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Florida Educator Certification Renewal Requirements

Renewal of the Professional Certificate

Renewal Application Instructional Video Transcript (Word)

Renewal Requirements

  • Submit the Renewal Application and processing fee.
    • The Renewal Application must be submitted through your Certification Online account. It will be available under the heading titled "It Is Time to Renew!"
    • The application must be received in the Bureau of Educator Certification prior to the expiration date of the Professional Certificate.
  • Earn six (6) semester hours of college credit which must include at least one (1) semester hour of college credit in teaching students with disabilities (SWD).
    • All renewal credits must be earned during the validity period and prior to the expiration date of the current Professional Certificate.
    • For individuals who holds a certificate in educational leadership, the individual must earn a minimum of one college credit or 20 inservice points in Florida’s educational leadership standards to renew their professional certificate with renewals beginning July 1, 2025 or later.
    • An educator whose certificate has a beginning validity date of July 1, 2020, or thereafter, must have earned at least two (2) college credits, forty (40) inservice points, or a combination thereof, in evidence-based instruction and interventions grounded in the science of reading per Rule 6A-6.053, F.A.C., specifically designed for students with characteristics of dyslexia, including the use of explicit, systematic, and sequential approaches to reading instruction, developing phonological and phonemic awareness, decoding, and implementing multisensory intervention strategies if the educator is renewing any of the following coverages: Elementary Education (K-6), Prekindergarten/Primary Education (age 3 through grade 3), Elementary Education (grades 1-6), Primary Education (grades K-3), English (grades 1-6), Middle Grades English (grades 5-9), Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum (grades 5-9), English (6-12), Exceptional Student Education (grades K-12) (renewal beginning with a validity date of July 1, 2025), Reading (K-12), Reading (Endorsement), and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) (grades K-12).
    • For alternatives to college credit, such as inservice points and examination scores, please see the Acceptable College Credit Equivalencies for Renewal section below.
    • College level credits used for certificate renewal must be awarded by an accredited or approved institution (Word), or the American Council on Education (ACE), and must be reflected on an official transcript. You may view a list of Florida's accredited state universities and state colleges and community colleges.
    • College level credit for CLEP must be reflected on an official transcript from an accredited or approved institution (Word) or the American Council on Education (ACE).
    • College remedial credit is not acceptable.
    • A grade of at least "C" must be earned in each college course used for renewal. A grade of "pass" or "satisfactory" is an acceptable grade.

Acceptable College Credit Equivalencies for Renewal

  • Twenty (20) inservice points in an approved Florida master inservice program are equivalent to one (1) semester hour of college credit.
  • A passing score on the Florida Subject Area Examination specific to the subject to be renewed is equivalent to three (3) semester hours of college credit for renewal purposes only.
  • When the certificate includes Exceptional Student Education, Visually Impaired, Hearing Impaired, or Speech-Language Impaired, a passing score on the corresponding Florida Subject Area Examination satisfies the requirement for credit in teaching SWD for a total of three (3) semester hours of renewal credit.
  • Educators holding a certificate covering Educational Leadership must complete a minimum of 1 college credit or inservice equivalent in Florida’s education leadership standards.
  • A valid certificate issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards will renew the Florida certificate in the subject shown on the national certificate.
  • An Exceptional Needs Specialist certificate issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards satisfies the requirement for credit in teaching SWD, when the Florida certificate includes a subject in instructing students with disabilities.
  • Teaching a college level course at an acceptable institution may be accepted the same as credit earned for that course.
  • Out of state certificates cannot be used to renew the Professional Certificate.
  • Any combination of equivalencies may be used to earn renewal credit, provided the total amount of renewal credit earned is equivalent to six semester hours of college credit.

Late Renewal Application

  • A Late Renewal Application may be submitted after the expiration date of the Professional Certificate if the following criteria are met:
    • All renewal credit, including the requirement for credit in teaching SWD, was completed prior to the expiration date of the Professional Certificate, and
    • The Late Renewal Application, processing fee, and additional $30.00 late fee are submitted to the Bureau of Educator Certification prior to July 1 of the year following the expiration date of the certificate.

Special Notes

  • Educators may remove subjects from the Professional Certificate by listing them on the “Remove Subject(s)” page of the Renewal Application. In the event a subject is removed from the certificate at the request of the educator, any subsequent application to add that subject back to the certificate will be processed according to the State Statutes and Board of Education Rules in effect on the date that application is received.
  • It is the responsibility of each applicant to obtain current information regarding renewal requirements from the employing school district or Bureau of Educator Certification.
  • It is highly encouraged to use a personal email address for your online account. If you are using a school district email address, you can change it in your online account by clicking the "Update Profile" link in the top right corner.

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