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Professional Development |
ESOL Required Training |
Requirement for All Teachers
In August 1990, a judge of the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, signed a Consent Decree giving the court power to enforce an agreement between the Florida State Board of Education and a coalition of eight groups represented by Multicultural Education, Training, and Advocacy, Inc. (META).
Complete information can be found on the State website Bureau of Student Achievement through Language Acquisition (SALA)--Consent Decree on this agreement.
The Consent Decree settlement terms focus on the following six issues:
- Identification and assessment
- Equal access to appropriate programming
- Equal access to appropriate categorical and other programming for English Language Learners (ELLs) Personnel
- Monitoring
- Outcome measures
The personnel areas of certification and in-service apply to all teachers in one way or another. Teachers and administrators may have many questions that are addressed here. See Certification for additional ESOL Information: ESOL Requirements and Information
How do I know which requirements to fulfill and how long I have?
ESOL requirements for teachers are based upon the area they teach. Teachers are classified as Category I, II, or III. Administrators and guidance counselors are classified as Category IV. Click on the link for: What Type of Training Do I Need for ESOL?
| Category IV | |||
A teacher who is responsible for Language Arts/English, Developmental Language Arts, Intensive Reading, Reading (including English, English Language Arts, Developmental Language Arts, Intensive Reading, Elementary and Exceptional Education teachers)
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A secondary education teacher who teaches Social Studies, Mathematics, Science and Computer Literacy |
A teacher who is not in Category 1, 2 or 4 (i.e., Art, Music, Physical Education, Media Specialist, Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapist, Foreign Language, etc.) |
Administrators & Guidance Counselors |
ESOL Endorsement: 15 semester credit hours of approved ESOL Endorsement courses. or 300 approved ESOL Endorsement in-service points
OR
K – 12 ESOL Certification: Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in TESOL and Basic Subject Area Coverage (Elementary Education, Language Arts, etc.)
OR
*K – 12 ESOL Certification: Passing Score on ESOL Subject Area Exam; Basic Subject Area Coverage (Elementary Education, Language Arts, etc.), with 120 approved ESOL Endorsement in-service points or 2 approved ESOL Endorsement courses |
3 semester hours of approved ESOL course
OR
60 approved ESOL in-service points. |
3 semester hours of approved ESOL course or 18 ESOL in-service points. |
3 semester hours of approved ESOL course or 60 ESOL in-service points. |
Beginning Teachers AND Experienced Teachers *3 years for ESOL K-12 Coverage obtained by a passing score on ESOL K-12 Subject Area Exam -- plus completion of 2 approved ESOL endorsement courses. |
Beginning Teachers 2 years Experienced Teachers 1 year
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Beginning Teachers 2 years Experienced Teachers 1 year |
Hired Before 3 years to complete from September 10, 2003 Hired After 3 years to complete from date hired as school administrator or guidance counselor. |
*This requirement includes those who have already been certified on the proficiency test method prior to September 10, 2003. Any approved ESOL Endorsement in-service or approved ESOL Endorsement course work taken prior to gaining the ESOL certification may be counted toward the required 120 post-certification hours.
The Florida Department of Education has mandated the following ESOL courses for endorsement or certification:
- Methods of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
- ESOL Curriculum and Material Development
- Cross-Cultural Communication and Understanding
- Testing and Evaluation of ESOL
- Applied Linguistics
Recertification Flexibilities
- ESOL in-service points and/or ESOL college credits count as in-field for recertification of any certification area. ESOL points and/or ESOL college credits used for ESOL Endorsement can be banked for use in subsequent certificate renewal periods. Contact the District Certification Office at 434-8148 [PX 4-8148] for specific information.
- A Master of Education Degree with an ESOL or TESOL concentration is also considered in-field for any coverage area on the current CTA agreement.
Category 1 Teacher Assistance
Currently, the School District of Palm Beach County is assisting Category 1 teachers in obtaining the ESOL Endorsement through District online ESOL Endorsement in-service training. An application for the ESOL Endorsement in-service training is available at:
Email Dr. Carole Wilkinson, Specialist or phone: 434-8320 [PX 4-8320] or Silvia Gonzalez, Statistical Analyst or phone: 434-8338 [PX 4-8338] if you have questions.
Approved ESOL College courses can be used to satisfy ESOL compliance. Official transcripts must be presented to the Certification Office when a college course is used for recertification or adding an area to a teaching certification. ESOL College courses completed toward ESOL compliance requirements do not appear on District in-service records.
Category 2, 3 and 4 Training Training for Category 2, 3, and 4 will be offered throughout the year. Check the Opportunities for Required Training page for the current listings.
Approved ESOL College courses can be used to satisfy ESOL Category 2, 3 and 4 compliance. Official transcripts must be presented to the Department of Multicultural Education when a college course is used for ESOL Category 2, 3 or 4 compliance. ESOL College courses completed toward ESOL compliance requirements do not appear on District in-service records.
Transferring In-service Points from another Florida school district
If a teacher has worked in another Florida school district, ESOL in-service points can be transferred to the Palm Beach County In-service System. A teacher must request the former employing district to transfer the points on State Form OTE206 to the Palm Beach County Staff Development Department. Contact the in-service staff at (561) 963-3895 [PX 4-3895] for additional information.
The address of the Palm Beach County School District Professional Development Department is:
Professional Development
c/o Lazara Font
FHESC – Suite A-152
3300 Forest Hill Boulevard
West Palm Beach, FL 33406
(561) 963-3895
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law requires all teachers be highly qualified. Contact Ernesto Lontoc at (561) 434-8799 for further information or visit this web link: www.palmbeachschools.org/9266/HighlyQualif/HQTguide.asp |