2004 - 2005 Adopted
Platform
Teacher
Certification
Voucher
Funded School Accountability
Teacher
Certification
Resolved,
That the Florida PTA support the certification process for
public school teachers be no less stringent than exists in
Florida Statute 1012.56 effective January 1, 2003. As follows:
the applicant must document receipt of a bachelor’s or higher
degree from an accredited institution of higher learning, or a
non-accredited institution of higher learning that the
Department of Education has identified as having a quality
program resulting in a bachelor’s degree, or higher. Each
applicant seeking initial certification must have attained at
least a 2.5 overall grade point average on a 4.0 scale in the
applicant’s major field of study. Further, each applicant
must:
-
Be
of good moral character.
-
Be
competent and capable of performing the duties, functions,
and responsibilities of an educator.
-
Demonstrate
mastery of general knowledge..
-
Demonstrate
mastery of subject area knowledge..
-
Demonstrate
mastery of professional preparation and education competence.
Resolved,
That the process fro alternative teacher
certification be no less rigorous than that for traditional
teacher certification.
Voucher
Funded School Accountability
Resolved, While
continuing to oppose vouchers in all forms, that Florida PTA urges
the Legislature to impose strict eligibility requirements on
private institutions and nonpublic K-12 schools receiving public
dollars through any state funded voucher, grant or scholarship
programs, and at a minimum, require them to meet the same
accountability standards at their cost as public schools,
including, but not limited to:
1)
School wide participation in
any statewide assessment program, by mandating all current
standardized tests, i.e., FCAT and Florida Writes;
2)
Assignment of an annual school performance grade category
designation and improvement rating, to be published in the
Commissioner of Education’s annual statewide assessment
report;
3)
Compliance with Florida Public Records Laws and requirement for
independent audits to assess how taxpayer money is being spent.
4)
Regulations to ensure private institutions and nonpublic schools
are adequately equipped to meet the educational needs of their
students.
|
