The Florida Teacher Certification Exam (FTCE)

FTCE exam(s):

• Consists of four test types, the Professional Education Exam (PEd), the Subject Area Exam (SAE), the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) and the F-O Test;
• Are required to earn a Florida Teaching Certificate; and
• Are required to teach a specific subject area.

What are the four tests, and why do I need to take them?

The FTCE has four tests, and depending on your background, you may need to take up to three of them.

Professional Education Exam (PEd)

The PEd is a multiple-choice test. If this is your first Florida Teaching Certificate, you must take the PEd Exam, which is used to measure students'  knowledge of five content bases, including:

1. Personal development;
2. Appropriate student behavior;
3. Planning instruction;
4. Implementing instruction; and
5. Evaluating instruction.

Subject Area Exam (SAE)

Subject area exams measure content area knowledge for:

• Degreed academic and vocational subject areas; and
• Non-degreed Occupational Specialists

You must take an SAE if:

• It is your first teaching certification; or
• You are adding a specific subject area to your certification.

The College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST)

The CLAST was adopted by Florida's State Board of Education. It measures your communication and mathematics skills and determines if you meet the minimum standards to be a sophomore in Florida's college/university system.

The CLAST is required for most Florida community colleges and state university students. You will need to take the CLAST if you:

1. Are an out-of-state candidate;
2. Graduated from one of Florida private schools; or you
3. Graduated before the CLAST requirement became effective.

The F-O Test

The F-O Test consists of math, reading and essay subtests.

1. The Mathematics Subtest has simple computation and real-world problems.
2. The Reading Subtest uses passages from teacher material in a fill-in-the-blank format.
3. The Essay Subtest is a 45-minute first draft scored by two judges.

How do I take the FTCE(s)?

Seminole State's Assessment and Testing Center is a certified FTCE Test Center. FTCE test dates are established by Florida's Department of Education. Before you can take the exam, you must register through the Department of Education in Tallahassee.

How can I get more information about the FTCE?

For more information on the FTCE:

• Refer to the State of Florida's FTCE Web page; 
• Contact your county school district human resources department; or
• Call Seminole State's Assessment and Testing Center at 407.708.2020.

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