Teachers, service providers, administrators, and counselors are all required to complete some professional development in the area of ESOL, English Speakers of Other Languages.  Depending on an educator's instructional category, an entire endorsement might be necessary.

If you teach:

• • Reading
  • ESE K-12
  • Language Arts/English
  • Elementary K-6

You need a full ESOL Endorsement.  Read that section closely.

If you teach anything else, or you are not a classroom teacher, you need ESOL hours.  Read that section closely.

ESOL Endorsement

Teachers of Reading, ESE K-12, Language Arts, and K-6 Elementary are required to have the ESOL Endorsement on their certificate, and to remain in compliance must take one course, 60 hours, of training each school year (between July 1 and June 30).  

• Category 1 teachers are required to earn the ESOL Endorsement: 
• Category 1:  Language Arts, Reading, ESE K-12; Elementary

• Read the section below entitled "Options for Earning the ESOL Endorsement"

ESOL Hours

Teachers of other subjects, not listed above, are required to take professional development courses as outlined below.

• • Category 2, 3, and 4 teachers do not need to earn the ESOL Endorsement but DO need the following hours of ESOL training: 
    • Category 2: Teachers of Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Computer Literacy, VE Support 
      • 60 in-service hours
      • Recommended course: ESOL Essentials

• • • Category 4: School Administrators and School Counselors 
      • 60 in-service hours
      • Recommended course: ESOL for Administrators or ESOL for Counselors

• • • Category 3: All other teachers (Music, Art, PE, etc.) and service providers (School Social Workers, Psychologists, etc.) 
      • 18 in-service hours
      • Recommended course: ESOL Strategies

Sign Up for ESOL Training 

To view the schedule for upcoming ESOL training, visit the ESOL Training Page.

All Options for Earning the ESOL Endorsement:

• • Option 1: Pinellas County Schools offers the professional development necessary for teachers to earn the ESOL Endorsement. Course offerings are updated monthly on the Professional Development Chalk Talk and can be found in PLN. Training is available in face-to-face and virtual formats.
    • A full endorsement requires five (5) courses, with each area earning 60 in-service hours. 

• ESOL Essentials (previously Methods)
• ESOL Curriculum
• ESOL Cross Cultural Communication
• ESOL Applied Linguistics
• ESOL Testing 

•  After completing Option 1, add the ESOL Endorsement by submitting the District Add Endorsement Application with the FLDOE.

• • Option 2: Earn the ESOL endorsement through college credit. 
    If you have earned the ESOL Endorsement by taking 15 hours of ESOL college credit, submit your application to the FLDOE to add the ESOL Endorsement to your certificate.  You will need to submit your official college transcript if you have not already done so.
    • After completing Option 2, add the ESOL Endorsement when submitting the initial Teacher Certification Application with the FLDOE.

• • Option 3: Available to Category 1 teachers to earn ESOL K-12 Subject Area Certification.  With the completion of any two of the 60-point ESOL training courses and a passing score on the ESOL K-12 Subject Area Examination, Category 1 teachers may earn certification in ESOL K-12. 

• • • After completing Option 3, add the ESOL K-12 subject area by submitting the District Add Subject Application with the FLDOE.

• • • Add ESOL K-12 subject area (not ESOL Endorsement) if you complete Option 3.

 

Sign Up for ESOL Training 

To view the schedule for upcoming ESOL training, visit the ESOL Training Page.

 

 

 

In order to become certified to teach a subject, an educator with a Professional Certificate (not Temporary) may take additional college/university coursework or take and pass a Florida Teacher Certification Examination (FTCE).  

Educators teaching Out of Field need to satisfy this requirement within one year of assignment. 

Who is required to be Reading Endorsed?

