Documentation for Administrators

Teachers In/Out of Field

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The Teachers In/Out of Field report allows users to easily identify teachers who are out of field and need data corrected. Along with the teacher out of field, the course, certifications, FEFP, course minutes, and more, are all listed to help determine the invalid data.

Users can automate the Teacher Licensure Status processes. This optional feature will compare the teacher’s certification(s) against the course section criterion and determine their applicable Certification/Licensure/Qualification Status (FLDOE Data Element 108150).

General Setup
System Preferences

1. From the Setup menu, click System Preferences.

2. Once on the System Preferences screen, click the Scheduling tab.

3. Select the check box provided for Automatically determine Highly Qualified status for class sections to enable the automation process. If this system preference is enabled, Focus will automatically compute the Cert/Licensure/Qual Status, located on course sections.

System Preferences

When the feature is on, operators will not be able to edit the licensure status field at the Course Section level.

4. Select the check box provided for Convert teacher certification codes automatically to enable the automation process. Once enabled, Focus will convert the ‘old’ three digit CCD codes through Focus’ conversion database/map to the ‘new’  valid four digit teacher certification codes.

System Preferences

5. Select the check box provided for Display converted certification codes in Course Catalog to enable the automation process. This optional system preference will display an additional column in the Course Catalog titled HR Certification Reqs. When an old three digit course is entered in the CDC Certification Req column, the HR Certification Reqs column displays the four digit code.

System Preferences

Highly Qualified Teacher Status, Data Element 131037 was deprecated for the 2017-2018 school year. Focus' teacher certification automation no longer updates the Highly Qualified field; however, Focus has not entirely removed the field from the system. This allows you and other clients to view previous year's Highly Qualified Statuses for when it was reported and continue to use the field for internal purposes.

See System Preferences for more information.

Scheduled Jobs for Teacher Certifications

1. From the Setup menu, click Scheduled Jobs.

Scheduled Jobs

2. If the teacher certification information is being imported, the built-in scheduled job titled Update Teacher Certification should be enabled.

Teacher certification information is typically imported regularly from the district to school's ERP/HR system into Focus. If the teacher certification information is imported, the built-in scheduled job Update Teacher Certification should be enabled. This job recalculates the Cert/Licensure/Qual Status on the course section based on the newly imported information.

Scheduled Jobs

It is essential to schedule the Update Teacher Certification job to run after the data import of the ERP/HR information.

See Scheduled Jobs for more information.

Setting Course Catalog Details

The Course Catalog is a driving factor in Focus’ automated process. It is important that the appropriate information be up-to-date in order for the automation to work as expected.

1. In the Scheduling menu, click Course Catalog.

Course Catalog

2. Enter the applicable CCD Certification Reqs text box.

The CCD Certification Requirements column (master_courses.certification_requirements) contained within the Course Catalog houses the required certifications needed for a teacher to be In Field. You can enter both three and four digit subject codes, as long as the code is formatted with the leading level followed by the four / three digit code; i.e. append requirement of cert level C and cert subject 1035 as C1035.

Course Catalog

If a value is not entered in the CCD Certification Reqs column, the teacher will automatically be considered in-field.

3. Select the ESE Type from the pull-down.

If you want the automation logic to look at additional requirements, the ESE Type column includes the following options and their associated certification requirements. The automation does not require an ESE student to be scheduled within the course.

Cursor

Physical: Will require the Teacher to hold Cert 902, 140 or 893 with a Level of Physical Therapist.

Occupational: Will require the Teacher to hold Cert 900, 894 or 693 with a Level of Occupational Therapist.

Speech: Will require the Teacher to hold Cert 901 or 208 with a Level of Speech Therapist.

Language: Will require the Teacher to hold Cert 901 or 208 with a Level of Speech Therapist.

Deaf/ Hard of Hearing: Requires Cert 1023. See the Info note below.

Visually Impaired: Requires Cert 1059. See the Info note below.

Dual Sensory: Combination of Deaf/ Hard of Hearing & Visually Impaired. Requires Cert 1023, Cert 1059, or Cert 1059. See the Info note below.

If the Course is NOT a ‘7’ Course, then the Teacher must also meet the Subject Area Certification to be In-Field.

