UPDATE as of 4/1/19:  After posing a number of questions to the Just Read, FL office and the Bureau of Educator Certification, as of last Friday (3/29/19), I was advised to have any transcripts prior to 2006 and/or an out-of-state transcript be submitted to the Bureau of Educator Certification for review. (Out-of-state, please see #3.)

 

As of 2006, Florida Universities were required to align coursework to reading endorsement competencies, so if you attended a Florida University after 2006, please continue to send those transcripts to me.

UPDATE as of 4/12/19:  JRF has said that post 2006 graduates from a Florida state-approved program in PreK-Primary (age 3-Grade 3), Elementary Ed (K-6), ESE (K-12), or Reading (K-12) have completed Competencies 1-4 and will only need the practicum, Competency 5.  

2018 and later graduates should have their reading endorsement fulfilled by their college coursework.  If so, you must still apply and pay to have it added to your teaching certificate.  

 

As of today (4/1/19), all other transcripts will need to be sent to the Bureau IF you believe courses may match up to any of the reading endorsement competencies.  The descriptions for the Florida competencies are here.  

Please be advised that in many cases some of the older coursework does not match; therefore, if you choose to submit your transcript to the state for review (which also requires a $75 fee), the courses may be denied.  However, an evaluation from the Bureau will generate a statement telling you which endorsement courses remain. You will have 3 years to complete the requirements without having to pay the fee to have “Reading” added to your certificate.  You would not be charged that fee again.

 

The address to send official transcripts for review is as follows:

 

Florida Department of Education

Bureau of Educator Certification

Room 201, Turlington Building

325 West Gaines Street

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400

 

*Please be sure to include the last four digits of your social security number, or your complete DOE # on all (paper) documents submitted to their office.

NOTE:  It had been taking 90 days for the endorsement to get added to certificates, but a few recent completers have found the return rate of certificates much quicker now.

 

 

With the Master’s in Reading, you just need to go take the certification test for reading. See FL Teacher Certification Examinations for more information.

 

You may also look at your bachelor’s degree (or higher) to see if any of the reading courses taken match the Specialization Requirements for Certification in Reading. 

 

 

 No, that means you have reading certification or endorsement and the requirement is to have either one or the other.

 

 

See info regarding reciprocity: Reciprocity for Out-of-State Teachers

Please be advised that in many cases some of the older coursework does not match; therefore, if you choose to submit your transcript to the state for review (which also requires a $75 fee), the courses may be denied.  However, an evaluation from the Bureau will generate a statement telling you which endorsement courses remain. You will have 3 years to complete the requirements without having to pay the fee to have “Reading” added to your certificate.  You would not be charged that fee again.

 

The address to send official transcripts for review is as follows:

 

Florida Department of Education

Bureau of Educator Certification

Room 201, Turlington Building

325 West Gaines Street

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400

 

*Please be sure to include the last four digits of your social security number, or your complete DOE # on all (paper) documents submitted to their office.

 

If the FLDOE does have your transcripts on file, you don’t need to resend it. A complete application package includes the application, fee and transcript. If you haven’t yet created an account since the FLDOE began using a new system in 2017, then you need to do so now. The link is below.

 

The updated statute says that any teacher providing interventions in reading must have their reading endorsement or reading certification (regardless of grade level or current certifications).

 

 

There are 5 competencies. Each is worth 60 hours totaling 300 hours. The titles of competencies are as follows along with how they are numbered in our online courses:

Yes, that is equivalent to Competency 1.  

 

 

Yes, that is equivalent to Competency 4.  

 

 

You need to go in ERO and “Request Out of District Transfer Credit” under Course Catalog.  Forward a copy of your certificate or transcript of coursework to Christina Mautz in PD. It might help to highlight the applicable courses on a transcript and label them (Competency 1, 2, etc.) before sending to PD.

 

 

The first place to look is in ERO.  There is a “My Transcript” tab at the top of the page.  Click on that to see courses taken. You will need to set a date range to capture all courses taken during your tenure in Martin County.  The great thing about these credits earned is that they roll for renewals if all are not used.

You will need to look at your college transcript for courses (generally) that start with “RED”.  

 

For instance, the courses from Florida Atlantic University that align are as follows:

The courses from Florida Gulf Coast University offered in their Elementary Education program in 2009-2011 contained 4 of the 5 competencies (Competencies 1-4).  In 2012, the practicum (Competency 5) was integrated into the Senior Seminar course and final internship.  

The courses from Florida International University that align are as follows:

The courses from Florida Southern University that align are as follows:

The courses from Florida State University that align will depend on when students graduated and their degree earned.  The following comes from the FSU Director of Accreditation:

 

Early Childhood Education students who completed the coursework for Competencies 1 – 4 graduating on or before Spring 2015 completed these courses:

 

Special Education students who completed the coursework for Competencies 1 – 4 graduating on or before Spring 2017 completed these courses:

 

Elementary Education students and Early Childhood Education graduating during or after 2015-2016 and all Special Education students graduating during or after Spring 2018 completed the full reading endorsement:

All of our secondary education, Art Education, and Music Education students completed RED 4335 Literacy Across the Content Areas.  This course covers Competencies 1 – 2.

 

The courses from Indian River State College that align are as follows:

Note:  EPI courses taken at IRSC would have included a reading course, but it is not one that satisfies any of the reading endorsement competencies.

The courses from University of Central FL that align are as follows:

The courses from University of North FL that align are as follows:

The courses from University of Florida that align are as follows:

The courses from University of South Florida that align are as follows:

The courses from University of West Florida that align are as follows:

 

 

You will need a copy of your transcript with a course description for any course you think might align to one of the reading endorsement competencies.  The descriptions for the Florida competencies are here.  The information should be sent to Shannon Blount (blounts@martin.k12.fl.us), and she will review if the course you designate and determine if it is comparable. It will then need to be entered in ERO:  “Request Out of District Transfer Credit” (see #8).

 

 

Please call extension 30242 to be directed to your correct HR specialist who can send you a copy.  

 

 

Current rule language states that “in progress” is a pace of 6 semester hours or 120 inservice points per year; however, that rule language is being revised to match the statute which says it must be completed by the start of the 2020-21 school year.  If not, teachers will be declared out of field.  

 

 

If you are providing or delivering the intervention to students, you need to have your reading endorsement.

 

 

We have had free, online courses through Literacy Solutions available through our Professional Development page the last few years.  Under “Professional Development Resources” on the Professional Development page, you will see a link to “Continued Education and Recertification.”  There, you will see the ESOL and Reading Endorsement link.  You can register for Competencies 1-4 using your district email address.  

You may take Competencies 1 through 4 in any order and you can take more than one course at a time.  

 

 

There are courses from other agencies such as FDLRS that satisfy reading endorsement competencies, but we are also looking at the possibility of offering courses this summer or next school year for those who prefer in-person courses.

 

 

When you complete a course through Literacy Solutions, you will receive a certificate of completion.  Please follow the directions listed in #8 to log the inservice points in ERO.

 

 

Typically, practicums are overseen by your school site literacy coach.  However, since we may be having groups of teachers needing the practicum at the same time, we may do a district cohort to aid in completion.  If you are one of the folks ready for your practicum, please make sure you have documentation of completion of Competencies 1-4 (ERO transcripts or certificates of completion) and let Shannon Blount know so she can assign you a facilitator.  A practicum usually takes a semester and demonstrates what you have learned in Competencies 1-4 through a written portfolio and classroom observations.