Civics Literacy Excellence Initiative (CLEI)
On July 13, 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis announced $106 million to establish the Civic Literacy Excellence Initiative. The funding will be used to create and award qualified teachers with the Florida Civics Seal of Excellence, which includes a $3,000 stipend for educators who complete training to earn the endorsement. The funding will also be used for Florida’s civics curriculum and to support the implementation of Florida’s revised civics and government standards in Florida’s K-12 public schools.
“The Civic Literacy Excellence Initiative is an all-in approach to fully elevate civic literacy and education for Florida’s students and teachers, beyond any state in the nation,” said former Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran. “Florida’s continued commitment to lead and foster the values we hope to see in our society will not only help develop great students, but will create humble, civically-minded citizens of tomorrow.
Revised Civics and Government Standards (Full implementation 2023-2024 School year)
Standards (PDF)
Civics Seal of Excellence Endorsement
- The State Board of Education (SBOE) approved Rule 6A-4.0164, F.A.C., Specialization Requirements for the Civics Seal of Excellence (Endorsement). Per Rule 6A-4.0164, all K-12 teachers employed with a valid license issued by the Florida Department of Education are eligible to earn the endorsement. The 50-60 hour online Civics Seal of Excellence Endorsement Course launched on January 13, 2023. The course consists of an introduction and five modules aligned to the revised civics and government standards. Teachers who successfully complete the endorsement training may be eligible to earn a $3,000 stipend and add the Civics Endorsement to their Florida Educator Certificate. To earn the stipend, educators must:
- Be currently employed in a school district or charter school.
- Complete all course activities.
- Submit all information required by the school district or charter school.
Please use the following link to register for the course: https://www.civicsexcellence.org/
3-Day Summer Civics Professional Learning
Plans for 2023 Summer Civics PD are being developed. Trainings will be held at multiple regional locations throughout the state and will include content, standards and high yield instructional strategies. Please check back periodically for updated information and details.
Portraits in Patriotism
Oral history resources to be used along with the civic education curriculum. Resources will highlight patriotism based on the personal stories of diverse individuals who demonstrate civic-minded qualities, including first person accounts of victims of other nations' governing philosophies who can compare those philosophies with those of the United States. This program is currently under development and we anticipate first resources being available for classroom use during the 2022-2023 school year with full implementation in time for the 2023-2024 school year.
K-12 Civics Curriculum
The K-12 Civics curriculum will be aligned to the revised civics and government standards and be ready for full implementation for the 2023-2024 school year. Curricular resources will be able to serve as a comprehensive primary instructional tool for civics and government content or be used as supplemental resources available to all users regardless of whether or not they adopt an instructional material for civics or government courses.
K-12 Integrated Civics Curriculum
The K-12 Integrated curriculum will provide teachers with supplemental resources that align to the revised civics and government standards and allow teachers to integrate the civics education cross-curriculum. Curricular resources will be able to serve as a supplemental Integrated Civic Literacy Curriculum resource available to all users regardless of whether or not they adopted an instructional material for civics or government courses.