United States
Hong KongUsing a CLT score instead of the General Knowledge Test
Rule 6A-4.0021(12) names the Classic Learning Test alongside the GRE, SAT and ACT. Verbal Reasoning and Grammar/Writing at a combined 49 satisfies the essay, English Language Skills and Reading subtests. Quantitative Reasoning at 20 satisfies Mathematics. Administrations must fall on or after 1 March 2016.
The CLT is the least-known entry in the rule and the one people are most likely to assume we made up. It is there, named in full: Classic Learning Test, sitting in the same table as the GRE, the SAT and the ACT, with its own minimum scores.
If you sat it, it counts. Most Florida candidates did not.
The two numbers
| General Knowledge subtest | CLT section | Minimum score |
|---|---|---|
| Essay (825) | Verbal Reasoning & Grammar/Writing | A combined score of 49 |
| English Language Skills (826) | Verbal Reasoning & Grammar/Writing | A combined score of 49 |
| Reading (827) | Verbal Reasoning & Grammar/Writing | A combined score of 49 |
| Mathematics (828) | Quantitative Reasoning | 20 |
Transcribed from Rule 6A-4.0021(12). Structurally this is the SAT pattern: one combined verbal figure covering three subtests, one quantitative figure covering the fourth. Two numbers clear the entire general knowledge requirement.
The word combined is doing real work
The rule does not ask for 49 on Verbal Reasoning. It asks for a combined score of 49 across Verbal Reasoning and Grammar/Writing, which are two separate sections on a CLT score report. You add them and compare the sum to 49.
That is the single most likely place to misread this row, and it cuts both ways. A candidate who looks at one section score and sees a number well below 49 may conclude they have nothing when the sum qualifies comfortably. Add the two before you decide anything.
CLT administrations count from 1 March 2016, not from the GRE's earlier 1 July 2015 date. The rule also requires the minimum score to have been earned during the ten years immediately preceding application and qualification for a certificate, unless law or rule stipulates otherwise, so a very early CLT can satisfy the first condition and fail the second.
Who is likely to hold one
The CLT is used mainly by classical and faith-based schools and by the colleges that recruit from them, so the candidates most likely to have one are graduates of that sector who are now heading into Florida classrooms. If your high school or college named the CLT in its admissions material, look for the score report.
Everyone else should check for an SAT or ACT first. It is far more likely to exist.
Sending it, and what the Department decides
An official report goes to the Bureau of Educator Certification as part of your certification file. Rule 6A-4.0021(12) sets minimum scores that may be used to satisfy the requirement; whether a particular report satisfies a particular file is the Department's decision and not ours. Wait for their answer before you cancel a booked appointment.
Here is our concession, and it is a real one. We hold the rule text and nothing else about how CLT submissions are handled in practice. We cannot tell you how routinely they are processed, or whether a Bureau reviewer sees them often enough to recognize the score format on sight. With the least common of the four alternatives, expect to explain yourself, and quote the subsection when you do.
Should you sit the CLT to get out of the FTCE?
No. The same reasoning applies as with the SAT and ACT, only harder: you would be sitting an unfamiliar admissions test with limited test dates against a target you have no practice data for, in place of four Florida subtests that cost USD 32.50 each and book on demand. The alternative-score provision is a way to use something you already have.
There is a version of this that is not silly, mind. A high-school senior in a classical program who is already sitting the CLT for college admissions, and who knows they want to teach in Florida, has a genuine reason to aim at a combined 49 rather than at whatever their colleges want. That is a very small population and probably not you.
Common questions
Does Florida accept the Classic Learning Test for teacher certification?
Yes. Rule 6A-4.0021(12) names the CLT alongside the GRE, SAT and ACT as an acceptable means of demonstrating mastery of general knowledge, for administrations on or after 1 March 2016. It is the least-known of the four alternatives but it is in the rule.
What CLT score covers the FTCE General Knowledge Test?
Verbal Reasoning and Grammar/Writing at a combined score of 49 covers the essay, English Language Skills and Reading subtests. Quantitative Reasoning at 20 covers Mathematics. Two figures on one score report clear the whole general knowledge requirement.
Is 49 a single section score?
No. The rule asks for a combined score of 49 across two sections, Verbal Reasoning and Grammar/Writing. Add them together before comparing to the threshold. Reading one section alone is the most common way to misjudge whether your CLT qualifies.
Is the CLT cutoff date the same as the GRE's?
No. CLT administrations count from 1 March 2016, the same as the SAT and ACT. Only the GRE has the earlier 1 July 2015 date. The rule offers no explanation for the difference and it is simply how the provision is written.
Should I take the CLT instead of the FTCE?
No, unless you are already sitting it for college admissions. Four General Knowledge subtests cost USD 130 in total and book on demand at a Pearson center. Sitting an unfamiliar admissions test to avoid them makes no sense on cost or on time.