Any ESE Area: Will require the Teacher to hold any of the following Certs: 1077, 1014, 1032, 1055, 018, 1057, 1058, 1037, 1023 or 1059.

4. Select Yes from the ELL pull-down if you want the automation logic to look at the ELL requirements for additional courses (not ELA/Reading/English).

If an ESOL/ELL student is enrolled in a course beginning with '10' or '5010,' Focus automatically requires the teacher to hold the ESOL endorsement or 300 hours. However, you can decide if you want the automation logic to look at additional requirements using the Course Catalog.

If the course is in Appendix DD, the feature requires 1016/172 certification or an ELL certification status greater than 60 hours.

All other courses require the teacher to hold ELL certification status greater than 18 hours.

5. Select Yes from the Reading pull-down so that the automation logic requires the Teacher to have the Reading Endorsement/Cert 1046.

If the class is 6th Grade Level students only, the automation requires Cert 1013 with an appropriate level of K or 3.

6. Select Gifted from the Course Flag pull-downs.

If Gifted is selected from the Course Flag pull-down(s), and a Gifted student is scheduled into the class, the automation logic requires the Teacher to have Cert 1062/206.

You can determine if the Gifted logic should be set at the Course or Section level.

a. In the Florida Report menu, click Florida Reports Setup.

b. Select the District Options tab.

c. Select Course level or Section level from the Teachers In/Out of Field - Flag classes as Gifted on pull-down.

Course Level: If Course Level is selected, the automation logic looks for the Course Flag of Gifted set at the Course Catalog level.

Section Level: if Section Level is selected, the automation logic looks for the Course Flag as Gifted set at the Section under the Florida tab.

7. Focus maintains the FLDOE K12 Course Code Directory. The CCD Certification Requirements or additional columns in the Course Catalog can be updated year to year via query. The CCD can be located through Florida Reports > Florida Reports Setup > Florida Files (NWRDC). Running this setup will not override the Course Catalog, but it will allow you to query or view content in a background table.

The FLDOE Course Code DIrectory's certifications are notoriously problematic. Focus can provide you with a cleaner sample master_courses file to update your CCD Certification Reqs. If you are interested in this option, please contact your Account Executive or enter a Zendesk ticket. Using the importer, the file can be uploaded to a temporary table, and a query (provided below) can be run to update your Course Catalog certifications.

update master_course mc

set certification_requirements=bak.certification_requirements

from psc_master_courses_for_certs_temp bak

where LOWER(LEFT(mc.short_name, 7)) = LOWER(LEFT(bak.short_name, 7)) and mc.syear=2020

Setting Teachers' User Info

The "Certification" logging field (users.custom_20120005, alias teacher_certifications) is a system field in Focus used to store teacher certifications.

1. In the Users menu, click User Info.

Course Catalog

2. Once the user is selected, click the applicable tab that displays Teacher Certification records, such as the Teachers tab or, as shown in the image below, Certifications tab.

User Info

3. Subject Area: The FLDOE defined Core Academic Subject or Endorsement Codes.

User Info

4. Level: The teacher’s certified Level. For levels 0-9 and A, B, C, D, H & K, all Grade Levels of the students scheduled into the teacher’s class must match the Level indicated in order for the Teacher to be In-Field for that Section.

In the Florida Reports menu, click Florida Reports Setup. Select the check box for the Teachers In/Out of Field - Bypass certification level check against enrolled students grade level to bypass the comparison between the level of the certification and the grade levels for enrolled students in the course section. If the certification is included in the CCD certification reqs, the teacher is considered in-field regardless of the students' grade levels.

For example: Jane Smith, holding 1031 certification with a level of C, is scheduled to teache course 1207300. Her certification level only covers grade 5-9. However, her section has grade 10 students enrolled. With the district option, "Teachers In/Out of Field - Bypass certification level check against enrolled students grade levels" enabled, the teacher is considered in-field.

See Florida Reports Setup for more information.

5. Type: The FLDOE defined certification Type.

6. Issue Date: The certification was awarded on this date. There needs to be a date populated in this field in order for the logic to work as expected.

