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
Implementation Guide Monthly Calendar
Timely Announcements
Opening the In-Field Portal Monthly in SY24
Charter Waiver Codes for primary teachers in Charter or Strategic Waiver Districts who are not certified in the grade level and subject area assigned will be added to Student Class beginning in SY24. The deadline for the first upload of Student Class in SY24 is September 1, 2023. This will be an unofficial upload and will not require your Superintendent to sign off. For additional information, please refer to the In-Field Portal: Charter Waiver Codes in Student Class webinar in the GaDOE Community PL Catalog.
Right to Know and 20 Day Notifications
The Right to Know and 20 Day Notifications are not the
same and can sometimes be confusing. The chart below outlines the differences. For
notification requirements, sample notifications and best practices, see the
Overview Documents section.
Overview Documents
In-Field Portal
The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) partners with the Georgia
Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) to operate and maintain the in-field
portal, which identifies teachers who are in-field or out of field
based on data submitted to GaDOE by LEAs and a teacher’s certification. The In-Field system and its reports are updated
throughout the year and are not considered finalized until the last LEA
reporting cycle is received in June of each year. All in-field data is dynamic
and is presented to assist GaDOE and local HR staff in their work. As part of
this work, GaDOE in collaboration with GaPSC is providing technical assistance,
developing new resources and reporting systems
for local HR staff and school leadership to
assign the most qualified educators to teach their children.
In-Field Navigation Guides
