Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Florida teacher certification renewal under s. 1012.585 needs 6 college credits, 120 inservice points or a mix in each 5-year period. At least 3 credits must be in each subject you keep, and 1 credit in teaching students with disabilities. Passing the subject exam can renew a subject instead. College credit counts via a college transcript; confirm in writing with your district or FLDOE first.
Under s. 1012.585, a Florida Professional Certificate renews for up to 5 years when the holder earns at least 6 college credits or 120 inservice points or a mix, with at least 3 in each specialization kept and 1 in teaching students with disabilities.
The rule asks for 6 college credits or 120 inservice points per 5-year period. The legal source is s. 1012.585.
| Requirement | What s. 1012.585 says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 6 college credits or 120 inservice points or a mix, each validity period | [1] |
| Each subject kept | At least 3 credits or the equivalent points in that specialization | [1] |
| Students with disabilities | At least 1 college credit or the equivalent points | [1] |
| Exam option | A passing Florida subject area exam renews that specialization in lieu of credit | [1] |
| K-6 reading coverages | 2 credits or equivalent points in science of reading, from approved providers | [1] |
| Who renews | Your district if it employs you; FLDOE if you are not employed by a district | [1] |
| Late renewal | Application, fee and late fee before 1 July of the year after expiry | [1] |
Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Educator Certification, and district certification offices decides how this rule applies to you. We read its published rule and the pages below; each was checked on 15 Nov 2026.
Each course below is ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended for college credit. Whether it counts here is the decision of the college and of Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Educator Certification, and district certification offices.
General professional credit toward the 6; ask if it fits a specialization.
Self-paced online Educational Psychology course (Psychology 120). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
General credit toward the 6 for classroom teachers.
Self-paced online Psychology of Diversity course (Psychology 112). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
For maths teachers: ask whether it counts in the maths specialization.
Self-paced online College Algebra course (Math 111). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
For maths teachers keeping a 6-12 maths subject.
Self-paced online Calculus 1 course (Math 165). NCCRS recommends 4 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
For science teachers keeping a biology subject.
Self-paced online Intro to Biology 1 course (Biology 100). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit. Ask the college and your renewal office first, then enrol.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
| Option | Price | For this rule | Price checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPI Study PRO | $99 a month, every course | $99 for each month you are subscribed; take as many courses as you finish in that time | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning | $99 a month | Self-paced courses for $99 a month, then a college must post them on its transcript | 15 Nov 2026 |
| StraighterLine | $99 a month plus $79 per course | Two courses: $158 in course fees plus at least one month, then the transcript step | 15 Nov 2026 |
Employed teachers can often earn inservice points through their district at little or no cost; check that first. Florida state colleges also teach these subjects, with credit on their own transcript.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
Ask your district certification office, or FLDOE if you are not employed by a district, in writing whether credits posted on a partner college's transcript would count for each subject on your certificate before you enrol.
Florida Professional Certificates renew in periods of up to 5 years, and s. 1012.585 of the Florida Statutes sets what you need each time. The core rule is a minimum of 6 college credits or 120 inservice points, or a combination. Six credits and 120 points sit side by side in the law, and the leadership paragraph pairs 1 college credit with 20 inservice points, so each credit counts as 20 points.
Inside those 6, the law adds two conditions. For each subject you want to keep on the certificate, you need at least 3 credits or the equivalent points in that subject. And since July 2014 you need at least 1 college credit or the equivalent points in teaching students with disabilities. These do not add to the total; they are carved out of it.
Holders of a K-6 coverage that includes reading must also earn 2 credits or equivalent points in evidence-based reading instruction, and that training must come from approved teacher preparation programs or district professional learning systems.
If a Florida school district employs you, the district renews your certificate and decides what counts. If you are not employed by a district, for example you teach in a private school, have left teaching, or moved away, FLDOE renews it directly.
That difference matters most for inservice points. District employees can usually earn points through district training. People outside a district often cannot, which is why college credit is the main route for them.
College credit counts when it is on a college transcript. Our courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended, so a college can review them and post them on its own transcript. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit.
For the subject part, the course has to be in that subject. A maths teacher keeping Mathematics 6-12 would look at College Algebra, Pre-Calculus or Calculus 1; a biology teacher at Intro to Biology. General courses such as Educational Psychology can count toward the 6 but may not count toward a subject. We do not teach a course in teaching students with disabilities, so plan that credit through district inservice or a college.
| Part of the rule | Possible UPI Study course | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 3 credits in maths | College Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Calculus 1 | Ask if it counts in your maths subject |
| 3 credits in biology | Intro to Biology 1 or 2 | Ask if it counts in your science subject |
| General credit toward 6 | Educational Psychology, Psychology of Diversity | May not count toward a subject |
| 1 credit, students with disabilities | None | Use district inservice or a college |
The State Board rule that carries out the statute, Rule 6A-4.0051, has a new version listed as effective 17 Nov 2026, tied to a 2026 bill. We have not read the new text. Before you plan, ask your renewal office whether anything in your renewal has changed.
Six college credits, 120 inservice points or a mix, in each validity period of up to 5 years, under s. 1012.585. At least 3 must be in each subject you keep and at least 1 in teaching students with disabilities. Confirm what counts with your district or FLDOE in writing.
The statute pairs 6 college credits with 120 inservice points, and it pairs 1 college credit with 20 inservice points for leadership renewal, so one credit is treated as 20 points. Your district's professional learning office records points, so check its records before you plan.
Yes, for that subject. The law lets you renew a specialization by passing the Florida subject area exam in lieu of college credit or inservice points. You still need the students with disabilities credit and any other parts that apply to you.
If no Florida district employs you, FLDOE renews it directly. Inservice points may be harder to earn outside a district, so many people use college credit. Ask FLDOE in writing which courses and colleges it would count before you enrol.
The law allows late renewal if the application, fee and late fee arrive before 1 July of the year after expiry. After that, reinstatement needs 6 credits or 120 points earned in the 5 years before, plus a passing subject exam in that time.
No. We do not teach a course in teaching students with disabilities. Most teachers earn that credit through district inservice or a college course. Our courses can help with the other credits, after you confirm in writing that they count.
Ask your renewal office in writing first, then take two subject courses in one month.