This rule amendment serves to adopt new Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) administration requirements, stating that examinees who receive a passing score on a given examination must wait at least three (3) years before retaking the ...

 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

State Board of Education

RULE NO.:RULE TITLE:

6A-4.0021Florida Teacher Certification Examinations

PURPOSE AND EFFECT: This rule amendment serves to adopt new Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) administration requirements, stating that examinees who receive a passing score on a given examination must wait at least three (3) years before retaking the same examination; adopt new passing scores effective July 1, 2018, for the Art K–12 and Exceptional Student Education K–12 examinations; and to update rule language to align with current practice. The effect will be new administration requirements to help protect test security and confidentiality; new passing score requirements for the affected examinations; and updated rule language.

SUMMARY: The rule is proposed for amendment to adopt new administration requirements to help protect test security and confidentiality and new passing score requirements for two (2) FTCE subject area examinations.

SUMMARY OF STATEMENT OF ESTIMATED REGULATORY COSTS AND LEGISLATIVE RATIFICATION:

The Agency has determined that this will not have an adverse impact on small business or likely increase directly or indirectly regulatory costs in excess of $200,000 in the aggregate within one year after the implementation of the rule. A SERC has not been prepared by the Agency.

The Agency has determined that the proposed rule is not expected to require legislative ratification based on the statement of estimated regulatory costs or if no SERC is required, the information expressly relied upon and described herein: 1) no requirement for SERC was triggered under section 120.541(1), F.S., and; 2) no new fees are imposed in the proposed rule. Although an indeterminate increase in the number of examinees who are required to retake the examination(s) is predicted, the expected number of examinees and the resulting fees for the examinations will not approach the threshold for legislative ratification. The proposed rule is not expected to require legislative ratification pursuant to s. 120.541(3), F.S. The proposed rule is not expected to have any adverse impact on economic growth, private job creation, employment, or investment, or any adverse impact on transactional costs as noted above.

Any person who wishes to provide information regarding a statement of estimated regulatory costs, or provide a proposal for a lower cost regulatory alternative must do so in writing within 21 days of this notice.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY: 1012.55, 1012.56, 1012.59, F.S.

LAW IMPLEMENTED: 1012.55, 1012.56, 1012.59, F.S.

A HEARING WILL BE HELD AT THE DATE, TIME AND PLACE SHOWN BELOW:

DATE AND TIME: May 16, 2018, 9:00 a.m.

PLACE: Pinellas County School Board Office, 301 4th St., SW, Largo, FL 33770.

THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE IS: Phil Canto, Chief, Bureau of Postsecondary Assessment, Office of Assessment, Division of Accountability, Research, and Measurement, 325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 414, Tallahassee, FL 32399, [phone].

 

THE FULL TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE IS:

 

6A-4.0021 Florida Teacher Certification Examinations.

(1) through (2) No change.

(3) Administration of the examinations.

(a) through (d) No change.

(e) An examinee may not retake a passed examination, subtest, or section unless:

1. At least three (3) years have elapsed since the previous administration of the passed examination, subtest, or section;

2. The State Board of Education has adopted new competencies and skills for the field; or

3. The examinee has applied for reinstatement of an expired professional certification, pursuant to 6A-4.0051 (7), FAC.

(4) No change.

(5) Admission. The test administration agency shall provide each applicant with electronic communication an admission ticket specifying the examination site, date, and the time of the examination. This communication will also stipulate The admission ticket and other identification are required for entrance into the examination site. Additional identification shall be specified on the admission ticket. An applicant who arrives after the examination has begun shall not be admitted. An applicant, who has registered for multiple examinations or subtests for the same day and arrives late, shall only be admitted at the start of the next examination or subtest.

(6) through (8) No change.

(9) Scoring of the subject area specialty examinations.

(a) through (z) No change.

(aa) Effective July 1, 2018, the passing score for the subject area specialty examinations listed below shall be a scaled score of at least two hundred (200). This scaled score shall be equivalent to the following raw scores on the test forms used for standard setting and administered between September and December 2017:

SUBJECT	SCORE
Art K–12	75 correct items
Exceptional Student Education K-12	80 correct items

(bb) (aa) The Commissioner of Education shall review the passing score for each of the General Knowledge Subtests, each of the subject area specialty examinations, and the professional education test not less than once every five (5) years and determine whether to recommend to the State Board of Education to maintain or change the existing passing scores.

(10) No change.

(11) Review.

(a) No change.

(b) Score Verification Sessions. An examinee who fails one (1) or more examination(s) within ten (10) scale score points of the passing scale score (200) may review only those incorrect test items and/or performance component(s) contained within each examination meeting these criteria and bring to the Florida Department of Education’s attention, via the test administration agency, any scoring errors. The procedures for test review are listed below:

1. The examinee shall register for a score verification session within thirty (30) days of the date the score report was released by the test administration agency. At least thirty (30) days shall have elapsed from the administration of the failed examination before an examinee may attend a score verification session.

2. A processing fee is required for each score verification session. The fee shall be that amount necessary for the test administration agency to perform the services as agreed in the contract between the agency and the Florida Department of Education.

3. The examinee shall be provided electronic communication an admission ticket that contains the location, date and time for the examinee’s score verification session.

4. During the score verification session, the examinee shall file with the Florida Department of Education via the test administration agency a statement of specific scoring errors which may result in a scoring change passing score.

5. through 7. No change.

(12) No change.

Rulemaking Authority 1012.55(1), 1012.56, 1012.59 FS. Law Implemented 1012.55, 1012.56, 1012.59 FS. History–New 8-27-80, Amended 1-11-82, 1-6-83, 5-3-83, 10-5-83, 10-15-84, Formerly 6A-4.021, Amended 12-25-86, 4-26-89, 4-16-90, 7-10-90, 4-22-91, 10-3-91, 8-10-92, 11-28-93, 4-12-95, 7-1-96, 9-30-96, 10-1-99, 7-17-00, 7-16-01, 3-24-02, 7-16-02, 3-24-03, 7-21-03, 12-23-03, 7-13-04, 5-24-05, 5-23-06, 5-21-07, 5-19-08, 7-21-08, 7-9-09, 6-22-10, 6-21-11, 11-22-11, 8-23-12, 5-21-13, 10-22-13, 2-25-14, 12-23-14, 7-28-15, 10-26-15, 7-26-16,  2-20-17, 8-20-17,

 

NAME OF PERSON ORIGINATING PROPOSED RULE: Juan Copa, Deputy Commissioner, Division of Accountability, Research and Measurement.

NAME OF AGENCY HEAD WHO APPROVED THE PROPOSED RULE: Pam Stewart, Commissioner, Department of Education.

DATE PROPOSED RULE APPROVED BY AGENCY HEAD: April 11, 2018

DATE NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT PUBLISHED IN FAR: March 6, 2018