Alternative certification programs in Florida are designed to prepare newly hired teachers who qualify for a Temporary Certificate and who must complete training in education to qualify for a Professional Certificate. Each Florida school district offers a competency-based, on-the-job alternative certification program - either a district-developed program that has been approved by the Florida Department of Education or Florida's Alternative Certification Program. To find a District Coordinator in your area, click here. For information on the Florida educator certification process, click here.
Developed by the Florida Department of
Education with a K-20 collaborative team, Florida's Alternative
Certification Program offers professional
education preparation via distance learning and face-to-face peer
support to
beginning teachers with subject area expertise. Florida's Alternative
Certification Program includes the following components for implementation
by Florida school districts:
- Survival Training to ensure an initial period of preparation
before the teacher assumes responsibility for the classroom
- CD-ROM to train users on features of the web-based
learning management system used to deliver the learning activites
- Support Team to coordinate and support the professional
development of the teacher
- Peer Mentor to offer face-to-face feedback
and assistance throughout the learning experience
- Peer Mentor to offer face-to-face feedback
and assistance throughout the learning experience
- On-line Tutor to provide guidance, feedback, and
assessment of work products developed through the program's
learning activities
- Building Level Administrator to verify successful
demonstration of all education competencies
- Outside Educator to offer feedback as a collaborative
partner from higher education or a district level supervisor
- On-line Professional Preparation Learning Activities to
provide in-depth, in-time acquisition of the Florida Educator
Accomplished Practices.
- Assessment
- Communication
- Continuous Improvement
- Critical Thinking
- Diversity
- Ethics
- Human Development & Learning
- Knowledge of Subject Matter
- Learning Environments
- Planning
- Role of the Teacher
- Technology
- Opportunities for supporting roles by Collaborative Partners to
assist school district implementation
- Pre-Assessment to determine the learning needs of each
teacher
- Individual Action Plan to outline the structured learning
experiences for each teacher
- On-line Professional Preparation Learning Activities to
provide in-depth, in-time learning experiences for acquisition
of professional education competencies
- Summative Assessment Tasks to ensure a standards-based
method of determining mastery of the professional education competencies
- Database Tracking System to document the progress
of each teacher in successfully demonstrating the Florida Educator
Accomplished Practices
- Professional Education Test to demonstrate knowledge of educational pedagogy
Developed to incorporate findings from research literature on effective alternative certification programs, best practices in distance learning, and a legally defensible standards-driven assessment system, Florida's Alternative Certification Program embraces continual quality improvement. Its implementation demonstrates that learning is engaging, meaningful, and on-going. That is an educationally sound message for learners of all ages.
© Copyright 2002, Florida Department of Education