Florida Administrative Code › 6 - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION › 6A - State Board of Education › Chapter 6A-4 - CERTIFICATION › Section 6A-4.002 - General Provisions

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
(1) Educator's
				certificates.
(a) Types of certificates. The
				types of certificates are the professional certificate, the nonrenewable
				professional certificate, the temporary certificate, and the athletic coaching
				certificate. Requirements for obtaining all types of certificates are specified
				in Rule 6A-4.004, F.A.C.
(b) An applicant for a Florida educator's
				certificate shall be governed by Florida Statutes and rules for the temporary
				and professional certificates that are in effect at the time of application and
				qualification for the initial certificate provided successive certificates are
				issued for consecutive school fiscal years. An individual who permits a
				five-year temporary certificate per Rule
				6A-4.004, F.A.C., to expire for
				at least one (1) school fiscal year may secure another full-time certificate in
				accordance with Florida Statutes and rules for temporary and professional
				certificates which are in effect at the time the most recent application is
				received in the Bureau of Educator Certification, Florida Department of
				Education.
(c) Effective date of
				certificates. Each certificate shall bear an effective date of July 1 of the
				school fiscal year for which it is issued.
(d) Definition of coverage. The term
				"coverage" as used in Florida State Board of Education rules for educator
				certification purposes shall be defined as the designation on a Florida
				educator's certificate which indicates the area in which an individual has a
				content knowledge base. The term "coverage" shall be used synonymously with the
				terms "subject, " "area, " or "field."
(e) Definition of endorsement. The term
				"endorsement" as used in Florida State Board of Education rules for educator
				certification purposes shall be defined as a rider on a Florida educator's
				certificate with a designated coverage. An endorsement shown on a certificate
				with a coverage signifies a pedagogical knowledge base which targets particular
				levels, stages of development, or circumstances.
(f) Classification of coverages and
				endorsements shown on certificates. Each coverage or endorsement shown on a
				certificate shall be identified as an academic class, administrative class,
				specialty class, or degreed career and technical class. The classification is
				specified in the specialization rule for each coverage or
				endorsement.
(g) Authority of the
				Commissioner of Education. Under extenuating circumstances not covered in these
				rules, the Commissioner is authorized to issue a certificate to an individual
				upon the request of a Florida district school superintendent.
(h) Responsibility to qualify for and
				maintain a valid certificate. It shall be the responsibility of each applicant
				to complete all requirements for the temporary and professional certificates
				and to file with the Bureau of Educator Certification, Florida Department of
				Education, evidence of such completion within the specified timelines. For
				renewal of the professional certificate, it shall be the responsibility of each
				applicant to obtain current information regarding renewal requirements and
				complete such requirements prior to expiration of the professional certificate.
				Information regarding renewal of the professional certificate may be obtained
				by contacting the employing Florida district school board or nonpublic school,
				or by contacting the Bureau of Educator Certification, Florida Department of
				Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400.
(i) Certificates from other states.
				Certificates from other states shall not be valid for teaching in Florida.
1. Certificates from other states used to
				document eligibility for a Florida certificate shall:
a. Be the valid standard educator's
				certificate issued by that state which is comparable to a Florida Professional
				Certificate;
b. Be issued in a
				subject comparable to a Florida certification subject; and,
c. Require the same or higher level of
				training required for certification in that subject in
				Florida.
2. Official
				documentation of another state's certificate or license shall be a legible copy
				of the front and back of the original certificate or license, or a printed copy
				of an official record of the certificate or license provided by the issuing
				authority, and must include:
a. A certificate
				or license title that clearly designates the stage or level for which the
				educator qualifies;
b. The subject
				area(s) and endorsement(s) for which the educator qualifies;
c. The ages and/or instructional grade levels
				of students for which the educator qualifies to teach each subject or
				endorsement;
d. The date(s) that
				the certificate or license is valid; and,
e. The name of the educator and an educator
				identification number or other unique identifier for validation of the
				certificate or license against official records maintained by the issuing
				authority.
(j)
				Certificates from national certification organizations. Certificates issued by
				national certification organizations shall not be valid for teaching in
				Florida.
1. Certificates issued by national
				certification organizations approved in Florida Statute or by the State Board
				of Education to document eligibility for a Florida certificate shall:
a. Be the valid standard educator's
				certificate issued by the national certification organization;
b. Be issued in a subject comparable to a
				Florida certification subject;
c.
				Require the same or higher degree level of training required for certification
				in that subject in Florida; and,
2. Official documentation of the national
				certificate shall be a legible copy of the front and back of the original
				certificate or a printed copy of an official record of the certificate or
				license provided by the issuing authority, and must include:
a. A certificate or license title that
				clearly designates the stage or level for which the educator
				qualifies;
b. The subject area(s)
				and endorsement(s) for which the educator qualifies;
c. The ages and/or instructional grade levels
				of students for which the educator qualifies to teach each subject or
				endorsement;
d. The date(s) that
				the certificate or license is valid; and,
e. The name of the educator and an educator
				identification number or other unique identifier for validation of the
				certificate or license against official records maintained by the issuing
				authority.
(k)
				Alteration of certificates. The alteration of any certificate with the intent
				to mislead or defraud shall be sufficient grounds for revocation of the
				certificate. It shall be incumbent upon the certificate holder to establish
				evidence of the absence of intent to mislead or defraud.
(l) The electronic database maintained by the
				Bureau of Educator Certification serves as the custodial source for official
				Department of Education records of each person to whom a Florida Educator's
				Certificate is issued. Educator Certification notifies an educator by
				electronic mail upon issuance of a certificate and provides the educator secure
				access to review and retrieve a printable copy of his/her currently valid
				certificate(s) via the Educator Certification website at
				https://certify.fldoe.org. Authorized Florida school employers are provided
				secure, online access (https://bec-pass.fldoe.org) to verify an educator's
				certification information for employment screening before hiring instructional
				personnel and school administrators. The bureau provides online access via the
				Educator Certification website (https://www.fldoe.org/edcert/public.asp) for
				the inspection of public records of educators to whom a currently valid
				certificate is issued.
(m) A valid
				standard certificate issued by the American Board for Certification of Teacher
				Excellence (ABCTE), as documented according to subparagraph (1)(j)2. of this
				rule, is acceptable to demonstrate mastery of general knowledge and mastery of
				subject area knowledge in the comparable Florida subject(s). An acceptable
				ABCTE certificate also satisfies the requirements for completion of
				professional preparation courses and achievement of a passing score on the
				professional education competency examination. An ABCTE certificate is not
				acceptable to meet the requirement for completion of a professional education
				competence demonstration program pursuant to Section
				1012.56(8)(b),
				F.S.
(n) A three-year temporary
				certificate issued under subsection
				6A-4.004(1),
				F.A.C., which is valid as of March 27, 2023, is automatically modified to a
				five-year temporary certificate beginning from the date of issuance of the
				temporary certificate unless the temporary certificate has been extended for
				two (2) years under the provisions of paragraph
				6A-4.004(1)(c),
				F.A.C. The automatic extension of temporary certificates to five (5) years does
				not apply to specialized temporary certificates issued for military veterans,
				covering speech-language impaired, or covering educational leadership, or
				athletic coaching certificates, issued under the provision of subsection
				6A-4.004(2), (4), (5), or
				(6), F.A.C., or a temporary certificate
				issued to exchange teachers under the provisions of paragraph
				6A-4.002(6)(c),
				F.A.C.