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Bureau of Educator Recruitment, Development and Retention

Program Review & Approval

Ensuring the preparation of quality teachers and other professional educators for the State of Florida is a fundamental component of the mission of the Florida Department of Education. The Office of Educator Preparation is charged with the responsibility of reviewing and approving initial educator preparation programs that lead to certification to teach in the State of Florida's schools. There are 36 institutions in the state with approved initial teacher preparation (ITP) programs, and most of Florida’s community colleges and four state universities that have state-approved Educator Preparation Institutes (EPIs) through which they deliver alternative certification programs for baccalaureate degree holders. Additionally, there are 18 colleges and universities, and one school district in Florida that have state-approved educational leadership programs.

Review and approval of educator preparation programs in Florida consists of two parallel systems - one for initial approval and one for continuing approval - both of which are governed by State Statutes and Rules. There are standards and procedures for both processes, and the differences between them are clearly outlined under each labeled process section on this site. The focus of the initial review is "process-oriented", whereas the focus of the continued review is "performance based".

In brief, institutions seeking initial approval of their programs will submit curriculum folios describing the design, delivery, content and evaluation of each program for review by teams of peer reviewers from around the state. This folio review will be followed by an on-site review for institutions that do not currently have approved programs. Initial approval is granted first for all of the programs the institution is seeking approval for; then, the institution transitions to the continued program approval standards and process, for which there are annual reporting requirements and a site visit every seven years in order to monitor program outcomes, candidate performance, and continuous improvement.

The procedures, including requirements and formats for both of these types of reviews are provided in the “Initial” and “Continued” labeled sections on this site.

Statute and Rule

• Florida Statute 1004.04
• State Board Rule 6A-5.066 (Word)

Approved Teacher Education Programs

• Initial and Continuing Program Approval (PDF, 20KB)
• Approved Programs List
• Memo from Chancellor Haithcock (PDF)
• Deans and Directors List (Word, 100KB)

Initial Teacher Education Program Approval

• Initial Approval Standards Guidelines (PDF)
• ESOL (PDF, 936KB)
• Subject Competencies and Skills
• Reading Endorsement Competencies
• Reading Endorsement Template (Word, 204KB)
• Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (Pre-Professional) (PDF, 565KB)

Continued Teacher Education Program Approval

• Continued Approval Standards Guidelines (PDF)
• ESOL (PDF, 936KB)
• Subject Competencies and Skills
• Reading Endorsement Competencies
• Reading Endorsement Template (Word, 204KB)
• Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (Pre-Professional) (PDF, 565KB)

Educational Leadership

• Educational Leadership Standards and Information
• Educational Leadership Approved Programs (Word, 46KB)

Title II Report

• U.S. Secretary’s Report on Title 2

New Teacher Survey

• Teachers from Teacher Prep Programs (January 2009) (PDF)
• Beginning Teachers in Florida January 2008 (PDF, 824KB)
• 2003-2004 A Study of Florida Teacher Preparation Programs for New Teachers (PDF, 1MB)

For more information, contact

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