2017 News Stories
USF launches online prep courses to help teachers pass state certification exam
Responding to new demands and frequent requests from beyond Florida, the Florida Center for Instructional Technology offers fully online courses through the iTeach Professional Learning program.
TAMPA, Fla. (September 5, 2017) – To help Florida teacher candidates prepare for and pass the state’s certification exam, the USF College of Education’s Florida Center for Instructional Technology has launched a series of online courses that provide test takers with the skills needed to pass the General Knowledge Test (GKT) portion of the exam.
The online courses were launched to address a critical need to effectively prepare teachers for passing the Florida Teacher Certification Exam (FTCE), a requirement for all teacher candidates looking to be employed by school districts in the state of Florida.
David Allsopp, PhD, Assistant Dean of Educator Preparation and Partnerships in the USF College of Education and Director of the David C. Anchin Center, said there is a statewide trend affecting college and university education programs whereby students complete their degree program requirements but are not able pass the FTCE.
“In the College’s efforts to support the success of our students and to address the shortage of quality teachers in our state, we are committed to providing resources, such as the online GKT courses, to ensure our students have every opportunity to be successful,” Allsopp said.
The courses are self-paced and designed to help students excel on the various sections of the GKT. Each course provides an overview of what to expect on the exam, a self-assessment that guides students in creating their own individualized plan of study, explicit instruction with interactive practice for each of the tested competencies and skills, as well as information on how to interpret score reports after students complete the exam.
New sections of the online prep course begin on the first day of each month and students have access to the course materials for up to six weeks. Each course session will be available to USF students for $60. and to participants outside of USF for $120.
Administered by the Florida Department of Education, the FTCE consists of three components: the GKT, the professional education test and numerous subject area exams that are determined by a teacher candidate’s desired teaching focus or concentration. The Florida Center for Instructional Technology is currently developing additional courses for the professional education test and the subject area exams portions of the FTCE, and these courses are expected to launch in the future.
To learn more and register for the online courses, visit the USF Continuing Education website.
About the USF College of Education:
The USF College of Education is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (formerly NCATE), and is fully approved by the Florida Department of Education. The USF College of Education is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 100 programs in the nation, as well as in the top 30 for online graduate education programs. The USF College of Education has more than 51,000 alumni who are making a difference in the lives of children each day.
About the Florida Center for Instructional Technology:
The Florida Center for Instructional Technology (FCIT) is housed on the University of South Florida Tampa campus’ College of Education. FCIT is funded by the Florida Department of Education, school districts, educational foundations, and others to provide professional learning, digital content, and technology integration evaluation services to schools and districts worldwide. FCIT’s free resource websites support K-12 curriculum with advertisement-free age appropriate content and average more than two million hits per school day from nearly 200 countries and territories.