Two dozen Georgia teachers earned “master teacher” certificates this year after demonstrating “excellence in student achievement and student growth,” and the majority of them are in metro Atlanta.
Gov. Nathan Deal’s office revealed the identities and school districts of the teachers Friday. Fulton County had the most with seven, followed by Gwinnett with five. Cobb County and Marietta each had two. The KIPP Metro Atlanta Collaborative, a charter school organization, had one.
Other core metro Atlanta districts — Clayton and DeKalb counties and the cities of Atlanta and Decatur — had none.
The master teacher certification program was established in 2005 and has been coordinated by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. It has been based on classroom performance on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test, documentation of student growth and professional practices. Teachers hold the title for seven years, but this year was the last application cycle because the program will be replaced by a new system of tiered certification starting with the 2016-17 school year.
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