All candidates who are accepted into the Miami Teaching Fellows will be granted a Florida Temporary Certificate in the subject area to which they are assigned by the program before they enter their classrooms for their first year teaching. Fellows will be granted this Temporary Certificate upon passing their required Subject Area Exam (SAE) (click here for more on required testing) and for which they will need to submit an application to the Florida Bureau of Educator Certification. The Miami Teaching Fellows office will help manage the application process for all Fellows to help ensure that subject area specifications are met over the course of the summer institute training.

The Temporary Certificate is granted by the state to allow outstanding individuals with no previous education coursework the opportunity to teach – while they are gaining valuable classroom teaching experience and enrolling in an alternative certification program.

In order to qualify for a full Professional Educator’s Certificate from the State of Florida, Miami Teaching Fellows will enroll in M-DCPS’ alternate certification program, called the Alternative Professional Preparation Program (AP3), during their first year teaching. The program is a competency-based, on-the-job alternative certification program. Fellows will enroll in the program as soon as they begin teaching and will be able to complete the required program coursework, portfolio component, and testing during their first two years teaching, enabling them to apply for their Professional Certificate by the end of their second year teaching.

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Fellow Profile: “Words cannot express how excited I am that I was able to complete the AP3 process and apply for my permanent Professional Educator's Certificate.  Time management (waking up 3 hours before my husband on the weekends) and organization (arriving to my work site at 7:00am in order to work everyday for 1 hour before I picked up my kids) were essential, but after receiving my first certificate for completing the first course the satisfaction just drove me to take it step by step and stay focused to reach my goal.  It now seems like such a small sacrifice for such a rewarding new career and new stage in my life.”

– Patricia Castro Sanchez, Elementary Teacher, Miami Teaching Fellows 2005-2006 Cohort, Former Community Development Manager for the City of Miami

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Upon completion of the AP3, along with the successful completion of other eligibility requirements -- such as professional development workshops and the Florida Professional Educator Examination -- Fellows will be able to apply for a full Professional Educator’s Certificate from the State of Florida by the end of their second year teaching.

For more information on Florida’s existing approved preparation/certification programs, please click here.