Excellent Teacher Preparation Act; enact

Public performance reviews for Georgia educator programs

Georgia’s Professional Standards Commission must create common performance measures for educator preparation programs by January 1, 2027. It works with state education agencies, the Board of Regents, and the Office of Student Achievement. The measures cover programs preparing people for initial teaching, leadership, and school service certificates. Reports cover the three most recently completed academic years, including enrollment totals, admission rules, graduate totals, and certification exam results. Exam results show both first-attempt and best-attempt pass rates. Measures also track job placement, retention after 1, 3, and 5 years, and graduate and employer satisfaction. They include graduate evaluations and related student performance during graduates’ first three years after completion. Reports break down results by age, sex, race, and certificate details within 12 months of completion; placement also includes school-district breakdowns. Providers must promptly supply requested data and survey every graduate and employer at the end of the graduate’s first employment year. Survey score ranges must appear consistently on every page, and results receive annual checks for needed survey or scoring changes. The Commission must publish its methods by January 1, 2027, and report program results by January 1, 2028, then each January. Results and methods must be posted online, with only grouped data published and individual information kept private. Reports go to providers, school districts, state education bodies, and legislative education and higher education committee chairs. The Office of Student Achievement includes a summary in its annual education workforce report. The Board of Regents annually reviews University System of Georgia programs and decides whether they need intervention or support. The law provides no direct funding or household payments.