As of September 1, 2006, the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) is the educator
assessment in Georgia. GACE assessments include the Program Admission Assessment (PAA); the Georgia Educator
Ethics Assessment (for teachers) and the Georgia Ethics for Educational Leadership Assessment (for leaders);
Paraprofessional Assessment; Content Assessments, and the performance-based assessments (Georgia Teacher
Leadership Assessment (for teacher leaders) and the Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL) [for
educational leaders]. The GACE assessments are are aligned with state and national content standards and
the state standards for the P-12 curriculum, which are the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE). Diverse
and representative groups of P-12 educators and those that prepare P-12 educators assisted with test
development, bias review, and standard setting recommendations for each GACE. Complete Information about
the GACE program is available at www.gace.ets.org.
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1. What is the GACE?
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GACE is the acronym for Georgia Assessment for the Certification of Educators®.
It is the educator assessment program for Georgia and is administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS).
Complete information about the GACE program is available at
www.gace.ets.org.
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2. Where can I find information about testing requirements in Georgia?
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General testing questions are answered on the Educator Assessment Requirements
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3. When did the GACE replace the Praxis as the certification program
in Georgia?
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The GACE was required for Georgia educator certification beginning testing after
September 1, 2006. The transition period has now passed, and only the GACE is accepted
for those who are taking the test(s) now. The only exception field is Speech and
Language Pathology as described in the note preceding these questions.
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4. Must I take the new GACE assessments if I have already passed the
TCT or Praxis in my content field?
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Tests passed prior to March 6, 2007, in certification content fields in the TCT
or Praxis programs are still valid and will remain on educator records.
Note: The certification field of Educational Leadership is an exception to the above statement.
The GaPSC will not accept Praxis II scores for Educational Leadership assessments
that reflect a score report date of after March 15, 2008. If a person has a passing
score on his/her score report that is dated on or before March 15, 2008, that passing
score will be accepted for the appropriate content assessment if that person completes
any approved Georgia Educational Leadership program on or before September 30, 2009.
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5. If I took a Praxis test on or after March 6, 2007, will the GaPSC allow
these score to be used for certification?
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Unless the field that you took the test was Speech and Language Pathology, Latin,
or Leadership, the GaPSC will not accept the Praxis scores, and you must take GACE.
See Educational Leadership note above.
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6. In what instances could an educator take a Praxis test after March
5, 2007, and have it accepted for certification in Georgia?
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Educators who are seeking certification in Speech and Language Pathology will continue
to use the Praxis II tests. The Speech and Language Pathology Praxis (test # 20330)
will continue to be accepted in Georgia. It is also the ASHA test and the minimum
score for passing is 600.
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7. May a test taker combine a Praxis II test score with a GACE test score
to meet the assessment requirement in a field?
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No, a test taker may not combine a Praxis test score with a GACE test score to meet
the testing requirement in a content field. For example, an individual cannot combine
a passing score on one of the Praxis content assessments formerly required for Mathematics
(6-12) certification with one test from the GACE Mathematics assessment in order to meet
the content assessment requirement for the field. Either the appropriate Praxis tests taken
before March 5, 2007, or the GACE content assessment must be passed to meet the requirement
for a content field. This also applies to the Program Admission Assessment (PAA). The Praxis
and GACE are different testing programs and individual tests cannot be used to meet the
testing requirement. To meet the testing requirement all tests within a GACE assessment (or
Praxis, if taken before March 5, 2007), must be passed.
As of August 17, 2013, all GACE assessments are administered by ETS as the new supplier. In
order for a GACE test to count toward certification, all tests within an assessment must come
from the same supplier. Because scores from tests offered by different test suppliers are not
comparable, passing scores on tests within an assessment cannot be split between the two
suppliers (ES and ETS). Test takers must pass all parts of an assessment with the same
testing supplier for that assessment to count toward certification. For example, an examinee
cannot pass Early Childhood Education Test I with the former testing supplier, ES, and Early
Childhood Education Test II with the current testing supplier, ETS, to get credit for completing
the Early Childhood GACE assessment.
A test taker could meet the Program Admission Assessment (PAA) requirement using Praxis I (taken
by March 5, 2007), and the content testing requirement using the appropriate GACE content
assessment because these are two separate requirements for certification.
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8. Can I get copies of my TCT scores from the GaPSC?
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For information on TCT scores see the Score Request page.
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9. Where do I find information on how to register, get score reports,
or get specific information about the GACE program?
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The GACE Website (www.gace.ets.org) is the official site for GACE information.
The site includes test dates, registration information, the Registration Bulletin,
the test design and framework, and preparation materials for each assessment. General
information on the assessment requirement in Georgia is available on the GaPSC website,
not on the GACE website.
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10. Has there been a change in the different ways to meet the Program
Admission Assessment requirement?
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Effective July 1, 2021, an additional option to meeting the PAA requirement was added,
which is the PAA composite score option. Test takers can combine scores on all three
parts of the PAA (reading, writing, and mathematics) for a total score of 750 or higher
to meet the PAA requirement. There are specific criteria that must be met, which are
available at
Program Admission Testing Requirement.
