Bill Text: FL S1898 | 2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Student Literacy
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-04-26 - Laid on Table, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/HB 7011 (Ch. 2021-9), CS/CS/HB 419 (Ch. 2021-10), CS/HB 1159 (Ch. 2021-228) [S1898 Detail]
Download: Florida-2021-S1898-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2021 SB 1898
By Senator Rodriguez
39-01370-21 20211898__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to student literacy; amending s.
3 1001.215, F.S.; revising and providing duties for the
4 Just Read, Florida! Office within the Department of
5 Education; amending s. 1001.42, F.S.; revising a
6 district school board’s duty to implement a school
7 improvement plan for certain low-performing schools to
8 conform to changes made by the act; amending s.
9 1002.33, F.S.; conforming a provision to changes made
10 by the act; amending s. 1002.55, F.S.; revising
11 requirements for prekindergarten instructors relating
12 to completing an emergent literacy training course;
13 amending s. 1002.59, F.S.; requiring the Office of
14 Early Learning to adopt minimum standards for such
15 course in collaboration with the Just Read, Florida!
16 Office; requiring such course to be consistent with
17 certain strategies identified by the Just Read,
18 Florida! Office; amending s. 1002.67, F.S.; requiring
19 certain private prekindergarten providers and public
20 schools to use a coordinated screening and progress
21 monitoring system; amending s. 1002.69, F.S.;
22 requiring the Department of Education, in consultation
23 with the Office of Early Learning, to implement a
24 coordinated screening and progress monitoring system
25 for students in the Voluntary Prekindergarten
26 Education Program through grade 8; requiring such
27 screening and progress monitoring system to be used to
28 assess kindergarten readiness and to determine student
29 learning gains; amending s. 1002.83, F.S.; requiring
30 early learning coalitions to adopt best-practices
31 plans for transitioning prekindergarten students into
32 kindergarten; providing requirements for such plans;
33 requiring the Office of Early Learning to provide
34 certain guidelines to assist early learning
35 coalitions, schools districts, charter schools, and
36 parents; amending ss. 1002.995 and 1003.621, F.S.;
37 conforming provisions to changes made by the act;
38 amending s. 1004.04, F.S.; revising provisions
39 relating to teacher preparation programs; removing
40 provisions authorizing the waiver of certain admission
41 requirements for such programs; requiring certain
42 school district and instructional personnel to have
43 evidence of being certified or endorsed in reading
44 beginning in a specified school year; amending s.
45 1008.25, F.S.; requiring certain students to
46 participate in a certain coordinated screening and
47 progress monitoring system; requiring schools to
48 communicate with parents at least monthly regarding
49 the progress of certain students; providing
50 requirements for such communication; requiring the
51 department to develop a handbook for schools to
52 provide to parents of certain students; providing
53 requirements for such handbook; requiring the
54 department, in collaboration with the Office of Early
55 Learning, to procure and require the use of a certain
56 coordinated screening and progress monitoring system;
57 providing requirements for such system; requiring
58 private Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
59 providers and public schools to participate in such
60 system beginning in a specified school year; providing
61 the frequency with which such system must be
62 administered during the program year or school year,
63 as applicable; providing that certain prekindergarten
64 students may be eligible for intensive reading
65 interventions; authorizing a school district to pay
66 for such interventions using certain funds; requiring
67 screening and progress monitoring system results to be
68 reported to the department and maintained in a
69 specified department warehouse; requiring such results
70 to be provided to a student’s teacher and parent;
71 requiring the department, in collaboration with the
72 Office of Early Learning, to provide certain training
73 and support; amending s. 1008.345, F.S.; conforming a
74 cross-reference; creating s. 1008.365, F.S.; providing
75 a short title; establishing the Reading Achievement
76 Initiative for Scholastic Excellence Program within
77 the department; providing a purpose; requiring the
78 department to establish a specified number of literacy
79 support regions and regional support teams for a
80 certain purpose; requiring a regional literacy support
81 director to meet certain criteria; providing duties
82 and requirements for such teams; authorizing the
83 department to establish criteria for identifying
84 schools that need supports; requiring such schools to
85 implement a certain plan; requiring the department to
86 provide progress monitoring data to such teams
87 regarding the implementation of supports; providing
88 requirements for such supports; providing that certain
89 schools are not required to implement a turnaround
90 option or take other corrective actions; authorizing a
91 school to discontinue receiving supports and
92 implementing a school improvement plan under certain
