All Certified employees are required to meet Savannah-Chatham County Public School System’s (SCCPSS) certification requirements. The SCCPSS certification requirements are as follows:

Professional Qualifications

(ESSA Sections 1111(g)(2)(J), 1112(c)(6); O.C.G.A. §§ 20-2-82, 20-2-2065)

• Charter/ Strategic Waiver LEAs
  • Special Education Teachers- State certification requirements as established by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GAPSC).
  • Teachers (other than special education teachers)- The professional qualifications established by the LEA that align with approved charter/ strategic waiver application and CLIP.
  • Paraprofessionals- Georgia NCLB requirements.
  • All Staff-GaPSC issued Clearance certificate.

In-Field and Out-of-Field
(ESSA Sections 1111(h)(1)(C)(ix), GaPSC Rule 505-2-.40)

• In Georgia, ‘in-field’ is the assignment of educators to positions for which they have been prepared and certified (in-field). GaPSC in-field requirements serve as the foundation for determining Georgia ESSA in-field requirements. For example, in Georgia ESSA requirements for in-field are extended to qualifications that reflect equivalent content experience.

Subject Matter Equivalent for ESSA In-Field

(GaDOE Joint Guidance - Data Collections, Financial Review, Charter, GaPSC)

• In Georgia, ESSA in-field equivalents include:
  • Degree- The teacher must hold a bachelor’s degree or higher from a GaPSC accepted, accredited institution of higher education in the subject area assigned; OR
  • Coursework- The teacher must have a minimum of 21 semester/35 quarter hours in the subject area assigned. GaDOE follows GaPSC requirements for acceptable course grades; OR
  • State Approved Assessment- The teacher must have a passing score on a GaPSC accepted content area test in the grade level and subject area assigned. The state-approved content assessment for Georgia is the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE).​