7. Expiration Date: Date the certification was expired. The expiration date Is taken into account when computing the Teacher’s Licensure Status with Focus’ automated feature.

8. The Scope field is used to indicate the Type of Certification, Licensure, or Qualification Status applicable to the teacher’s position in the class being reported. When using the Scope, the Teacher's Certification should be entered as though they had the appropriate Certification Subject Area, Type, and Level with the addition of the applicable Scope selection.

The Scope field, if populated on a Teacher's Cert, can drastically change the automation output for Data Element 108150 for Certification/Licensure/Qualification Status.

If Scope is

& Teacher Missing Cert Element, 108150 will be

& Teacher has Cert Element, 108150 will be

[A] Adjunct
[O] Out-of-Field Board Approved
[A] Instructional Staff Member holding an Adjunct Teaching Certificate
[E] Exam
[O] Out-of-Field Board Approved
[S] Certificated Instructional Staff member Teaching In-Field – Teacher Demonstrated Subject Area Expertise
[G] Grandfathered
[O] Out-of-Field Board Approved
[H] Certificated Instructional Staff in Core Subject Qualified for HOUSSE
[H] HOUSSE
[O] Out-of-Field Board Approved
[H] Certificated Instructional Staff in Core Subject Qualified for HOUSSE
[L] Licensed Support Services [O] Out-of-Field Board Approved
[L] Instructional Staff Member Licensed to provide Specialized Student Support Services directly related to their Licensed Field
[N]
[O] Out-of-Field Board Approved
[N] Non-Certified Instructional Staff Member possessing expert skill or knowledge of particular subject or talent appointed by the School Board
[O] Board Approved
[O] Out-of-Field Board Approved
[O] Out-of-Field Board Approved
[P] Pending
[O] Out-of-Field Board Approved
[I] Instructional Staff Member Certified/ Licensed in the Field being Taught
[S] Substitute w/ RG Cert
[B] Substitute
[I] Instructional Staff Member Certified/ Licensed in the Field being Taught
[T] District Certified CTE [O] Out-of-Field Board Approved
[T] Instructional Staff Member Certfied by the District as a Non Degreed Teacher of Career and Tech Non-Degreed on Courses
[U] ESSA [O] Out-of-Field Board Approved
[S] Certified Instructional Staff member Teaching In-Field - Teacher Demonstrated Subject Area Expertise
[V] Virtual Teacher
[I] Instructional Staff Member Certified/ Licensed in the Field being Taught
[I] Instructional Staff Member Certified/ Licensed in the Field being Taught
[X]
[O] Out-of-Field Board Approved
[V] Prekindergarten instructor qualified to teach Voluntary Prekindergarten Classes
[Z] Substitute 6077
[B] Substitute
[B] Substitute
If Scope is

& Teacher Missing Cert, Element 131037 will be

& Teacher has Cert, Element 131037 will be

[A], [E], [G], [H], [O], [P], [L] or [N]

Course Level Based:

[Z] Course not HQ Core (if Course Catalog is Null/ No)

[C] Elementary Not Certified

[D] Middle/ High School Not Certified

[G] Other

Course Level Based:

[Y] Highly Qualified (If Course Catalog is Yes)

[Z] Course not HQ Core (If Course Catalog is Null/No)

[G] Other

[S], [V] or [Z]
[G] Other

Course Level Based:

[Y] Highly Qualified (If Course Catalog is Yes)

[Z] Course not HQ Core (If Course Catalog is Null/No)

[G] Other

[X]
[Z] Course not HQ Core

Course Level Based:

[Y] Highly Qualified (If Course Catalog is Yes)

[Z] Course not HQ Core (If Course Catalog is Null/No)

[G] Other

If you do not see all of the above Scope options in your certifications logging field, they can be manually added via Users > Users Fields. The code of the select option must match the letter indicated in the "If Scope is" column above.

a. When using Scope, the Teacher’s Certification should be entered as though they had the Appropriate Certification Subject Area, Type and Level with the addition of the applicable Scope selection.

9. The ELL Certification Status is used if a teacher does not have their ESOL Endorsement (CERT 1016 or 172) in the Certification entries logging field, specifically for any teacher who require ELL hours.

