AlternativeLee Certified Program Overview

AlternativeLee Certified is the School District of Lee County’s pathway to professional certification. This program is designed for teachers on a temporary certificate seeking to transition to a professional certificate. Upon completion, participants will meet all state coursework requirements necessary for professional certification.

Program Structure

• Online Coursework: All program tasks are completed online in Google Classroom. 

• How will mentors be compensated?

Mentor compensation for the coursework is based on participant need and is not tied to a required number of meetings, logs, or months.

• Mentors are compensated while participants are actively working through the 20 required tasks. Although the program allows up to one year for completion, some participants may finish early.

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• Certification Requirements: While the program covers the coursework needed for professional certification, participants are responsible for completing any additional FTCE exams and out-of-field requirements (e.g., Autism, Gifted, ESOL, Reading) independently.

Program Components

The AlternativeLee Certified program consists of three key parts, as outlined by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE):

1. Online Tasks Aligned with FEAPs

   • Participants must complete 20 online tasks aligned with the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs).

   • Each participant will have a school-based mentor and an assessor to support and evaluate progress.

   • Tasks begin in August and conclude in June, with the expectation that they are completed within one school year.

2. Reading Endorsement Competencies

   • All participants must complete Reading Endorsement Competencies 1 and 2.

   • Participants holding certificates in Pre-K, Elementary Education, ESE, ELA, or ESOL will need to complete the full reading endorsement.

   • Participants with other certificate areas (e.g., Business, Art, Math, Social Studies) are only required to complete Competencies 1 and 2.

3. FTCE Exams

   • Participants must pass any required FTCE exams as indicated on their Statement of Status of Eligibility.

   • This typically includes the General Knowledge Test and the Professional Education Test.

   • If unsure about which FTCE exams are outstanding, please reach out to your staffing specialist for clarification.

Completion Criteria

You will remain in the AlternativeLee Certified program until all three components listed above are successfully completed. Upon completion, participants will be eligible to transition from a temporary to a professional certificate.

Participants must be a temporarily certified teacher who will have, by the end of the current school year:

• One year of successful teaching experience in Lee County

• Successfully completed all APPLES Program requirements

• Received an effective or highly effective manager’s rating

• Be willing to sign a three year commitment agreement to teach within the district

Priority Enrollment Status will be given to the following applicants:

• Teachers in high-need subject areas and high-need schools 

• Teachers who have attempted and/or passed the General Knowledge Test  

The program takes approximately one calendar school year to complete, therefore candidates must keep their certificate expiration date in mind.  Candidates must be full-time teachers of record within the School District of Lee County.

The great news is that all costs are waived for participants who meet the selection criteria, however participants who do not successfully complete all parts of the program may have to reimburse the district the cost of the program. 

The recommended time for completion is one- two calendar school years; however, participants are able to complete the program sooner. 

Reading competencies are a required component of AlternativeLee Certified. Participants will be concurrently enrolled in the Reading competencies at no cost to them. Depending on their area of certification, participants will be expected to complete up to 4 competencies at 60 hours each. 

All participants are expected to complete competencies 1 and 2. 

Teachers that hold temporary certification in the following areas will need to successfully complete competencies 1,2,3, 4 and 5 and earn the entire endorsement:

• Elementary Education (K-6) 

• ESE

• Pre K- Primary ( Age 3 through grade 3) 

• Middle Grades English ( 5-9) 

• English ( 6-12) 

• Reading (K-12) 

• ESOL

Beginning July 1, 2024, instructional personnel may not earn a reading endorsement solely by achieving a passing score on the K-12 reading certification subject area assessment. 

The Professional Development Department is ready  to help!  

If you have any additional questions, please contact a member of the Professional Development Alt Cert Team:

• Joelle McLaughlin

Register for FTCE Exams HERE

Program Overview

FTCE Interactive Test Guide

Flyer 

*Additional resources are available in Overdrive located in your district launchpad apps.  Search "FTCE" or "GK" to check out online prep books for FREE!"

Take a moment to read through some testimonials from successful AlternativeLee Certified Program participants:

"If you are a career changer like me and need credits to become professionally certified this program is a no brainer.  Did I mention it's free!!!" - Daniel L.

"The AlternativeLEE Certified Program  program did a great job preparing me for the classroom. My mentor was amazing!" - Noelia L.

"It was an amazing chance to gain knowledge while maintaining my current work schedule." - Anna L.

"The fact that this program is supported by the district, and does not require classes taken at another institution, is the biggest strength of this program." - Zachary G.

"The content is relevant to what we do everyday and will help us improve our skills. The relationships you build with your assessor and mentor teacher are great assets for the future. Program coordinators are enthusiastic and very knowledgeable." - Bruce A.

• Please note:  additional screening may be required to confirm eligibility requirements.

• Due to the high volume of interested applicants, late submissions can not be accepted.

• An email notification regarding program acceptance will be sent when the application window closes and all screening has been completed.