English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Requirements

ESOL is a professional field of study which trains classroom teachers to meet the needs of English Language Learners (ELL) who are learning English as a second language.

The current subject(s) taught will determine the appropriate ESOL category requirement as indicated in the table below:

Category 1

300 Inservice Points

Category II

60 Inservice Points

Category III

18 Inservice Points

Category IV

60 Inservice Points

  • English

  • Language Arts

  • Reading

  • Writing

Includes:

Elementary, Middle, High, and ESE Instructors

  • Computer Literacy

  • Math

  • Science

  • Social Studies

  • ESE -all other core academic areas

  • Art

  • Foreign Language

  • Journalism

  • Music

  • Physical Education

  • All other electives

Includes:

ESE Itinerants (OT, PT, SLP)

Media Specialists

Social Workers

School Psychologists

All Resource, Vocational, and ROTC Instructors

  • School Administrators

  • Guidance Counselors

NOTE: Effective July 1, 2011, per FLDOE, courses taken through ACT, EPI, and basic ESOL Strategies course offerings (i.e., Teaching Diverse Populations, Diversity) do not meet ESOL endorsement requirements; however, credit may be applied for Categories II, III &IV compliance.

Category Requirements

Category I

Must complete a minimum of one ESOL (60 inservice points) course per school year, beginning with the school year of hire, until the requirements have been met and the endorsement or certification has been added to the educator’s certificate. See Option A & B below.

Category II, III, IV

Must complete the category requirements within the first school year of hire.

Category I Options

Option A: ESOL Endorsement

The ESOL endorsement is a “rider” added to an existing approved subject area on an educator’s certificate. An endorsement does not provide appropriate certification by itself; it must be attached to a core academic subject area. Below are the five (5) course requirements for the ESOL endorsement (300 inservice points or 15 college semester credits):

Endorsement

Inservice Points

ESOL Cross Cultural Communication

60 inservice points

ESOL Applied Linguistics

60 inservice points

ESOL Methods of Teaching

60 inservice points

ESOL Curriculum & Materials Development

60 inservice points

ESOL Testing & Evaluation

60 inservice points

Option B: ESOL K-12 Certification
Certified teachers may obtain “coverage” in basic ESOL K-12 by:

  1. Obtaining 120 hours in approved ESOL courses -- any two (2) of the above courses AND

  2. Obtaining a passing score on the ESOL K-12 subject area exam (SAE)

ESOL Endorsement Course Option

Literacy Solutions - No Participant Fee - Instructions for registration and course access is available on the landing page at http://highlandscounty.literacysolutions.net/. Participants will review the tutorial found in the self-registration link on the landing page. Instructions for course enrollment and requirements are very thorough and easy to understand. Registrants may save the Literacy Solutions link to their favorites/bookmark. Participants must notify Chrystal Grundy (email or phone) upon self-registration with course name and date. Courses not completed within the 12 week timeline will be subject to a reimbursement fee of $195.00 per course (amount subject to change). Participant must provide the Certification Office (Brianna McCartney) a copy of the course certificate upon course completion to receive credit

NOTE: It is the responsibility of the qualifying educator to contact the Human Resources Certification Office, upon completion of all ESOL endorsement/certification requirements, to add the applicable ESOL coverage to their certificate. It is advisable to maintain a running record of completed ESOL courses AND to contact the HR Certification Office to ensure course work is not duplicated.