User Info

If you are using the Automated Process, you do not need to populate options E or C in this User Field, only A, B or D. Subject areas represented by E or C should be entered in the Certification Status Logging Field.

See User Info and Certifications Tab for more information.

Primary Teachers In/Out of Field Report

The Teachers In/Out Field report is designed to give you everything you need to review a teacher's licensure status. The report provides a full list of all academic sections, teachers, certifications, student types, associated course CCD column, and more.

1. In the Florida Reports menu, click Teachers In/Out of Field.

2. Click the Primary Teachers tab.

Teachers In/Out of Field

3. The report originally shows all teachers in and out of field. If you want to review just the out of field teaches, select the Show Out-of-Field Only check box.

Teachers In/Out of Field

4. Data will only be pulled for the selected school, i.e. the school you are logged into via the school pull-down located in the header. If needed, to pull data for all schools, select the check box to Show All Schools.

The School column will display on the report after selecting "Show All Schools."

Teachers In/Out of Field

5. Click Refresh Report.

The first section of the report lists the basic information, such as Course name, Course Number, School (if "Show All Schools" is selected), and Primary Teacher.

Out of Field Reason: If the teacher is determined as Out of Field, the Reason column tells you why. (Missing Subject Area Certification, ELL Endorsement or Hours, Missing Gifted Endorsement, etc.)

In-Field: Displays Y (Yes) for teachers In-Field and N(No) for teacher Out-of Field.

Cert Lic Status:  Lists the teachers' licensure status for that section.

Teachers In/Out of Field

Teacher Cert: Pulls from teacher logging

Course Cert: Pulls from Course Catalog

Course Flags: Pulls from Course Catalog

Flagged ELL: Pulls from extra flag in Course Catalog

ESOL Points: Pulls from ELL User field

Next, the Teacher Cert column displays the teachers' current certifications from their information and the required certifications the district has populated in the Course Catalog CCD Certification Reqs column.

The report also displays a breakdown of the students scheduled in the course:

  • Breakdown of Students by current Grade Level
  • Active ELL Students scheduled
  • Active ESE Students scheduled
  • Students with Primary Exceptionality of ASD
  • Gifted Students scheduled

The following columns display helpful information while troubleshooting a given Teacher Cert/Licensure/Qual status:

  • Course Flags: The course flags display any course flag set for the section.
  • Flagged ELL: Flagged ELL displays displays a green check mark if the course has been flagged for ELL in the Course Catalog.
  • ESOL Points: ESOL points displays the teacher's ESOL status.

By default, teacher social security numbers display in the Teacher In/Out of Field report. SSNs can be removed from the report by clearing the check box for Show SSN On Report via Users > Profiles > Florida Reports.

6. Click the Reconcile Certification Status button to update all certification-related fields for all course periods for the selected school(s) depending on whether or not Show All Schools is selected.

a. Once selected, click Reconcile Certification Status to update all certifications or click Cancel to return to the Teachers In/Out of Field screen without applying changes.

Teachers In/Out of Field

7. Click the Course Num link to open the course via Scheduling > Courses & Sections.

8. Click the teacher's name to open Users > User Info.

Teachers In/Out of Field

9. Click Export Report to export the report to an Excel spreadsheet.

Teachers In/Out of Field
Co-teachers In/Out of Field Report

1. In the Florida Reports menu, click Teachers In/Out of Field.

2. Click the Co-teachers tab.

Teachers In/Out of Field

3. The report originally shows all co-teachers in and out of field. If you want to review just the out of field co-teaches, select the Show Out-of-Field Only check box.

Teachers In/Out of Field

4. Data will only be pulled for the selected school, i.e. the school you are logged into via the school pull-down located in the header. If needed, to pull data for all schools, select the check box to Show All Schools.

The School column will display after selecting "Show All Schools."

Teachers In/Out of Field

5. Click Refresh Report.

Teachers In/Out of Field

Once selections have been made, you can review the Co-teachers report, which includes the same columns as the Primary Teachers tab, with the addition of the Co-Teacher ID and Co-teacher columns.

