To apply for a Florida Educator's Certificate, an applicant must hold at least a bachelor's degree from an U.S. "accredited or approved" institution or an equivalent degree from a foreign institution See Regional Accrediting for regional accrediting associations, and see Foreign Candidates and Foreign Degrees for assessing foreign degree equivalence.

• An individual who meets the minimum requirements for application is issued an Official Statement of Status of eligibility (SOE), which reflects the results of an evaluation, by a Program Specialist of the application and all support documents submitted by the applicant as evidence of qualification for a Florida certificate. Specialists do not review a file until the application is complete.
• The SOE is valid for three years from the date it is issued.
• The SOE advises the applicant of three key pieces of information
• Whether or not the applicant meets the "subject requirement" (specialization) for the subject or endorsement requested.
• The requirements, if any that are remaining for issuance of a Temporary Certificate in that subject.
• The requirements that are remaining for issuance of the Professional Certificate in that subject.

To obtain a Statement of Status of Eligibility for a specific subject area please visit http://www.fldoe.org/edcert for specific guidelines and procedures.

Here is a list of acceptable majors.

If you do not have a bachelor's degree or higher in a specific subject area recognized by the State of Florida you would need to take and pass a subject area test. Please visit http://www.fldoe.org/edcert/subjlist.asp for a list of approved certification subjects in the State of Florida.

The three-year nonrenewable Temporary Certificate may be issued to an applicant who does not qualify for the Professional Certificate, but meets the requirements listed below.

Requirements for the Three-Year Temporary Certificate S.1012.56(6), Florida Statutes; Chapter 6A-4.004(1), FAC:

• Holds a valid Official Statement of Status of Eligibility, which reflects that the applicant has satisfied specialization (subject content) requirements for the subject requested.
• Earns a 2.5 GPA in the subject area requested for initial certification.
• Obtains full-time employment in a position for which a Florida Educator's Certificate is required in a Florida public, state supported or nonpublic school which has a Department of Education approved system for documenting the demonstration of required professional education competence. (A Florida district superintendent or designee or the chief administrative officer of the state-supported or nonpublic school or its umbrella organization shall submit Verification of employment.)
• Satisfies the fingerprint requirement.

Subject area specialization or content requirements for the Temporary Certificate may be met by any one of the following:

• Any of the options for demonstrating mastery of subject area knowledge for the Professional Certificate. (example: passing the subject area test)
• A degree major in the subject area conferred at the level required by Florida State Board of Education Rules, or
• Completion of content courses required in Florida State Board of Education Rules.

When you have secured a job offer the Certification Department in Broward County sends the appropriate information to the Florida DOE in Tallahassee to issue a Temporary Certificate. Please remember the employer must request issuance of this type of certificate.

• Issued for a three-year period and is nonrenewable.
• It is always issued from the beginning date of July 1 and ends June 30 no matter when employment begins.
• This allows time to complete all requirements for a Professional Certificate while teaching full-time.

A professional certificate is:

• Valid for five school years.
• Renewable
• Florida's highest Educator Certificate

Requirements to obtain a Professional Certificate are:

• Demonstrate mastery of General Knowledge by passing the General Knowledge Test or achievement of a passing score on the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) earned prior to July 1, 2002.
  General Knowledge Test S.1012.56 (3), Florida Statutes
  • General Knowledge consists of demonstration of competency in the basics skills areas of reading, English language and writing, and mathematics. This is a requirement of educators in all subject areas.
  • Mastery of General Knowledge may be demonstrated by one of the following:
  • Passing scores on the General Knowledge Test of the Florida Teacher Certification Exam (FTCE).
  • Passing scores on the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) earned prior to July 1, 2002.
  • A valid standard certificate from another U.S. state or territory.
  • A certificate issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)
  • Two semesters of full-time college teaching experience earned at an accredited or approved institution.
  • The Florida General Knowledge Test is divided into four sections: (1) Mathematics, (2) Reading, (3) English Language Skills, and (4) Essay. As of July 1, 2002, this test replaced the CLAST as the general knowledge/basic skills test for Florida Certification. Passing scores on portions of the CLAST earned prior to July 1, 2002, are acceptable in combination with passing scores on portions of the General Knowledge Test.
• Demonstrate mastery of Subject Area Knowledge for a requested subject by passing the appropriate Subject Area Test.
  The appropriate Subject Area Test S. 1012.56(4), Florida Statute
  • Mastery of the Subject Area Knowledge consists of two parts: (1) meeting specialization for area and (2) achievement of a passing score on the subject area test for that subject.
  • Mastery of Subject Area Knowledge may be demonstrated by ONE of the following:
  • For bachelor's degree level subject areas where an exam has been developed: a passing score on the appropriate Florida Subject Area Examination of the FTCE earned after July 1, 2002.
  • For subject areas requiring a master's or high degree: completion of the specialization requirements outlined in the Florida State Board of Education Rule for that subject and a passing score on the appropriate Florida Subject Area Examination of the FTCE.
  • For subject areas where no Florida subject Area Examination has been developed: completion of the specialization requirements outlined in Florida State Board of Education Rule for that subject and verification of attainment of the essential subject matter competencies for that subject by the employing superintendent.
  • For all subject areas: A valid standard certificate from another U.S. state or territory in the subject(s) for which the applicant has applied and which are issued at the degree level required in Florida State Board of Education Rules for the subject.
  • For all subject areas: A valid certificate issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) in the subject requested. For more information on NBPTS visit http://www.nbpts.org/candidates/index.cfm#2.
• Demonstrate mastery of Professional Preparation and Education competence by passing the Professional Education Test, verification of professional education competence submitted by your employer, and if a non-education degree holder, completion of a Florida approved alternative professional preparation program.
  • Once an individual has met the Professional Preparation and Education competence requirement for ONE SUBJECT, it is considered satisfied for all other subjects.
  • Mastery of Professional Preparation and Education Competence may be demonstrated by one of the following:
  • Completion of a Florida state-approved teacher preparation program and a passing score on the Florida Professional Education Test
  • Completion of a teacher preparation from another state and a passing score on the Florida Professional Education Test
  • A valid standard certificate from another U.S. state or territory
  • A valid certificate issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)
  • Two semesters of full-time college teaching experience earned at an accredited or approved institution
  • Completion of a Florida state-developed or state approved professional preparation and alternative certification program (these programs require the individual to pass the Florida Professional Education Test)
  • Completion of the professional preparation courses, successful completion of a professional education competence demonstration system, and a passing score on the Florida Professional Education Test.

• Colleges Courses: Visit http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/certification/ProfPrepCours.html.
• Broward County's Approved Alternative Certification Program: Visit http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/hrd/teachers/altcertandoptions.htm.
• The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence: Visit http://www.ABCTE.org.

The Florida Teacher Certification Exam (FTCE) is administered four times per year and some tests are computer-based and administered online. To obtain more information about test administration dates, fees and registration deadlines go to http://www.fldoe.org/asp/ftce/ftcesche.asp or http://www.fl.nesinc.com/.

For detailed information from the Florida DOE on Certificate Types and Requirements please visit http://www.fldoe.org/edcert/cert_types.asp.

Please review your Statement of Status of Eligibility to determine if and what you need for professional preparation coursework. Broward School's Certification/Incentives Department explains your Statement of Status of Eligibility.