Georgia Teacher Certification flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

GACE passing score

The minimum passing score on any GACE assessment is 220 on a 100–300 scale. Scores below 220 require a retake, and results are reported about a month after testing.

Program Admission assessment

A basic-skills test in reading, writing, and mathematics required for Georgia educator preparation entry, satisfiable by approved SAT, ACT, or GRE scores or by holding a Georgia college degree.

Test blueprint weights

The published percentage of items devoted to each subarea of a content assessment. Study time should follow these weights because the passing standard is applied to the whole test.

Retake waiting period

A candidate must wait 30 days before retaking the same GACE assessment. There is no lifetime attempt limit, and the highest score earned is the one retained.

Alternative route registration

Candidates who enter teaching through a non-traditional pathway register for content assessments under a different pathway code and must still meet the same passing standard of 220.

Subtest structure

Most GACE content assessments are divided into separately timed parts. The reported total score combines performance across parts rather than requiring a pass on each part.

Structured literacy

Explicit, systematic, cumulative, and diagnostic instruction in the code of written language, including phonology, sound-symbol association, syllables, morphology, syntax, and semantics.

Five reading components

Phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, as identified by the National Reading Panel. A named skill outside this list is a distractor on literacy items.

Simple View of Reading

Reading comprehension equals decoding multiplied by language comprehension. Weak comprehension with strong decoding indicates a language comprehension deficit rather than a decoding problem.

Progress monitoring purpose

Frequent, brief measurement, often weekly or biweekly, used to determine whether a student is responding to an intervention and to adjust instruction before the year ends.

Diagnostic assessment

An assessment administered after screening identifies risk, used to pinpoint the specific skill deficits a student has so that targeted intervention can be designed.

Georgia Milestones levels

The four achievement levels are Beginning Learner, Developing Learner, Proficient Learner, and Distinguished Learner. Proficient Learner represents grade-level expectation on the assessment.

WIDA ACCESS

An English language proficiency assessment measuring listening, speaking, reading, and writing for English learners, used for identification, monitoring, and exit decisions.

Disciplinary literacy

Reading and writing practices specific to a content area, such as evaluating evidence in history or interpreting data displays in science, taught within that discipline.

Georgia certificate levels

Induction, Professional, Advanced, and Lead Professional. Each level carries different degree, experience, and program-completion requirements set by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.

Advanced certificate requirement

Requires a master's degree or higher in the certification field or a related field, plus at least three years of satisfactory teaching experience in Georgia.

Lead Professional certificate

The highest Georgia certificate level, earned through completion of the Georgia Teacher Leadership Program or an approved equivalent, and requiring advanced certification and leadership preparation.

Adding a certification field

Requires passing the GACE content assessment for the new field and completing an approved program in that field, unless a related-field exemption applies.

NBPTS upgrade pathway

Georgia grants a certificate upgrade for National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification. The resulting certificate is valid for ten years.

Five-year renewal cycle

A Georgia Professional certificate is renewed every five years upon completion of required professional learning, including the state-approved ethics course.

MyPSC portal

The online system used to apply for certification, request upgrades, submit transcripts, and register for GACE assessments. All official applications are filed through it.

GACE Educational Leadership

The content assessment required for the Leadership Certificate, covering vision and mission, instructional leadership, school operations, and ethics.

Tier I Leadership Certificate

The initial Georgia leadership certificate for entry-level positions. It precedes the Tier II certificate and requires completion of an approved Tier I leadership program.

Tier II Leadership Certificate

The advanced Georgia leadership certificate, requiring completion of an approved Tier II leadership program and typically held by serving assistant principals and principals.

Leader Keys standards

Georgia's leadership performance standards used in administrator evaluation and reflected in the leadership assessment blueprint, covering vision, instructional leadership, operations, and ethics.

Formative versus summative data

Formative data such as walkthroughs and common assessments guide ongoing instruction. Summative data such as state assessment results and graduation rates evaluate outcomes after the fact.

Distributed leadership

A model in which the principal builds teacher leadership capacity and shared decision-making while retaining accountability, rather than centralizing all authority in the principal's office.

School improvement plan elements

Must include measurable goals, a needs assessment, evidence-based strategies, and a monitoring plan. Goals without measurable indicators are incorrect answer choices.

Code of Ethics standards

The Georgia Code of Ethics for Educators contains ten standards, beginning with legal compliance and ending with professional conduct, which includes the duty to report violations.

Standard 2 student conduct

Prohibits any sexual or romantic relationship with a student regardless of age or consent, and prohibits inappropriate communication including social media contact outside professional bounds.

Mandatory child abuse reporting

An educator who suspects child abuse must report to the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services and to the appropriate administrator. The DFCS report cannot be delegated.

Standard 7 confidentiality

Prohibits disclosing student records without legitimate educational interest. FERPA permits disclosure to school officials with legitimate interest and to parents of students under 18.

Standard 5 public property

Prohibits using school property, funds, or resources for personal gain, including using school email, equipment, or supplies to operate a private business or tutoring service.