Educational Leadership

As of January 15, 2016, the GaPSC issues two (2) tiers of Educational Leadership certification consisting of Standard Professional Tier I, Standard Professional Tier II, and Performance-Based Professional Tier II. This replaces Educational Leadership (field 704) , Educational Leadership - Building Level (field 706), and Educational Leadership - System Level (field 707) previously issued, while adding an additional Leadership field (Tier I) for those who wish to hold a leadership position that does not supervise other leaders.

Tier I in the field of Educational Leadership is for entry-level leadership positions below principal at the building level and district level positions that do not supervise principals.

Tier II in the field of Educational Leadership is for advanced-level leadership positions. Educators certified in this field may work in any leadership position, including school level principal, superintendent, or another type of position that supervises other leaders.

Adding Educational Leadership to a valid Georgia certificate

If you are a Georgia educator seeking initial leadership certification, you must obtain Tier I certification before you can qualify for Tier II certification, unless you enrolled in an obsolete GaPSC Building or System Level program prior to May 2017. To add Standard Professional Tier I certification, you must meet the following qualifications: If an educator is placed in a Tier I position prior to meeting professional certification requirements, then the employing local unit of administration (LUA) may request a 3-year Non-Renewable certificate if the following requirements are met: To add a Performance-Based Professional Tier II certification, you must meet the following qualifications:
  • Hold a valid Tier I certificate, unless you enrolled in an old GaPSC Building or System Level program prior to May 2017;
  • Complete a GaPSC-approved Performance-Based Tier II program at the specialist or doctorate degree level. If you hold certification at a level 6 or higher, you may complete a GaPSC-approved certification-only program;
  • Complete a course in identifying and educating exceptional children;
  • Pass the Ethics for Educational Leadership Assessment (Test Code 380) unless these assessments were already completed as a requirement for Tier I certification;
  • Pass the GACE Educational Leadership assessment (Test Code 301), unless this assessment was already completed as a requirement for Tier I;
  • Pass the Performance-Based Assessment for School Leaders (PASL).
    • This assessment is only required for educators completing GaPSC-approved Tier II programs. PASL is not required for those completing the obsolete Building and System Level programs, or those coming from out-of-state with leadership certification.
If an educator is placed in a Tier II position prior to meeting professional certification requirements, the employing local unit of administration (LUA) may request a 3-year Non-Renewable certificate if the following requirements are met: A Non-Renewable Tier I and Tier II Non-Renewable certificate will be issued if the educator does not hold Tier I certification and is placed in a position requiring Tier II. When the requirements of a Tier I program are met, the Non-Renewable Tier II certificate may be extended for an additional 3 years.

Reciprocity

Out-of-state educators may qualify for a Standard Professional Tier I certificate by meeting the following qualifications:
  • Hold a professional out-of-state certificate in a comparable Educational Leadership field;
  • Have fewer than 3 years of leadership experience;
  • Have completed an educational leadership program at the master’s degree level;
  • Completion or exemption of all applicable Special Georgia Requirements. Applicable Special Georgia Requirements include:
Out-of-state educators may qualify for a Standard Professional Tier II certificate by meeting the following qualifications:
  • Hold a professional out-of-state certificate in a comparable Educational Leadership field;
  • Have completed an educational leadership program at the specialist level or higher, or at the master’s level with 3 years of successful leadership experience;
  • Completion or exemption of all applicable Special Georgia Requirements. Applicable Special Georgia Requirements include:

Advanced Leadership Degrees

Georgia educators who complete an advanced degree leading to a new field upgrade in a leadership field will receive a leader level which will be applied to their certificate along with the general level that they held before upgrading. A leader level will only be used to determine salary if the educator is working in a leadership position. Otherwise, the educator will be paid according to his or her general level. Subsequent in-field upgrades earned by completing advanced degrees in a leadership field will upgrade the educator’s leader level, but will not affect the general level.

Georgia educators who already hold certification in a leadership field but have not been issued a leader level may upgrade their general level by completing an advanced leadership degree leading to an in-field upgrade. These educators will not receive a leader level.

Please be sure to check out the GaPSC Certificate Upgrade Advisor if you are considering options for upgrading your certificate level.

For more information about certificate upgrades, please consult the Certificate Upgrade Rule.

Further Guidance Documents