SB 1590 revises Florida’s educator preparation framework with the stated goal of modernizing teacher training and ensuring students have access to well-prepared teachers. The bill directs the Department of Education to convene a workgroup to update the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices, submit recommendations to the Governor and Legislature, and have the State Board of Education consider revised practices and implementing rules. It also requires development of a new Florida Teacher Excellence Examination and a report outlining how teacher preparation programs, educator preparation institutes, core courses, and the CERT program should be aligned to the revised standards and exam.
The bill creates two new statutory sections governing teacher preparation. Section 1012.551 requires approved teacher preparation programs to use a uniform core curriculum beginning in 2027, with detailed standards covering evidence-based instruction, state academic standards, science of reading, differentiated instruction, assessment and grading practices, and mastery-based clinical experiences. Section 1012.552 creates the Coaching for Educator Readiness and Teaching (CERT) Certification Program as an alternative pathway for teachers with temporary certificates to earn professional certification through mentorship, on-the-job training, performance evaluation, and required subject-area and reading endorsement completion. The bill also amends the School Community Professional Learning Act to require professional learning tied to state standards, instructional materials training, and new criteria for mentor and clinical educator training.
SB 1590 would significantly affect Florida statutes governing teacher preparation, certification, and professional learning, especially chapters 1004 and 1012, by adding new requirements for curriculum content, clinical experience, mentorship, and certification pathways. It would also require the Department of Education and State Board of Education to develop or revise rules, standards, exams, and implementation plans, and it would impose new training expectations for mentors and professional learning providers. The bill’s provisions would directly affect teacher preparation programs, educator preparation institutes, school districts, charter schools, charter management organizations, temporary certificate holders, mentors, and clinical educators.
The available context suggests generally favorable legislative intent around improving teacher quality, aligning preparation with evidence-based practices, and standardizing training across programs. However, the bill did not advance to enactment in this form; it was laid on the table after a companion bill passed, indicating the policy direction was ultimately carried forward elsewhere rather than through SB 1590 itself. No committee transcript or recorded votes were provided, so the broader sentiment can only be inferred from the bill’s detailed, reform-oriented structure and its eventual procedural disposition.
The bill includes several potentially contentious education-policy provisions, especially the restrictions on teacher preparation curricula. It prohibits instruction that distorts historical events, teaches identity politics, or relies on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in U.S. institutions, language that could draw disagreement over academic freedom, curriculum content, and how those terms are interpreted. Another likely point of contention is the bill’s strong emphasis on phonics and the explicit rejection of the three-cueing model for reading instruction, which may be viewed as a major shift in literacy pedagogy. The creation of a new teacher excellence exam, the mandatory uniform core curriculum, and the new alternative CERT certification pathway could also raise concerns among preparation programs, districts, and educators about implementation burden, oversight, and flexibility.