93 circumstances; requiring the department to establish a
94 tutoring program and develop certain training to
95 prepare high school students to tutor certain
96 students; providing eligibility criteria for high
97 school students to participate in a tutoring program;
98 requiring school districts that wish to participate in
99 such program to recruit, train, and deploy eligible
100 high school students; providing requirements for such
101 program; requiring the department to designate certain
102 high school students as New Worlds Scholars; requiring
103 the State Board of Education to adopt rules; amending
104 s. 1011.62, F.S.; renaming the research-based reading
105 instruction allocation as the evidence-based reading
106 instruction allocation; requiring such allocation to
107 be used to provide comprehensive reading instruction
108 to certain prekindergarten students; requiring a
109 school district’s K-12 comprehensive reading plan to
110 be developed with input from certain personnel and
111 provide for certain interventions delivered by certain
112 instructional personnel; requiring the department to
113 annually release to certain school districts their
114 allocations of appropriated funds by a specified date;
115 requiring the department to annually report certain
116 findings and recommendations to the State Board of
117 Education by a specified date; providing a definition;
118 amending s. 1011.67, F.S.; authorizing school
119 districts to purchase certain instructional materials
120 with specified funds without undergoing certain
121 adoption procedures; amending s. 1012.585, F.S.;
122 providing a limitation on earning certain inservice
123 points; amending s. 1012.586, F.S.; requiring the
124 department to adopt competency-based pathways for
125 instructional personnel to earn a reading endorsement
126 by the beginning of a specified school year; providing
127 requirements for such pathways; requiring the
128 department to place microcredentials on participants’
129 educator certificates; providing requirements for the
130 department in adopting such pathways; requiring school
131 districts to resubmit certain programs to the
132 department for approval by a specified date;
133 prohibiting instructional personnel from earning a
134 reading endorsement solely by achieving a passing
135 score on a specified assessment; amending s. 1012.98,
136 F.S.; requiring the department to identify certain
137 professional development opportunities to be
138 implemented by school districts; amending s. 1012.986,
139 F.S.; revising the goals of the William Cecil Golden
140 Professional Development Program for School Leaders to
141 include support for instructional personnel who
142 provide reading instruction and interventions;
143 providing an effective date.
144
145 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
146
147 Section 1. Subsections (1) through (6) and subsection (11)
148 of section 1001.215, Florida Statutes, are amended, and
149 subsection (8) of that section is republished, to read:
150 1001.215 Just Read, Florida! Office.—There is created in
151 the Department of Education the Just Read, Florida! Office. The
152 office is fully accountable to the Commissioner of Education and
153 shall:
154 (1) Provide training to Train reading coaches and school
155 administrators on the evidence-based strategies identified
156 pursuant to subsection (8) for purposes of implementation,
157 modeling, and classroom observations to support professional
158 growth and inform performance evaluations of instructional
159 personnel.
160 (2) Create multiple designations of effective reading
161 instruction, with accompanying credentials and microcredentials,
162 to enable all teachers to integrate reading instruction into
163 their content areas and indicate mastery of specific, evidence
164 based strategies.
165 (3) Work with the Lastinger Center for Learning at the
166 University of Florida to develop training for K-12 teachers,
167 reading coaches, and school administrators principals on
168 effective content-area-specific reading strategies; the
169 coordinated integration of content-rich curriculum from other
170 core subject areas into reading instruction, with an emphasis on
171 civic literacy; and evidence-based reading strategies identified
172 pursuant to in subsection (8) to improve student reading
173 performance. For secondary teachers, emphasis shall be on
174 technical text. These strategies must be developed for all
175 content areas in the K-12 curriculum.
176 (4) Develop and provide access to sequenced, content-rich
177 curriculum programming, instructional practices, and resources
178 that help elementary schools use state-adopted instructional
179 materials to increase students’ background knowledge and
180 literacy skills, including student attainment of the Next
181 Generation Sunshine State Standards for social studies, science,
182 and the arts. The office shall, as part of the adoption cycle
183 for English Language Arts instructional materials, assist in
184 evaluating elementary grades instructional materials submitted
185 for adoption consideration, identify those materials that are
186 closely aligned to the content and evidence-based strategies
187 identified pursuant to subsection (8), and incorporate
188 professional development to implement such strategies.
