​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Under ESSA, Title I, Part A, the state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) must ensure teachers meet applicable state certification requirements. In Georgia, under the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.), state certification requirements are established by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC). However, Georgia law also allows LEAs to waive certification requirements in Title 20 if the LEA has an approved Charter or Strategic Waiver Application. LEAs that waive state certification must establish professional qualifications (PQ) for their teachers and report the requirements in their annual ESSA application - the Consolidated LEA Improvement Plan (CLIP). Professional qualification requirements apply to all teachers in all local education agencies. If certification is waived, teachers may meet in-field requirements using equivalent qualifications (degree, coursework, or content area assessment). ESSA also requires SEAs and LEAs to report annually the qualifications of teachers including those teachers who are out-of-field. ​

​PQ and In-Field Documents

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                       Implementation Guide           Monthly Calendar ​

​Overview Documents 

​​In-Field Portal

The Georgia Department of Education partners with the Georgia Professional Standards Commission to operate and maintain the in-field portal which identifies teachers who are in-field or out of field.​