Miami-Dade County Public Schools Office of Human Resources

Miami-Dade County Public Schools Office of Human Resources

YOUR LICENSE TO TEACH Welcome to the professional ranks of Miami-Dade County Public School teachers. Teaching is a rewarding and exciting career. Your teaching certificate is YOUR LICENSE TO TEACH. With your license, you can teach in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools; without it, you are locked out of teaching. So GET IT! PROTECT IT! KEEP IT CURRENT! The purpose of school personnel certification is to protect the educational interests of students, parents, and the public at large by assuring that teachers in this state are professionally qualified. In fulfillment of its duty to the citizens of this state, the Legislature has established certification requirements to assure that educational personnel in public schools possess appropriate skills in reading, writing, and mathematics, and adequate pedagogical knowledge, including the use of technology to enhance student learning, and relevant subject matter competence so as to demonstrate an acceptable level of professional performance. Further, the Legislature has established a certificate renewal process which promotes the continuing professional improvement of school personnel, thereby enhancing public education in all areas of the state. This guide will help you through the steps in the process of being issued a Professional Certificate in Florida. Please note that it is your responsibility to obtain and keep a Florida Educator s Certificate. Failure to do so will be cause for termination of your employment.

Steps to Certification Academic Certificates and Degreed-Vocational Certificates are issued by the State of Florida, Bureau of Educator Certification. Non-Degreed Vocational and Career Specialist Certificates are issued by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Both types will be discussed in this guide. Academic Certificates and Degreed-Vocational Certificates There are three steps in the process of being issued a Professional Certificate in Florida. STEP 1: Official Statement of Status of Eligibility Submit an application and $56.00 fee for each subject requested. Applications can be obtained by e-mailing the Office of Instructional Certification at perscert@dadeschools.net, by contacting the Bureau of Educator Certification at 800-445-6739, or by applying on-line at http://certify.doe.state.fl.us/onlineapp/ Submit an official transcript showing an acceptable bachelor s or higher degree conferred. Submit copies of out-of-state certificates held, if applicable. Submit official score reports of any FTCE examinations already taken, if applicable. Meet the subject content requirements in a subject in which Florida offers certification by degree major, coursework, or a passing score on the subject area examination. The Bureau of Educator Certification will not begin to process your application until all of the above items are received. Once your file is complete, it will take from two to five months to receive your Official Statement of Status of Eligibility. Be sure that your social security number is clearly written on every document sent to the Bureau, including your check. If the Bureau contacts you to ask for more information, please comply immediately. Otherwise your application will not be processed. Be sure to notify the Bureau if you change your address any time after you have submitted your application. STEP 2: Three-year Nonrenewable Temporary Certificate Hold a valid Statement of Status of Eligibility which reflects no deficiencies in subject area requirements. Obtain employment in an instructional or administrative position.

STEP 2: Three-year Nonrenewable Temporary Certificate (continued) Once you are employed, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Certification Office will submit your fingerprints to the Bureau of Educator Certification, along with a request to issue your certificate. This is done automatically when you are employed in a teaching position. STEP 3: Five-year Professional Certificate Submit an application and $56.00 fee. Meet all the requirements listed on your Statement of Status of Eligibility. These requirements may include: 1. Completion of professional preparation (education courses) requirement. 2. Satisfying the testing requirements for general, professional, and subject area knowledge. 3. Successful completion of an approved system for demonstration of Professional Education Competence (PEC). 4. Satisfying the teaching experience requirement. These requirements will be discussed in depth later in this guide. It is important to note that the General Knowledge testing requirement must be met within one year from the date of initial employment in Florida. When you receive your certificate from the Department of Education, you must send or fax a copy to the Miami-Dade County Certification Office. The address and fax numbers can be found on the last page of this guide. You must also submit a copy to your principal for your school site personnel file.. HELPFUL HINT Start a CERTIFICATION FILE containing your Statement of Status of Eligibility, copies of all documents sent to the Bureau of Educator Certification, all notifications and documents sent to you pertaining to your certification, and all test scores. It is important to keep all this information in one place. This file should be available when you make inquiries regarding your certification. If you meet with a Certification Officer, it is imperative that you bring this file.

Bypassing Step 2 and Going Directly to a Professional Certificate. GRADUATES OF FLORIDA STATE-APPROVED TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS Graduates of Florida state-approved teacher preparation programs may apply and qualify for the Professional Certificate rather than a Temporary Certificate in the subject area of program completion, if all testing requirements have been met. RECIPROCITY FOR OUT-OF-STATE TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS Florida has two reciprocity routes for certified teachers and administrators to qualify for our Professional Certificate. Route 1: Valid Standard Certificate Issued by a State Other than Florida The certificate must be a standard or Level II certificate issued by the other state or US territory, and The certificate must be currently valid (not expired or revoked). The subject/s shown on your certificate must be considered comparable to a subject/s issued in Florida. Route 2: Certificate Issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) The NBPTS certificate must be currently valid. The Florida certificate will reflect the Florida subject considered comparable to the NBPTS subject.