Teachers In/Out of Field

Teacher Cert: Pulls from teacher logging

Course Cert: Pulls from Course Catalog

Course Flags: Pulls from Course Catalog

Flagged ELL: Pulls from extra flag in Course Catalog

ESOL Points: Pulls from ELL User field

6. To help with Troubleshooting, review the Out of Field Reason & ESOL Points columns. These columns should help you determine why a teacher is being considered Out-of-Field, such as Missing Subject Area Certification, ELL Endorsement or Hours, Missing Gifted Endorsement, etc.

7. Click the Reconcile Certification Status button to update all certification-related fields for all course periods for the selected school(s) depending on whether or not Show All Schools is selected.

a. Once selected, click Reconcile Certification Status to update all certifications or click Cancel to return to the Teachers In/Out of Field screen without applying changes.

Teachers In/Out of Field

8. Click the Course Num link to open the course via Scheduling > Courses & Sections.

9. Click the Co-teacher link to open Users > User Info.

Teachers In/Out of Field

10. Click Export Report to export the report to an Excel spreadsheet.

Teachers In/Out of Field
Additional Caveats to the Automation Logic

Inclusion Teacher Logic:

In the Florida Reports menu, click Florida Reports Setup; then, click the District Options tab. Select the check box for Teachers In/Out of Field - Require Inclusion teachers to meet any additional course requirements.

  • When this option is not enabled, co-teachers marked as an "I" (Inclusion) of courses which fall into the ESE, 100% ASD, ELL/ESOL, Gifted, or Reading, are not required to hold the corresponding additional certification or endorsement to be considered in-field.
  • When this option is enabled, co-teachers marked as an "I" need to hold the applicable certification/endorsement for courses that fall into ESE, 100% ASD, ELL/ESOL, Gifted, or Reading.

Access Courses:

Focus works collaboratively with District HR departments from several Florida Districts and the CCD Narative to determine the logic for access courses. The certification requirement data contained in the background FLORIDA_INOUT_ACCESS table reflects the interpretation of 'Grades K to 12 general education teacher must meet certification requirements in accordance with the Grades K to 12 education course number.'

Affidavit for Autism:

Rule 6A-4.01796 requires that as of July 1, 2011, ESE Teachers with 100% ASD students hold the ASD Endorsement. An exception to this exists for teachers who can document at least two full years of teaching experience with at least one student with ASD between July 1, 2006-June 30, 2011. To ensure Teachers who meet the exception will receive the appropriate Licensure status, the Florida Reports Setup > District Options preference "Allow Affidavit for Autism to satisfy 100% ASD requirements" must be checked. Additionally, the teacher must be marked Yes in the Affidavit for Autism system field (users.custom_20120006).

Affidavit for PreK/Disabilities:

Rule 6A-4.01792 requires, as of July 1, 2011, for ESE Teachers who teach course 7650030 or 7650130 to hold the Pre-K Disabilities Endorsement. An exception to this exists for teachers who can document at least two full years of teaching experience with at least one pre-kindergarten student with disabilities between July 1, 2006-June 30, 2011. To ensure Teachers who meet the exception will receive the appropriate Licensure status, the Florida Reports Setup > District Options preference "Allow Affidavit for Pre-K/Disabilities to be equivalent to the Pre-K/Disabilities Endorsement" must be checked. Additionally, the teacher must be marked Yes in the Affidavit for PreK/Disabilities system field (users.custom_20120007).

100% ASD Logic:

There are special considerations regarding ASD students. If 100% of a teacher’s students have a primary exceptionality of ASD, the automation logic will also require the ASD Endorsement. The FLDOE requirement is open to District interpretation if by period/ class or course load. 

In the Florida Reports menu, click Florida Reports Setup; then, click the District Options tab. The preference "Teachers In/Out of Field  Determine 100% ASD By" allows the District to set the automation logic at the Section, Class-Period Caseload, or Full-Day Classload.

Reading Endorsement (2020-2021 School Year and Above):

At the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, state statute (s.1011.62(9)(c)7. (d)1 F.S.) took effect, requiring any K-12 teacher, including ESE and ESOL, who is providing intensive reading intervention (i.e., MTSS Tier 3 students as defined by the district’s K-12 Comprehensive Reading Plan) be reading endorsed or certified.

