To implement the new certification pathway for military veterans by creating a new certification application form and specifying eligibility criteria. The effect of the rule change is to provide an additional option for ....

 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

State Board of Education

RULE NO.RULE TITLE:

6A-4.0012:Application Information

6A-4.002:General Provisions

6A-4.004:Florida Educator's Certificates with Academic, Administrative, Degreed Career and Technical, and Specialty Class Coverages

PURPOSE AND EFFECT: To implement the new certification pathway for military veterans by creating a new certification application form and specifying eligibility criteria. The effect of the rule change is to provide an additional option for certification applicants who are military veterans to obtain a 5-year Temporary Certificate. Additionally, this rule development will specify that only a 3-year Temporary Certificate can be issued after it has been expired for a year, remove the active duty requirements for members of armed forces reserves to be eligible for the military certification fee waiver and revise the current list of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses incorporated by reference in Rule 6A-4.004, F.A.C., to be aligned with the State Board of Education approved Course Code Directory.

SUMMARY: Florida offers multiple pathways to earn an educator certificate. The Bureau of Educator Certification issues 3-year Temporary and 5-year Professional and Restricted Professional Certificates to educators who meet the criteria, including earning a bachelor’s degree, per section 1012.56, Florida Statutes. Currently, a pathway for military personnel is not in place. The current military provisions allow for active duty service members, veterans and their spouses to apply for a military certification fee waiver. The Bureau of Educator Certification also issues Professional Certificates to educators who meet the criteria for the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) pathway. One of the criteria is to teach an approved STEM course with a state or national standardized test. The rule amendments will allow for the implementation of the new certification pathway for military veterans, remove the active duty requirement for reservists to become eligible for a military certification fee waiver, and update the STEM course list according to the current Course Code Directory.

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: The proposed rule amendment is not expected to have any adverse impact on economic growth or business competitiveness, or increase regulatory costs or any other factor set forth in s. 120.541(2), F.S. This is based upon the nature of the proposed changes, which creates a new certification pathway for military veterans who meet specified criteria.

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: 1001.02(2)(n), 1012.55(1), 1012.56(13), 1012.586, 1012.59(1), F.S.

LAW IMPLEMENTED: 1001.10(5)(b), 1012.31, 1012.32, 1012.55, 1012.56, F.S.

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

DATE AND TIME: August 17, 2022, 9:00 a.m.

PLACE: Pensacola State College, Switzer Center for Visual Arts (Bldg. 15), 1000 College Boulevard, Pensacola, FL 32504.

THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE IS: Michelle L. Gaines, Bureau Chief, Educator Certification, 325 West Gaines Street, Ste. 201, Tallahassee, FL 32399, [phone].

 

THE FULL TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE IS:

6A-4.0012 Application Information.

(1) Application process. To apply for evaluation of eligibility for a Florida Educator’s Certificate, an individual shall submit to the Bureau of Educator Certification the following:

(a) No change.

(b) A completed Form CG-10R Renewal or Reinstatement Application and a nonrefundable application fee. Form CG-10R, Renewal or Reinstatement Application (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-08784), effective November 2017, is hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this rule. The form may be submitted online via the Department of Education, Educator Certification website at http://www.fldoe.org/teaching/certification/on-line-application-status-lookup-site.stml, or may be retrieved from the website and submitted via postal delivery to the Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Educator Certification, Room 201, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400. The nonrefundable application fee is prescribed below:

1. through 3. No change.

(c) A completed Form CG-10M Temporary Military Veterans Certificate Application and a nonrefundable application fee of $75.00 per subject unless eligible for the Military Certification Fee Waiver per subsection (8) of this rule. Form CG-10M, Temporary Military Veterans Certificate Application, (DOS Link), effective September 2022, is hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this rule. The form may be submitted online via the Department of Education, Educator Certification website at http://www.fldoe.org/teaching/certification/on-line-application-status-lookup-site.stml, or may be retrieved from the website and submitted via postal delivery to the Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Educator Certification, Room 201, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400.

(2) through (7) No change.

(8) Military Fee Waivers.