189 (5) Provide parents with information and evidence-based
190 strategies for assisting their children in reading, including
191 reading in content areas.
192 (6) Provide technical assistance to school districts in the
193 development and implementation of district plans for use of the
194 evidence-based research-based reading instruction allocation
195 provided in s. 1011.62(9) and annually review and approve such
196 plans.
197 (8) Work with the Florida Center for Reading Research to
198 identify scientifically researched and evidence-based reading
199 instructional and intervention programs that incorporate
200 explicit, systematic, and sequential approaches to teaching
201 phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text
202 comprehension and incorporate decodable or phonetic text
203 instructional strategies. Reading intervention includes
204 evidence-based strategies frequently used to remediate reading
205 deficiencies and includes, but is not limited to, individual
206 instruction, multisensory approaches, tutoring, mentoring, or
207 the use of technology that targets specific reading skills and
208 abilities.
209 (11) Work with teacher preparation programs approved
210 pursuant to ss. 1004.04 and 1004.85 to integrate effective,
211 research-based and evidence-based reading instructional and
212 intervention strategies, including explicit, systematic, and
213 sequential reading strategies, multisensory intervention
214 strategies, and reading in content area instructional strategies
215 into teacher preparation programs.
216 Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (18) of section
217 1001.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
218 1001.42 Powers and duties of district school board.—The
219 district school board, acting as a board, shall exercise all
220 powers and perform all duties listed below:
221 (18) IMPLEMENT SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
222 Maintain a system of school improvement and education
223 accountability as provided by statute and State Board of
224 Education rule. This system of school improvement and education
225 accountability shall be consistent with, and implemented
226 through, the district’s continuing system of planning and
227 budgeting required by this section and ss. 1008.385, 1010.01,
228 and 1011.01. This system of school improvement and education
229 accountability shall comply with the provisions of ss. 1008.33,
230 1008.34, 1008.345, and 1008.385 and include the following:
231 (a) School improvement plans.—The district school board
232 shall annually approve and require implementation of a new,
233 amended, or continuation school improvement plan for each school
234 in the district which has a school grade of “D” or “F”; has a
235 significant gap in achievement on statewide, standardized
236 assessments administered pursuant to s. 1008.22 by one or more
237 student subgroups, as defined in the federal Elementary and
238 Secondary Education Act (ESEA), 20 U.S.C. s.
239 6311(b)(2)(C)(v)(II); has not significantly increased the
240 percentage of students passing statewide, standardized
241 assessments; has not significantly increased the percentage of
242 students demonstrating Learning Gains, as defined in s. 1008.34
243 and as calculated under s. 1008.34(3)(b), who passed statewide,
244 standardized assessments; has been identified as requiring
245 instructional supports under the Reading Achievement Initiative
246 for Scholastic Excellence Program established in s. 1008.365; or
247 has significantly lower graduation rates for a subgroup when
248 compared to the state’s graduation rate. The improvement plan of
249 a school that meets the requirements of this paragraph shall
250 include strategies for improving these results. The state board
251 shall adopt rules establishing thresholds and for determining
252 compliance with this paragraph.
253 Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (17) of section
254 1002.33, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
255 1002.33 Charter schools.—
256 (17) FUNDING.—Students enrolled in a charter school,
257 regardless of the sponsorship, shall be funded as if they are in
258 a basic program or a special program, the same as students
259 enrolled in other public schools in the school district. Funding
260 for a charter lab school shall be as provided in s. 1002.32.
261 (b) The basis for the agreement for funding students
262 enrolled in a charter school shall be the sum of the school
263 district’s operating funds from the Florida Education Finance
264 Program as provided in s. 1011.62 and the General Appropriations
265 Act, including gross state and local funds, discretionary
266 lottery funds, and funds from the school district’s current
267 operating discretionary millage levy; divided by total funded
268 weighted full-time equivalent students in the school district;
269 multiplied by the weighted full-time equivalent students for the
270 charter school. Charter schools whose students or programs meet
271 the eligibility criteria in law are entitled to their
272 proportionate share of categorical program funds included in the
273 total funds available in the Florida Education Finance Program
274 by the Legislature, including transportation, the evidence-based
275 research-based reading allocation, and the Florida digital
276 classrooms allocation. Total funding for each charter school
277 shall be recalculated during the year to reflect the revised
278 calculations under the Florida Education Finance Program by the
279 state and the actual weighted full-time equivalent students
280 reported by the charter school during the full-time equivalent
281 student survey periods designated by the Commissioner of
282 Education. For charter schools operated by a not-for-profit or
283 municipal entity, any unrestricted current and capital assets
284 identified in the charter school’s annual financial audit may be
285 used for other charter schools operated by the not-for-profit or
286 municipal entity within the school district. Unrestricted
287 current assets shall be used in accordance with s. 1011.62, and
288 any unrestricted capital assets shall be used in accordance with
289 s. 1013.62(2).