DISTRICT CERTIFICATES Full-Time Non-Degreed-Vocational Certificates Full-Time Non-Degreed Vocational Certificates are issued by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Applicants for full-time non-degreed instructional vocational positions must complete the District Vocational Certificate Application for a teaching certificate. The applicant's credentials are verified in order to establish eligibility. If eligible for the certificate, a Statement of Eligibility is issued to the applicant by the District. A Full-Time Non-Degreed Vocational Certificate, appropriate to the eligibility statement, is issued when the applicant is hired. The Temporary Non-Degreed Vocational Certificate is issued for two years. The requirements for a Professional Non-Degreed Vocational Certificate are listed on each Statement of Eligibility. At the end of two years, the applicant must present to the District Certification Office proof of completion of all requirements, along with a District Vocational Application and check for $56.00. Career Specialists Career Specialist Certificates are also issued by the District. The temporary certificate is valid for three years during which time the requirements listed on the Statement of Eligibility must be completed in order to be issued a professional certificate. EXCEPTION: The General Knowledge Test must be completed within the first year of employment. Important Information Your Statement of Status of Eligibility IS NOT your certificate. The actual certificate is a document that is suitable for framing. Once you have obtained an instructional position, the dates on your Statement of Eligibility/Statement of Status of Eligibility no longer apply. The dates of your actual certificate will supercede the dates on the statement of status of eligibility. All certificates are dated from July 1 st to June 30 th.

FLORIDA TEACHER CERTIFICATION EXAMINATIONS (FTCE) Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) is the collective name for teacher tests. Your Statement of Status of Eligibility will indicate your individual testing requirements. These tests must be passed before an applicant can be issued a five-year Florida Professional Certificate. The General Knowledge Test (GK) (Replaces the CLAST) Prior to July 1, 2002, the required basic skills test for teacher certification had been the CLAST. Beginning July 1, 2002, the General Knowledge Test is the required test. The General Knowledge Test contains four subtests: Mathematics, Reading, English Language Skills, and Essay An applicant does not need to take the General Knowledge Test if he/she took and passed all parts of the CLAST prior to July 1, 2002. Any section of the CLAST not passed by June 30, 2002, cannot be taken for certification purposes. The applicant MUST take and pass the corresponding General Knowledge subtest. Sections of the CLAST waived for graduation purposes are not waived for teacher certification. The sections must be taken through the General Knowledge Test. * * * Individuals who are issued a three-year temporary certificate must complete the general knowledge requirement within one year from the date of employment. There are no exceptions to this rule. The Professional Education Test This multiple-choice test assesses general knowledge of five content bases: personal development, appropriate student behavior, planning instruction, implementing instruction, and evaluating instruction. All candidates for initial certification (academic and degreed vocational) will take the Professional Education test. The Professional Education test is usually administered in the afternoon. The Subject Area Exam These are exams for degreed academic and vocational subject areas. These exams measure content area knowledge, usually in a multiple-choice format. English 6-12, Middle Grades English 5-9, French K-12, German K-12, and Spanish K-12 also require an essay. Spanish K-12 and French K-12 are administered in a language lab, and German K-12 has an interview. Speech 6-12 has a videotaped portion. Candidates applying for a first Professional Certificate and those adding a subject area to a Professional Certificate must pass a subject area exam in the field(s) in which they seek certification. Subject area exams are usually administered in the morning. Detailed information about the FTCE is contained in the FTCE Registration Bulletin, which includes the registration form, test dates, and instructions for obtaining study guides. To obtain a test bulletin please e-mail the Office of Instructional certification at perscert@dadeschools.net or visit http://www.cefe.usf.edu/

Professional Practices Services (PPS) Any individual whose application or fingerprints reflect an arrest or criminal record will be referred to the Office of Professional Practices Services (PPS) for further review. Officials in PPS will request additional information, including, but not limited to, an official disposition and a letter in the applicant s own words describing the incident. If the necessary documents are not provided within 90 days of their request, the application and Statement of Status of Eligibility shall become invalid. Please note: Information and documentation given to Miami-Dade County Public Schools during the hiring process ARE NOT sent to PPS. The applicant must provide any requested documents and must do so in a timely manner. Professional Preparation Professional preparation consists of required education courses and the practical teaching experience requirement. Professional preparation may be satisfied by one of the following methods: Completion of a state-approved teacher preparation program from a Florida institution and achievement of a passing score on the Florida Professional Education Test Completion of a teacher preparation program from an out-of-state accredited or approved institution and achievement of a passing score on the Florida Professional Education Test Completion of a Florida state-approved alternative certification program Completion of 20 semester hours of specified education courses, completion of an approved professional education competence demonstration system, and achievement of a passing score on the Florida Professional Education Test A valid standard teaching certificate issued by a US state or territory A valid certificate issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Completion of two (2) semesters of full-time college teaching experience Please consult your Statement of Status of Eligibility in order to be familiar with your professional preparation requirements. ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM (ACP) Miami-Dade County Public Schools now offers an Alternative Certification Program designed to assist middle and high school teachers who are non-education majors in meeting their professional preparation requirements. For information on the program, please call Dr. Gabriel P. Quintero, District Director, Professional Development at 305-995-7459 or gquintero@sbab.dade.k12.fl.us.

