1.1 Florida Teacher Certification Framework & The Basic Skills Requirement
Key Takeaways
Section 1012.56(3), F.S., lists six ways to demonstrate mastery of general knowledge, including passing all four FTCE General Knowledge subtests.
A Florida Temporary Certificate is valid for 5 school fiscal years, is issued only once, and cannot be renewed; general knowledge is required for the Professional Certificate.
Rule 6A-4.0021(12) sets SAT minimums of 560 Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and 540 Math for replacing FTCE General Knowledge subtests.
ACT English 22 satisfies the GK Essay and English Language Skills subtests, but the Reading subtest requires an ACT Reading score of 23.
FLDOE accepts passing scores on certification exams, including the General Knowledge Test, only if earned within 10 years before the application.
1.1 Florida Teacher Certification Framework & The General Knowledge Requirement
Florida certifies teachers through the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) Bureau of Educator Certification. Section 1012.56 of the Florida Statutes lists what an applicant must show, and State Board of Education Rule 6A-4.0021, F.A.C. governs the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) themselves: the General Knowledge competencies, fees, retake limits, passing scores, and the approved alternative tests.
One statutory requirement is mastery of general knowledge: the ability to read, write, and do college-level mathematics. The FTCE General Knowledge Test (GK, test code 082) is the most common way to meet it, but it is not the only way. Knowing every route before you register can save time and money.
Temporary Certificate vs. Professional Certificate
Florida's two main certificate types treat the General Knowledge requirement differently:
| Feature | Temporary Certificate | Professional Certificate |
|---|---|---|
| Validity | 5 school fiscal years, issued only once, and nonrenewable (s. 1012.56(7)(f), F.S.) | Up to 5 years; renewable |
| General knowledge | Not required to receive it. Issuance rests on s. 1012.56(2)(a)–(f) plus subject-area requirements, so the Temporary Certificate is often the window in which GK gets finished | Required. Mastery of general knowledge is listed in s. 1012.56(2)(g) |
| Support | Holders must be assigned a teacher mentor for at least 2 school years after starting employment (s. 1012.56(7)(e)) | Renewal requires ongoing coursework or inservice credit under FLDOE renewal rules |
| Deadline pressure | FLDOE notifies holders at least 1 year before the certificate expires; the certificate cannot be reissued | No GK deadline once the requirement has been met |
In practice, a career changer with a bachelor's degree receives a Statement of Status of Eligibility, is hired by a Florida school, and then works on a Temporary Certificate while completing the remaining requirements: general knowledge, the Professional Education Test (or an approved alternative route), and any preparation program the district requires.
Six Ways to Demonstrate Mastery of General Knowledge
Section 1012.56(3), F.S., lists the acceptable means. Any one of them satisfies the requirement:
- Pass the FTCE General Knowledge Test: all four subtests (Essay, English Language Skills, Reading, and Mathematics).
- Hold a valid professional standard teaching certificate issued by another state.
- Hold a valid certificate from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (or another national educator credentialing board approved by the State Board of Education).
- Document two semesters of successful full-time or part-time teaching at a Florida College System institution, state university, or eligible accredited private college or university.
- Earn passing scores on an approved national test: the GRE, SAT, ACT, or Classic Learning Test (CLT), at the minimums set in Rule 6A-4.0021(12).
- Hold a master's or higher degree from an accredited postsecondary institution that FLDOE identifies as having a quality program.
Alternative Test Scores (Rule 6A-4.0021(12))
The alternative tests are matched to individual GK subtests, so an applicant can satisfy some subtests with outside scores and still take the others. GRE administrations on or after July 1, 2015, and SAT, ACT, and CLT administrations on or after March 1, 2016, qualify. The scores must have been earned within the ten years before the application.
| GK Subtest | GRE | SAT | ACT | CLT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Analytical Writing 4 (out of 6) | Evidence-Based Reading & Writing 560 | English 22 | Verbal Reasoning + Grammar/Writing combined 49 |
| English Language Skills | Verbal Reasoning 151 | Evidence-Based Reading & Writing 560 | English 22 | Verbal Reasoning + Grammar/Writing combined 49 |
| Reading | Verbal Reasoning 151 | Evidence-Based Reading & Writing 560 | Reading 23 | Verbal Reasoning + Grammar/Writing combined 49 |
| Mathematics | Quantitative Reasoning 147 | Math 540 | Math 22 | Quantitative Reasoning 20 |
Notice the traps. An ACT English score of 22 covers the Essay and ELS subtests but not Reading, which needs ACT Reading 23. An SAT total score does not count; each section score is compared separately.
