GACE Faculty Resources
Overview of the GACE
The Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) has contracted with Evaluation Systems to assist in the development and administration of the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators® (GACE®). The purpose of the GACE is to assess the knowledge and skills of prospective Georgia public school educators. The GACE program helps the GaPSC meet its goal of ensuring that candidates have the knowledge and skills needed to perform the job of an educator in Georgia public schools. The GACE are aligned with state and national standards for educator preparation and with state standards for the P–12 student curriculum (Georgia Performance Standards).
Each GACE assessment consists of one or more tests designed to assess a candidate's knowledge and skills as required by the guidelines for Georgia educator certification. The test design and framework for each assessment describes the:
- content areas covered on each test within the assessment;
- approximate number of questions for each content area; and
- types of questions (selected response and constructed response) contained on each test.
See "Preparing for the Test" for more information about how to read the test design and framework to understand test content.
The development process for the GACE program was designed to meet the specific needs of the state of Georgia. The GACE program is responsive to and consistent with Georgia regulations, Georgia public school curriculum frameworks and standards, and Georgia educator preparation programs. Georgia regulations, guidelines, textbooks, and other instructional materials served as the foundation for test content to ensure alignment between the regulations, standards, and programs and the GACE tests.
For each test field, education and policy materials used in Georgia were consulted to develop the test framework. This was done to ensure that the framework reflects the appropriate content. Test questions were developed that correspond to the content approved for each test, further ensuring that the GACE tests are aligned with Georgia educational standards.
Broadly inclusive groups of Georgia public school educators and educator preparation faculty were extensively involved in the development and validation of the GACE tests in the following ways:
- For each test field, a Content Advisory Committee—made up of public school educators and educator preparation personnel from throughout the state and with experience and expertise in the field—was convened and participated in the critical test development activities described in the next section.
- The GACE Bias Review Committee—composed of Georgia educators who provide representation of gender and ethnic groups and individuals with disabilities—played a critical role in the development process by reviewing test materials to help ensure fairness and sensitivity.
- Thousands of Georgia educators completed content validation surveys, which help determine test content, and served as members of Passing Score Review Panels.
Key steps in the test development process are summarized in the illustration below.
Content Advisory Committees were established to recommend to the GaPSC the content, wording, and specifications for the assessment program. A Bias Review Committee was formed to review testing materials for potential bias and advise the GaPSC on issues pertaining to their review. The members of these committees were Georgia educators selected through a nominating process that sought from colleagues, supervisors, and professional organizations the names of well-qualified public school educators and educator preparation faculty. Committees comprised individuals who reflected the racial, gender, ethnic, and regional diversity of Georgia.
Georgia standards documents and other Georgia-approved resources were used to develop draft test frameworks (sets of test objectives that define test content). The draft test framework for each test field was reviewed and revised by the Bias Review Committee and the appropriate field-specific Content Advisory Committee.
The approved test frameworks were prepared for validation through content validation surveys. Thousands of Georgia public school educators and educator preparation faculty participated in surveys to rate the importance of each objective in each test field for performing the job of an educator in Georgia. Results from the content validation survey were analyzed to ensure that all objectives measured by the assessments are important to the job of a Georgia educator.
Test questions matching the final test framework for each test field were drafted. Each draft test question was developed to correspond to an approved element of the test framework. This correspondence established the alignment of the test questions—through the test framework—with approved Georgia standards.
The Bias Review Committee focused its review on excluding from the test materials any language, content, or perspectives that might disadvantage an examinee because of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, disability, or cultural, economic, or geographic background. The Bias Review Committee also focused on including in the test materials content and perspectives that reflect the diversity of the Georgia population. The Content Advisory Committees met to review and revise the draft test questions primarily from a content perspective. Content Advisory Committees reviewed the questions for accuracy and freedom from bias, and they ensured that questions are matched to objectives, align with Georgia standards, and relate to the job of a Georgia public school educator. The committee-approved test questions were then finalized.
Test questions were field-tested at Georgia colleges and universities at field-test sessions and as part of class sessions. The field-test data showed how the questions performed with potential Georgia certification candidates. Questions that did not perform acceptably on the field tests were either identified for deletion or revised for re-examination by the Bias Review Committee and the Content Advisory Committees.
A preparation guide for each test field was prepared and published on the GACE Web site. See "Preparation Materials" to view the test designs and frameworks, sample questions, and other related test preparation materials for each GACE assessment.
Following the first administration of the tests, the Content Advisory Committees participated in a structured process to make judgments regarding a passing score for each test. Following the passing score meetings, passing score judgments were compiled and presented to the GaPSC, who set the passing score for each test field.
GACE tests are administered under standardized, consistent procedures at sites across Georgia. Test administrations are designed to provide a professional, equitable, and secure testing environment for examinees, including those who need alternative testing arrangements. Testing sites are screened and selected based on criteria relating to test security, accessibility, and the quality of testing conditions and facilities. Test administrators receive training in the test administration procedures and follow detailed procedural manuals before and during the test administration.
The GACE tests are scored accurately and promptly. The answers to selected-response questions are scored electronically, and the process is checked to verify accuracy. For constructed-response assignments, qualified scorers are selected, trained for the scoring process, and monitored for accuracy and consistency. Scoring of constructed-response assignments typically involves two or more scorers working independently.
Test results are reported to individual examinees, their institutions of higher education, and the GaPSC. See "Score Reporting" for a detailed description of GACE examinee score reports. See "Results Reporting for Institutions" for a detailed description of GACE institution reports.
For information about test administration and scoring policies and procedures for the GACE program, refer to the current registration bulletin available at www.gace.nesinc.com.
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