Education Specialist in Performance-Based School/District Leadership with Tier II Certification

The University of North Georgia (UNG) offers a 32-semester hour Educational Specialist in Performance-Based School/District Leadership with Tier II Certification (EDS) degree. The EDS is a four-semester program designed for educators who are preparing for leadership positions in public schools who evaluate other leaders. The program qualifies candidates for a Tier II credential in Educational Leadership at the Georgia PL-6 certification as a School Building Leader or School District Leader. Candidates entering this program must have Tier I certification at the Level 5 and in a current leadership role requiring the Tier I certification.

The purpose of this program is to develop school leaders who will have lasting, positive impact on teaching and student achievement. A review of research reports (Wallace Foundation & Southern Regional Educational Board) on leadership training emphasize that “when learning becomes the preoccupation of the school, when all the school’s educators examine the efforts and initiatives of the school through the lens of their impact on learning, the structure and culture of the school begin to change in substantive ways.” According to Richard DuFour, “principals foster this structural and cultural transformation when they shift their emphasis from helping individual teachers improve instruction to helping teams of teachers ensure that students achieve the intended outcomes of their schooling. More succinctly, teachers and students benefit when principals function as learning leaders rather than instructional leaders.”

The Tier II Program is an approved program by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. The program is reviewed and part of the UNG College of Education accreditation process through the Council for the Accreditation of Educators Preparation (CAEP). The program of study aligns with the national leadership standards, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSELS) formally the ISLC Standards, as well as the Georgia Educational Leaders Standards (GELS) and the Leadership Keys Educational Standards (LKES).

The goal of the program is to prepare creative, flexible, visionary, and reflective leaders with the skills necessary to facilitate and improve the quality of learning for all students. Towards this end, students complete a sequence of courses as a learning community and engage in class and field-based experiential learning projects designed to develop important leadership skills. In addition to course work, leadership candidates complete 16 semester hours of supervised internships tailored to individual career objectives.

University of North Georgia (UNG) accepts applications for the EDS program for Fall Semester only. As an initial step, applicants must meet requirements for admission to UNG as described below. The application packet is then forwarded to the College of Education Graduate Office for further review. For additional program information, review the Graduate Studies’ website at www.ung.edu/Graduate.

The Ed.S degree in Performance-Based School/District Leadership offers an innovative and research based educational leadership program designed to build the knowledge, skills and dispositions of candidates by expanding their capacities to lead continuous school improvement in both high and low-performing schools.

This is achieved through a process of:

• Acquired Knowledge (i.e. Rreadings and assignments from online modules, observations and interactions with principals/district office leaders at internship schools/districts, follow up sessions with course instructors and cohort members, and quarterly seminars with course instructors, site mentors, coaches and presenters)
• Application in the Field (i.e. Major key assignments and follow-up activities, module assignments, classroom walk-throughs and other practicum/internship requirements, and
• Systematic Coaching and Feedback (i.e. Module facilitators, cohort colleagues, site mentors/supervisors and university clinical coaches).

Graduate Studies’ Admission Procedures

Application materials may be obtained from Graduate Studies or from the Graduate Studies website, www.ung.edu/graduate/EDS. Applicants must pay a non-refundable application fee. When all application materials have been received by Graduate Studies, notification will be sent to the applicant and a copy of all materials will be forwarded to the program. Upon review, notification will be sent from the College of Education Graduate Office to the applicant verifying acceptance or denial.

Students who are admitted, but do not enroll within three semesters following acceptance must reapply through Graduate Studies. Students who were previously enrolled but have not been in attendance within the last three semesters must also reapply. All documents and materials submitted to fulfill the application requirements for entry to a program at UNG become the property of the university and will not be returned. Materials are kept for one year for incomplete application files and for three years for complete application files.

EDS Admission Requirements

The following documents must be received prior to admission:

1. Graduate Studies application.
2. Non-refundable application fee.
3. Official transcripts from a regionally accredited institution where a master’s degree in a teaching field was earned. Official international transcripts must have a foreign course-by-course credential evaluation by an independent evaluation service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc. (NACES). Evaluations must include certification that the applicant has received a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and state a cumulative grade point average.
4. Recommendation from principal which includes a brief description of leadership role/position.
5. Current Resume highlighting Leadership Experiences.
6. Three years of teaching experience. Not required of those with service certificates (Media Specialist, Counselor, etc).
7. Tier 1 Georgia Leadership Certification OR hold a valid GaPSC-issued Standard Professional L or PL certificate in Educational Leadership.
8. If applying for in-state tuition, proof of lawful presence in the United States.
9. Before registration, a student must submit a UNG Certificate of Immunization showing proof of immunizations as required by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. The immunization form should be submitted to Graduate Studies, grads@ung.edu.

