GACE and Special Education

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The purpose of this document is to provide GENERAL guidelines regarding Georgia licensure testing requirements with regard to Special Education Certification.

BEST SOURCE OF INFORMATION

It is very important to defer to the employing school system where applicable to determine appropriate individual certification requirements for a particular employment position.

The website of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) is an important source of information for questions regarding special education certification. For certification questions beyond what is provided on the GaPSC website, please Contact Certification.

For GACE test administration, test preparation, and related GACE issues, please go to the GACE website at www.gace.ets.org/. If needed, contact information is available on the GACE website.

DEFINITIONS

Special Education General Curriculum (Consultative): Educators certified in Special Education General Curriculum are in-field to provide educational services for students with disabilities whose Individualized Education Program (IEP) indicates instruction using the general education curriculum and participation in the general statewide assessment in grades P-12. Refer to GaPSC Certification Rule 505-2-.110.

Special Education Adapted Curriculum (Consultative): Educators certified in Special Education Adapted Curriculum (P-12) are in-field to provide educational services for all students in grades P-12 with disabilities who’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) indicates instruction in an adapted curriculum leading to participation in the Georgia alternate assessment. Refer to GaPSC Certification Rule 505-2-.107.

Consultative Special Education Teacher: An educator who holds either a Special Education General Curriculum (Consultative) or Special Education Adapted Curriculum (Consultative) is designated as a special education teacher in Georgia providing consultative special education services along with a designated classroom content teacher who is instructing students in core academic content. The term incorporates references such as inclusion, collaborative, or co-teacher.

Teacher of Record: A teacher of record in Special Education must hold certification in the Special Education General Curriculum and/or Special Education Adapted Curriculum, and one or more of the core academic subject areas listed below that he/she is responsible for instructing students.

Core Academic Subjects in Georgia:

Please note that a teacher's content level expertise in the core academic content area(s) must be at or above the level of instruction prescribed by the student's IEP.

All teachers teaching a core academic subject must meet established requirements to teach the subject.

GACE ASSESSMENTS RELATED TO SPECIAL EDUCATION:

The following descriptors are presented as general guidelines only and assume the educator has met any additional certification requirements. Please consult with the employing school district and/or GaPSC Certification Division for individual certification requirements. Both tests in the GACE assessments must be passed to meet the assessment requirement.

GACE 003 and 004 - Special Education General Curriculum/Elementary Education (P-5)

  • Only educators who complete a state-approved educator preparation program in Special Education General Curriculum/Elementary Education can and must pass the GACE 003 and 004 for initial teaching certification. This assessment does not count toward any certification requirements for any other individuals, except those who complete the state-approved program in this field.
  • For those individuals who hold certification in the Special Education General Curriculum/Elementary Education field and have passed GACE 003 and 004, the educator can teach every core academic subject, as the teacher of record, in the regular P-5 classroom and/or teach special education students who are in the general curriculum through fifth grade. Educators cannot pass GACE 003 and 004, and add that field to an existing Clear Renewable certificate. Refer to GaPSC Certification Rule 505-2-.34.
  • To teach the special education adapted curriculum, the above educator will have to pass GACE 083 and 084 (Special Education Adapted Curriculum).

GACE 081 and 082 - Special Education General Curriculum (P-12)

  • By passing GACE 081 and 082 (Special Education General Curriculum), the educator can serve as a consultative special education teacher for special education general curriculum in grades P-12, not as the teacher of record.
  • In addition to passing GACE 081 and 082, the educator may pass GACE 087 (Special Education: Reading, English Language Arts, and Social Studies) and/or 088 (Special Education: Mathematics and Science) to serve as the teacher of record in all five concentration areas (Language Arts, Reading, Mathematics, Social Science, and Science) for students in special education general curriculum in grades P-8. The educator will have to pass the appropriate 6-12 GACE content assessment(s) to teach, as the teacher of record in core academic subject areas, special education students in grades 9-12.
  • To teach the special education adapted curriculum, the above educator will have to pass GACE 083 and 084 (Special Education Adapted Curriculum).

GACE 083 and 084 - Special Education Adapted Curriculum (P-12)

  • By passing GACE 083 and 084 (Special Education Adapted Curriculum), the educator can serve as a consultative special education teacher for students in the adaptive curriculum in grades P-12, not as the teacher of record.
  • In addition to passing GACE 083 and 084, the educator may pass GACE 087 (Special Education: Reading, English Language Arts, and Social Studies) and/or 088 (Special Education: Mathematics and Science) to teach, as the teacher of record, students in special education adapted curriculum in grades P-8 in the five concentration areas (English/Language Arts, Reading, Mathematics, Social Science, and Science).

GACE 085 and 086 - Special Education Deaf Education (P-12)

  • By passing GACE 085 and 086 (Special Education Deaf Education), the educator can serve as a consultative special education deaf education teacher in grades P-12.
  • In addition to passing GACE 085 and 086, the educator may pass GACE 087 (Special Education: Reading, English Language Arts, and Social Studies) and/or 088 (Special Education: Mathematics and Science) to teach, as the teacher of record, students in special education deaf education in grades P-8 in the five respective concentration areas (English/Language Arts, Reading, Mathematics, Social Science, and Science).
  • GACE 087 and 088 (Special Academic Content Concentrations) to teach, as the teacher of record in core academic subject areas, special education deaf education students in grades P-8.
  • In addition to passing GACE 085 and 086, the educator will have to pass the appropriate 6-12 GACE content assessment(s) to teach, as the teacher of record in core academic subject areas, special education deaf students in grades 9-12.

GACE 087 - Special Education: Reading, English Language Arts, and Social Studies

  • GACE 087 (Special Education: Reading, English Language Arts, and Social Studies is designed to measure minimal content knowledge in the core academic content concentration areas of Reading, English Language Arts, and Social Studies for students in special education grades P-8. By passing the GACE 087, along with the appropriate special education GACE assessment for the special education general curriculum or adapted curriculum, the educator can serve as the teacher of record in the these three concentration areas appropriate to the area of certification for grades P-8.
  • Another option for educators to add academic content concentrations in order to serve as the teacher of record in a given content area is by passing the appropriate middle or secondary content area GACE assessments. Also, those individuals that hold a Clear Renewable special education certificate can pass the GACE 001 and 002 (Elementary Education) to add the academic concentrations. There may be other options for adding these core academic subjects to a special education teaching certificate.
  • As stated earlier, please note that a teacher's content level expertise in the core academic content area(s) must be at or above the level of instruction prescribed by the student's IEP.

GACE 088 - Special Education: Mathematics and Science

GACE 088 (Special Education: Mathematics and Science) is designed to measure minimal content knowledge in the core academic content concentration areas of Mathematics and Science for students in special education grades P-8. By passing the GACE 088, along with the appropriate special education GACE assessment for the special education general curriculum or adapted curriculum, the educator can serve as the teacher of record in the these two concentration areas appropriate to the area of certification for grades P-8.

  • Another option for educators to add academic content concentrations in order to serve as the teacher of record in a given content area is by passing the appropriate middle or secondary content area GACE assessments. Also, those individuals that hold a Clear Renewable special education certificate can pass the GACE 001 and 002 (Elementary Education) to add the academic concentrations. There may be other options for adding these core academic subjects to a special education teaching certificate.
  • As stated earlier, please note that a teacher's content level expertise in the core academic content area(s) must be at or above the level of instruction prescribed by the student's IEP.


*For Gifted Certification, refer to Certification Rule 505-2-.98.