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11. What are the dates for upcoming GACE test administrations and
when will scores be reported?
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Test dates can be found in the Test Centers and Dates. Score reporting dates are listed on the Getting Your Scores page of the GACE website.
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12. How do I register for the GACE and what forms of payment are accepted?
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The Registration Bulletin is available on the GACE Website under Bulletin and Reference Documents and includes information about fees and payment policies for the GACE assessments.
Registration for all GACE assessments, with the exception of the Paraprofessional assessment, must be done online via your ETS GACE testing account. Paraprofessional test takers do not need to register online and must call their administering school district or Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) to make an appointment to test.
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13. If I took the test and do not think I passed, should I register
for the next administration before I receive my score report?
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No. You should wait to see if you passed the test before registering for it again. The GACE online registration system will not permit you to register for a GACE assessment within 30 days of your last attempt to take the test.
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14. Where will the GACE be administered?
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Test centers can be found on the Test Centers and Dates page of the GACE website.
Test centers are located throughout the state of Georgia, in neighboring and other states in the United States, and internationally. Beginning in August, 2013, you will be able to use the Test Center Search tool on the GACE website to determine when and where the assessment you need to take is being administered. You will also have access to a test center map and driving directions to test centers located within Georgia.
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15. How much do the GACE assessments cost?
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Information about test fees can be found on the Fees, Payment, and Refund Policies page of the GACE website.
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16. Are alternative testing arrangements available for persons with
disabilities or examinees whose religious practices do not allow them to test on
Saturdays?
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Yes, the Bulletin Supplement for Test Takers with Disabilities or Health-related Needs provides details on documentation required for review of requests for such arrangements.
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17. Are there assessments that test takers can take at home or another secure location?
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Yes, the Program Admission Assessment (PAA) does have an at-home testing option. More information about PAA At-Home is available at
https://www.ets.org/s/cv/gace/at-home/.
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18. If there are two or more tests in an assessment, are passing scores on all tests
within the assessment required to pass the assessment, and may both be taken on the same day?
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Yes, passing an assessment requires a passing score on all tests within the assessment. All tests
within an assessment may be taken in one testing session or they may be taken on separate testing
days. Two middle grades content assessments may be taken in one testing session.
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19. I received a letter saying my scores were voided because I had
a calculator when it was not allowed, had a cell phone, etc. What can I do to get
my scores released?
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Any questions about voided scores should be directed to ETS Customer Service at
gace_inquiries@ets.org or
1-855-225-7178. Violations of the agreed upon rules of test participation are not
handled by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.
If you have comments about the test center where you tested or the conditions under
which you took a test, please submit them to ETS in writing by mail, email, or fax.
Please provide all pertinent details and include the name and address of the test
center, and the test date. Comments must be submitted or postmarked no later than
two days after the date of your test.
- Mail:
ETS – GACE Program
Computer-delivered Testing Comments
P.O. Box 6051
Princeton, NJ 08541-6051
- FAX: 1-609-530-0581
- Email: gacetesting@ets.org
If you want to contact ETS about a voided
score, the recommended procedure is to send a letter or FAX to the address above. Be sure to include your name, candidate ID, what
test you took and the location, and a detailed explanation of why you believe that there
were extenuating circumstances that warrant a review. Possession of cell phones
and unauthorized calculators in the testing area are major violations and generally
will not be reviewed. See the Procedures and Regulations section of the GACE website for more information.
Complete contact information for ETS is available at
https://www.gace.ets.org/contact.
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20. What are the tests for the field of social science?
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Information about the GACE program is available at www.gace.ets.org. Please
note that in the GACE testing program, there is no broad field social studies test
for high school (6-12). Instead separate tests are available for History, Economics,
Geography, and Political Science. An educator seeking authorization to teach multiple
social science subjects at the high school level (grades 6-12) will need to pass
the appropriate content GACE tests. However the GACE program will include a middle
grades social studies test to support Middle Grades Social Studies (4-8) certification.
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21. What are the tests for the field of Speech and Language Pathology?
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For certification candidates in the field of Speech and Language Pathology the Praxis Speech-Language Pathology test, code 5331, is the required content assessment as it is the test required for national licensing with ASHA. The passing score for this test is 162. Results from the Praxis test offered in this field prior to September 2014, code 5330 or 0330, will also be accepted with a passing score of 600.
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22. What is the difference between an "assessment" and a "test" in the GACE program?
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Each assessment is made up of one to three tests. GACE content assessments have two
tests within the assessment, except for middle grades fields, which have one test each.
The Program Admission Assessment (PAA) has three tests, and the Paraprofessional
assessment has one test.
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23. Where can I find information about the Ethics assessment requirement?
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Information about the Georgia Educator Ethics assessment (for teachers) and the Ethics
Assessment for Educational Leaders (for leaders) is available at
https://www.gace.ets.org/ethics/about.
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24. Additional information links
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