Navigating Florida Educator Certification: A Comprehensive Guide

Florida's education system strives for excellence, demanding highly qualified educators. This article provides a detailed overview of the Florida educator certification process, outlining the requirements, pathways, and key considerations for aspiring and current educators. The purpose of Florida educator certification is to support the academic achievement of our students by assuring that our educators are professionally qualified for highly effective instruction. Florida educators must be certified to teach in public schools and in many private schools. Educators include classroom teachers, school administrators, and other support professionals, such as guidance counselors and media specialists.

Understanding the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) and the Bureau of Educator Certification (BEC)

Florida policymakers aim to create a world-class education system that fosters the highest student achievement for students, seamless articulation and maximum access, a skilled workforce supporting economic development, and quality efficient services. The Bureau of Educator Certification (BEC) is responsible for implementing the certification provisions in Florida Statutes and State Board of Education administrative rules. The Educator Certification laws and rules are for each person seeking to obtain or maintain certification in the state of Florida. With input from a broad range of stakeholders, Florida’s governor, legislature, and State Board of Education have helped create a high-quality education system that is recognized among the best in the nation.

Initial Steps and Onboarding

After earning your teaching degree, the first step is to earn certification if you want to teach in Florida. Once successfully signed in, educators will be prompted to complete an Initial Onboarding process to match your account to existing Florida certification records.

Core Requirements for Certification

All licensure candidates must have a bachelor’s degree or higher. In addition, to earn your professional certification, you must complete a professional preparation and education program to complete the Mastery of Professional Preparation and Education Competence requirement.

Types of Certificates: Temporary vs. Professional

There are two teacher certification options for educators in Florida offered by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE): the temporary certificate and the professional certificate. Although there are two options, you should aim to earn your professional certificate if you intend to be a career teacher. Florida offers two levels of licensure, Temporary and Professional. If you have a valid advanced teacher certification that is comparable to the Florida professional licensure, you can earn this advanced level of licensure.

Application Process and Documentation

To start the application process, you should complete the application packet, which should include a completed CG-10 application form, paying a $75 processing fee, and your official college transcripts. Your completed application should then be sent to the Bureau of Educator Certification for review. Unlike most states, Florida requires that you apply for certification prior to taking any certification exams. Once they receive your application, they will notify you as to which certification exams you should take. From there you will receive an Official Statement of Eligibility (OSE). The Statement will either read that “you are eligible” or that “you are not eligible” for a temporary or professional license. If needed, it will also provide you with a list of requirements you must meet before earning your certification.

Required Documentation

Submit additional documentation as directed. Ensure that your social security number or Florida DOE License Number is clearly printed on all accompanying documents.

Official Transcripts: An official transcript bearing the registrar's seal and signature from each college or university within the United States from which you have earned college-level credit. Please request your institution to submit an official transcript electronically to the Bureau of Educator Certification, if possible. Official transcripts may only be submitted electronically by the academic institution via the FASTER or SPEEDE systems as the only secure methods of electronic receipt by the Florida Department of Education.
Out-of-State Certificates: A complete photocopy of your valid certificate(s) from other state(s), the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE), and/or the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

Social Security Number (SSN) Requirement

Collection of your social security number (SSN) is required pursuant to §1012.56, Florida Statutes, for the purpose of promoting the public policy of Florida relating to child support. Your SSN is used by the Department as a unique identifier for maintaining your certification and related personnel records as required under the same statute. Your SSN may be disclosed to the Department of Revenue, as authorized under §1012.21, Florida Statutes, as Florida’s agency for administration of the Title IV-D program of the federal Social Security Act for child support enforcement.

Testing Requirements

There are three tests that all Florida educators are expected to pass before earning their teacher certification exam:

General Knowledge Test (GK): This FTCE serves as Florida’s basic skills exam.
Professional Education Test (PEd): The PEd essentially tests your preparedness as a teacher in pedagogy and professional practices.
Subject Area Examinations (SAE): The SAE exam you should take to earn your certification will be more specific to the degree you earned and/or the teacher preparation program you completed. It will test your skill and knowledge level for teaching a specific grade and/or subject level.

Fingerprinting and Certificate Issuance

Once your fingerprints have been cleared and the Bureau of Educator Certification has received your district’s request and notification of the clearance, your certificate will be issued within 30 days.

Read also: Guide to Illinois Educator Pay

Subject-Specific Certification Requirements

All teacher certifications in Florida qualify teachers to teach a specific subject and grade level. You can work towards earning a specific certification in a few different ways: earn your degree in the field of teaching that relates to who and what you want to teach; earn your degree in the subject matter that you want to teach; and/or complete your teacher preparation program for the subject and grade level you seek to teach.

Early Childhood Education

To earn your early childhood education certification in Florida, you should complete all of the steps mentioned at the beginning of this article, including the testing requirements. While all teacher candidates must take the GK, PEd, and SAE tests, the SAE test will vary depending on the certification you earn. For early childhood education, you will need to take and pass the Preschool Education (Birth-Age 4) SAE with a score of 200 or higher.

