Changes to Reading Certification
October 7, 2019
The state of Florida has passed two new laws that are in state statute in regards to Reading Certification. House Bill 7055 requires any teacher who delivers instruction for Tier III Reading Intervention must be reading endorsed or reading certified beginning July 1, 2020.
House Bill 7069 requires educators recertifying their professional certificate with a validity period beginning July 1, 2020, or thereafter, in any area of certification that includes reading instruction or intervention for students in kindergarten through grade 6, to earn 40 in-service points in reading courses.
Please see more specific explanations below for each House Bill.
1011.62(9), F.S., Reading Endorsement
HB 7055
Effective July 1, 2020 and outlined in House Bill 7055, all students in grades kindergarten through 12 requiring Tier III intensive reading interventions will be taught by a teacher who is certified or endorsed in reading. If the teacher is not certified in reading or is not reading endorsed when these interventions are identified, the teacher needs to begin working towards certification or endorsement requirements. The reading endorsement should be added to your certificate.
A decision tree is provided to determine the courses individual teachers need to take, if seeking reading endorsement. If a teacher needs to take more than two courses to complete a reading endorsement add-on, a minimum of two courses need to be successfully completed within a calendar school year.
There are opportunities for enrollment in Reading Competencies 1-5 listed in the DCPS PowerSchool PD electronic registration system during the Fall, Winter, and Spring terms each school year.
| Please note as per Rule 6A-5.066, F.A.C, Approval of Teacher Preparation Programs |
After 2006, the following Florida state–approved programs were required to include Reading Endorsement Competencies 1-4:
- Pre-Kindergarten/primary (age 3 – grade 3)
- Elementary education (K-6)
- Exceptional student education (K-12)
| For teachers who fall into this category, they will need to:
• Ensure that Reading Competencies 1-4 are listed on their in-service record in SAP in order to enroll in Reading Competency 5 • Contact the Office of Certification, [email protected] to have official transcripts on file reviewed • Submit official transcripts to [email protected] for review. Please click here to see the attached decision tree and listing of Florida approved colleges and universities to guide you through this requirement. Teachers may also call certification at 390-2813. |
6A-4.0051, F.A.C., Renewal and Reinstatement of a Professional Certificate
HB 7069 (2017)
For renewal of professional certificates with a beginning validity date of July 1, 2020, or thereafter, in any area of certification that includes reading instruction or intervention for any students in kindergarten through grade 6, educators will be required to earn a minimum of two college credits or the equivalent in-service points (40 points) in the use of explicit, systematic and sequential approaches to reading instruction, developing phonemic awareness and implementing multisensory intervention strategies.
Please note on HB 7069 goes into effect for educators whose validity period starts July 1, 2020 and thereafter. For those educators who have to renew by June 30, 2020 this is not in effect for you now. Once you renew, you will be in the first group of educators who will have to earn the 40 in-service points before your next renewal of June 30, 2025.
Courses for this renewal requirement will be available starting July 1, 2020.