(a) An individual is eligible for  a waiver from the department for the  application fees prescribed in subparagraph (1)(a)1., 2., or 3. of this rule if he or she:

1. Is a member of the of the U.S. Armed Forces or a reserve component who is serving, or who has served, on active duty or is the spouse of such a service member;

2. Is an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces or an honorably discharged veteran of a reserve component who served on active duty or is the spouse or surviving spouse of such veteran; or

3. Is the surviving spouse of a member of the U.S. Armed Forces or reserve component who was serving on active duty at the time of death.

(b) To apply for a fee waiver, a request must be submitted via the Department of Education, Educator Certification website at http://www.fldoe.org/teaching/certification/military/ along with documentation establishing that the applicant meets the requirements for a fee waiver under subparagraph (8)(a)1., 2., or 3., of this rule. The following chart lists the required documentation:

BASIS FOR WAIVER OF FEE	DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED
Member of Armed Forces	Military ID card
Spouse of member of Armed Forces	Military dependent ID card (DD Form 1173)
Member of reserves, serving or served active duty	Military ID card or NGB22 Form or DD 256A Form and Activity Duty Report (DD Form 220) or Military ID card and orders for active duty;
Spouse of member of reserves, serving or served active duty	Military dependent ID card (DD Form 1173) or Military dependent ID card (DD Form 1173-1)  and spouse’s DD Form 220 or spouse’s orders for active duty
Honorably discharged veteran	Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214 Member 4)
Spouse or surviving spouse of honorably discharged veteran	DD Form 214 Member 4 of spouse and marriage certificate
Honorably discharged veteran of reserves, served active duty	DD Form 214 Member 4, NGB22 Form or DD 256A Form
Spouse of honorably discharged veteran of reserves, served active duty	DD Form 214 Member 4, NGB22 Form or DD 256A Form of spouse and marriage certificate
Surviving spouse of member of armed forces on active duty at time of death	Official documentation from Department of Defense
Surviving spouse of member of reserves on active duty at time of death	Official documentation from Department of Defense

(c) No change.  

(d) Individuals eligible for veterans and military fee waivers shall not be responsible for payment of the following initial certification fees as per paragraph (1)(b) and (1)(c) of this rule:

1. through 3. No change.

4. Request for evaluation of eligibility for an initial temporary military veterans certificate (INITIAL) – $75.00 per subject.

(e) No change.

Rulemaking Authority 1001.02, 1012.55, 1012.56, 1012.586, 1012.59 FS. Law Implemented 1012.31, 1012.32, 1012.55, 1012.56, 1012.586, 1012.59, 1012.798 FS. History–New 7-6-82, Amended 9-27-83, Formerly 6A-4.012, Amended 12-25-86, 10-26-88, 5-2-90, 4-24-91, 7-7-92, 5-3-94, 7-18-95, 9-17-01, 11-25-03, 12-27-04, 1-1-08, 10-21-09, 12-31-14, 11-21-17, 11-28-18,

6A-4.002 General Provisions.

(1) Educator’s certificates.

(a) No change.

(b) An applicant for a Florida educator’s certificate shall be governed by Florida Statutes and rules for the temporary and professional certificates that are in effect at the time of application and qualification for the initial certificate provided successive certificates are issued for consecutive school fiscal years. An individual who permits a three-year temporary certificate per Rule 6A-4.004, F.A.C., to expire for at least one (1) school fiscal year may secure another full-time certificate in accordance with Florida Statutes and rules for temporary and professional certificates which are in effect at the time the most recent application is received in the Bureau of Educator Certification, Florida Department of Education.

(c) through (m) No change.

(2) No change.

(3) College credit. College credit used for educator certification purposes shall be undergraduate or graduate credit earned at an accredited or approved institution or recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE) as specified in Rule 6A-4.003, F.A.C. All college credit shall be computed by semester hours. One (1) quarter hour of college credit shall equal two-thirds (2/3) of one (1) semester hour. Community and junior college credit used for educator certification purposes shall parallel those of the first and second years of course work at an accredited or approved institution and shall be comparable to courses offered at Florida state, community and junior colleges which have been approved by the Florida Department of Education.

(a) through (d) No change.

