The Teacher Leadership Ed.S. Degree is an advanced degree that prepares educators to meet the GaPSC Teacher Leadership standards providing a foundation for effective collaboration with students, parents, and colleagues. These standards are related to curriculum and instruction, assessment, a school culture that fosters excellence in teaching and learning, modeling best practices in instruction, working with others to design assessments, and using data to work with colleagues in collaborative efforts to improve instruction for all students. By completing this online degree and passing the appropriate Georgia content assessment, candidates will be eligible for the new Teacher Leadership (level 6) certification. One of several paths of electives in this program allows completion of the Educational Leadership pre-service requirements or acquisition of an endorsement in Reading, Gifted Education, ESOL, or Online Teaching. Other electives are available, including Educational Leadership Tier I certification.

This 30-hour program can be completed in four consecutive semesters or 16 months. Courses are offered on a continuous basis, allowing for part-time enrollment. No campus visits are required to complete the program.

Special Requirements: Students must be employed teachers or employees of an educational agency -- (access to teachers and students are required to complete the program)

  • Delivery: The program is fully online.
  • Transfer credit: For candidates seeking Tier I certification, no post master's work will be accepted. Only transfer credit can be awarded for candidates working toward the Ed.S Teacher Leadership degree only. For teacher leadership, no more than 9 semester hours of post-master’s academic work may be transferred from another institution into the program. Transfer credit will be evaluated after admission by the department upon entry. The maximum time allowed for completion of the education specialist degree is seven calendar years. No work completed more than seven years prior to degree completion will be accepted toward the degree.
  • Cost: Please see the Fees / Aid link for details.
  • Financial Aid: Student loans are available through the VSU Office of Financial Aid - 229-333-5935.
  • GaPSC Certification: By completing this online degree and passing the Georgia content assessment in Teacher Leadership, candidates will be eligible for the Teacher Leadership (level 6) certification.

    Adding Teacher Leadership certification through this program provides a level 6 certificate upgrade for a Georgia educator currently certified even if the educator is not assigned to a leadership position.

For information about Admissions and Graduation requirments, please visit this program's page on the Graduate School website.

Visit the Teacher Leadership page in Majors & Degrees for general info about the field and degree.

Students can enter the program at the start of any semester. Below is an example of a schedule for a student who entered the program in the Fall. 

For Course Descriptions, please refer to this program's page in the VSU Catalog 

Fall 1

EDUC 5999 - Professional Orientation (0 credit hours)

EDET 8005 - Foundations of Teacher Leadership (3 credit hours)

LEAD 7310 - Leadership for Community and Public Relations (3 credit hours)

ACED 7150 - Adult Learning and Development (3 credit hours)
Spring

EDET 8020 - Teacher Leadership Residency I (3 credit hours)

EDET 8040 - Teacher Leadership Residency II (3 credit hours)

Elective Course (3 credit hours)
Summer 

EDET 8050 - Teacher Leadership Residency III (3 credit hours)

Elective Course (3 credit hours)
Fall 2

EDET 8880 - Capstone Seminar (3 credit hours) (EDET 8020/40/50 must be completed)

Elective Course (3 credit hours)

  • Fall Semester – July 1st
  • Spring Semester – November 1st
  • Summer Semester- April 1st

The Teacher Leadership program is a Georgia On My Line program (GOML). Please visit the VSU GOML Calendar for semester deadlines. Submitting an application prior to the deadline does not guarantee processing for your desired semester. Your application cannot be processed until all required documents are received by the Valdosta State University Graduate School. Admission into the Teacher Leadership program is for a specific semester.