In this case, if students in a course section have a ‘Reading Intervention Component’ of ‘B’ or ‘C’ on their schedule, only teachers who have the reading endorsement will be considered in-field. 

Also beginning on July 1. 2020, state statute (s. 1008.25(7)(b)3 F.S.) took effect, requiring any teacher, including ESE and ESOL, who is teaching reading to retained third graders, including summer camp students, must be reading endorsed or certified.

In this case, if there are third-grade students who were retained in the prior year, indicated by the Grade Promotion Status on student enrollment, scheduled into a section, Focus will require the teacher to have the reading endorsement to be considered in-field.

Survey Best Practices:

When the District has created their Survey site, remember that you can turn off the automation process by unselecting the system preference, "Automatically determine Highly Qualified status for class sections." This will allow you to make individual modifications at the section level to the Teacher’s Licensure Status designation. This will come in handy if your HR department is aware of a teacher’s certification change that may not be yet updated in your HR system.

Notification Options:

Florida statute (1012.42, F.S.) states, “the parents of all students in the class shall be notified in writing of such assignment, and each school district shall report out-of-field teachers on the District’s website within 30 days before the beginning of each semester. A parent whose student is assigned an out-of-field teacher may request that his or her child be transferred to an in-field classroom teacher within the school and grade in which the student is currently enrolled. The school district must approve or deny the parent’s request and transfer the student to a different classroom teacher within a reasonable period of time, not to exceed 2 weeks...”

Focus contains built-in communication options that can assist districts in complying with these requirements:

  • More Search Options: Under More Search Options, Scheduling section, you have the ability to search for students who are scheduled with an Out-of-Field teacher. This can help a District identify the student’s parent that needs to be notified.
  • Print Letters & Send Email or Communication: You have the ability to create a letter informing parents of an Out-of-Field teacher. Using Print Letters & Send Emails or Communication (filtering on the More Search Option above), the District can generate an official letter using the Student Field/ Mail Merge option titled ‘List of Out of Field Teachers’. The field will automatically insert into the message just the teacher(s) who are Out-of-Field.
  • Export Teacher In/Out of Field report: The Teachers In/Out of Field report can be filtered on school/all schools and Out-of-Field teachers only. With the export feature, your District can export the list of Teachers to be published on the District’s website.
Certification Alerts

When using Focus’ teacher certification automation, warnings display to end-users when scheduling an out-of-field teacher into a course section. There are two default school preferences located under the Scheduling section that control the alerts that show to the end-users.

  • Warning Text Used When Scheduling an Out-of-Field Teacher for a Section: The warning text entered in this system preference will display when assigning an out-of-field teacher to a section.
  • Confirmation Text Used to Confirm Selection When an Out-of-Field Teacher is Assigned to a Section: The confirmation text entered in this system preference will display after the end-user has assigned an out-of-field teacher to a section and has agreed to the warning text.
Additional Features

Click the Prev and Next buttons to switch pages of the report. Enter a Page number in the provided text box to jump to a specific page.

Teachers In/Out of Field

Click the Excel icon to export the listed data to an Excel spreadsheet.

Click the Printer icon to print the report.

Click Filters to breakdown data in the report.

a. To add more than one filter to a column by clicking the green plus sign.

b. To delete an additional filter, click the red minus sign.

c. For additional filtering options, click the gray arrow for a filter pull-down.

Teachers In/Out of Field

Click Toggle Columns to customize the columns displayed in the report.

a. Clear the selected check boxes to hide the column from the report. Select the check box to display the column in the report.

Teachers In/Out of Field

If columns have been hidden from the report (the check box isn't selected), these columns will remain hidden until the check box is selected again, even when navigating away from the screen.

The Page Size determine the number of records displayed per page. The Page Size defaults to 20 records, or the number entered in the district option "In/Out Field Report Page Size" in Florida Reports Setup > District Options. Click the Page Size text box to change the number of records displayed. Changing the Page Size changes the number of pages in the report.

Teachers In/Out of Field

You can sort data by clicking on any of the headers. Click once for ascending results; click twice for descending results.

Teachers In/Out of Field
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