacher: Traditional and Alternative
Traditional pathways lead to a degree (undergraduate or graduate) plus inititial certification or certification only after finishing a degree. You are not required to have a teaching job to puruse traditional pathways. Click here for full details on traditional pathways.
Alternative (non-traditional) pathways require meeting basic requirements of certification and finding a full-time in the field and at the level (elementary, middle grades, or secondary) that you are seeking certification in. You complete the remaining requirements for certification while teaching. Alternative pathways do not lead to a bachelor’s or advanced degree. You must have a bachelor’s or higher to qualify for an alternative pathway. Click here for full details on alternative pathways.
Certificate Tiers, Ranges, & Salaries
Certificate Tiers
Certification types and all rules are governed by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GPSC).
Certification in Georgia is tiered. The main certificate tiers are:
1. pre-service (for those in traditional pathway teacher preparation programs)
2. provisional (for those in alternative pathwasy),
3. induction (for those who have completed a traditional pathway and have remaining requirements)
4. professional (for those who have completed all requirements for a Georgia teaching certificate)
5. advanced & lead professional (for those in the classroom already and who want to advance)
For more details about each certificate tiers, click here.
Certificate Ranges
Your certificate range determines what age, grades, and subject(s) you can teach.
Birth – kindergarten: work with infants, toddlers, pre-school children, and kindergarteners.
Elementary Education (Birth – Grade 5): Includes Pre-kindergarten (pre-K) through grade 5; teach multiple content areas; also known as Early Childhood Education in other states. Elementary Education is considered a content area.
Middle Grades Education: grades 4 -8 and overlaps elementary and midde school; certificate typically covers two content areas from language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Middle grades is considered a content area.
Montessori: Click here for the break down of ages and grades.
Pre-school – grade 12 (P-12): Some fields like Music and Foreign Languages overlap all certificate levels and give certificate holders the option to move across grade bands.
Secondary: grades 6-12 and overlaps Middle Grades/Level. Secondary education is not considered a content area in Georgia. You need a degree in the subject(s) area you want to teach or in a closely related area, e.g. History (degree) and Social Studies (subject area to teach) are closely related as are Mechanical Engineering (degree) and Math (subject area to teach).
Salaries & Certificate Levels
Your salary as a public school teacher in Georgia is based on your certificate level. All teachers in the state receive the same base salary from the Georgia Department of Education (not the GPSC), but each school system supplements the state salary according to that system’s own policies. Teachers in different systems therefore do not receive the same overall salaries. Salary schedules for public school employees are published on school system websites. Private schools are not required to publish their salary ranges because they are not funded by state taxes.
GACE
GACE ASSESSMENTS
In addition to an appropriate degree and coursework, individuals wishing to obtain certification in Georgia must take the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE).
Assessments can have multiple tests, and you must pass all tests to pass the assessment. You may retake an individual test if necessary.
GACE scores do not expire.
For information about preparation, registration, test dates and sites, rules of test participation, etc., of the GACE, access www.gace.ets.org. For information on Georgia-accepted assessments and passing scores, including the Speech and Language Pathology exception, click here.
NOTE: The testing supplier for the GACE is the Educational Testing Service (ETS) until June 30, 2025. As of July 1, 2025, the testing supplier will be Evaluation Systems of Pearson (ES). Scores from tests for the same GACE area must come from the same supplier.
Troops to Teachers
The Troops to Teachers (TTT) program helps service members and veterans become certified and employed as teachers in K-12 schools.