General Certification

Requirements for

Individuals Applying

for Initial Certification

Beginning July 1, 2002

CertifiedEDUCATOR

to know to become a

in Florida

What you need

Bureau of Educator CertificationDivision of Professional EducatorsFlorida Department of Education

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Types of Florida Educator's CertificatesThere are two types of Florida Educator'sCertificates. The standard or highest certificatein Florida is the Professional Certificate, whichis valid for five school years and may berenewed. Florida also issues a nonrenewableTemporary Certificate, which is valid for threeschool years, to an individual who does notqualify for the Professional Certificate, butmeets certain criteria to demonstrate masteryof subject content knowledge. Florida doesnot issue an "emergency" certificate of anykind.

Process for Obtaining a FloridaEducator's CertificateThe official process for determining eligibilityfor a Florida Educator's Certificate isconducted by the Bureau of EducatorCertification through the application process.When an individual applies for a Floridacertificate, his/her transcripts, out-of-stateteaching certificates, and teaching experienceare evaluated by our staff in accordance withFlorida School Laws and State Board ofEducation Rules.

1Apply for a Florida Certificate. Submitan Application Form CG-10, processingfee of $56.00 per subject requested,

certificates you hold from other states, andofficial transcripts that reflect conferral of atleast a bachelor's degree from an accreditedor approved institution. You must hold anaccredited or approved bachelor's degree toapply for a Florida certificate.

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2Receive an Official Statement of Statusof Eligibility. In response to thecompleted application, the applicant will

receive from the Bureau an Official Statementof Status of Eligibility, which reflects the resultof our evaluation and is the official notice ofwhether or not the individual qualifies for acertificate. The Official Statement eitherverifies that an individual qualifies for aFlorida certificate or lists requirementsnecessary for the individual to complete toqualify for a certificate. If deficiencies arelisted, those must be met before a certificatemay be issued.

3Obtain Instructional Employment in aFlorida public or nonpublic school thathas an approved Professional

Competence Demonstration System. If theOfficial Statement reflects that subjectrequirements are met for at least a TemporaryCertificate, then the applicant is eligible toseek employment as an educator in Florida.Local school board personnel offices provideinformation about that school district'semployment process.

4Submit fingerprints processed by theFlorida Department of Law Enforcementand the FBI. If employed with a Florida

public school district, the employer assists theindividual with completing the requiredfingerprint process and submits to our Bureauthe fingerprint report results required forissuance of a Florida Educator's Certificate. Ifthe application or fingerprint reports reflect acriminal offense record, that information isreferred to Professional Practices Services, andadditional information will be requested forreview. Only after the Commissioner of

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Education issues clearance for an individualwho has been referred to ProfessionalPractices Services is that individual's certificateissued.

Qualifying for a Professional CertificateAn individual who completes the application,employment, and fingerprint processes (see"Process for Obtaining a Florida Educator'sCertificate") will qualify for a FloridaProfessional Certificate when the individual:

• Demonstrates through an approvedmethod Mastery of General Knowledge

• Demonstrates through an approvedmethod Mastery of Subject Knowledge inthe subject to be shown on the certificate

• Demonstrates through an approvedmethod Mastery of ProfessionalPreparation and Education Competence

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Direct Routes to Qualify for a ProfessionalCertificateFlorida laws provide for the acceptance ofvalid standard certificates from other statesand the National Board for ProfessionalTeaching Standards for specific certificationpurposes. An individual who meets thequalifications in 1, 2 or 3 below will beconsidered to have demonstrated generalknowledge, subject knowledge, andprofessional preparation and educationcompetence for the Professional Certificate.

1The EXPERIENCED Certified Educator This individual must submit with his/herapplication a valid standard certificate

issued by another state in a coveragecomparable to one issued by Florida, anddocumentation of two continuous years ofacceptable full-time successful teaching oradministrative experience earned in anotherstate during the five-year period immediatelypreceding the date of application forcertification in Florida.

2The NATIONALLY Certified EducatorThis individual must submit with his/herapplication a valid standard certificate

issued by another state and a valid certificateissued by the National Board for ProfessionalTeaching Standards in the same subject.

3Educator Certified by aCOMPREHENSIVE TESTING State This individual must submit with his/her

application a valid standard certificate issuedby a state which currently requires certificationtests in general, subject area, and professionalknowledge.

