Florida Educational Leadership Examination (FELE)
About the FELE
The Florida Legislature and State Board of Education recognize that the capacity and quality of Florida’s educational leaders are critical factors in the overall level of educational excellence in Florida’s public school system. In order to ensure that that each of Florida’s educational leaders possess the competencies and skills necessary to achieve the state’s education goals, the State Board of Education requires that candidates seeking certification in Educational Leadership demonstrate a mastery of the Florida Principal Leadership Standards as defined in SBE Rule 6A-5.080. These standards serve as Florida’s core expectations for effective school administrators and are based on contemporary research on multi-dimensional school leadership. They represent skill sets and knowledge bases needed in effective schools. The Florida Educational Leadership Examination (FELE) is aligned to these standards and allows candidates seeking certification in Educational Leadership to demonstrate mastery of the requisite competencies and skills.
The FELE is designed to measure prospective school administrators’ achievement of the benchmarks established by the Florida State Board of Education as stated in Rule 6A-4.00821, F.A.C., and published in the Competencies and Skills Required for Certification in Educational Leadership in Florida. The FELE consists of three subtests covering 13 domains of core curriculum in Educational Leadership. Certification testing requirements are set forth in Florida Statute 1012.56, and candidates seeking certification in Educational Leadership are required by Florida State Board of Education Rule to take and pass all subtests of the FELE.
For information on what is required to be certified as a school administrator in Florida, go to the Florida Department of Education's Bureau of Educator Certification website. You may also call the Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Educator Certification, at 1-800-445-6739.
Examination Information at a Glance
Candidates seeking certification in Educational Leadership in Florida are required by State Board of Education Rule 6A-4.00821, FAC, to take this examination.The current examination (beginning January 2014) is aligned with the 2011 Florida Principal Leadership Standards (Rule 6A-5.080, F.A.C.). The 10 standards are divided into three subtests:
- Subtest 1 (multiple choice) - Leadership for Student Learning: Student Learning Results, Student Learning as a Priority, Instructional Plan Implementation, and Learning Environment
- Subtest 2 (multiple choice) - Organizational Development: Faculty Development, Leadership Development, and Professional and Ethical Behavior
- Subtest 3 (multiple choice and written performance assessment*) - Systems Leadership: Decision Making, School Management, and Communication
*Subtest 3 contains multiple-choice questions as wells as a written performance assessment (WPA), which is designed to determine proficiency in written communication and data analysis. The WPA is scored holistically by qualified professionals in the field of educational leadership. Updated examples of WPA sample prompts, as well as the supplemental rating criteria for the sample prompts, are available for review on the Written Performance Assessment webpage. Additional sample prompts as well as passing and non-passing sample responses are available for review in the FELE Test Information Guide on the FTCE/FELE testing contractor's website.
FELE Competencies and Skills
Competencies and Skills Required for Certification in Educational Leadership in Florida, Fourth Edition, is available on the FELE Test Content Information page, along with additional test-content materials and resources.
FELE Test Development
On June 5, 2012, the Department of Education issued the following communication regarding 2012 Florida Educational Leadership Examination test development:For information about participating in test development activities, go to the Department's FTCE/FELE testing contractor's website.
Important Changes to the FELE Program
On April 5, 2013, the Department of Education issued the following communication regarding the implementation of the revised FELE:In November 2012, the State Board of Education approved the new FELE competencies and skills. The revised FELE was officially implemented beginning January 1, 2014. The memorandum issued January 30, 2013, announced the publication of the revised competencies and skills.
Beginning January 1, 2014, if examinees have not passed all three subtests of the current FELE by December 31, 2013, then the examinees must take all three subtests of the revised FELE in order to use their scores for certification purposes. This information is included in the memorandum linked above.
We Want to Hear From You!
Please take a few minutes to fill out our online survey regarding services you have received. The information you provide will be analyzed by Program Managers at the Florida Department of Education and used for improving the FELE testing system.
FELE Questions?
To register or to obtain specific information, visit www.fl.nesinc.com or call FTCE/FELE Customer Service at 866-613-3281 (toll free, US and Canada only) 8 a.m.–6 p.m., Mon.– Fri., excluding holidays. (The Automated Information System is available by phone 24 hours daily.)