• Any K-12 teacher, including ESE and ESOL, who:
  • Provides intensive reading intervention (i.e., MTSS Tier 3)
  • Teach 6-12 grade Reading classes.
  • Teaches reading to retained 3rd graders, including summer camp students.
• Literacy Coaches
• District personnel who supervise or direct teacher preparation students during internships will be required to have a certificate or endorsement in reading if:
  • Internship takes place in a kindergarten through grade 3 setting.
  • Teacher preparation candidate is enrolled in any of the following programs:
    • Elementary Education (grades K-6)
    • Prekindergarten-Primary Education (Age 3 through grade 3)
    •  Middle Grades English (grades 5-9)
    • English (grades 6-12)
    • Reading (grades K-12)
    • Reading (endorsement)
    • English to Speakers of Other Languages (grades K-12)

 

Routes to the Reading Endorsement

There are five courses required for the Reading Endorsement. Each course is grounded in research that addresses the six components of reading as a process:

• Competency 1: Foundations of Instruction
• Competency 2: FOR-PD (Research-Based Practices)
• Competency 3: Assessment
• Competency 4: Differentiated Instruction
• Competency 5: Reading Endorsement Practicum

The courses also include the application of research-based reading assessment, reading instruction, and the application and foundations of differentiation.

Option 1: District-Offered Courses through Schultz or PCTA.

• The Schultz Center (register through PLN)
  • Courses are offered in the Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer.
  • After completing your course, the instructor will receive a list of completed participants and will update PLN to reflect the credit.  This can take up to two weeks after the closing date of the course.
  • Please read through the course notes before registering.

• Pinellas County Teachers Association (register through PLN)
• This class is offered by PCTA-PESPA. Members of either organization attend free. The cost for non-members is $250 and must be paid by the second day of the course. Non-members can elect to join the union (if eligible) by submitting the required online material, including confirmation of e-dues being set up.
• You must attend ALL 4 sessions AND complete the outside assignments (with membership and/or payment) to receive credit.
• If you have any questions, contact PCTA-PESPA. 

Option 2: Complete any state-approved university Reading Endorsement Program

After completing the requirements to earn a reading endorsement, log into your FLDOE account and complete the District Add Endorsement Application.

There is no longer an option to take a test to meet this requirement.

 

 

Pinellas County Schools offers the professional development necessary for teachers to earn the Gifted Endorsement as stated by the FLDOE.  Courses are offered in blended, online, and face-to-face formats at no cost to PCS teachers and can be found in PLN.

• Each course is 60 in-service hours. 
• The courses include: 
• • Nature and Needs of the Gifted*
    • *Nature and Needs of the Gifted is the foundational course and recommended as the first course to be completed.
  • Curriculum and Instructional Strategies for Teaching Gifted Students
  • Education of Special Populations of Gifted Students
  • Guidance and Counseling for Gifted
  • Theory and Development of Creativity, Parts I & II (two 30-hour courses)

Once coursework for the Gifted Endorsement is completed, log into your FLDOE account to add the DISTRICT ADD ENDORSEMENT to your certificate.

Teachers that are placed in a position that requires the Gifted Endorsement will have two school years to complete the courses and add the endorsement to their certificate. 

To be within compliance and maintain the timeline, teachers will need to earn a minimum of 120 in-service hours each school year until it is completed.

 

More information about the Gifted Endorsement can be obtained by contacting the Gifted Office. 

• Ms. Mary Ogunrinde, Gifted Specialist,  ogunrindem@pcsb.org  
• 727-588-6088

Approximately one out of every 36 children is Autistic. Teachers of self-contained ASD classes should have the endorsement on their certificate, but any teacher can add the ASD endorsement if they are working with Autistic students in their classroom.

Teachers have two options available to obtain the coursework to meet the endorsement criteria.

 

Option 1: Complete the state-approved district add-on ASD Endorsement program through the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS) 

• Contact Kristen Redding: reddingk@pcsb.org 

      If you complete Option 1:

• Complete an application with the FLDOE to add the ASD endorsement. 
• Submit the $75 application fee with your FLDOE application.
• Email certification@pcsb.org stating completion of the district add-on ASD Endorsement program.
• Certification Team will submit documentation verifying teaching experience in an ASD classroom.

 

Option 2: Complete a Florida-state-approved program through college or university.