(e) A grade of at least “C” or the equivalent shall be earned in each course used for meeting professional preparation requirements pursuant to Rule subsection 6A-4.006(2), F.A.C. A grade of pass shall be acceptable under the pass or fail grading system.

(4) Examinations. The examinations used for demonstration of mastery of general knowledge, professional education competence, and subject area knowledge shall be aligned with student standards approved by the State Board of Education pursuant to Sections 1012.56(4) and (9)(f), F.S., and Rule 6A-1.09401, F.A.C.

(a) through (e) No change.

(f) Effective for tests administered on or after July 1, 2015, achievement of passing scores, as identified by the State Board of Education pursuant to Rule subsection 6A-4.0021(12), F.A.C., on test sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) revised General Test shall satisfy the requirement for mastery of general knowledge as demonstrated on the comparable and relevant subtests of the General Knowledge (GK) Test of the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE), as follows:

1. through (3) No change.

(5) No change.

Rulemaking Authority 1001.02, 1012.55, 1012.56 FS. Law Implemented 1001.10(5)(b), 1012.55, 1012.56 FS. History–New 4-10-64, Amended 4-8-68, 4-11-70, 10-18-71, 3-19-72, 12-18-72, 6-17-73, 4-19-74, Repromulgated 12-5-74, Amended 6-22-76, 6-27-77, 12-26-77, 4-27-78, 7-1-79, 7-2-79, 6-26-80, 7-28-81, 1-3-82, 5-11-82, 6-22-83, 3-28-84, 1-31-85, 3-13-85, Joint Administrative Objection Filed – See FAR Vol. 12, No. 11, March 14, 1986, Formerly 6A-4.02, Amended 12-25-86, 10-18-88, 10-10-89, 4-15-91, 11-10-92, 5-30-94, 11-13-96, 10-15-01, 12-27-04, 7-27-06, Joint Administrative Procedures Committee objection resolved by Chapter 86-156, Laws of Florida, Florida Administrative Register Vol. 35, No. 27, July 10, 2009, Amended 1-1-14, 12-31-14, 10-26-15, 6-23-161, 12-20-16, 2-19-19, 7-14-21,

6A-4.004 Florida Educator’s Certificates with Academic, Administrative, Degreed Career and Technical, and Specialty Class Coverages.

A Florida educator’s certificate is issued to an applicant with academic, administrative, degreed career and technical, and specialty class coverages as specified below.

(1) No change.

(2) Temporary military veterans certificate.

(a) The five-year nonrenewable temporary certificate may be issued once to an applicant who does not qualify for the professional certificate but meets the following requirements:

1. Documents forty-eight (48) months of active-duty military service with an honorable discharge or medical separation by providing an official copy of a DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty;

2. Documents at least (60) college credits earned with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, in lieu of a bachelor’s degree, by submitting an official transcript per Rule 6A-4.003, F.A.C.;

3. Holds a valid Official Statement of Status of Eligibility as specified in Section 1012.56(1), F.S., which reflects that the applicant has satisfied specialization requirements or subject mastery for the bachelor’s level subject requested;

4. Obtains full-time employment in a position for which a Florida educator certificate is required in a Florida public, state supported, or a nonpublic school which has a Department of Education approved system for documenting the demonstration of required professional education competence. Verification of employment shall be submitted by a Florida district superintendent or designee or the chief administrative officer and confirm the educator is assigned to a mentor per Section 1012.56(7)(d), F.S.; and

5. Satisfies the fingerprint requirement per sub-subparagraph (1)(a)3.a. of this rule.

(3)(2) Professional certificate.

(a) No change.

(b) A standard, renewable professional certificate covering a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) subject in grades 6 though 12 may be issued to an applicant who meets the following eligibility requirements:

1. through 5. No change.

The district shall verify, using the district verification form, “STEM-2016” (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-07645) (effective December 2016), which is herein incorporated by reference and made part of this rule, that its calculation of the highly effective summative evaluation rating is based in part on the performance of students as measured by one of the above specified statewide, standardized or national assessments for a high school course listed in the publication, “Florida STEM Course List,” (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-09632) (effective September 2022August 2018), which is herein incorporated by reference and made a part of this rule. Both incorporated documents may be obtained without cost from the Bureau of Educator Certification, Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399.

