Florida Senate - 2016                              CS for SB 432
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Education Pre-K - 12; and Senator Hutson
       
       581-02368-16                                           2016432c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to teacher certification; amending s.
    3         1012.56, F.S.; providing alternative requirements for
    4         earning a professional educator certificate that
    5         covers certain grades; providing an effective date.
    6          
    7  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    8  
    9         Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (7) of section
   10  1012.56, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   11         1012.56 Educator certification requirements.—
   12         (7) TYPES AND TERMS OF CERTIFICATION.—
   13         (a) The Department of Education shall issue a professional
   14  certificate for a period not to exceed 5 years to any applicant
   15  who meets all the requirements outlined in subsection (2) or,
   16  for a professional certificate covering grades 6 through 12, any
   17  applicant who:
   18         1. Meets the requirements of paragraphs (2)(a)-(h).
   19         2. Holds a master’s or higher degree in the area of
   20  science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.
   21         3. Teaches a high school course in the subject of the
   22  advanced degree.
   23         4. Is rated highly effective as determined by the teacher’s
   24  performance evaluation under s. 1012.34, based in part on
   25  student performance as measured by a statewide, standardized
   26  assessment or an Advanced Placement, Advanced International
   27  Certificate of Education, or International Baccalaureate
   28  examination.
   29         5. Achieves a passing score on the Florida professional
   30  education competency examination required by state board rule.
   31  
   32  Each temporary certificate is valid for 3 school fiscal years
   33  and is nonrenewable. However, the requirement in paragraph
   34  (2)(g) must be met within 1 calendar year of the date of
   35  employment under the temporary certificate. Individuals who are
   36  employed under contract at the end of the 1 calendar year time
   37  period may continue to be employed through the end of the school
   38  year in which they have been contracted. A school district shall
   39  not employ, or continue the employment of, an individual in a
   40  position for which a temporary certificate is required beyond
   41  this time period if the individual has not met the requirement
   42  of paragraph (2)(g). The State Board of Education shall adopt
   43  rules to allow the department to extend the validity period of a
   44  temporary certificate for 2 years when the requirements for the
   45  professional certificate, not including the requirement in
   46  paragraph (2)(g), were not completed due to the serious illness
   47  or injury of the applicant or other extraordinary extenuating
   48  circumstances. The department shall reissue the temporary
   49  certificate for 2 additional years upon approval by the
   50  Commissioner of Education. A written request for reissuance of
   51  the certificate shall be submitted by the district school
   52  superintendent, the governing authority of a university lab
   53  school, the governing authority of a state-supported school, or
   54  the governing authority of a private school.
   55         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.