FTCE Test

Florida, like many other states, requires teachers in its public schools to attain a certain level of education, training, and experience. They have standardized the requirements for teachers in order to improve the educational experience for the state's young learners. The FTCE (Florida Teacher Certification Examinations) are a set of standardized tests of general knowledge and specific educational skills. Teachers must pass one or more of the FTCE tests on their way to obtaining their credentials to teach in the Florida system.

The most basic and commonly taken test is the FTCE GK (General Knowledge) exam. As its name implies, this tests a teacher's competence across the range of primary and secondary school subjects. Three of the subtests for the GK-reading, math, and language-consist of multiple-choice tests administered via computer. The fourth subtest is an essay, also written on a computer, on a subject randomly selected at the time of the test.

There is also a PEd (Professional Education) test that has questions on human development, pedagogy, learning styles, and professional conduct and ethics. There are also 42 separate SAE (Subject Area Exams) in Geometry, Calculus, Biology, Foreign Languages, Literature, History, and almost every imaginable area of an elementary, middle, or high school curriculum. Teachers usually take one or more of these exams in addition to the GK and PEd tests to qualify to teach high school or advanced placement subjects. These tests have much more specific content designed to test a candidate's breadth of knowledge of a given subject. There is also an FELE (Florida Educational Leadership Examination) for administrators, focusing on leadership and management issues in the schools.

Teachers are allowed to substitute certain other tests, notably the CLAST (College Level Academic Skills Test), for the basic exam when applying for their credentials. There are many other requirements for certification, and the Florida Department of Education has a complete list of requirements for new and credentialed teachers from out of state.

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