Educational Leadership and Professional Studies

Why is leadership certification in Georgia undergoing change?

Leadership certification across the nation is undergoing changes as organizations rethink how they can best prepare school leaders to guide continuous improvement in schools.

As policymakers in Georgia participated in the national dialogue about improving PK-12 leadership preparation, the Professional Standards Commission initiated a change to the rule that governed leadership certification. That change required every Educational Leadership program in the state to engage in major curricular redesigns that address these evolving demands.

Have the new UWG educational leadership programs been approved by the Georgia PSC?

The faculty in the UWG Department of Educational Leadership and Professional Studies is very pleased that our newly designed leadership programs were among the first in the state to be approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.

Where can I learn more about the new programs offered by the UWG Department of Educational Leadership and Professional Studies?

We offer two degree programs and one non-degree program in Educational Leadership. The newly approved programs are substantively different from those previously offered. For details about our new programs, please visit the links below.

When do “old” programs phase out and “new” programs begin?

We will begin to offer courses in our new programs this summer (2009), at the same time that our “old” programs come to closure. Students who plan to earn Georgia L5, L6, or L7 certifications under the “old” PSC rules must complete their programs, pass the certification examination, and submit all required documents to the PSC before September 30, 2009. Students who cannot meet this deadline must earn leadership certification under the new programs.

How do I enroll in the M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program?

First make sure you meet the admission criteria for the M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program.

M.Ed. Admission Criteria

Clear renewable teaching or professional service certificate
GRE combined score of 800 (minimum 400 Verbal score)
Minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 calculated on all work attempted in which a letter grade was assigned

Provided you meet the admission criteria, the next step is to apply online to the UWG Graduate School. Find the online application at http://www.westga.edu/~gradsch/. Part of the application requires three letters of recommendation from employers, supervisors, or professional colleagues. Use the form developed by the department that can be obtained from the Graduate School.

An MED student can begin any semester and does not have to be part of a cohort. MED courses are offered every semester on a rotation basis to ensure a student can complete the program in two years.

How do I enroll in the EDS in Educational Leadership program?

The Professional Standards Commission approved our new Ed.S. in Educational Leadership program to operate as a cohort model. Thus, our new specialist degree program functions quite differently from our master’s program.

Students must be part of a cohort to complete the Ed.S. degree. A typical cohort may serve a single school system, a group of school systems, or a RESA. In addition, the University of West Georgia must enter into a formal partnership with the organization (i.e., school system, group of school systems, or RESA) that “sponsors” the Ed.S. cohort.

Our Ed.S. program is highly individualized to meet the needs of specific students and partnering school systems. Because it is so individualized, please note the following points that apply only to our Ed.S. program:

The University of West Georgia first enters into a partnership with a school system, group of systems, or RESA to offer an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership degree cohort.
Once the agreement to offer an Ed.S. cohort has been reached, the employing superintendent/s recommends the students who will enroll in the Ed.S. cohort.
Students must function in a leadership role in their school system to be eligible for the Ed.S. program. Further, each school system determines what constitutes a leadership role for its own employees. The “leadership role” criterion is critical, because two-thirds of our Ed.S. program consists of performance-based activities in the field. Although classroom teachers engage in a variety of leadership activities, a teacher’s work schedule does not align with the performance-based leadership activities required of Ed.S. degree students.
An individualized field-based plan is designed for each Ed.S. student to ensure that the student demonstrates proficiency in all of the performance-based leadership strands required by the program. The individualized plan is developed by the Beginning Leadership Team comprised of a coach, school sponsor (typically the principal), university professor, and the student.

Specialist degree students enter the cohort program in the Summer semester and progress through the program together, graduating the following Spring semester. This is very different from the M.Ed. in Educational Leadership degree program that permits a student to enroll and complete the program at the individual’s pace.

Ed.S. Admission Criteria

Master’s degree from a nationally or regionally accredited institution with a minimum 3.0 GPA in all graduate course work completed
Current Georgia certificate in Educational Leadership (L5 or NL-5)
GRE combined score of at least 900 (minimum 450 Verbal score)
Employment in a leadership position in a local education agency (LEA). Each school system defines for its own employees what constitutes a leadership position.
Recommendation by the employing Superintendent or Headmaster

Provided that (1) you meet the admission criteria, (2) your school system has partnered with the university, and (3) plans are in place to offer a cohort program, the next step is to apply online to the UWG Graduate School.