290 Section 4. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) and subsection
291 (4) of section 1002.55, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
292 1002.55 School-year prekindergarten program delivered by
293 private prekindergarten providers.—
294 (3) To be eligible to deliver the prekindergarten program,
295 a private prekindergarten provider must meet each of the
296 following requirements:
297 (c) The private prekindergarten provider must have, for
298 each prekindergarten class of 11 children or fewer, at least one
299 prekindergarten instructor who meets each of the following
300 requirements:
301 1. The prekindergarten instructor must hold, at a minimum,
302 one of the following credentials:
303 a. A child development associate credential issued by the
304 National Credentialing Program of the Council for Professional
305 Recognition; or
306 b. A credential approved by the Department of Children and
307 Families as being equivalent to or greater than the credential
308 described in sub-subparagraph a.
309
310 The Department of Children and Families may adopt rules under
311 ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 which provide criteria and procedures
312 for approving equivalent credentials under sub-subparagraph b.
313 2. The prekindergarten instructor must successfully
314 complete an emergent literacy training course and a student
315 performance standards training course approved by the office as
316 meeting or exceeding the minimum standards adopted under s.
317 1002.59. The emergent literacy training course must be completed
318 at least once every 5 years after the prekindergarten instructor
319 initially completes the course. The requirement for completion
320 of the standards training course shall take effect July 1, 2014,
321 and The courses course shall be made available online.
322 (4) A prekindergarten instructor, in lieu of the minimum
323 credentials and courses required under paragraph (3)(c)1.
324 (3)(c), may hold one of the following educational credentials:
325 (a) A bachelor’s or higher degree in early childhood
326 education, prekindergarten or primary education, preschool
327 education, or family and consumer science;
328 (b) A bachelor’s or higher degree in elementary education,
329 if the prekindergarten instructor has been certified to teach
330 children any age from birth through 6th grade, regardless of
331 whether the instructor’s educator certificate is current, and if
332 the instructor is not ineligible to teach in a public school
333 because his or her educator certificate is suspended or revoked;
334 (c) An associate’s or higher degree in child development;
335 (d) An associate’s or higher degree in an unrelated field,
336 at least 6 credit hours in early childhood education or child
337 development, and at least 480 hours of experience in teaching or
338 providing child care services for children any age from birth
339 through 8 years of age; or
340 (e) An educational credential approved by the department as
341 being equivalent to or greater than an educational credential
342 described in this subsection. The department may adopt criteria
343 and procedures for approving equivalent educational credentials
344 under this paragraph.
345 Section 5. Subsection (1) of section 1002.59, Florida
346 Statutes, is amended to read:
347 1002.59 Emergent literacy and performance standards
348 training courses.—
349 (1) The office, in collaboration with the Just Read,
350 Florida! Office, shall adopt minimum standards for one or more
351 training courses in emergent literacy for prekindergarten
352 instructors. Each course must comprise 5 clock hours and provide
353 instruction in strategies and techniques to address the age
354 appropriate progress of prekindergarten students in developing
355 emergent literacy skills, including oral communication,
356 knowledge of print and letters, phonemic and phonological
357 awareness, and vocabulary and comprehension development,
358 consistent with the evidence-based content and strategies
359 identified pursuant to s. 1001.215(8). Each course must also
360 provide resources containing strategies that allow students with
361 disabilities and other special needs to derive maximum benefit
362 from the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. Successful
363 completion of an emergent literacy training course approved
364 under this section satisfies requirements for approved training
365 in early literacy and language development under ss.
366 402.305(2)(e)5., 402.313(6), and 402.3131(5).
