To become a math teacher in Florida, you usually need a bachelor’s degree with a 2.5 GPA in your major, math coursework or a passing FTCE math exam, and a teaching job, which gets you a five-year Temporary Certificate. While you teach, you finish General Knowledge, professional preparation and, on most routes, the Professional Education Test for the Professional Certificate.
Florida certifies math teachers in two grade bands, Middle Grades Mathematics (5-9) and Mathematics (6-12), and it doesn’t use the Praxis exams, one of the clearest examples of how certification differs from state to state. You take Florida’s own exams, the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE). Most new math teachers, and nearly every career changer, start on a Temporary Certificate and upgrade while they teach. Here’s how to become a math teacher in Florida, in three steps.
- Complete an Approved Math Educator Preparation Program
- Pass the Required Florida Math Teacher Certification Exams
- Apply for and Maintain Your Florida Math Educator Certification
Step 1. Complete an Approved Math Educator Preparation Program
Florida issues two educator certificates, and which one you qualify for first decides the order of everything else. If you already hold a degree in another field, you’ll almost always start on the Temporary Certificate.
Temporary vs. Professional Certificate
| Certificate | Valid For | Renewable | What You Need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary | 5 school fiscal years, issued once | No | On the standard route: a bachelor’s degree, subject knowledge (an FTCE math exam, or the coursework in this step with a 2.5 GPA), a job at a Florida school, cleared fingerprints |
| Professional | 5 school years | Yes | Bachelor’s degree, subject knowledge (usually a passing FTCE math exam), General Knowledge, and professional preparation (a program plus, on most routes, the Professional Education Test) |
Your employer requests the Temporary Certificate once you’re hired, and section 1012.56, Florida Statutes, gives the Department of Education 14 days to issue it. You’re assigned a teacher mentor for your first two school years. The statute also allows two narrower routes to a Temporary Certificate without a finished bachelor’s degree: one for veterans with 48 months of active duty service and an honorable discharge or medical separation, and one for students in a state-approved teacher preparation program who are completing their field experience or internship at a public school. Both require 60 college credits with a 2.5 GPA and the same math subject requirements. Everything you still owe for the Professional Certificate is listed on your Official Statement of Status of Eligibility (SOE), the letter the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) sends after it reviews your application. See FLDOE’s certificate types and requirements (checked October 2026).
Choose Your Preparation Route
To earn the Professional Certificate, you must complete an approved math educator preparation program or another route FLDOE accepts for professional preparation. These are the three you’ll see most:
Initial Teacher Preparation (ITP) program: The traditional route. It’s a state-approved bachelor’s or master’s program (an M.A.T. or M.Ed., for example) with supervised field experience and student teaching. If you entered a program in 2023-24 or later, you complete at least 60 hours of preservice field experience before a culminating experience of at least 12 weeks of student teaching, under section 1004.04, Florida Statutes. Florida online and distance programs can place you in another state or on a U.S. military base abroad. FLDOE publishes the list of approved programs.
Educator Preparation Institute (EPI): A state-approved program for people who hold a bachelor’s degree outside education, offered by Florida postsecondary institutions and qualified private providers. It’s the alternative route for career changers and recent graduates who didn’t complete a traditional teacher preparation program. FLDOE keeps the EPI program list.
Professional Learning Certification Program (PLCP): Formerly called the Professional Development Certification Program (PDCP), this is a competency-based program run by a Florida school district, charter school or charter management organization for teachers who already hold a Temporary Certificate. It includes mentoring and an assessment of your teaching. FLDOE lists the approved PLCPs by district.
Most routes also require a passing score on the FTCE Professional Education Test (083). Florida law makes an exception if you complete an approved EPI or PLCP and earn a highly effective performance evaluation. FLDOE’s published requirements still list the test for both programs, so confirm how the exception applies to you with the Bureau of Educator Certification before you skip it. A valid standard teaching certificate from another state meets the professional preparation requirement outright. FLDOE lists every accepted option on its professional preparation page, and your SOE shows the ones that apply to you.
