Frequently Asked Questions
To be eligible to enroll in this course, you must hold a valid and certified Florida teaching license. Click the following link to check your teaching license status using the “Public Search” option at the top of the page at the Florida Department of Education’s Online Licensing Service.
https://flcertify.fldoe.org/datamart/mainMenu.do. Our system will check the latest records provided by the Florida Department of Education’s Bureau of Educator Certification to verify your license status.
On average, this online course should about 50 hours to complete. In this course, every lesson includes one or two videos, and most lessons in modules 1 to 5 also include a reflection activity and interactive assessment. Modules 1 to 5 also have an interactive module assessment.
To pass this course, you must fully watch every video (with fast-forwarding disabled), submit a substantive and relevant response to every reflection activity, score 70% or higher on every interactive lesson assessment, and complete every interactive module assessment. You will have two attempts to pass each reflection activity and interactive lesson assessment. If you do not pass a reflection activity or lesson assessment after two attempts, you must restart the lesson, rewatch the videos, and retake any reflection activity and lesson assessment that you did not pass. You must complete all of the above requirements by your course end date.
On March 15, 2022, the State Board of Education (SBE) approved 6A-4.0164 Specialization Requirements for the Civics Seal of Excellence (Endorsement). To qualify for the Civics Seal of Excellence Endorsement, you must hold a valid Florida Educator Certificate and complete all course passing requirements by your course end date. After you complete the Civics Seal of Excellence course, you will receive a downloadable completion certificate and a link to a shareable certificate page. You will need to upload a copy of your completion certificate to the certification application.
To add the endorsement to your certificate, you must submit either the Add Subject to Professional Certificate application or the Add Subject to Temporary Certificate application via the Florida Department of Education online application system and pay the nonrefundable $75 fee. Click here to start your application.
To qualify for the $3,000 stipend, you must hold a valid and certified Florida teaching license, successfully complete all course passing requirements by your course end date, and be currently employed by a Florida public school district/local education agency (LEA). After your course end date, the Florida Department of Education will be notified if you have successfully completed the course. Stipends will be paid through the Florida Department of Education; these payments will then be sent to districts along with a list of teachers who have completed the course. To receive the stipend, you must follow the verification and application requirements specified by your district/LEA.
The Civics Seal of Excellence Endorsement Course information, materials and examinations are used to verify educators’ eligibility to add an endorsement to their Florida educator certificate, which makes them exempt from Florida’s Government in the Sunshine Law (Section 1012.56(9)(g), F.S.). Civics Seal of Excellence site visitors and course participants shall not distribute or share in whole, partial, facsimile, or paraphrased formats the following course information and materials: course videos, video transcripts, reflection activity prompts, reflection activity answers, reflection activity texts, lesson assessment items, lesson assessment answers, module assessment items, and module assessment answers.
Course participants shall adhere to the Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida and the following honor policies.
- Participants will accurately represent their identity during the registration process and course activities.
- Participants will independently complete all course videos, reflection activities, and interactive assessments. This expectation includes completely watching every course video with fast-forwarding disabled. Group work in any form and completing work for other participants is prohibited.
- Participants will not engage in plagiarism or cheating, including but not limited to submitting reflection activity responses written in whole or in part by someone else, recording, sharing or using answers to interactive assessments, and facilitating plagiarism or cheating by others.