Certification in the State of Florida
http://www.firn.edu/doe/bin00022/home0022.htm

A degree is awarded by the University.  Certification to teach is determined by the Florida State Department of Education (FDOE).  The State issues a certificate only after a person is hired/fingerprinted by a state-accredited public or private school in Florida.  There are three ways to become certified in the State of Florida:

A) an “Approved Program” is an undergraduate or graduate program at the University of South Florida that prepares students for the initial a Five-year Professional Certification in "Mathematics Education."  An Approved Program means that FDOE has agreed that our program, upon the awarding of the degree, will qualify you for certification.  Upon completion of the degree, the transcript indicates that you have completed an Approved Program.  You are eligible for certification upon employment and for the national reciprocity agreements between States to accept Florida's certification requirements in lieu of their own.  Approximately 30 States participate in the reciprocity agreement.  You should review this website's information on the MA Plan II , if this is the option you plan to take.

B) a School District Training Program (see http://www.altcertflorida.org/) is offered through a school district's employment office.  Such programs are based on new FDOE Rules passed in the summer of 2001.  The training can be exclusively noncredit training by a school district or it may include some university courses or primarily university courses.  These programs are offered by the school district for "in-service" (employed) teachers on temporary certificates.  A person with a degree in mathematics, as an example, might be hired by a school district and given a period of time to complete the school district's training program, courses at a university, or an Approved Program degree from a university.   USF can serve as a provider of courses which can be used by school districts as part of a training program.  If the courses are graduate level they can also count toward a master's degree.  Upon completion of a school district training program, the school district submits your credentials to FDOE for certification. You should contact a school district's employment office or go to their websites at the end of this page.  

School District certification is for the State of Florida only and is not transferable to other states.  School District Programs require a mentoring system for teachers entering their training program and validation that these teachers in training have completed a specified set of Statewide requirements known as the "Accomplished Practices."  The University, in cooperation with some local school districts, has identified university courses that include experiences where students can demonstrate command of the practices, and therefore the courses might be used by a school district as part of their Certification Program or as substitutions for components of their training program.  Your USF transcript and the following list of courses will serve as the basis for a district accepting college credit toward their program.  

While districts may use university courses to validate completion of Accomplished Practices, universities cannot accept district records of completion of practices in their training programs for college credit.  College professors award grades based on an assessment of students’ successful completion of a course's total requirements.  Students passing one of the courses in the following table with a C- or higher, has in the view of the professor, demonstrated the minimum required expertise in the associated Accomplished Practices.  

Because district-based certification is new, school districts and universities are  in the early stages of  working out the collaborative relationships, "Certification Partnerships."  In the future, we hope to inform students at this website which school districts will make this option available to its employees.  

The "Kill two birds with one stone" approach.  By your taking university courses to meet the requirements for a district based certification you can accumulate credits towards our 43 hour MAT degree, which will give you certification that is transferable to other states and you become eligible for higher pay.   Because school district certification will likely take less time than a degree, by taking college courses as part of a district program that uses university credit or that will accept university credit in lieu of a component of their training, you can receive district certification and then continue for a masters degree from an approved program while teaching.   For individuals who are teaching on  a temporary certificate, USF and the State's required internship can be taken as an "In-service" internship: You continue teaching in your classroom.

Area School District Website

C) State Direct Certification is through the FDOE.  You apply to FDOE directly.  In this case, you submit a transcript to FDOE for review.  If you meet their standards (which are different from USF's Approved Program or a District Program), you are eligible for certification upon employment.  If not, USF can serve as a provider of the courses that FDOE says you need for certification. 

Process To Teacher Certification

You apply to FDOE for the evaluation of your transcripts.  Students should submit their official transcripts to FDOE and $56.00 (check for current cost with FDOE).   

Certification Office
Florida Department of Education
Turlington Building 
325 West Gaines Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400
http://www.firn.edu/doe/bin00022/3steps.htm
http://www.firn.edu/doe/bin00022/home0022.htm

FDOE will issue an Official Statement of Status of Eligibility informing individuals as to the courses and requirements that must be taken for the temporary certificate to be issued.  Contacting FDOE is the only definitive way to determine the remaining courses that must be taken for certification. 

FDOE will  send you an Official Statement of Status of Eligibility which is the definitive statement on what courses and experiences you need to receive a temporary certificate.  A Three-Year Nonrenewable Temporary Certificate can be issued to individuals who meet these minimum requirements and get hired:
1.    Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher learning
2.   Meet  the Specialization Requirements for the subject area Social Science or one 
        of  the specific disciplines or
        (starting in 2002) pass the FTCE subject area exam .
3.    2.5 gpa on a 4.0 scale in the specialization
4.    A Passing score on the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) Exam is
            required within one year by FDOE.

During the three year period you must complete:
A) a set of university college of education courses prescribed in FDOE's Official Statement of Status of Eligibility or a School District Training Program; and
B) pass  the Florida Teacher Certification Exam (FTCE).  The FTCE  is composed of a "professional education section" and a "subject area specialization section."  

Internship

Normally an Internship is required, however, if you pursue the State Direct Certification approach using USF for just the required courses or the School District Training Program approach, two-years of experience will be accepted by FDOE in lieu of an internship, but only if the experience was after receiving a certificate.  Internship cannot be waived in an Approved Program, but students in the Master's programs may take an "in-service" internship at their place of work.