Coursework for Each Grade Band
If you haven’t passed an FTCE math exam yet, your degree has to meet Florida’s subject coverage rules to qualify for the Temporary Certificate (as of October 2026).
For Middle Grades Mathematics (5-9), Rule 6A-4.0261 requires a bachelor’s or higher degree with one of these:
- A major in mathematics or middle grades mathematics
- At least 18 semester hours in mathematics, including credit in calculus, precalculus or trigonometry, credit in geometry, and credit in probability or statistics
For Mathematics (6-12), Rule 6A-4.0262 requires a bachelor’s or higher degree with one of these:
- A major in mathematics
- 30 semester hours in mathematics, including 6 semester hours of calculus, credit in geometry, credit in probability or statistics, and credit in abstract or linear algebra
- The specialization requirements for physics plus 21 semester hours in mathematics, with the same calculus, geometry, probability or statistics, and algebra credit
Coursework only gets you the Temporary Certificate. Most applicants show subject knowledge for the Professional Certificate by passing the matching FTCE exam in Step 2. Florida also accepts a valid standard certificate from another state, a National Board certificate, or a qualifying master’s degree in the certificate subject.
Step 2. Pass the Required Florida Math Teacher Certification Exams
Pearson delivers the FTCE as computer-based tests at centers in Florida and nationwide, by appointment year-round. You’ll take up to three: the subject area exam for your grade band, the General Knowledge Test and the Professional Education Test. The fees and passing scores in this table come from the official FTCE test pages (checked October 2026).
| Exam | Format | Fee and Passing Score | Needed For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Grades Mathematics 5-9 (025) | About 50 multiple-choice questions, 2 hours 30 minutes, on-screen scientific calculator | $150, scaled score of 200 | Professional for most applicants, and Temporary if you lack the coursework, grades 5-9 |
| Mathematics 6-12 (026) | About 50 multiple-choice questions, 2 hours 30 minutes, on-screen scientific calculator | $150, scaled score of 200 | Professional for most applicants, and Temporary if you lack the coursework, grades 6-12 |
| General Knowledge Test (082) | Four subtests: Essay (825), English Language Skills (826), Reading (827), Mathematics (828) | $130 for all four or $32.50 per subtest, scaled score of 200 on each multiple-choice subtest and 6 of 8 points on the essay | Professional only, unless you meet it another way |
| Professional Education Test (083) | About 80 multiple-choice questions, 2 hours 30 minutes | $150, scaled score of 200 | Professional, on most routes (see the EPI and PLCP exception in Step 1) |
You must pass all four General Knowledge subtests, but you don’t have to take them in one sitting. Each test page links to its official test information guide, which lists the current competencies. If you plan to teach math in elementary school instead, you take Elementary Education K-6 (060).
Ways to Meet General Knowledge Without the Test
FLDOE accepts any one of these in place of the General Knowledge Test (as of October 2026):
- A master’s or higher degree from an accredited institution, shown on an official transcript
- A valid standard teaching certificate from another U.S. state or territory
- A valid National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence certificate
- Two semesters of full-time college teaching, or the part-time equivalent
- GRE scores: Quantitative Reasoning 147 for the math subtest, Verbal Reasoning 151 for English Language Skills and Reading, and Analytical Writing 4 for the essay
Test scores, GK or GRE, must be no more than 10 years old when you apply.
The math exams are aligned to Florida’s state academic standards. For math, those are the B.E.S.T. Standards (Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking), adopted by the State Board of Education on February 12, 2020, and used in Florida math courses since the 2022-23 school year. They replaced the Mathematics Florida Standards (MAFS) that older guides still describe.
