Teaching is an essential and rewarding vocation, but the circuitous route to earning a certificate can be enough to scare away many would-be mentors. For prospective educators in the Sunshine State, this article will alleviate some of that fear by explaining how to become a teacher in Florida.
While there are some exceptions and alternative routes (discussed in later sections), the general requirements for a standard professional certificate include a bachelor's degree, completion of a teacher preparation program, passing scores on certification exams, and a background check. Florida also offers a temporary certificate for educators who don't meet all of these qualifications.
The temporary teaching certificate in Florida allows individuals to start teaching while they work towards meeting all the requirements of a professional certificate. Candidates must:
The temporary teaching certificate in Florida is valid for 3 years and is nonrenewable.
This is the highest Florida teaching certification credential. It requires candidates to:
This certificate is valid for 5 years and is renewable.
Access thousands of practice questions so that there are no surprises on the exam
The correct answers are highlighted with green below. Create an account to keep studying for the .
Easy-to-follow study guides, practice tests and resources.
Create Account
Teacher preparation programs are a common way for new teachers to meet the Florida teacher certification requirements. These programs provide teacher candidates with coursework and classroom experience that readies them for education careers.
To ensure the quality of the state's educators, the Florida Department of Education requires institutions that offer teacher preparation programs to be accredited by either a regional accrediting association—such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)—or a national accrediting body recognized by the US Department of Education—such as the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
There are three different types of teacher preparation programs in Florida:
Easy-to-follow study guides, practice tests and resources.
Create AccountAll teachers in Florida are required to have at least a bachelor's degree. For a temporary certificate, this degree should include coursework in the specific teaching subject area—typically around 30 semester hours, depending on the subject.
Individuals can also meet subject area Florida teacher certification requirements by passing the FTCE Subject Area Examination or completing a course from the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE). Professional certificate candidates will have to complete coursework or training in pedagogical practice from an accredited teacher preparation provider.
Florida requires all K-12 teachers to sign up for Florida Teacher Certification Exam. These computer-based tests consist mostly of multiple-choice questions, though several require written responses or oral components. FTCEs ensure that teacher candidates have the necessary skills to be effective Florida educators.
Florida teacher certification requirements typically call for passing scores on three different assessments: the General Knowledge Test, the Professional Education Test, and a Subject Area Exam corresponding to the prospective educator's teaching area.
Individuals may be exempt from some or all of these exams if they hold a certificate from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), hold a valid teaching certificate from another state, or have sufficient and relevant teaching experience (information about specific exemptions can be found on the FLDOE website). FTCE official score report are valid for certification for 10 years.
The FTCE General Knowledge test assesses fundamental skills in certain core competencies that are essential for educators. It consists of four different subtests.
The Essay subtest requires a score of 8 out of 12 points to pass. The three other subtests are 40 multiple-choice questions each, and each requires scaled scores of 200 to pass.
The FTCE Professional Education test consists of approximately 100 multiple-choice questions that assess the test-taker's command of pedagogical concepts and best-practices. It is a computer-based test with a 2 hour and 30-minute duration. Some of the skills measured include designing a lesson plan, communicating complex concepts to students, and knowledge of different assessment types and their uses. A scaled score of 200 is required to pass.
SAEs correspond to a teacher candidate's specific subject area. They have a variety of different formats, but most are computer-based, multiple-choice tests that last 150-minutes and require scaled scores of 200 to pass. Some SAEs have written responses (e.g., the FTCE English 6-12) and others have oral components (e.g., most SAEs for foreign language teachers). Here is a list of FTCE SAEs required for specific teaching subjects and levels:
As part of Florida teacher certification requirements, all teacher candidates are required to submit their fingerprints to the Bureau of Educator Certification. The Bureau uses fingerprints to check for any criminal convictions in the local records of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the national records of the FBI. Certain offenses may terminate an individual's candidacy.
While completing a Florida teacher preparation program is perhaps the most traditional route to a credential, the Department of Education recognizes several paths to a Florida alternative teaching certification. Individuals can:
After meeting education and testing requirements, candidates can start the application process by registering an account with the FLDOE online licensing service. Through this account, candidates will:
Applicants will then receive an Official Statement of Eligibility (SOE) which determines if they are eligible to receive their Florida teacher certification. If deemed eligible, the prospective teacher may seek employment in a Florida school, submit fingerprints for a background check, and receive their certificate. A positive SOE is valid for 3 years.
Florida teacher certification reciprocity policies allow certified out-of-state teachers to apply for a Florida certificate with little-to-no additional prerequisites. The state recognizes two certificates for out-of-state educators:
Florida is a member of the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement, a pact between US states to recognize teaching credentials across borders.
Once employed, Florida teachers may advance their credentials by:
According to the FLDOE, there are over 4,000 public schools in Florida. These schools employ 176,342 teachers who serve a total student population of over 2.8 million. These numbers set the state's student-teacher ratio at about 16:1. The following table, created using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, illustrates the Florida teacher outlook for wages and employment in 2021.
| Level | # Employed | Mean Annual Wage |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 8,160 | $57,920 |
| Elementary | 73,840 | $57,520 |
| Middle School | 34,530 | $59,820 |
| High School | 48,600 | $61,530 |
The U.S. Department of Education has identified teacher shortage areas in the following subject areas for Florida K-12 schools:
A recent FLDOE report projects that these subject areas will account for 3,743 teacher vacancies in 2022-23, which forecasts a sizable number of Florida teacher employment opportunities in the coming years.
Florida educators have two retirement plan options:
A person can be a teacher without an education degree. Florida offers a temporary teaching certificate for individuals with bachelor's degrees in non-education fields. A temporary certificate holder can start teaching while taking courses in educator preparation on the side.
Certification requirements include a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university, completion of a teacher preparation program, passing scores on Florida Teaching Certification Examinations, and a background check.
Alternative routes to certification are available to individuals with certificates from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) or the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE).
Florida requires teachers to earn passing scores on Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE). A teacher with a standard professional certificate will be required to pass three FTCEs: the General Knowledge Test, the Professional Education Test, and a Subject Area Examination.
