6A-4.00821. Florida Educational Leadership Examination

(1) Scope. This rule governs the written examination for certification in Educational Leadership. Additional requirements for certification in Educational Leadership are specified in Rule 6A-4.0082, F.A.C.

(2) Description of the examination and competencies to be demonstrated.

(a) The Florida Educational Leadership Examination shall be developed by the Commissioner of Education.

(b) Before January 1, 2014, the written examination shall contain multiple-choice questions and a performance assessment associated with the Florida Principal Leadership Standards specified in Rule 6A-5.080, F.A.C., effective May 24, 2005, in the areas of:

1. Instructional Leadership;

2. Operational Leadership; and,

3. School Leadership.

(c) Between January 1, 2014, and February 29, 2024, the written examination shall contain multiple-choice questions and a performance assessment associated with the Florida Principal Leadership Standards specified in Rule 6A-5.080, F.A.C., effective December 20, 2011, in the areas of:

1. Leadership for Student Learning;

2. Organizational Development; and,

3. Systems Leadership.

(d) Beginning March 1, 2024, the written examination shall contain multiple-choice questions and performance assessments associated with the Florida Educational Leadership Standards specified in Rule 6A-5.080, F.A.C., effective November 22, 2022, in the areas of:

1. Foundational Policies and Practices of School Leadership;

2. Leadership Practices for Student Learning;

3. Leadership Development; and,

4. Leadership Communication.

(e) Before January 1, 2014, the competencies to be demonstrated by means of a written examination are contained in the publication “Competencies and Skills Required for Certification in Educational Leadership in Florida, Third Edition 2008,” (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-01709), which is hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this rule. Copies of this publication may be obtained by contacting the Division of Accountability, Research and Measurement, Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400.

(f) Between January 1, 2014, and February 29, 2024, the competencies to be demonstrated by means of a written examination are contained in the publication “Competencies and Skills Required for Certification in Education Leadership in Florida, Fourth Edition 2012,” (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-01708), which is hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this rule. Copies of this publication may be obtained by contacting the Division of Accountability, Research and Measurement, Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400.

(g) Beginning March 1, 2024, the competencies to be demonstrated by means of a written examination are contained in the publication “Competencies and Skills Required for Certification in Education Leadership in Florida, Fifth Edition 2024,” (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-16359), which is hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this rule. Copies of this publication may be obtained by contacting the Division of Accountability, Research and Measurement, Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400.

(3) Administration of the examination.

(a) The examination shall be administered by a test administration agency or agencies under contract with the Florida Department of Education.

(b) The examination shall be administered at least two (2) times each year.

(c) The examination shall be administered at sites designated by the Commissioner of Education.

(d) An examinee may retake a failed examination provided at least thirty (30) calendar days have elapsed since the previous administration of the failed examination.

(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 subsection 6A-4.0051(8), FAC.

(4) Registration and refunds.

(a) Registration for the examination shall be for the initial examination or for one (1) or more subtests not previously passed. To register to take the examination, an applicant shall submit a completed application to the test administration agency. A completed application shall consist of the following:

1. A completed application Form CG-20-04, Registration Application: Certification Examinations for Florida Educators, which includes the applicant’s signature. Form CG-20-04 is hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this rule to become effective September 1, 2009. This form may be obtained without cost from the Office of Assessment, Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399 or online via the Florida Educational Leadership Examination Program website at http://www.fldoe.org/asp/fele/default.asp.

2. Before January 1, 2015, a two hundred fifteen (215) dollar fee for first-time registration or a two hundred twenty-five (225) dollar fee for each retake registration.

