Georgia Teacher Certification

It is Georgia's state-approved educator certification assessment program. Its stated purpose is to help the Georgia Professional Standards Commission ensure candidates have the knowledge and skills needed to perform the job of an educator in Georgia's public schools. The GaPSC notes a Speech and Language Pathology exception to the program's general scope.

The assessments are computer-delivered. They are criterion-referenced, objective-based assessments that measure your knowledge and skills in relation to an established standard rather than in relation to the performance of other candidates, so your result does not depend on how well anyone else tested that day.

The passing score for each test is established by the agency Commissioners and is based on the professional judgments and recommendations of Georgia educators. The GaPSC page does not publish a single universal passing score, so check the official GACE site for the specific assessment you are taking.

The GaPSC directs candidates to www.gace.es.pearson.com/ for information about preparation, registration, test dates and sites, and rules of test participation. Registration, scheduling, and score reporting are handled through that official GACE program site rather than through this study page.

The testing supplier changed from Educational Testing Service (ETS) to Evaluation Systems, Pearson (ES). Because scores from different suppliers are not comparable, you must pass all parts of an assessment with the same supplier for that assessment to count toward certification. Passing scores cannot be split between the two suppliers.

No. The GaPSC states that an examinee cannot pass a test with ETS and expect to take the same test with ES to get credit for completing a GACE assessment. All parts of an assessment must be passed with the same testing supplier for the assessment to count toward certification.

All GACE assessments are aligned with state standards for the P-12 curriculum and with state and national content standards. Each test was developed by Georgia educators to measure competency on what is taught in Georgia's P-12 classrooms, so preparation should follow the standards for your specific certification field.

Each test was developed by Georgia educators from across the state, including committees of educators, educator preparation faculty, and other content and assessment specialists from school systems, local schools, and public and private higher education. Questions were reviewed and approved by three committees, including a fairness review.

Start with the official preparation information for your specific assessment on the GACE program site, then map the state standards for your field against your own strengths and gaps. Study the weakest high-weight areas first, and use practice questions to check recall rather than to predict your score.

Two stand out. First, assuming an older ETS passing score will carry over to the Pearson-administered tests, which the GaPSC explicitly rules out. Second, preparing from generic test-prep material instead of the state standards for the P-12 curriculum and the specific assessment's published framework.