The Master's Degree Route
A master's, specialist, or doctoral degree from an accredited institution that FLDOE recognizes as having a quality program satisfies general knowledge on its own (s. 1012.56(3)(f)). The applicant submits official transcripts showing the conferred degree to FLDOE with the certification application. The degree does not have to be in education.
The Three-Year Waiver
Florida also has a narrow waiver for employed teachers who keep missing a subtest. Under s. 1012.56(3), the requirement is waived for an educator who has been given three years of supports and instruction after failing a GK subtest and who has been rated effective or highly effective for each of the last three years. The employing district or charter school submits FLDOE Form CT-134 (Rule 6A-4.002).
Where the GK Fits in Preparation Programs
- State-approved teacher preparation programs (s. 1004.04, F.S.) must require students to pass the General Knowledge Test by the time of graduation. Graduate-level programs may instead rely on the applicant's accredited bachelor's degree. Admission itself requires a 2.5 GPA benchmark, not a GK score.
- Educator preparation institutes and district professional learning certification programs serve career changers who already teach on a Temporary Certificate. Completing them leads toward the Professional Certificate, which still requires general knowledge mastery through one of the six routes above.
How Long Passing Scores Stay Usable
GK subtests are scored and reported independently, so a candidate can pass Reading one month and Mathematics months later. Passed subtests are not retaken (Pearson allows a retake of a passed subtest only after three years).
Passing scores are not permanent, though. FLDOE states that passing scores on exams used for certification, including the General Knowledge Test and the GRE, must be earned no more than ten years before the date of application. A candidate who passes Reading in 2024 and Mathematics in 2026 can combine them. A Reading score from 2012 would be too old for a 2026 application.
Planning tip: Before registering, check whether an SAT, ACT, GRE, CLT score, graduate degree, out-of-state professional certificate, or National Board certificate already covers some or all of the GK. Then register only for the subtests you still need, at $32.50 each.
A career changer with a bachelor's degree in biology is hired to teach high school science in Orange County on a Temporary Certificate. She also earned a Master of Science in Biotechnology from an accredited state university that FLDOE recognizes as having a quality program. How can she satisfy Florida's general knowledge requirement under s. 1012.56, F.S.?
Submit official transcripts showing her conferred master's degree to FLDOE, because a master's or higher degree from such an institution is an accepted means of demonstrating general knowledge.
Register for and pass only the Essay and Mathematics subtests, because a graduate degree satisfies only the multiple-choice verbal subtests.
Retake the SAT or ACT to reach the alternative scores, because the graduate-degree route applies only to elementary education candidates.
Complete 120 inservice points in reading and mathematics through her district before the Temporary Certificate expires.
Marcus earned a bachelor's degree in English out of state and now teaches middle school on a Florida Temporary Certificate. His official 2019 SAT report shows Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) 580 and Math 520. Using the minimum scores in Rule 6A-4.0021(12) (EBRW 560 and Math 540), which statement is accurate?
He is exempt from all four subtests because his SAT total is above 1000.
He must take all four subtests because SAT scores must be earned within five years of applying.
His EBRW score satisfies the Essay, English Language Skills, and Reading subtests, but he still needs to pass the Mathematics subtest or meet the math requirement another way.
His Math score satisfies the Mathematics subtest, but SAT scores can never replace the Essay subtest.
An elementary teacher on a Temporary Certificate passed the FTCE General Knowledge Mathematics and Reading subtests in September 2024. After a family leave, she plans to take the Essay and English Language Skills subtests in 2026 and apply for her Professional Certificate that year. How are her 2024 passing scores treated?
They expired after 12 months, so she must retake all four subtests in one sitting.
She must petition the Education Practices Commission for a score extension before registering for the remaining subtests.
They remain valid only if she completes 60 district inservice points during her leave.
They still count, so she needs only the Essay and English Language Skills subtests, because passing scores earned within ten years of the application are accepted.
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