3. Between January 1, 2015, and November 22, 2023 registration fees for the Florida Educational Leadership Examination shall be as follows:

First-Time Registration	$215.00
Retake: Subtest 3 Single Section Registration	$150.00
Retake All Other Combination Registrations	$225.00

4. Beginning November 23, 2023, registration fees for the Florida Educational Leadership Examination shall be as follows:

First-Time Registration: All Subtests (Full Battery)	$215.00
Retake: Single Subtest Registration	$53.75
Retake: Two Subtests Registration	$107.50
Retake: Three Subtests Registration	$161.25
Retake: Full Battery Registration	$215.00

(b) Refunds. Fees may be refunded provided written requests for refunds are received by the test administration agency at least twenty-four (24) hours preceding the examination date. Failure to appear for or to complete an examination shall result in forfeiture of fees.

(5) Admission. The test administration agency shall provide each applicant with electronic communication specifying the examination site, date, and time. This communication will also stipulate identification required for entrance into the examination site. An applicant who arrives after the examination has begun shall not be admitted until the start of the next subtest of the examination.

(6) Examinee with a disability. An applicant who is unable to complete the examination under standard testing conditions because of a disability may request special arrangements. Such a request shall be made when the examination application is submitted. Lack of proficiency in the English language alone shall not be acceptable as a justifiable reason for requesting a reader or extra time for an examinee. Special arrangements shall be provided for applicants with disabilities.

(a) Persons requesting special arrangements must be certified as having a disability by a licensed psychologist or physician. Such documentation shall have been completed within the previous three (3) years and must be received on official letterhead stationery. In the absence of such certification, the applicant may submit documentation of accommodations provided for a disability during the applicant’s baccalaureate or graduate degree program. Any documentation submitted must describe the disability and the accommodations made necessary by the disability.

(b) Appropriate special arrangements for testing shall be provided, where necessary, to afford an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to participate. In determining the type of special arrangement to be provided, primary consideration shall be given to the requests of the individual with the disability. However, if it can be demonstrated that special arrangements that are equally effective as those requested are available at less cost or are more readily available, the Department may provide the less expensive or more readily available means of special arrangements for testing.

(c) In no case shall the modifications authorized herein be interpreted or construed as an authorization to provide a person with assistance in determining the answer to any examination item.

(d) Nothing in this rule shall be construed to require an individual with a disability to accept an accommodation, aid, service, opportunity, or benefit provided under this rule which the individual chooses not to accept.

(e) This rule does not require the Department to provide individuals with disabilities with personal devices, such as wheelchairs; individually prescribed devices, such as prescription eyeglasses or hearing aids; readers for personal use for study; or services of a personal nature including assistance in eating, toiletry, or dressing.

(f) Test accommodation appeals procedure. An examinee who is denied test accommodations may appeal the denial to the Commissioner of Education. Such appeal may necessitate testing at a later date. The Commissioner of Education shall determine whether the Department appropriately considered the criteria set forth in paragraphs (6)(a) through (e), above.

(7) Scoring of the examination.

(a) Prior to July 1, 1988, a score earned on the Florida Educational Leadership Examination shall be considered a passing score and shall be valid for Educational Leadership certification application for a period of two (2) years from the test administration date.

(b) Beginning July 1, 1988, through December 31, 2008, a passing score for each subtest of the Florida Educational Leadership Examination shall be:

1. School Communications. Examinee scores for the school communications subtest shall be reported as an average scaled score combining the scaled score from the essay test and the scaled score from the multiple-choice questions. The passing score shall be the scaled score equivalent to the combination of the essay total raw score of four (4) and a multiple-choice total raw score of fifteen (15) on the November 1987 administration of the subtest.

2. School Management. Examinee scores for the school management subtest shall be reported as a scaled score. The passing score shall be the scaled score equivalent to a total raw score of sixty-nine (69) on the November 1987, administration of the subtest.

3. School Operations. Examinee scores for the school operations subtest shall be reported as a scaled score. The passing score shall be the scaled score equivalent to a total raw score of ninety-one (91) on the November 1987, administration of the subtest.

(c) The subtest score scales for administrations of the examination from July 1, 1988, through December 31, 2008, shall be equated to the November 1987 subtest administration.