THINGS TO REMEMBER Degreed transcripts submitted to Miami-Dade County for employment are not forwarded to the Bureau of Educator Certification. Completing requirements for the professional certificate is your responsibility. DO NOT WAIT FOR THE RECEIPT OF YOUR TEMPORARY CERTIFICATE TO BEGIN PURSUING YOUR REQUIREMENTS. Remember your requirements must be completed by the expiration of your certificate regardless of when you actually receive it. READ YOUR STATEMENT OF STATUS OF ELIGIBILITY. It outlines everything you must do to receive a professional certificate. There are no extensions to the three-year temporary certificate. You MUST complete your requirements for continued employment. Do not delay completing your tests. Tests are only given at certain times each year. Gauge your time to allow for re-takes, should you need it. READ YOUR STATEMENT OF STATUS OF ELIGIBILITY. It outlines everything you must do to receive a professional certificate. Be sure to respond promptly to any requests for information from the Department of Education or Miami-Dade County Public Schools. You MUST submit original score reports of all your examinations to the Bureau of Educator Certification. They are not automatically sent by the testing agency. Photocopies are NOT ACCEPTABLE. Be certain that the subject area examination you register to take is the same coverage and level that appears on your temporary certificate or your Statement of Status of Eligibility. READ YOUR STATEMENT OF STATUS OF ELIGIBILITY. It outlines everything you must do to receive a professional certificate.

THINGS TO REMEMBER (CONTINUED) You should not delay pursuing your requirements. Allow extra time in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Failure to complete requirements WILL result in termination. DO NOT seek or accept certification information from persons other than those authorized to provide such information. Authorization to interpret certification rules and laws has been given by the Bureau of Educator Certification to Certification Officers from Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and to officials from the United Teachers of Dade (UTD). Certificates are issued with an effective date of July 1 st of the school year in which your employment begins. For example: if you were employed as an interim teacher in February, 2002 and re-employed in August, 2002, your certificate will show a beginning date of validity as July 1, 2001. This is to cover your employment for the 2001-2002 school year. The dates on your Statement of Status of Eligibility do NOT supercede the dates of the certificate. Therefore, if your statement shows an expiration date of November 17, 2004 and your certificate is valid from July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2004, the date for completion of your requirements is June 30, 2004. READ YOUR STATEMENT OF STATUS OF ELIGIBILITY. It outlines everything you must do to receive a professional certificate. It is your responsibility to obtain and maintain a current Florida Educator s Certificate. Failure to do so WILL result in termination of employment.

On-Line Certification Information Miami-Dade C ounty Public Schools Home Page http://www.dadeschools.ne t Certification Information (District) h ttp://pers.dadeschools.net/prodev/certification.htm Certification Information (State) http://www.firn.edu/doe/bin00022/home0022.htm District On-Line Applications (Downloads) http://pers.dadeschools.net/prodev/certificate_applications.htm District Temporary Instructor Certificate Application District Adult Part-Time Certificate Application District Vocational Certificate Application Application for Renewal of a Professional Educator's Certificate State On-Line Application (Apply on-line) h ttp://certify.doe.state.fl.us/onlineapp/ Testing Information Request application, download a bulletin, on-line testing information. http://www.cefe.usf.edu Subject Area Requirem ents h ttp://www.fldoe.org/edcert/subjlist.asp Miami-Dade County Alternative Certif ication Program h ttp://pers.dadeschools.net/prodev/acp.htm

Certification Contacts Florida Department of Education Bureau of Educator Certification 1-800-445-6739 (In-State) 1-850-488-2317 (Out-of-State) M-DCPS Certification Office For general questions, test booklets or applications: 305-995-7200 Regions 1 & 3 Claire Kirk - 305-995-7202 c kirk@dadeschools.net Regions 2 & 5 Julio Cesar Montiel - 305-995-7204 jmontiel@dadeschools.net Regions 4 & 6 Rubye L. Howard rhoward@dadeschools.net - 305-995-2315 Renewal of Professional Certificates & Out-of-Field Assignments Charlene Burks 305-995-7074 cburks@dadeschools.net Non-Region Locations 305-995-7205 Faxes: 305-995-7057 305-995-7206 For other questions: National Board for Professional Gabriel Quintero 305-995-7456 Teaching Standards Add-On Certification Gabriel Quintero 305-995-7456 Alternative Certification Program Gabriel Quintero 305-995-7456 Teacher Education Center (TEC) 305-887-2002 Compensation Administration 305-995-7030