Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) may issue an Adjunct Teaching Certificate to an instructional employee who meets the requirements set forth in Florida Statutes and who has expertise in the subject area to be taught.  An instructional employee shall be considered to have expertise in the subject area to be taught if the instructional employee demonstrates subject area mastery through passage of an appropriate Florida subject area exam.  HCPS has specified the subject area exams that are identified on the Florida Department of Education's website as the Florida subject area exams through which an instructional employee may demonstrate subject area mastery.  The passing exam scores must have been earned no more than ten (10) years prior to the date the application is submitted to the HCPS Certification Office.

Each Adjunct Teaching Certificate is valid for one year and through the term of the annual contract between the instructional employee and HCPS.  At the discretion of HCPS, an additional annual contract and an additional one-year Adjunct Teaching Certificate may be issued, but only if the instructional employee is rated effective or highly effective during each year of employment using the Adjunct Teaching Certificate.  

HCPS may issue an Adjunct Teaching Certificate for part-time or full-time instructional employees; however, an Adjunct Teaching Certificate issued for a full-time position is valid for no more than three (3) years and is non-renewable.  

Eligibility requirements to be considered for an Adjunct Teaching Certificate are as follows:

• Be at least eighteen (18) years of age.
• Hold a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited institution with an overall grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
• Document expertise in the subject area to be taught through passage of an appropriate Florida subject area exam.
  • Note: An Adjunct Teaching Certificate cannot be issued for any subject for which a Florida subject area exam does not exist.  Additionally, an Adjunct Teaching Certificate cannot be issued for the following subjects: Educational Leadership, Reading K-12, School Counseling, School Psychologist and Speech and Language Impaired K-12.

Application process for an Adjunct Teaching Certificate is as follows:

• Upon approval for hire by HCPS Human Resources, the instructional employee will be provided an application for the Adjunct Teaching Certificate.
• A completed application and check or money order in the amount of $54.00 per subject area, made payable to Hillsborough County Public Schools must be submitted to the HCPS Certification Office, 2920 North 40^th Street, Tampa, Florida 33605.

The Adjunct Teaching Certificate is valid for one year and is non-renewable.  The instructional employee must only be assigned to courses/students in which the subject area listed on the Adjunct Teaching Certificate is appropriate.  Teaching out-of-field while using the Adjunct Teaching Certificate is not permitted.  Issuance of subsequent Adjunct Teaching Certificates and employment contract renewal are at the discretion of HCPS and subject to the requirements set forth in Florida Statutes.