Elementary Education

Elementary school teachers in Florida must pass the SAE in Elementary Education K-6 in addition to meeting the education requirements and clearing a background test. To pass the exam, you should earn a score of 200 or higher by being proficient in language arts and reading, social science, science, and mathematics. If you are interested in teaching the lower elementary grade levels, you may want to take the Prekindergarten/Primary PK-3 SAE. You have the option to take all the sub-tests in one sitting, or you can break down your testing session into as few as one sub-test per sitting. To pass a sub-test, you must earn a score of 200 or higher.

Middle School Education

As a middle school teacher in Florida, four subject area testing options are available for earning your certification, all qualify you to teach grades 5-9.

English: There are two testing sections for the Middle Grades English SAE, a multiple-choice section and a writing section. The essay portion requires you to earn a score of eight or higher by demonstrating your ability to respond critically when analyzing a literary selection.
General Science: To pass the Middle Grades General Science SAE exam, you will take a 120-question multiple-choice exam and earn a score of 200 or higher.
Mathematics: The Middle Grades Mathematics SAE will include 75 multiple-choice questions. To pass it, you must earn a score of 200 or higher.
Social Science: Just like the other exams, you must earn a passing score of 200 or higher on the Middle Grades Social Science SAE to earn your certification.

Secondary School Education

Secondary school teachers in Florida have far more SAE testing options available to them than teachers at the other grade levels do. You will want to make sure that you take the SEA that corresponds to the certification you are seeking.

Physical Education (PE)

PE teachers in Florida must meet all the requirements for earning a professional teaching license, including having a bachelor’s degree and completing the appropriate testing requirements. A PE teacher must pass the Physical Education K-12 SAE with a score of 200 or higher, in addition to passing the GK and PEd exams.

Special Education

Just like all other Florida educators, those seeking a teaching certification in special education must complete all requirements mentioned at the beginning of this article. In terms of testing, candidates should earn a score of 200 or higher on the Exceptional Student Education K-12 SAE.

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

The SAE exam that all candidates for ESOL must take is the ESOL K-12. You must earn a score of 200 or higher to earn this certification. In addition, you should complete all certification steps, including having a background check completed.

School Administration

There are two certification options for school administrators - Level 1-Educational Leadership and Level 2-School Principal. As a candidate for either certification, you will need to take the Florida Educational Leadership Exam (FELE). This exam is divided into three sub-tests: Leadership for Students Learning, Organizational Development, and Systems Leadership. Additionally, Level 1 certifications require candidates to hold a master’s degree and verify completion of the Florida Educational Leadership Core Curriculum. Level 2 candidates must meet the same requirements by holding and working with a Level 1 certification for one year.

Alternative Certification Pathways

The traditional route to gaining your teaching license typically involves earning your bachelor’s degree in some form of education. But for those who want to become teachers and aren’t able to backtrack, alternate teaching certification pathways might be good options to consider.

Teach for America (TFA)

Teach for America (TFA) is an organization that places individuals interested in becoming teachers in high-needs schools for a two-year commitment. These individuals work as teachers in their own classrooms as members of TFA. TFA is very active in Florida and works within three distinct areas including Jacksonville, Orlando, and Miami-Dade. To be considered a candidate for TFA, you must have a bachelor’s degree.

Alternative Programs

Luckily, FLDOE has alternative programs that can help you meet this competency requirement. After completing one of these programs and meeting the rest of the professional license requirements, you’ll be on your way to a Florida teaching career.

Renewal of Certification

Professional educator certificates in Florida must be valid for a five (5) year period. In general, renewal requires six (6) college credit semester hours, one hundred and twenty (120) in-service points, or some combination of both. Of the total requirement, at least one (1) college credit hour or twenty (20) in-service points must be earned in teaching students with disabilities. Many local unions offer courses to their members which will satisfy this requirement.

Renewing a Lapsed Certificate

If you hold a certificate from another state or are Nationally Board certified, the best path might be to use the reciprocity route to reinstate your certificate. If your certificate lapsed and you do not have a current certificate from another state or National Board Certifications, you can still find information about how to reinstate your professional certificate on the Florida DOE site. It is important to note that if your certificate has expired and you want to teach before you have completed the requirements for reinstatement, you must apply for a non-renewable temporary certificate which is valid for three years.

National Board Certification

The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has long been recognized as the gold standard when it comes to teacher certification. If you are nationally-board certified and want to obtain your Florida certification, find information on how to do so on the Florida DOE site. If you are currently teaching in Florida and want to earn National Board status visit the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. One more important note about the National Board program: In 1998 the Florida Legislature created a program to incentivize teachers to earn their National Board Certification.

Substitute Teaching

Florida allows each school district to determine its own rules and regulations for hiring substitute teachers. At a minimum, the state requires substitute teacher candidates to be 18 or older, hold a high school diploma, and pass a background check.

Additional Information

Official notices of rule development posted on the State Board Rules Under Review or the Florida Administrative Register will allow ample opportunity for public comment, requests for meetings, workshops and hearings. The following recently enacted Florida Laws based on bills passed during legislative session may impact Educator Certification. The Florida Legislature meets in session every year for sixty consecutive days. A regular session of the legislature convenes on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March of each odd-numbered year, and on the second Tuesday after the first Monday in January of each even-numbered year.

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