(d) Effective January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2013, a passing score for each subtest of the Florida Education Leadership Examination shall be:

1. Instructional Leadership. Examinee scores for the instructional leadership subtest shall be reported as a scaled score. The passing score shall be a scaled score of two hundred (200).

2. Operational Leadership. Examinee scores for the operational leadership subtest shall be reported as a scaled score. The passing score shall be a scaled score of two hundred (200).

3. School Leadership. Examinee scores for the school leadership subtest shall be reported as a scaled score which is the combination of the written performance assessment and the multiple-choice questions. The written performance assessment shall be weighted thirty (30) percent and the multiple-choice questions shall be weighted seventy (70) percent. The passing score shall be a scaled score of two hundred (200).

4. This scaled score shall be equivalent to the following raw scores on the test forms administered in January 2009:

FELE Subtest 1: Instructional Leadership:	48 correct items
FELE Subtest 2: Operational Leadership:	46 correct items
FELE Subtest 3: School Leadership:	A composite score of at least 44.2286. This composites score shall be a combination of multiple-choice and written performance assessment sections weighted seventy (70) percent and thirty (30) percent, respectively.

(e) Beginning January 1, 2015, the passing score for each subtest of the Florida Education Leadership Examination shall be a scaled score of at least two hundred (200) for multiple-choice subtests and sections. The passing score for the written performance assessment of Subtest 3 shall be a total raw score of at least seven (7). This scaled score shall be equivalent to the following raw scores on the test forms used for standard setting and administered between January and March 2014:

1. FELE Subtest 1: Leadership for Student Learning	48 correct items
2. FELE Subtest 2: Organizational Development	48 correct items
3. FELE Subtest 3: Systems Leadership	36 correct items on the multiple-choice section and a total raw score of at least seven (7) on the written performance assessment.

(8) Written Performance Assessment.

(a) Raters Judges. The test scoring agency shall appoint persons to score the written performance assessment who have prior experience as educational leaders, instructional leaders, or school building administrators.

(b) Chief Raters. The chief raters shall be raters who have prior experience as educational leaders, instructional leaders, or school building administrators and have demonstrated success as raters.

(9) Score reports.

(a) A properly authenticated score report is defined as the original score report issued directly by the test administration agency without any qualification, reservation, or irregularity.

(b) The examinee shall be sent an authenticated score report. In addition, a score report may be issued by the test administration agency without a fee to one (1) Florida college or university and to one (1) Florida school district provided the examinee identifies the recipient or recipients of the score report at the time of registration.

(c) Official documentation of scores earned on each subtest of the examination for an Educational Leadership certificate shall be the original authenticated score report or a duplicate authenticated score report as described in paragraphs 6A-4.00821(9)(a) and (e), F.A.C.

(d) After July 1, 1988, scores shall be reported as Pass or Fail for each subtest. The Commissioner of Education may provide additional score information to the examinee.

(e) An examinee may obtain a duplicate authenticated score report for a test administration by filing a written request and a fee. A fee is required for each score report that is requested. The fee shall be that amount necessary for the test administration agency to perform the service as agreed in the contract between the agency and the Florida Department of Education.

(10) Review.

(a) Requests for Score Verification. An examinee who fails one (1) or more subtests of the examination, including the performance assessment, within ten (10) scale score points of the passing scale score (200) may file a written request with the test administration agency to verify that the subtest(s) were scored accurately. The request shall be filed no later than thirty (30) days after the date the score report was released by the test administration agency. The fee for score verification shall be seventy-five ($75.00) dollars. The test administration agency shall notify the examinee of the results of the request within thirty (30) days of receipt of the request and fee.

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

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 the amount necessary for the test administration agency to perform the services agreed in the contract between the agency and the Florida Department of Education.

3. The examinee shall be provided electronic communication 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.

5. The Florida Department of Education shall review test items, verify examination keys, and consult with field-specific subject matter experts as needed.

6. The Commissioner of Education shall notify the individual of the action on the statement of scoring errors no later than thirty (30) days from receipt of the statement.