367 Section 6. Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section
368 1002.67, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
369 1002.67 Performance standards; curricula and
370 accountability.—
371 (3)(a) Contingent upon legislative appropriation, each
372 private prekindergarten provider and public school in the
373 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program must implement an
374 evidence-based pre- and post-assessment that has been approved
375 by rule of the State Board of Education. However, beginning with
376 the 2022-2023 school year, such providers and public schools
377 shall use a coordinated screening and progress monitoring system
378 pursuant to s. 1008.25(8) to meet the requirements of this
379 subsection.
380 Section 7. Subsections (1) and (5) of section 1002.69,
381 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
382 1002.69 Statewide kindergarten screening; kindergarten
383 readiness rates; state-approved prekindergarten enrollment
384 screening; good cause exemption.—
385 (1) The department shall adopt a statewide kindergarten
386 screening that assesses the readiness of each student for
387 kindergarten based upon the performance standards adopted by the
388 department under s. 1002.67(1) for the Voluntary Prekindergarten
389 Education Program. However, beginning with the 2022-2023 school
390 year, the department, in consultation with the Office of Early
391 Learning, shall implement a coordinated screening and progress
392 monitoring system for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
393 Program through grade 8 pursuant to s. 1008.25(8), which must be
394 used to assess kindergarten readiness consistent with this
395 subsection. The department shall require that each school
396 district administer the statewide kindergarten screening to each
397 kindergarten student in the school district within the first 30
398 school days of each school year. Nonpublic schools may
399 administer the statewide kindergarten screening to each
400 kindergarten student in a nonpublic school who was enrolled in
401 the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.
402 (5) The office shall adopt procedures to annually calculate
403 each private prekindergarten provider’s and public school’s
404 kindergarten readiness rate, which must be expressed as the
405 percentage of the provider’s or school’s students who are
406 assessed as ready for kindergarten. The methodology for
407 calculating each provider’s kindergarten readiness rate must
408 include student learning gains when available and the percentage
409 of students who meet all state readiness measures. The rates
410 must not include students who are not administered the statewide
411 kindergarten screening. The office shall determine learning
412 gains using a value-added measure based on growth demonstrated
413 by the results of the preassessment and postassessment from at
414 least 2 successive years of administration of the preassessment
415 and postassessment. However, beginning with the 2022-2023 school
416 year, a coordinated screening and progress monitoring system
417 implemented pursuant to s. 1008.25(8) must be used to determine
418 such learning gains consistent with this subsection.
419 Section 8. Present subsection (14) of section 1002.83,
420 Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (15), and a new
421 subsection (14) is added to that section, to read:
422 1002.83 Early learning coalitions.—
423 (14) Each early learning coalition shall adopt a best
424 practices plan for transitioning prekindergarten students into
425 kindergarten. The plan must provide for:
426 (a) Opportunities for prekindergarten students and their
427 parents to visit schools in which they may be enrolled in
428 kindergarten.
429 (b) Written information for parents on school registration
430 and academic and social expectations for kindergarten.
431 (c) Meetings at least annually with school districts and
432 charter schools in the coalition’s service area to identify and
433 address areas for improvement in transitioning prekindergarten
434 students into kindergarten.
435 (d) Transferring prekindergarten student information for
436 continuity in progress monitoring and the provision of supports.
437
438 The office shall provide guidelines for successful kindergarten
439 transitions to early learning coalitions, school districts,
440 charter schools, and parents to assist with the implementation
441 of this subsection.
442 Section 9. Subsection (2) of section 1002.995, Florida
443 Statutes, is amended to read:
444 1002.995 Early learning professional development standards
445 and career pathways.—
446 (2) To the greatest extent possible, the credentials and
447 certifications established pursuant to this section shall align
448 with the training for K-12 teachers, reading coaches, and school
449 administrators principals in s. 1001.215(3).
450 Section 10. Paragraph (g) of subsection (2) of section
451 1003.621, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
452 1003.621 Academically high-performing school districts.—It
453 is the intent of the Legislature to recognize and reward school
454 districts that demonstrate the ability to consistently maintain
455 or improve their high-performing status. The purpose of this
456 section is to provide high-performing school districts with
457 flexibility in meeting the specific requirements in statute and
458 rules of the State Board of Education.
459 (2) COMPLIANCE WITH STATUTES AND RULES.—Each academically
460 high-performing school district shall comply with all of the
461 provisions in chapters 1000-1013, and rules of the State Board
462 of Education which implement these provisions, pertaining to the
463 following:
464 (g) Those statutes pertaining to planning and budgeting,
465 including chapter 1011, except s. 1011.62(9)(d), relating to the
466 requirement for a comprehensive reading plan. A district that is
467 exempt from submitting this plan shall be deemed approved to
468 receive the evidence-based research-based reading instruction
469 allocation.
