Licensure Loopholes: Florida

Analysis of Florida's policies

Florida allows new teachers who have not passed required state licensing tests to teach for up to three years on a temporary certificate. Although the state requires teachers to pass its general knowledge test in the first year of teaching, it allows teachers to practice for up to three years without passing its required content test. 

Citation

Florida Statutes 1012.56 Florida Department of Education Certificate Types and Requirements http://www.fldoe.org/edcert/cert_types.asp

Recommendations for Florida

Ensure that all teachers pass required subject-matter licensing tests before they enter the classroom.
All students are entitled to teachers who know the subject matter they are teaching. Permitting individuals who have not yet passed state licensing tests to teach neglects the needs of students, instead extending personal consideration to adults who may not be able to meet minimal state standards. Florida should ensure that all teachers have passed their licensing tests—an important minimum benchmark for entering the profession—prior to entering the classroom.

Limit exceptions to one year.
There might be limited and exceptional circumstances under which conditional licenses need to be granted. In these instances, it is reasonable for a state to give teachers up to one year to pass required licensure tests. However, Florida's current policy puts students at risk by allowing teachers to teach on emergency certificates for three years without passing required subject-matter tests.

State response to our analysis

Florida recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis. The state added that a bachelor's degree or equivalent is required in the subject area to earn a Temporary Certificate.