Find the online application at http://www.westga.edu/~gradsch/. Part of the application requires three letters of recommendation from employers, supervisors, or professional colleagues. Use the Letter of Recommendation Form developed by the Department of Educational Leadership and Professional Studies for these recommendations. The form can be obtained from the Graduate School.

What if I am a classroom teacher but want to be in the UWG Educational Leadership program?

The Specialist in Educational Leadership is not designed as a pre-service program for leadership positions. Rather, the program delivers advanced leadership preparation for educators who already work in leadership positions. Click here to see admissions criteria for the Ed.S. program.

A better course of action for educators who are NOT in job assignments where the majority of their responsibilities are in leadership and administrative duties would be to pursue a Specialist level degree in a field related to your classroom responsibilities.

Where electives are allowed, we suggest you take leadership courses offered by the Department of Educational Leadership and Professional Studies. This will give you some of the knowledge base which may help you decide in the future to move into a leadership position.
Once you are appointed as an administrator (or to any position where the majority of your job assignment relates to leadership functions), you will be eligible to apply for admission to our “non-degree add-on certification program” in Educational Leadership (PL-6). Click here to see the program of study for the Add-On Certificate program.

How do admissions criteria for the M.Ed. and Ed.S. degree programs compare?

M.Ed. in Educational Leadership	Ed.S. in Educational Leadership
Clear renewable teaching or professional service certificate (Georgia T4 or S4)	Current Georgia certificate in Educational Leadership (Georgia L5 or NL-5)
Minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 calculated on all work attempted in which a letter grade was assigned	Master’s degree from a nationally or regionally accredited institution with a minimum 3.0 GPA in all graduate course work completed
GRE combined score of at least 800 (minimum 400 Verbal score)	GRE combined score of at least 900 (minimum 450 Verbal score)
The student can enroll as an individual, as it is not necessary to be part of a cohort. No partnership between the University of West Georgia and the student’s employing school system is required.	The student must be part of a cohort that forms in partnership between the University of West Georgia and the student’s employing school system, multiple systems, or RESA.
	The student must be employed in a leadership position in a local education agency (LEA). Each school system defines for its own employees what constitutes a leadership position.
	The student must be recommended for the cohort by the employing Superintendent or Headmaster

Does my school system have a partnership with the University of West Georgia to offer an Ed.S. cohort?

Click here to see a listing of existing partnerships and partnerships that are in the process of being completed. A formalized partnership must be in place before the University of West Georgia and LEA (local education agency) can begin to plan an Ed.S. cohort.

Can I join a cohort offered in a neighboring school system if my system has not partnered with the University of West Georgia to offer an Ed.S. cohort?

It is highly unlikely that an individual educator could join an “outside” cohort, although on rare occasions it might work. Here are reasons why this arrangement is difficult.

Two-thirds of the Ed.S. program (18 semester hours) is field-based, so that students have daily opportunities to engage in performance-based activities that demonstrate the real work of school leadership. While in the field, each student works with a Beginning Leadership Team comprised of a coach, the school sponsor who is typically the principal, the university professor, and the student. Because the coach travels to each student’s location, students must be in close geographic proximity to maintain reasonable costs for delivering the Ed.S. program to the cohort.
The Ed.S. program is a partnership between the school district/RESA and the university, and is by definition, cohort in nature. Students should not “shop” for a cohort to join. Rather, their districts or RESAs should determine the need and work with the University of West Georgia to fulfill that need.
If a cohort is planned for the student’s RESA, then the student will be directed to that RESA.
RESA partnership agreements with the University of West Georgia cover only RESA-sponsored Ed.S. cohorts, not cohorts in individual districts within the RESA. A single-district cohort requires a separate partnership agreement with the university.
In the event that neighboring districts share or split a cohort, there must be agreement on days and locations of classes and seminars, particularly if release time is provided.

Are other options available if my system has not partnered with the University of West Georgia to offer an Ed.S. cohort program?

If your school system belongs to one of the RESAs that have partnered with the University of West Georgia, please contact the RESA to obtain information about the possibility of enrolling in a cohort sponsored by that RESA.

If you want to enroll in a “school system” cohort, but your system has not yet partnered with the University of West Georgia, please contact your system or the UWG Department of Educational Leadership and Professional Studies to request that a partnership and cohort form in the near future.

Department Administrative Assistant
Ms. Danielle Plummer
678-839-6557
dplummer@westga.edu

Interim Department Chair
Dr. Myrna W. Gantner
678-839-6126
mgantner@westga.edu