Step 3. Apply for and Maintain Your Florida Math Educator Certification
Apply through FLDOE’s online certification system and have official transcripts sent to the Bureau of Educator Certification. FLDOE reviews your file and sends your SOE, which says whether you’re eligible for a Temporary or Professional Certificate and lists anything still missing. An SOE is valid for five years, but it becomes invalid if FLDOE refers your background screening for review and you don’t send the documents it requests within 90 days. When a Florida school hires you, your employer guides you through the fingerprinting process.
Upgrading From Temporary to Professional
Your Temporary Certificate can’t be renewed, so finish every requirement on your SOE and submit the upgrade application before it expires. FLDOE emails you at least one year before the expiration date with each way you can still complete the Professional Certificate. You apply through FLDOE’s online upgrade application, which stays valid for one year.
FLDOE can still issue the Professional Certificate if you complete every requirement, including the application, by June 30 of the year after your Temporary Certificate expires. That window doesn’t protect your job: your district may require completion before the expiration date for contract renewal, so ask its certification office.
Renewing the Professional Certificate
The Professional Certificate lasts five school years. You renew it by submitting the renewal application through your FLDOE online account before it expires, with renewal credit earned during the validity period (as of October 2026):
- Six semester hours of college credit, including at least one semester hour in teaching students with disabilities
- Inservice points instead of credit: 20 points in an approved Florida master inservice program equal one semester hour
- A passing score on the Florida subject area exam for the subject you’re renewing, which counts as three semester hours
- A valid National Board certificate, which renews the Florida certificate in that subject
Each college course needs a grade of C or better, or a Pass. The full list of equivalencies is on FLDOE’s renewal requirements page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I teach math in Florida without an education degree?
Yes. A bachelor’s degree with a math major, or with the math credits Florida’s rules require, qualifies you for a Temporary Certificate on the standard route once a school hires you. If your degree is in another field, passing FTCE Mathematics 6-12 (026) or Middle Grades Mathematics 5-9 (025) shows subject knowledge instead. You then complete professional preparation while you teach.
Do I have to take the General Knowledge Test if I have a master’s degree?
No. A master’s or higher degree from an accredited institution satisfies the General Knowledge requirement. So does a valid standard teaching certificate from another state or qualifying GRE scores.
How long is a Florida Temporary Certificate valid?
Five school fiscal years. It’s issued once and can’t be renewed, so plan to finish the Professional Certificate requirements on your SOE and apply before it expires. FLDOE allows a limited window, until June 30 of the following year, but your district may set an earlier deadline.
Which FTCE math exam should I take?
Take Middle Grades Mathematics 5-9 (025) to teach grades 5-9 and Mathematics 6-12 (026) to teach grades 6-12. Both cost $150 and require a scaled score of 200. Most applicants need the exam for the Professional Certificate, though an out-of-state standard certificate, a National Board certificate or a qualifying master’s degree in math can stand in for it.
What do I need to renew my Florida Professional Certificate?
Six semester hours of college credit or the equivalent, earned during the five-year validity period. At least one semester hour must cover teaching students with disabilities.
- Two certificates: Most new math teachers start on a five-year, nonrenewable Temporary Certificate and upgrade to the renewable Professional Certificate.
- FTCE, not Praxis: Florida math teachers take Middle Grades Mathematics 5-9 (025) or Mathematics 6-12 (026), each $150 with a passing scaled score of 200.
- Career changers: On the standard route, a bachelor’s degree plus the math coursework or a passing FTCE math exam qualifies you for the Temporary Certificate once a school hires you.
- Professional Education Test: Most routes require the PEd (083), and the EPI and PLCP exception for highly effective teachers is worth confirming with the Bureau of Educator Certification.
- General Knowledge alternatives: A master’s degree, an out-of-state standard certificate or qualifying GRE scores can replace the General Knowledge Test.
If you’ll start on a Temporary Certificate, the program you choose decides how you finish professional preparation in your five years. Compare the schools listed here by whether they run as an EPI or a master’s, and whether the coursework fits around a full teaching day.