 Admission Requirements:

  • Hold a master’s degree or higher from a regionally-accredited institution
  • Have a cumulative graduate GPA of 2.75 or higher
  • Hold a clear renewable (Induction, Professional, Advanced Professional, or Lead Professional Teaching certificate, leadership certificate, service) certificate at the bachelor's level 4 or higher. Individuals with certification from states other than Georgia must provide documentation of the appropriate certificate. Eligibility will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
  • Have at least one year of successful classroom teaching experience as a certified educator
  • Submit the Superintendent Recommendation for Enrollment and Unified Partnership Support document. The document will provide verification that your school superintendent or superintendent's designee:
    • Supports candidate’s decision to pursue the degree
    • Recommends candidate for participation in this program
    • Agrees to provide the necessary resources for successful completion of the degree requirements, including
      • time and access to teachers and stakeholder groups so that candidate can observe, mentor, conduct research, and provide professional learning, among other things.
      • mentoring by a leader who is actively employed in a leadership position in the P-12 school or LUA and who has been trained to be a leader mentor.
      • access to work alongside and/or observe one or more leader mentors at the elementary, middle, high school, and central office levels.
  • Submit a passing score on the Georgia Leadership Ethics for Educators Assessment (Test 380)
  • Submit the Distance Learning Exemption of the VSU Medical Form.

All required documents must be submitted prior to close of business on the application deadline.  Please review the link below on how to submit your admission documents. 

https://www.valdosta.edu/academics/graduate-school/documents/submitgraddocs.pdf

Apply Now! 

Click here to see course offerings of elective courses, any elective pre-requisites, and elective course descriptions.

 

If a student is seeking Tier I Educational Leadership certification, there are no free elective opportunities in the Teacher Leadership program, and no courses can be transferred in for course credit.

The Department of Leadership, Technology, and Workforce Development & the Department of Teacher Education have provided a pathway to receiving a L-5 Tier I Educational Leadership certificate and the T-6 Teacher Leadership certificate. Please view this webpage for more information about this opportunity.

Question:  Is this program fully online?

Answer:  Yes.

Question:  How many credits should I complete in a semester?

Answer:  Students complete either 6 or 9 credits per semester, considering their personal, professional, or financial obligations.

Question:  How much is tuition per semester?  

Answer: Please see the Fees / Aid link for details.

Question:  Is there an exam required for certification?

Answer:    Yes, students have a year from graduation to complete the GACE Content for Teacher Leadership.  After program completion, students receive a provisional certificate and must pass the GACE for Teacher Leadership to receive renewable certification in the field.

  • Students must attempt the GACE Content Assessment (Test 311) to graduate with a Tier I concentration and must pass the test to become certified in Educational Leadership Tier I. Students must pass the Teacher Leadership GACE Content Assessment (Test 313) within one year of program completion for their Teacher Leadership field to convert from temporary to renewable.
  • Students must have intensive support by a mentor experienced in instructional leadership
  • Students must have an Individualized Growth Plan (IGP) developed and utilized collaboratively by the student and school mentor to achieve the student's IGP goals
  • Students must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required for entry level educational leaders by demonstrating performance proficiency in the Georgia Educational Leadership Standards if seeking the Educational Leadership Tier I certification field
  • Students will be dismissed from the Graduate School if they accumulate three or more academic deficiency points unless otherwise indicated by individual program policy. A grade of “C” (although it may be credited toward a degree) equals one deficiency point. A grade of “D,” “WF” or “F,” or “U” (none of which will be credited toward a degree) equals two deficiency points unless otherwise indicated by individual program policy.
  • For candidates seeking Tier I certification, no post master's work will be accepted. Only transfer credit can be awarded for candidates working toward the Ed.S Teacher Leadership degree only. For teacher leadership, no more than 9 semester hours of post-master’s academic work may be transferred from another institution into the program. Transfer credit will be evaluated after admission by the department upon entry.
  • The maximum time allowed for completion of the education specialist degree is seven calendar years.  No work completed more than seven years prior to degree completion will be accepted toward the degree.
  • To graduate from this program, a student must have a minimum cumulative institutional graduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

If you have any questions, you can contact us at brwhitmer@valdosta.edu.