Christian Schools of Florida
Explanatory Standards

Explanatory Standard 6.1-2B

Determining Administrative and Teaching Assignments

The following standards are required for determining what is conceived to be suitable preparation for assigning administrative and teaching positions in schools accredited by Christian Schools of Florida.

A close walk with God is the prerequisite for representing Jesus Christ in the classroom and throughout the school, as demonstrated by active church membership and a lifestyle which is consistent with biblical principles and moral commandments. Teachers, administrator, and staff personnel must be born again with clear testimonies for Christ and must evidence a sense of God’s calling to serve Him in the Christian school. The teachers and staff must affirm the doctrines of the Reformed faith.

The relationships of all personnel with students, parents, colleagues, the administration, and
the board must be open and positive, fostering cooperative relationships within the school.
School administrators must affirm the doctrines of the Reformed faith and the mission and
philosophy of the school.

1. Administrative Staff
   
   
   1. Head of School: the administrative head of school must hold a graduate degree and:
      
      
      1. be certified in educational leadership, supervision, and/or administration, or
      2. have earned at least 18 semester hours of credit in educational leadership,
         supervision, and/or administration either as part of or in addition to that degree,
         or
      3. have earned a graduate degree and have specific skills, training, or executive
         experience; in this instance, the school shall have a qualified instructional
         administrator or principal with authority to oversee the instructional program and
         meeting the qualifications of ES 5.2.1.b.
      4. Administrative heads of schools that do not hold the required degree, or have not
         earned the specified credits, and who serve as the instructional leader of the
         school must be actively enrolled in a program that leads to meeting the
         requirement within three years.
         
         
   2. Principals and instructional administrators must:
      
      
      1. be certified or certifiable in administration, supervision, or educational leadership,
         or
      2. be actively engaged in a graduate program leading to certification or be
         certifiable in administration, supervision, or educational leadership within four
         years of accreditation, or
      3. hold a master’s degree in business, education, or divinity, and
      4. be actively engaged in ongoing professional growth.
         
         
   3. Early childhood directors must;
      
      
      1. possess a state mandated credential, and:
      2. have earned a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in early
         childhood education /child development, or
      3. a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education with nine credit hours in early
         childhood education/child development, or
      4. a Bachelor’s degree in any other subject area with twelve credit hours in early
         childhood education/child development, or
      5. academic credentials that exceed the foregoing deemed satisfactory to the
         accrediting entity including 12 credit hours in early childhood/child development.
         
         (Note: Passing the state subject area test for appropriate age level may be
         substituted for early childhood/child development credit hours.)
         
         
2. Instructional Staff
   
   
   1. Teachers in grades K-12:
      
      
      1. must hold a minimum of a Bachelor's Degree, and be teaching the major part of
         the day in the fields for which they are academically prepared, OR
      2. be state or nationally certified in the field of their major assignment, OR
      3. must hold a Bachelor's Degree and have exceptional experience or expertise in
         their teaching assignment, OR
      4. if non-degreed, a teacher who possesses exceptional experience or expertise may
         be assigned to disciplines other than English, mathematics, social studies, and
         science.
      5. A school may have up to 20% of FTE teachers designated as exceptional in
         academic classes defined in #4 above.
      6. In Classical Christian schools teachers of the omnibus component must hold a
         Bachelor's Degree in one of the core courses of the component or have a
         Bachelor's Degree with exceptional experience or expertise in their teaching
         assignment.
         
         Note: For #4 and 5 above, the school head shall provide written rationale of
         justification to the CSF accreditation chair to validate the exception. Teachers who
         have not completed a supervised internship must be enrolled in a professional training program designed by the school containing the equivalency of 9 credits in professional education and must complete the program within three years.
         
         
   2. Teachers of two to four-year-old children must complete the state-mandated hourly
      training, AND
      
      
      1. hold a valid teaching certificate in early childhood or child development, OR
      2. hold a college degree plus experience or training in early childhood education or
         documentation of continued course work in early childhood education, OR
      3. hold an associate of Arts Degree with a certificate from an early childhood program
         recognized by CSF, OR
      4. have a FCCPC (formerly CDA).
         
         
   3. Assistant teachers of two to four-year-old children must complete the state-mandated
      hourly training.
      
      
3. Professional Development
   
   All classroom teachers are engaged in professional development in order to (1) earn six
   (6) semester credit hours every five years of employment or (2) three (3) semester
   credit hours and sixty (60) in-service hours, or (3) one hundred and twenty (120)
   services hours, every five years of employment. These in-service hours must be
   approved and documented by the school head or academic principal and kept in the
   personnel files of the school or on the CSF online PDP program.
   
   Early Childhood teachers and assistant teachers are required to complete the required
   minimum documented clock hours annually, relating to early childhood.