470 Section 11. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) and paragraph
471 (b) of subsection (5) of section 1004.04, Florida Statutes, are
472 amended to read:
473 1004.04 Public accountability and state approval for
474 teacher preparation programs.—
475 (3) INITIAL STATE PROGRAM APPROVAL.—
476 (b) Each teacher preparation program approved by the
477 Department of Education, as provided for by this section, shall
478 require students, at a minimum, to meet, at a minimum, the
479 following as prerequisites for admission into the program:
480 1. Have a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0
481 scale for the general education component of undergraduate
482 studies or have completed the requirements for a baccalaureate
483 degree with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale
484 from any college or university accredited by a regional
485 accrediting association as defined by State Board of Education
486 rule or any college or university otherwise approved pursuant to
487 State Board of Education rule.
488 2. Demonstrate mastery of general knowledge sufficient for
489 entry into the program, including the ability to read, write,
490 and perform in mathematics, by passing the General Knowledge
491 Test of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination or, for a
492 graduate level program, obtain a baccalaureate degree from an
493 institution that is accredited or approved pursuant to the rules
494 of the State Board of Education.
495
496 Each teacher preparation program may waive these admissions
497 requirements for up to 10 percent of the students admitted.
498 Programs shall implement strategies to ensure that students
499 admitted under a waiver receive assistance to demonstrate
500 competencies to successfully meet requirements for certification
501 and shall annually report to the Department of Education the
502 status of each candidate admitted under such a waiver.
503 (5) PRESERVICE FIELD EXPERIENCE.—All postsecondary
504 instructors, school district personnel and instructional
505 personnel, and school sites preparing instructional personnel
506 through preservice field experience courses and internships
507 shall meet special requirements. District school boards may pay
508 student teachers during their internships.
509 (b)1. All school district personnel and instructional
510 personnel who supervise or direct teacher preparation students
511 during field experience courses or internships taking place in
512 this state in which candidates demonstrate an impact on student
513 learning growth must have:
514 a. Evidence of “clinical educator” training;,
515 b. A valid professional certificate issued pursuant to s.
516 1012.56;, and
517 c. At least 3 years of teaching experience in
518 prekindergarten through grade 12; and must have
519 d. Earned an effective or highly effective rating on the
520 prior year’s performance evaluation under s. 1012.34 or be a
521 peer evaluator under the district’s evaluation system approved
522 under s. 1012.34; and
523 e. Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, for all such
524 personnel who supervise or direct teacher preparation students
525 during internships in kindergarten through grade 3 or who are
526 enrolled in a teacher preparation program for a certificate area
527 identified pursuant to s. 1012.585(3)(f), evidence of being
528 certified or endorsed in reading.
529
530 The State Board of Education shall approve the training
531 requirements.
532 2. All instructional personnel who supervise or direct
533 teacher preparation students during field experience courses or
534 internships in another state, in which a candidate demonstrates
535 his or her impact on student learning growth, through a Florida
536 online or distance program must have received “clinical
537 educator” training or its equivalent in that state, hold a valid
538 professional certificate issued by the state in which the field
539 experience takes place, and have at least 3 years of teaching
540 experience in prekindergarten through grade 12.
541 3. All instructional personnel who supervise or direct
542 teacher preparation students during field experience courses or
543 internships, in which a candidate demonstrates his or her impact
544 on student learning growth, on a United States military base in
545 another country through a Florida online or distance program
546 must have received “clinical educator” training or its
547 equivalent, hold a valid professional certificate issued by the
548 United States Department of Defense or a state or territory of
549 the United States, and have at least 3 years teaching experience
550 in prekindergarten through grade 12.
551 Section 12. Present subsections (8) and (9) of section
552 1008.25, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (9)
553 and (10), respectively, and paragraph (d) of subsection (5) and
554 a new subsection (8) are added to that section, and paragraph
555 (a) of subsection (4), paragraph (c) of subsection (5),
556 paragraph (a) of subsection (7), and present subsection (8) are
557 amended, to read:
558 1008.25 Public school student progression; student support;
559 screening and progress monitoring; reporting requirements.—
560 (4) ASSESSMENT AND SUPPORT.—
561 (a) Each student must participate in the statewide,
562 standardized assessment program required under by s. 1008.22 and
563 the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program through grade 8
564 coordinated screening and progress monitoring system required
565 under subsection (8). Each student who does not achieve a Level
566 3 or above on the statewide, standardized English Language Arts
567 assessment, the statewide, standardized Mathematics assessment,
568 or the Algebra I EOC assessment must be evaluated to determine
569 the nature of the student’s difficulty, the areas of academic
570 need, and strategies for providing academic supports to improve
571 the student’s performance.
