Education Majors - Tips on Getting Certified

Because you will be graduating from a university that required you to pass all State certification exams as part of your state-approved teacher preparation program, when you graduate you will be eligible for a five-year professional Florida teaching certificate upon application and fingerprint clearance, rather than just the three-year temporary certificate that most everyone else receives.   However, a  teaching certificate is not something that is awarded to you by the University of South Florida.   Nor is it  something you will ever automatically receive.  You must apply for it by submitting an Application for Florida Educator’s Certificate to the Bureau of Educator Certification in Tallahassee directly or through the district that hires you.  Here are some tips to help you get your certificate:

There are three (3) ways to submit an application to the State:

1. On-line at www.fldoe.org/edcert - Steps to Certification
    
2. With a hard copy of the application available in EDU 106-Tampa.
   (Students from other campuses should check with their campus.)
    
3. Through a school district when you are hired.

If you choose options 1 or 2,  approximately 30-45 days after Tallahassee receives your completed application, including fee(s), official transcript showing degree (leave it in sealed envelope) and copy of exam scores (only for FTCE exams taken prior to July, 2002),  you will receive a Statement of Status of Eligibility and a fingerprint card.  You will need to complete the fingerprinting process at your local law enforcement agency and return the completed card and $53 fee (subject to change) to Tallahassee.  The Bureau will process your fingerprints through the FBI and FDLE.  Upon clearance, you will be issued a five-year professional certificate.  Unfortunately, when you are hired, you may have to complete the fingerprint process again through the hiring district.  Because this is not a very time-efficient process, if you are expecting to be hired by a district in the USF service area, you may want to wait until you are hired to submit your application to the Bureau and/or to complete the fingerprint process.  The Bureau receives several thousand applications each week and they have no way to assign priority, so they process them as they are received/completed.  The current turnaround time is approximately 30 days - when things are running smoothly (and this can change at any time.)  It probably will be 6 months or more before you will actually receive your teaching certificate following this process because of the time involved with the fingerprint process.

If you choose option 3, the hiring district will collect your application, fee(s), transcripts, etc. and submit them to Tallahassee.  They will also handle the fingerprint process.  Fees for fingerprinting vary by district/county.  The State does assign priority to applications that come in from school districts, so these applications will generally be processed much more quickly. 

If you plan to apply to a school district out of the USF service area or to a private school, you should check with that district/school to see if they require you to have a Statement of Status of Eligibility before you can apply for a teaching position.  This Statement is something you receive after your application is processed by the State.

Most private schools do not assist you with the application process.  You have to complete the application and fingerprint process on your own.

 Make sure your name and social security number are on every document that you submit with your application and do not write on or staple anything to the bar code on the application, or it will be returned to you.

When you request from the registrar’s office a final transcript to be submitted with your certification application, be sure that you mark that you want the transcript held until your degree is posted.   Your application to the State will not be considered complete until they receive a transcript showing that you have earned a degree, and the application will not be processed until it is complete.  The transcript will not be considered official unless Tallahassee receives it in the USF sealed envelope.  Don’t open the envelope!!

ESOL Endorsement

If you met the requirements for the ESOL Endorsement in your program, you will need to apply for that endorsement as well as for your certification area (for example, Elementary and the ESOL Endorsement.)

• $75.00 application fee for each subject requested/evaluated (Effective January 1, 2008)

• There are 2 ESOL codes on the application.  Be sure you choose the one for the Endorsement (1016/E.)

 Moving Out of Florida?

        Florida participates with currently 37 other states and the District of Columbia in the Interstate Agreement on Qualification of Education Personnel - a reciprocity agreement.   (The list can be found on the College website or in EDU 106.)  If you complete a state-approved teacher preparation program (education degree) and move within these states, you should not be required to complete additional course work and should be eligible to teach in the area of your degree.  Testing requirements may vary.  Some states may not require additional testing if you hold a valid teaching certificate.  (Keep in mind that even if you apply for your Florida certificate as soon as you graduate, it will probably take a minimum of six (6) months for you to receive your Florida teaching certificate so you may not actually have a certificate when you move.)

        Your USF transcript will have a detailed, very complete degree statement, including date of graduation, certification eligibility and USF/program accreditation status.

        The state to which you are moving will probably have a form to be completed by the institution where you completed your state-approved program (USF.)  If your degree program is undergraduate, the form should go to Dr. Paulette Walker.  If your degree program is graduate, the form should go to Dr. Diane Briscoe, regardless of the campus you attended.   Both are located in Student Academic Services on the Tampa campus, EDU 106.  You might want to pick up a business card for the appropriate person or call (813) 974-1804 so you can address the form properly to avoid unnecessary delay.