Florida Teacher Certification Exams & Study Guide
Whether a candidate has graduated from a school of education or is seeking an alternative path to certification to teach in the state of Florida, he must first take and pass a minimum of three exams to receive a state certification.
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Tests
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The Florida Teaching Certification Exam (FTCE) includes three tests. The order in which they are taken is not set; however, the aspiring teacher must pass all three successfully. These tests are the General Knowledge Exam, Professional Education Exam and at least one Subject Area Exam. While most tests are available in both the traditional paper-and-pencil format or on computer, a few of the Subject Area Exams remain limited to the paper-and-pencil format. The candidate should check with the FTCE/FELE website for information on which format is available for the SAE test.
General Knowledge Exam
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The General Knowledge Exam is made up of the four areas in which all teachers are expected to be proficient. These are reading, math, language and essay. The candidate may take these tests either in one session, which usually lasts the entire day, or individually, depending on schedule availability.
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Professional Education Exam
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This Professional Education Exam tests the candidate's competencies in several skill areas including subject matter, assessment, human development and the teacher's role. This is a single exam and is usually scheduled for a two-hour testing time.
Subject Area Exam
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The subject area exams are individual exams for each subject in which a candidate may wish to be certified. These range from elementary education to visually impaired. A candidate usually may take only one subject area exam in one day. However, it is possible to schedule a exam on the same day as the Professional Education Exam, but not the General Knowledge Exam
Study Guides
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Several companies offer study guides for the individual exams, and these may be found in almost any store that sells test-preparation materials. The Florida Department of Education has a full listing of the types of study guides and aids that are available for each exam.
Registering
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Registering may be done on-line on the FTCE/FELE Program website or by filling out an application and sending it along with the appropriate fees to the address listed in the registration bulletin.
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References
Resources
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