(c) The standard professional certificate may be renewed or extended based on provisions specified in Rule 6A-4.0051, F.A.C.

(4)(3) Nonrenewable certificates covering speech-language impaired.

(a) No change.

(b) A nonrenewable professional certificate valid for five (5) school fiscal years shall be issued one (1) time to an applicant who meets the following requirements:

1. Meets requirements for a temporary certificate covering speech-language impaired as specified in paragraph (4)(3)(a) of this rule;

2. through 4. No change.

(5)(4) Certificates covering only athletic coaching (Grades K-12).

(a) A certificate valid for three (3) school fiscal years reflecting only athletic coaching may be issued to an applicant who does not meet the requirements specified in paragraph (5)(4)(b) of this rule. The certificate may be issued one (1) time to an applicant who meets the following requirements:

1. through 2. No change.

(b) A certificate valid for five (5) school fiscal years reflecting only athletic coaching may be issued to an applicant who meets the following requirements:

1. Completes the application requirements as specified in Rule 6A-4.0012, F.A.C.;

2. Satisfies specialization requirements as specified in Rule subsections 6A-4.0282(2) and (3), F.A.C.; and

3. Submits fingerprint reports as specified in subparagraph (1)(a)3. of this rule.

(c) An applicant who does not meet requirements in either paragraph (5)(4)(a) or paragraph (5)(4)(b) of this rule, for a certificate covering only athletic coaching will be issued an official letter, valid for one (1) year after receipt of the completed application, advising the applicant of any requirements that must be completed to qualify for a certificate covering only athletic coaching.

(6)(5) Special temporary certificate covering only educational leadership.

(a) through (b) No change.

(c) An applicant who holds a special temporary certificate covering only educational leadership, or held the same which has expired, may be issued a professional certificate provided all requirements for the professional certificate in effect at the time the application is filed have been completed, as specified in subsection (3)(2) of this rule, which includes satisfying the specialization requirements for Educational Leadership as specified in Rule 6A-4.0082, F.A.C. An applicant issued the temporary certificate based on verified service as a military officer as specified in sub-subparagraph (6)(5)(a)3.b. of this rule, shall be issued a professional certificate covering school principal upon submission of verification approved by the school district superintendent that the applicant successfully completed the district school principal certification program approved pursuant to Rule 6A-5.081, F.A.C.

(7)(6) Restricted professional certificate.

(a) through (b) No change.

(8)(7) Addition of subjects to a professional certificate. A subject may be added to a valid renewable professional certificate when an applicant meets the following requirements:

(a) through (b) No change.

(9)(8) Addition of endorsements. An endorsement may be added to a valid three-year nonrenewable temporary or renewable professional certificate when an applicant meets the following requirements:

(a) through (b) No change.

(10)(9) Expired certificates.

(a) through (c) No change.

(d) An applicant whose professional certificate has expired may reinstate the professional certificate if requirements are completed as specified in Rule subsection 6A-4.0051(7), F.A.C.

Rulemaking Authority 1001.02, 1012.55, 1012.56 FS. Law Implemented 1012.55, 1012.56 FS. History–New 4-20-64, Amended 4-8-68, 7-7-68, 4-11-69, 4-11-70, 9-17-72, 8-17-74, Repromulgated 12-5-74, Amended 11-9-76, 7-1-79, 8-27-80, 1-3-82, 4-26-84, 11-18-84, 6-18-85, Formerly 6A-4.04, Amended 12-25-86, 10-18-88, 9-12-89, 12-4-89, 4-15-91, 10-10-91, 5-3-94, 10-15-01, 12-27-04, 11-26-08, 3-5-14, 12-20-16, 8-21-18, 3-17-20,

NAME OF PERSON ORIGINATING PROPOSED RULE: Michelle L. Gaines, Bureau Chief, Educator Certification.

NAME OF AGENCY HEAD WHO APPROVED THE PROPOSED RULE: Manny Diaz Jr., Commissioner, Department of Education.

DATE PROPOSED RULE APPROVED BY AGENCY HEAD: July 11, 2022

DATE NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT PUBLISHED IN FAR: June 15, 2022