FTCE/FELE Background Information

The Office of Postsecondary Assessment at the Florida Department of Education is responsible for all aspects of the FTCE and FELE, including developing, administering, scoring, and reporting the results. If you have questions regarding certification requirements pertaining to your individual circumstances, contact the Bureau of Educator Certification (BEC) toll free at (800) 445-6739 or visit www.fldoe.org/teaching/certification/ Link opens in a new window..

The Department develops and administers the FTCE and FELE examinations in partnership with its contractor, Pearson. Beginning in October 2007, Pearson assumed responsibility for the FTCE/FELE test administration, scoring, and reporting activities.

Purpose of the Exams

The purpose of the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) is to ensure that all teacher candidates demonstrate the necessary content and pedagogical knowledge necessary to effectively instruct students in Florida. The purpose of the Florida Educational Leadership Examination (FELE) is to ensure that all school administrator candidates demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively lead in Florida’s schools. The Department of Education recognizes that children are our most important resource, and we would not be doing our due diligence if we did not do everything in our power to ensure that their teachers and school leaders meet rigorous professional standards at an appropriate level for a Beginning Effective Teacher Candidate (BETC) or a Beginning Effective School Administrator Candidate (BESAC). The FTCE and FELE are administered in accordance with State Board of Education Rule 6A-4.0021, F.A.C. Link opens in a new window. and Rule 6A.400821, F.A.C. Link opens in a new window..

Fees

The FTCE and FELE registration fees are approved by the State Board of Education and written into the Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.) Rules. General revenue funds are not currently appropriated by the legislature for developing and administering these examinations. This has necessitated an increase in fees to support the continued development, administration, scoring, reporting, and quality control of FTCE and FELE tests. Your test fees are used to support those activities and to provide the following additional testing services:

  • 38 computer-based testing centers statewide for customer convenience;
  • access to nearly 250 additional testing sites outside of the state of Florida;
  • access to approximately 90 additional testing sites at U.S. military sites in the U.S. and abroad;
  • 8 locations statewide where examinees can attend a Score Verification session;
  • availability of all 42 FTCE/FELE examinations at computer-based testing centers;
  • personal score retrieval via the Internet;
  • diagnostic reporting services for colleges of education and educator preparation institutes;
  • and customer service representatives available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Title I-A funds (available only to Title I schools for the purposes of recruiting highly qualified teachers) and Title II-A funds (available district-wide) may assist teachers with test fees, preparation programs, stipends, substitute teachers, and other needs. However, use of these funds is based on a district needs assessment and the direction of the school board.

Test Development Process

Detailed information pertaining to the steps of test development can be found in the Annual Administration and Technical Report Link opens in a new window. and by visiting How the FTCE and FELE Were Developed.

Development of Test Content

The test content for the FTCE and FELE examinations is written by Test Development Committees. These committees are composed of Subject Matter Experts called in to ensure that the content of the tests – from competencies and skills to test questions to test forms and passing score recommendations – captures the knowledge and tools a beginning teacher candidate or beginning school administrator needs in order to have a high likelihood of positively impacting the learning, behavior, and dispositions of diverse students. Committees are selected from high performing K–12 faculty, district curriculum staff, and college and university faculty from across the state of Florida.

Additional information regarding the role and selection of subject-area committees can be found in the Annual Administration and Technical Report Link opens in a new window..