• To earn the ASD endorsement, teachers must have a Bachelor's degree or higher with certification in any exceptional student education area and must complete 12 semester hours at a university or college that offers the following courses:
• Nature of Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Use of Assistive Instructional Technology for Students with ASD
• Behavior Management of Positive Behavior Supports for Students with ASD
• Assessment and Diagnosis of ASD
• Field-based Experience with Students with ASD

     If you complete Option 2:

• Complete an application with the FLDOE to add the ASD endorsement. 
• Submit the $75 application fee with your FLDOE application.
• Send official college transcript to the FLDOE.
• Email certification@pcsb.org stating completion of a state-approved college/university ASD program.
• The Certification Team will submit the required documentation to verify your teaching experience in an ASD classroom.

 

Please note:

• Teachers new to Pinellas County that transferred ASD coursework from another school district's state-approved ASD program will NOT be able to combine those courses with the FDLRS state-approved professional development program. 
• The transferred points can be used towards renewal of the professional certificate satisfying the Exceptional Student Education/Student with Disabilities requirement. Excess points can be banked for future renewals.
• Teachers that started the ASD endorsement coursework at a college prior to the implementation of the FDLRS state-approved professional development program, must either:
• Complete the remaining coursework at a college OR
• Complete the FDLRS ASD Endorsement program in its entirety.

How to Read Each Category

• Area

  – These are course codes for the area of certification.  We have not included all possible codes here, but the most common include the following:
  • 1016E – Code for ESOL Endorsement
  • 1062E – Code for Gifted Endorsement
  • 10146 – Code for Reading Endorsement
  • 10166 – Code for ESOL Course(s) only - NOT Endorsement

 

• Area / Endorsement

  – Select the hyperlinked name below to visit the PCBS website with more detailed information regarding what you need to do to be in compliance.

• • ESOL ENDRSMNT - Category 1: You need to earn a Full ESOL Endorsement. 
  • ESOL - Category 2, 3, 4: You need ESOL Course(s), but NOT a full Endorsement.
  • READING ENDRSMNT - You need a Reading Endorsement. 
  • GIFTED ENDRSMNT - You need a Gifted Endorsement. 

These compliance areas require that you sign up in PLN to take the necessary course(s).  Click on the name to learn more.

• • A Subject Area - You need to take and pass a Subject Area test, such as MG General Science, French, Art Ed, Elementary Ed K6, etc.

This compliance area requires that you sign up on the FTCE website to take and pass a test.  Click on the name to learn more.

• • TEMPORARY LICENSES – If you see language that does not match any category above, you hold a temporary certificate with requirements outlined by your District Vocational/CTE/TTT program.  If you have questions, reach out to your coordinator.

 

• YR1/YR2/YR3

  - This is addressing the 1^st, 2^nd, and/or 3^rd year you have been out of field, and a “Y” or “N” indicates whether that year’s requirement was met.  Endorsements are tracked yearly and require ongoing participation (see more in the links above).  If you see an “N” below a year, you did not meet compliance.  If you see a “Y” you are/were on track for that year and should continue your coursework.

 

• CMP

  – This means Complete, and it will only show a “Y” or be blank.  If it is blank, you are not finished.  You should not see a “Y” because you are receiving the report.

 

• HA

  – This stands for “Hiring Agreement” and relates directly to your Period of Contract Agreement that you sign during onboarding when hired. Here are some examples:

• • ES = ESOL
  • RD = Reading
  • OF = Out of Field
  • GI = Gifted

 

• EXPIRE

  - This is the year of the final deadline or expiration date, which is usually June 30^th but may depend on when you were hired. 

• • ESOL Endorsement – 3 years with 1, 60-hour course completed each year.  This means teachers must complete one course each year regardless of how many they complete the year prior or after until the endorsement is complete.
  • ESOL Course – 1 year
  • Reading Endorsement – 3 years, and teachers cannot provide Tier 3 instruction until this requirement is met.
  • Gifted Endorsement – 2 years
  • Out of Field Subject Area – 1 year, and the teacher may not be out of field for a subject again.