Florida Senate - 2023 SB 878 By Senator Powell 24-01580-23 2023878__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to temporary teacher certifications; 3 amending s. 1012.55, F.S.; conforming provisions to 4 changes made by the act; amending s. 1012.56, F.S.; 5 authorizing certain education paraprofessionals to be 6 issued a temporary teaching certificate for a 7 specified time period; requiring such 8 paraprofessionals to be assigned a teacher mentor for 9 a minimum number of school years; revising the number 10 of school fiscal years for which a temporary teaching 11 certificate is valid; providing an effective date. 12 13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 14 15 Section 1.Paragraph (e) of subsection (1) of section 16 1012.55, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 17 1012.55Positions for which certificates required. 18 (1) 19 (e)1.The department shall issue a 5-year 3-year temporary 20 certificate in educational leadership under s. 1012.56(7) to an 21 individual who: 22 a.Earned a passing score on the Florida Educational 23 Leadership Examination. 24 b.Served as a commissioned or noncommissioned military 25 officer in the United States Armed Forces for at least 3 years. 26 c.Was honorably discharged or has retired from the United 27 States Armed Forces. 28 d.Is employed full time in a position for which an 29 educator certificate is required in a Florida public school, 30 state-supported school, or nonpublic school that has a Level II 31 program under s. 1012.562. 32 2.A Level II program under s. 1012.562 must accept an 33 applicant who holds a temporary certificate under subparagraph 34 1. The department shall issue a permanent certification as a 35 school principal to an individual who holds a temporary 36 certificate under subparagraph 1. and successfully completes the 37 Level II program. 38 Section 2.Paragraphs (b), (d), and (e) of subsection (7) 39 of section 1012.56, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 40 1012.56Educator certification requirements. 41 (7)TYPES AND TERMS OF CERTIFICATION. 42 (b)The department shall issue a temporary certificate to 43 any applicant who: 44 1.Completes the requirements outlined in paragraphs 45 (2)(a)-(f) and completes the subject area content requirements 46 specified in state board rule or demonstrates mastery of subject 47 area knowledge pursuant to subsection (5) and holds an 48 accredited degree or a degree approved by the Department of 49 Education at the level required for the subject area 50 specialization in state board rule; or 51 2.For a subject area specialization for which the state 52 board otherwise requires a bachelors degree, documents 48 53 months of active-duty military service with an honorable 54 discharge or a medical separation; completes the requirements 55 outlined in paragraphs (2)(a), (b), and (d)-(f); completes the 56 subject area content requirements specified in state board rule 57 or demonstrates mastery of subject area knowledge pursuant to 58 subsection (5); and documents completion of 60 college credits 59 with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 60 scale, as provided by one or more accredited institutions of 61 higher learning or a nonaccredited institution of higher 62 learning identified by the Department of Education as having a 63 quality program resulting in a bachelors degree or higher; or 64 3.For a subject area specialization for which the state 65 board otherwise requires a bachelors degree, is employed by a 66 school district as an education paraprofessional, as defined in 67 s. 1012.01(2)(e); completes the subject area content 68 requirements specified in state board rule or demonstrates 69 mastery of subject area knowledge pursuant to subsection (5); 70 and documents completion of 60 college credits with a minimum 71 cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale with a 72 declared major or minor in education, as provided by one or more 73 accredited institutions of higher education or a nonaccredited 74 institution of higher education identified by the Department of 75 Education as having a quality program resulting in a bachelors 76 degree or higher. 77 (d)A person who is issued a temporary certificate under 78 subparagraph (b)2. or subparagraph (b)3. must be assigned a 79 teacher mentor for a minimum of 2 school years after commencing 80 employment. Each teacher mentor selected by the school district, 81 charter school, or charter management organization must: 82 1.Hold a valid professional certificate issued pursuant to 83 this section; 84 2.Have earned at least 3 years of teaching experience in 85 prekindergarten through grade 12; and 86 3.Have earned an effective or highly effective rating on 87 the prior years performance evaluation under s. 1012.34. 88 (e)1.A temporary certificate issued under subparagraph 89 (b)1. is valid for 3 school fiscal years and is nonrenewable. 90 2.A temporary certificate issued under paragraph (b) 91 subparagraph (b)2. is valid for 5 school fiscal years, is 92 limited to a one-time issuance, and is nonrenewable. 93 94 At least 1 year before an individuals temporary certificate is 95 set to expire, the department shall electronically notify the 96 individual of the date on which his or her certificate will 97 expire and provide a list of each method by which the 98 qualifications for a professional certificate can be completed. 99 The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to allow the 100 department to extend the validity period of a temporary 101 certificate for 2 years when the requirements for the 102 professional certificate were not completed due to the serious 103 illness or injury of the applicant, the military service of an 104 applicants spouse, other extraordinary extenuating 105 circumstances, or if the certificateholder is rated highly 106 effective in the immediate prior years performance evaluation 107 pursuant to s. 1012.34 or has completed a 2-year mentorship 108 program pursuant to subsection (8). The department shall extend 109 the temporary certificate upon approval by the Commissioner of 110 Education. A written request for extension of the certificate 111 shall be submitted by the district school superintendent, the 112 governing authority of a university lab school, the governing 113 authority of a state-supported school, or the governing 114 authority of a private school. 115 Section 3.This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.