Regular Admission

To qualify for regular admission, individuals must have:

1. Master’s degree in a teaching field from a regionally accredited institution with a grade point average of at least 3.25.
2. Tier 1 Georgia Leadership Certification OR hold a valid GaPSC-issued Standard Professional L or PL certificate in Educational Leadership.
3. Three years of teaching experience. Not required of those with service certificates (Media Specialist, Counselor, etc).
4. Employment in a leadership position that requires Tier 1 certification or that the system designates as a leadership position (subject to change based on PSC rules).
5. Recommendation from principal which includes a brief description of leadership role/position.
6. Current Resume highlighting Leadership Experiences.

A new cohort of approximately 20 students begins each fall. Cohort campus location alternates among Dahlonega, Gainesville, and Cumming.

Provisional Admission

Students who do not meet regular admission requirements for item number(s) 1 or 3 above may be granted provisional admission pending a successful admission appeal (see Appeal of Graduate Admission). Provisionally admitted students are not eligible for federal financial aid.

Non-Degree Admission

Students may not enroll in EDS courses as a non-degree seeking student.

Transient Student Admission

Students may not enroll in EDS courses as a transient student.

Appeal of Graduate Admission

A candidate whose application is denied has the right to appeal the decision. An appeal must be made in written form to the EDS Program, College of Education, 82 College Circle, University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, GA 30597-1001. The letter should clearly state the grounds for appeal. A student whose appeal is accepted will be admitted as a provisional student and must complete at least six semester hours with no grade of C or lower to be considered for regular admission. Provisional students are not eligible for financial aid. Applicants may not appeal for regular admission status.

EDS Transfer Residency Requirement

To be awarded an Education Specialist in School Leadership degree, students must earn a minimum of 26 semester hours of graduate degree requirements in residence. The College of Education Graduate Office must approve all transfer credit. A maximum of six hours of transfer credit may be approved. Transfer credit will not be given for any course in which a grade of C or lower was earned.

EDS Academic Policies

Incomplete Grades

The EDS program adheres to the uniform grading system in the Academic Information  section of the Graduate Catalog. Non-academic Incompletes must be finished by the beginning of the second semester after which the Incomplete was awarded.  No degree will be conferred on a student who has an unresolved incomplete grade remaining on his/her transcript.

Academic Standing Policy

An EDS student whose academic performance is unsatisfactory will be subject to the following:

1. Probation – Student will be placed on probation for any of the following reasons:
   a. Student’s cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0.
   b. Student any grade of C or lower.
   
   No student may be a candidate for the degree while on probation due to a grade point average below a 3.0. Probation will be removed when the student’s grade point average reaches 3.0 or higher. In cases where the student is placed on probation due to grade(s), probation will be removed when the course(s) is/are repeated and the grade is B or higher, and the overall grade point average is 3.0 or greater. Students who are on probation may not register until advised.
    
2. Suspension – Student will be placed on suspension for any of the following reasons:
   a. Student earns two grades of C or lower.
   b. Student has already served three consecutive semesters on academic probation.
   
   No student may enroll in graduate courses at UNG while on suspension. Courses taken at another institution during the period of suspension will not be recognized for transfer credit. After serving a suspension period of three semesters, a student seeking to reapply must submit a new application to Graduate Studies and a letter written to the Dean of the College of Education presenting a rationale for readmission. A student will be readmitted only upon approval of the Dean of the College of Education and the College of Education Graduate Office.

Academic and Professional Integrity Policy

At the end of each semester, the program faculty or the College of Education Graduate Office may intervene to establish a plan of action for any student in the program whose competency is in question, for reasons including unprofessional, disruptive, or unethical behavior in the classroom or applied setting. The student and the program advisor should sign the plan with copies forwarded to the College of Education Graduate Office.

Academic Integrity

The University of North Georgia recognizes honesty and integrity as being necessary to the academic functioning of the university. UNG graduate students are expected to uphold the university regulations addressed in the Student Code of Conduct, Article 3, Rule 2.

Professional Integrity

The Education Specialist program adheres to the university’s definition of professional integrity as described in the Academic Information  sections of the Graduate Catalog.

EDS Degree Requirements

Graduation requirements for the Education Specialist in School Leadership degree include:

1. Completion of 16 designated semester hours of study with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher with no grade below a B.
2. Completion of 16 designated performance based internship hours with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher with no grade below a B.
3. Completion of all degree-related course requirements, including any transfer credit, within a six-year period. The final demonstration of competence is the E-Portfolio which is comprised of the Performance Leader Development Growth Plans including site-based feedback on the Georgia Leadership Standards, internship field experiences, and Key Assessments across the coursework, modules, and seminars.
4. The final checklist to be eligible for the Tier2 Leadership Performance also includes demonstrated mastery of the leadership standards through course/module assignments, instructor and supervisor assessments, internship performances and a passing score on the Georgia Leadership Examination (PASL) and Ethics Assessment Tests.