Educational Leadership

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:

Tier I is for entry-level leadership positions. Educators certified in this field may work in a leadership position below principal at the building level, and district level positions that do not supervise principals or other leaders.

Tier II 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.
  • Those who completed a Georgia program prior to performance-based leadership, or those coming to Georgia initially through reciprocity by meeting requirements for Tier II outlined below, receive Standard Professional Tier II.
  • Those who complete Georgia performance-based leadership programs receive Performance-Based Professional Tier II.
Tiered Leadership replaced 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.

Additional obsolete leadership fields include:
  • Educational Leadership Pre-Service (field 705), which only indicated an educator was eligible for non-renewable leadership certification at the request of a Georgia employer, and was not professional certification.
  • Instructional Supervision (field 901), which allowed an educator to provide direction in the specific teaching field(s) held on their certificate, but was not acceptable for leadership positions such as principal, assistant principal, or superintendent.
  • Director-level leadership, which only allowed an educator to hold a supervisory position over the department indicated.

Adding Educational Leadership to a valid Georgia certificate

If you are an existing Georgia educator seeking initial leadership certification, you must obtain Tier I certification before you can qualify for Tier II certification.

To add Standard Professional Tier I certification, you must meet the following:
  • Complete a GaPSC-approved Tier I program at the master’s level. If you hold certification at a level 5 or higher, you may complete a GaPSC-approved certification-only program (out-of-state programs are not acceptable);
  • Pass the GACE Educational Leadership - Tier I assessment (Test Code 334);
  • Complete a course in identifying and educating exceptional children, unless previously completed;
  • Pass the Ethics for Leaders Assessment (Test Code 352). Note the Ethics for Educational Leadership assessment is also needed for admission into an approved GaPSC Tier I program.
If an educator is placed in a Tier I position prior to meeting professional certification requirements, the employing local unit of administration (LUA) may request a 3-year Non-Renewable certificate if the educator meets the following: To add a Performance-Based Professional Tier II certification, you must meet the following qualifications:
  • Hold a valid Tier I certificate;
  • 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 (out-of-state programs are not acceptable);
  • Complete a course in identifying and educating exceptional children, unless previously completed;
  • Pass the Ethics for Leaders Assessment (Test Code 352) unless this assessment was already completed as a requirement for Tier I;
  • Pass the GACE Educational Leadership - Tier I assessment (Test Code 334), unless this assessment was already completed as a requirement for Tier I;
  • Pass the GACE Educational Leadership – Tier II Assessment (Test Code 347). This assessment is only required for educators completing GaPSC-approved Tier II programs. The GACE Educational Leadership – Tier II assessment is not required for those completing the obsolete Building and System Level programs, or those coming from out-of-state initially 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: Non-Renewable Tier I and Tier II certificates 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 new to Georgia may qualify for a 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:
Note that for either Tier I or Tier II, should an out-of-state educator lack content testing, a Georgia employer may request a 1-Year Non-Renewable certifcate prior to the passing of the GACE Educational Leadership - Tier I assessment. An initial certificate based on reciprocity may also be issued prior to the completion of an exceptional child course, which would need to be satisfied before renewal of the certificate.

For information on how to apply for Georgia certification based on reciprocity, please see Out-of-State Educators.

Advanced Leadership Degrees and Leader Levels

Georgia educators and out-of-state educators certified through reciprocity who complete an advanced degree leading to a leadership field will receive a leader level:
  • A leader level is applied separately from a general level and is only used to determine salary if the educator is working in a leadership position. Otherwise, the educator will be paid according to their 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.
However, educational leadership programs meeting the following exemption criteria do not result in a leader level if:
  • The leadership degree was awarded prior to July 1, 2010
Or:
  • The educator enrolled in the leadership preparation program on or before April 1, 2009, and was awarded one of the following leadership degrees by the dates indicated:
    • A master’s level leadership degree prior to July 1, 2012
    • An education specialist level leadership degree prior to July 1, 2013
    • A doctoral level leadership degree prior to July 1, 2014
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.

Should an educator with a leader level complete a higher degree that is applied to their certificate as a general level, the higher general level supersedes the lower leader level:
  • Example: a Georgia educator who adds Tier I through an approved master’s program and testing would receive a leader level 5. Should they then complete a specialist program that is approved for an in-field upgrade to their teaching certificate, they would receive a general level 6. The general level 6 would then apply to all positions requiring certification including leadership positions.
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