About the Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL)

The Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) recently adopted a two-tiered Educational Leadership Preparation rule:

  • Tier I, or entry level preparation, is designed to prepare Educational Leadership candidates for entry leadership positions that include P–12 school level positions below the principal and district level positions that do not supervise principals.
  • Tier II, or advanced level preparation, is designed to prepare Educational Leadership candidates for advanced leadership positions that include P–12 school level principals or the equivalent, superintendents, or other Local Unit of Administration (LUA) staff who supervise principals.

The ETS® Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL) will be used as a certification requirement for Educational Leadership Tier II. This assessment will be closely aligned to standards described in GaPSC Educator Preparation Rules 505-3-.76 and 503-3-.77.

At the request of Georgia educators, an alignment between the PASL tasks and the Georgia Educational Leadership Standards has been developed. See the standards alignment.

What is the PASL?

The PASL assesses a candidate’s capability as a school leader. The assessment consists of three tasks, each of which takes place during clinical experience and focuses on:

  • addressing a problem/challenge
  • developing continuous professional development
  • building a collaborative culture

During clinical experience, a candidate’s internship provides a variety of artifacts, including student work, observation feedback, and video segments, that will be submitted as part of the tasks.

The assessment will be administered twice per year during pre-established submission windows. Candidates will have approximately two months to upload their task responses into the online submission system. See fees and payment information.

When is the PASL Offered?

The PASL assessment is administered twice per year. See the registration, reschedule and cancellation deadlines.

Who is Eligible to Take the PASL?

Candidates seeking certification must be approved in the GaPSC state certification system to take the assessment. Before registering, make sure that your GaPSC MyPSC account reflects that:

  • Your educator preparation program has approved you for the assessment
  • You have verified your enrollment in your preparation program

Consult with your educator preparation program if you are not approved for this assessment.

Note: ETS will verify your eligibility after you create your registration. If you are not approved for the assessment in the GaPSC system, your registration will be canceled.

What Qualifies as a Passing Score in Georgia?

Your score report will indicate a total score instead of a passed/not passed status. The total number of points possible for all three tasks combined is 64. You need to score 42 points or higher to pass the assessment in the state of Georgia.

PASL Webinar

This webinar helps test takers better understand the focus of the tasks, the main components of the tasks, and evidence needed to successfully create responses.

More Information

Learn more about the PASL on the ETS website.