FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
S
TATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Chairman
Members
DR. AKSHAY DESAI
ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
PHOEBE RAULERSON
KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
LINDA K. TAYLOR
Dr. Eric J. Smith
Commissioner of Education
M E M O R A N D U M
TO:
School District Superintendents, State College and University Presidents, and
Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF)
FROM:
Dr. Eric J. Smith, Commissioner of Education
DATE:
November
21
, 2008
SUBJECT:
Draft Competencies and Skills for Twelve Florida Teacher Certification
Examinations; Further Test Development for Two Examinations
This memorandum is to inform you of the recommended changes to the
Competencies and Skills
Required for Teacher Certification in Florida, Thirteenth Edition
for 12 subject areas: Biology
6–12, Chemistry 6–12, Earth-Space Science 6–12, Educational Media Specialist PK–12,
Elementary Education K–6, Exceptional Student Education K–12, Middle Grades General
Science 5–9, Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum 5–9, Middle Grades Social Science 5–9,
Physics 6–12, Prekindergarten/Primary PK–3, and Social Science 6–12.
From January 2008 to May 2008, the Department of Education (the Department) facilitated the
review and revision of the existing competencies and skills by committees of Florida university
professors, school district administrators, and public school educators. Draft competencies and
skills resulting from the work of these committees are available for your planning purposes at
http://www.fldoe.org/asp/ftce/ftcecomp.asp#fourteenth.
The posting of the draft competencies and skills is intended to provide the colleges of education
of public and private universities and educator preparation institutes time to apply the changes
needed for preparing their students to pass the revised examinations. Please ensure that all
appropriate individuals, district coordinators, faculty of college of education programs, et al.,
understand the recommended changes and the potential implications of these changes for your
institutions and districts.
325 W. GAINES STREET • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0505 • www.fldoe.org
School District Superintendents, et al.
November
21
, 2008
Page 2
The Department is beginning the rule revision process for Rule 6A-4.0021, Florida
Administrative Code, and plans to present its final recommendations for these subject areas to
the State Board of Education by June 2009. If approved by the State Board of Education, the
subsequent timeline is as follows:
•
The approved rule will be filed with the Department of State, and the competencies and
skills will become effective 20 days later; upon this effective date, the new competencies
and skills will be incorporated into the
Competencies and Skills Required for Teacher
Certification, Fourteenth Edition.
•
Hard copies of the
Competencies and Skills Required for Teacher Certification,
Fourteenth Edition
will be distributed statewide within a week of becoming effective,
and an electronic version will be posted to the Department’s Web site.
•
The new competencies and skills for Biology 6–12, Chemistry 6–12, Earth-Space
Science 6–12, Educational Media Specialist PK–12, Elementary Education K–6,
Exceptional Student Education K–12, Middle Grades General Science 5–9, Middle
Grades Integrated Curriculum 5–9, Middle Grades Social Science 5–9, Physics 6–12,
Prekindergarten/Primary PK–3, and Social Science 6–12 will be implemented on
examinations beginning late summer 2009.
Additionally, the Department is studying several development options pertaining to the
Elementary Education K–6 and the Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum 5–9 examinations. We
are currently researching the feasibility of several approaches to align the examinations with the
Next Generation Sunshine State Standards, which also will improve the validity of the
examinations. The short-term goals for the two examinations to be implemented between July
and October 2009 include, but are not limited to the following actions:
•
Increasing the cognitive complexity of newly developed test items to align with the Next
Generation Sunshine State Standards.
•
Setting a new cut score for both of the examinations.
The long-term goals for the Elementary Education K–6 and the Middle Grades Integrated
Curriculum 5–9 examinations to be implemented between July and October 2010 include, but are
not limited to the following actions:
•
Introducing test questions that require examinees to explain their reason for answering a
question and, where possible, to demonstrate multiple ways for achieving a correct
answer.
School District Superintendents, et al.
November
21
, 2008
Page 3
•
Exploring the cost and utility of splitting the Elementary Education K–6 examination into
two parts, similar to the Early Childhood Education examination administered in Georgia
(e.g., reading and English, language arts, and social studies make up one subtest;
mathematics, science, health, physical education, and the arts make up a second subtest).
The final outcomes of this research and subsequent implementation will take place through the
end of the 2008 test development cycle and into the 2009 test development cycle. As test
development activities progress, the Department will place sample mathematics and science test
questions on the Department’s Web site to assist examinees and faculty with understanding the
levels of cognitive complexity utilized by the Department. A link to the sample questions is
provided at http://www.fldoe.org/asp/ftce.
I hope this information is helpful to you as a partner in maintaining a workforce of certified and
qualified educators. If you have any questions, please contact Phil Canto (phil.canto@fldoe.org)
or Danielle Boudreaux (danielle.boudreaux@fldoe.org) in the Office of Assessment, Division of
Accountability, Research, and Measurement.
JP/CSO/pc
cc: Deans and Directors of Colleges of Education
School District Certification Contacts
School District Professional Development Directors
Frances Haithcock, Ed.D.
Willis N. Holcombe, Ph.D.
Mark B. Rosenberg, Ph.D.
Jay Pfeiffer