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Qualifying for aTemporary CertificateAn individual who does not meet requirementsfor the Professional Certificate may qualify fora Temporary Certificate if s/he:

• Completes the application, employmentand fingerprint processes (see "Process forObtaining a Florida Educator'sCertificate")

• Demonstrates through an approvedmethod Mastery of Subject AreaKnowledge or meets the degree andcourse requirements outlined in FloridaState Board of Education Rules forspecialization in the subject to be shownon the certificate with a 2.5 GPA

Options for Meeting CertificationRequirements

ACCREDITED or APPROVED Institutions

A degree awarded by an institution locatedwithin the U.S. is acceptable if the institutionis authorized to award bachelor's degreesand meets one of the following criteria:

• Accreditation by one of the six regionalaccrediting associations;

• Accreditation by an accrediting agencyapproved by the US Department ofEducation; or,

• Acceptance of the degree for certificationpurposes by the state department ofeducation where the institution is located.

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Only official transcripts from the institution areacceptable as documentation of degreeconferral.

A degree awarded by an institution locatedoutside the U.S. must be reviewed by theBureau of Educator Certification fordetermination of acceptance. Officialdocumentation of educational training fromthese institutions is as follows:

• Official transcripts from the institutionmust be submitted, if the institutionprovides them and they include the title ofthe degree awarded and date ofconferral.

• For institutions that do not provide officialtranscripts, as described above, theapplicant must take the original diplomato either a notary public or a Floridaschool district's official certification contactfor verification. The notary or contactmust make a photocopy of the originaldocument, affix his/her seal and state onthe copy "This is a true and correct copyof the original document."

• A breakdown of credits into descriptivecourse titles and semester-hour creditsmust be provided from an accredited USinstitution or from a professional credentialevaluation service accepted by theDepartment of Education.

• All documents submitted must bear theapplicant's social security number or dateof birth if a social security number has notyet been assigned.

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• All documents submitted in a languageother than English must be accompaniedby a translation prepared by someoneother than the applicant.

Demonstrating MASTERY of GeneralKnowledgeThis requirement must be satisfied within oneyear from the date of initial employment in aFlorida public school to maintain employmentin any public school under the TemporaryCertificate. Mastery of general knowledgemust be demonstrated by one of the following:

• Achievement of a passing score on theFlorida General Knowledge Test;

• Achievement of a passing score on theFlorida College Level Academic Skills Test(CLAST) earned prior to July 1, 2002; or,

• A valid standard teaching certificateissued by another state that requires anexamination of mastery of generalknowledge.

Demonstrating Mastery of SUBJECT AREAKnowledgeMastery of subject area knowledge must bedemonstrated by one of the following:

• For Bachelor's degree level subject:Achievement of a passing score on theappropriate Florida subject areaexamination earned since July 1, 2002;

• For Master's degree level subjects:Completion of the required degree andcontent courses listed in State Board Rulefor the subject and achievement of apassing score on the appropriate Floridasubject area examination;

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• For all subject areas: A valid standardcertificate issued in the subject at the samedegree level required in Florida by a statethat requires an examination of mastery ofsubject area knowledge

Demonstrating Mastery of PROFESSIONALPREPARATION and Education CompetenceMastery of professional preparation andeducation competence must be demonstratedby one of the following:

• Completion of a state-approved teacherpreparation program from a Floridainstitution and achievement of a passingscore on the Florida ProfessionalEducation Test;

• Completion of state-approved teacherpreparation program from an out-of-stateinstitution and achievement of a passingscore on the Florida ProfessionalEducation Test;

• A valid standard certificate issued by astate which requires a test of professionalknowledge

• Completion of a Florida state-approvedalternative certification program

• Completion of 20 semester hours ofspecified education courses, completion ofan approved professional educationcompetence demonstration system andachievement of a passing score on theFlorida Professional Education Test.

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Contact the Bureau ofEducator Certificationby telephone at: 800/445-6739 (inside Florida) or 850/488-2317 (outside Florida).

E-mail us at edcert@fldoe.org

Send applications and official documents to:Bureau of Educator Certification325 West Gaines Street, Room 201Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400

Visit the Bureau of Educator Certification's website at www.myfloridaeducation.com/edcert formore information on:

• Information that can be accessed throughthe Bureau's automated telephone system

• Subject areas and endorsements availablefor certification

• Application information for individualswho completed educational trainingoutside of the United States

• Renewal of a Professional Educator'sCertificate

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Visit www.myfloridaeducation.com/sas/ftcehome.htm for information about the FloridaTeacher Certification Exams:

• Registration dates, fees and test sites

• Accommodations for persons withdisabilities

• Competencies and Skills included onexaminations offered after July 1, 2002

• Ordering examination Study Guides

Visit www.altcertflorida.org for informationabout Florida's alternative certificationprogram, or contact your local Florida schoolboard for information.

Visit www.teachinflorida.com for informationabout employment in all of Florida's 67 schooldistricts.

Visit www.flboe.org for links to Florida'scommunity colleges, state universities, andindependent colleges for information aboutteacher preparation programs and courses.

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Florida Department of Education

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