School District employees should renew their Professional Certificate through the District Certification Office. Retirees or individuals not currently employed by the School District of Palm Beach County must apply and pay directly to the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) to renew a certificate. Charter School instructional employees should renew their Professional Certificate through the District Certification Office.

Valid Florida Certification is required under Florida law for several different employee groups within the School District. This includes teachers, athletic coaches, school or department-based administrators, and others.  Securing and renewing a certificate with the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) is the responsibility of the employee. This includes monitoring your personal FLDOE account for the following:

• Issuance of your Certificate
• Emailed Communication from the Bureau of Educator Certification
• Submission of Requested Additional Documentation

For information on the requirements of your position, please visit our job descriptions webpage: https://www2.palmbeachschools.org/districtjobdescriptions/

The Palm Beach County School District Certification Office may provide guidance and support to certified personnel; however, the employee is responsible for fulfilling the requirements and completing all outlined procedures. Please note that all renewal or upgrade requirements must be completed prior to the expiration date of your certificate.

Professional Certificate Renewal Requirements

• You must be in the last year of your Certificate's validity period. (Example: If your Certificate is from 7/1/2018 to 6/30/2023, you can renew any time after August 1.)
• Inservice Points: You have earned a total of 120 inservice points and 20 of those points are in Students with Disabilities (ESE). If you have more than five certification areas to be renewed, additional renewal credit may be required.

Steps for Renewal (Current District and Charter Instructional Employees)

1. Submit your online renewal application to the FLDOE. Please review this video if you need help submitting your application.
2. Complete the Renewal / Add On Verification Form (R/A Form).
3. Submit your payment to School Cash Online. Please review these INSTRUCTIONS. 
4. Submit the completed Renewal / Add-On Verification Form, the payment receipt, and proof of your in-service points (eLearning or Beacon Transcript), to the Certification Office at: certinfo@palmbeachschools.org.

In approximately 90 days, the Florida Department of Education will email you from VERSA_Online providing a copy of your updated certificate. (Be sure to check your SPAM or JUNK folder for a possible email from the Florida Department of Education.) You can also review these instructions on how to obtain a copy of it. You do not need to provide our office a copy of the updated certificate.

Applications should be received by May 31 to ensure enough time for processing. Certificates that are not renewed in time will result in termination of employment, pending job requirements.

Special Note: If you have answered YES to any of the Legal Disclosure Questions on your online renewal application, make sure you input the details on the corresponding section of the online application (Sealed & Expunged, Criminal Offenses, Professional Sanctions). 

Types of Inservice Points

• Beacon Educator - Retiree and Non-District employees can complete inservice points, if needed, through Beacon Educator, an online school for renewal and add-on courses. Transcripts must be emailed to PBCSD Certinfo@palmbeachschools.org. Include your Employee ID number along with your License information.
• College Credits - Complete six (6) credit hours of coursework at an accredited college or university. Coursework must reflect a grade of “C” or better. (Submit an official college transcript to the FLDOE, when using this method for renewal.) Dissertation courses do not satisfy renewal requirements.
• SAE - Pass a Florida Subject Area Exam specific to the coverage on the Certificate to be renewed (the equivalent of sixty inservice points).
• Teach - Teaching a college-level course at an acceptable institution may be accepted the same as credit earned for the course. (See College Level Course Teaching Verification sample.)
• National Board - Have a valid National Board Certificate and complete the ESE twenty (20) inservice points to meet the renewal requirements. (A combination of inservice points, college credits, SAE, etc., may be used.)
• Acceptable College Credit Equivalencies for Renewal - For information on Acceptable College Credit Equivalencies for Renewal, Appropriate Topics for Renewal Credit, and retaining all subjects on your certificate visit the FLDOE Florida Educator Certification Renewal Requirements page.

What should I do if I do not remember my Login Credentials from the FLDOE Portal?

Try retrieving your information from the Forgot password? or Forgot user ID? functionalities from the FLDOE portal. If you still have no access to your account, DO NOT create a second account. Remember, your license information is associated with your social security number and creating a new account will not recognize your credentials. Unfortunately, the District offices do not have access to the system to assist educators with this type of issue.

The FLDOE requests the educator to send an email to FLCertify@fldoe.org and request to have your password reset. The email should include the following information:

• First and Last name
• Date of Birth (month/day/year)
• Department of Education File Number (Teaching License Number)
• State the reason for the email (password reset, forgot User ID, etc.)
• Email you would like to be contacted at if it is different from the one used

Please do not submit multiple emails for the same request as this delays the Bureau of Certification (BEC) response time. BEC staff will respond to your request as quickly as current resources allow, in the order in which the email was received in the inbox. Staff from the BEC Call Center cannot assist you in resolving this type of issue. The estimated response time from the FLDOE 4-6 weeks and can vary depending on the workload. You may contact the BEC through the Technical Assistance Tab on their website.