The Certification Office operates through the Human Resources Department. A valid Florida Educator's Certificate is required under Florida Law by all teachers. Our staff will be happy to assist you with the certification process.

Securing and updating a certificate is the responsibility of the teacher. Our staff is here to provide guidance, but the teacher must fulfill the requirements and complete all procedures.

Please read the following important certification information.

Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum Certification Repealed

The State Board Rule authorizing certification in Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum (MGIC) was repealed effective October 25, 2011. The information below describes the procedures related to specific areas of concerns, as communicated by the Florida Department of Education on November 11, 2011.

Current Certificates in MGIC

Professional certificates in MGIC can still be renewed. Individuals who hold a temporary certificate in MGIC can go to the professional certificate in this subject if all of the requirements for the professional certificate are satisfied.

MGIC Subject Area Exam

The MGIC subject area exam will be available on the testing center website until October 25, 2014, for individuals who received a Statement of Status of Eligibility in this subject prior to the repeal date. Please contact the Department of Education or the District Certification Office prior to registering for this exam to ensure that you will be able to use the certification. This exam should not be taken unless the individual meets the criteria of the grandfather rule described below.

Grandfather Rule

Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, MGIC will be an appropriate certification subject only for teachers who were appointed to teach Math, Language Arts, Science and/or Social Studies in Grades 6-8 prior to July 1, 2012. The teacher must continue to teach one of these courses, not necessarily the same course, within the same district. The grandfather designation is lost forever once the teacher moves out of one of these subjects in Grades 6-8, or moves out of the district.

Exceptional Student Education

The repeal of MGIC does not affect Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teachers who are using MGIC as documentation of their No Child Left Behind (NCLB) highly qualified status. An ESE teacher giving instruction to ESE students at the middle grades level of instruction will be able to continue using MGIC to document their highly qualified status for Math, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies. ESE teachers who did not pass the MGIC exam or were not issued MGIC on their certificate prior to the repeal, will now need to pass the individual subject area exams for each middle grades subject taught, to document their highly qualified status at the middle grades level of instruction. Please contact the District NCLB Specialist for assistance in determining the requirements needed to document the highly qualified status for a specific subject and level of instruction.

Below you will find some helpful Florida Teacher Certification Links.