7. An examinee may retake a failed subtest that was reviewed provided at least thirty (30) days have elapsed since the date of the review. If an examinee takes any subtest that was reviewed within thirty (30) days of the test date, the subtest will be invalidated.

(11) Military Testing Fee Waivers.

(a) An individual is eligible for a military testing fee waiver from the Department for the first-time testing fees prescribed in paragraphs (4)(a) of this rule, if he or she:

1. Is a member of the U.S. Armed Forces or a reserve component thereof who is serving, or 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 thereof or is the spouse or surviving spouse of such a service member; or

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

(b) To apply for a military testing 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 military testing fee waiver per paragraph (11)(a) 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	Military ID card or NGB22 Form or DD 256A Form
Spouse of member of reserves	Military dependent ID card (DD Form 1173) or Military dependent ID card (DD Form 1173-1)
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	DD Form 214 Member 4, NGB22 Form or DD 256A Form
Spouse of honorably discharged veteran of reserves	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 at time of death	Official documentation from Department of Defense

(c) Additional documentation. Where the required documentation submitted does not establish eligibility, due to a name change or other circumstance, the applicant will be notified by the Department within ninety (90) days and afforded the opportunity to submit additional documentation to verify eligibility.

(d) All documents submitted to verify eligibility for military testing fee waivers will be retained in the certification record maintained by the Department and will not be returned to the applicant. Approval for military testing fee waivers remain valid for five (5) years from the date issued unless a document submitted indicates an earlier expiration date or end date of its validity and in that case, validity of the military testing fee waiver expires when the verifying document expires. In no case shall a person use or attempt to use a military testing fee waiver if the person does not meet the eligibility criteria set forth in Section 1012.59(3), F.S.

(e) Fees for retake examinations under subsection (4) of this rule may not be waived. Subsequent registration for any examination under subsection (4) of this rule taken before July 1, 2018, will be considered a retake and not eligible for a fee waiver under this section.

(12) Retired First Responder Testing Fee Waivers.

(a) An individual is eligible for a retired first responder testing fee waiver from the department for the first-time testing fees prescribed in paragraph (4)(a) of this rule if he or she:

1. Is a retired law enforcement officer as defined in Section 943.10(1), F.S.;

2. Is a retired firefighter as defined in Section 633.102(9), F.S.; or

3. Is a retired emergency medical technician or paramedic as defined in Section 401.23, F.S.

(b) To apply for a retired first responder testing fee waiver, a request must be submitted via the Department of Education, Educator Certification website at http://www.fldoe.org/teaching/certification/retiredfirstresponder/ along with documentation establishing that the applicant meets the requirements for a retired first responder testing fee waiver per paragraph (12)(a) of this rule.

(c) Where the required documentation submitted does not establish eligibility, due to a name change or other circumstance, the applicant will be notified by the Department within ninety (90) days and afforded the opportunity to submit additional documentation to verify eligibility. 

(d) All documents submitted to verify eligibility for retired first responder testing fee waivers will be retained in the certification record maintained by the Department and will not be returned to the applicant. Approval for retired first responder testing fee waivers remain valid for five (5) years from the date issued unless a document used to verify eligibility indicates an earlier expiration date or end date of its validity and in that case, validity of the testing fee waiver expires when the verifying document expires. In no case, shall a person use or attempt to use a retired first responder testing fee waiver if the person does not meet the eligibility criteria set forth in Section 1012.59(3), F.S., and this rule.

Rulemaking Authority 1012.56, 1012.59 FS. Law Implemented 1012.56, 1012.59 FS. History–New 12-25-86, Amended 1-11-89, 5-19-98, 10-6-99, 7-17-00, 7-16-01, 3-24-02, 10-17-02, 3-24-03, 7-21-03, 6-22-04, 5-19-08, 7-21-08, 9-6-09, 12-16-12, 12-3-13, 12-23-14, 6-19-18, 11-28-18, 11-23-22, 11-21-23, 2-20-24.