572 (5) READING DEFICIENCY AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION.—
573 (c) The parent of any student who exhibits a substantial
574 deficiency in reading, as described in paragraph (a), must be
575 notified in writing of the following:
576 1. That his or her child has been identified as having a
577 substantial deficiency in reading, including a description and
578 explanation, in terms understandable to the parent, of the exact
579 nature of the student’s difficulty in learning and lack of
580 achievement in reading.
581 2. A description of the current services that are provided
582 to the child.
583 3. A description of the proposed intensive interventions
584 and supports that will be provided to the child that are
585 designed to remediate the identified area of reading deficiency.
586 4. That if the child’s reading deficiency is not remediated
587 by the end of grade 3, the child must be retained unless he or
588 she is exempt from mandatory retention for good cause.
589 5. Strategies, including multisensory strategies, through a
590 read-at-home plan the parent can use in helping his or her child
591 succeed in reading.
592 6. That the statewide, standardized English Language Arts
593 assessment is not the sole determiner of promotion and that
594 additional evaluations, portfolio reviews, and assessments are
595 available to the child to assist parents and the school district
596 in knowing when a child is reading at or above grade level and
597 ready for grade promotion.
598 7. The district’s specific criteria and policies for a
599 portfolio as provided in subparagraph (6)(b)4. and the evidence
600 required for a student to demonstrate mastery of Florida’s
601 academic standards for English Language Arts. A parent of a
602 student in grade 3 who is identified anytime during the year as
603 being at risk of retention may request that the school
604 immediately begin collecting evidence for a portfolio.
605 8. The district’s specific criteria and policies for
606 midyear promotion. Midyear promotion means promotion of a
607 retained student at any time during the year of retention once
608 the student has demonstrated ability to read at grade level.
609
610 After initial notification, the school shall apprise the parent
611 at least monthly of the student’s progress in response to the
612 intensive interventions and supports. Such communications must
613 be in writing and must explain any additional interventions or
614 supports that will be implemented to accelerate the student’s
615 progress if the interventions and supports already being
616 implemented have not resulted in improvement.
617 (d) The Department of Education shall develop a handbook
618 that schools must provide to the parent of a student who is
619 identified as having a substantial reading deficiency. The
620 handbook must be made available in an electronic format that is
621 accessible online and must include the following information:
622 1. An overview of the types of assessments used to identify
623 reading deficiencies and what those assessments measure or do
624 not measure, the frequency with which the assessments are
625 administered, and the requirements for interventions and
626 supports that districts must provide to students who do not make
627 adequate academic progress.
628 2. An overview of the process for initiating and conducting
629 evaluations for exceptional education eligibility. The overview
630 must include an explanation that a diagnosis of a medical
631 condition alone is not sufficient to establish exceptional
632 education eligibility but may be used to document how that
633 condition relates to the student’s eligibility determination and
634 may be disclosed in an eligible student’s individual education
635 plan when necessary to inform school personnel responsible for
636 implementing the plan.
637 3. Characteristics of conditions associated with learning
638 disorders, including dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and
639 developmental aphasia.
640 4. A list of resources that support informed parent
641 involvement in decisionmaking processes for students who have
642 difficulty in learning.
643 (7) SUCCESSFUL PROGRESSION FOR RETAINED THIRD GRADE
644 STUDENTS.—
645 (a) Students retained under paragraph (5)(b) must be
646 provided intensive interventions in reading to ameliorate the
647 student’s specific reading deficiency and prepare the student
648 for promotion to the next grade. These interventions must
649 include:
650 1. Evidence-based, explicit, systematic, and multisensory
651 reading instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency,
652 vocabulary, and comprehension and other strategies prescribed by
653 the school district.
654 2. Participation in the school district’s summer reading
655 camp, which must incorporate the instructional and intervention
656 strategies under subparagraph 1.
657 3. A minimum of 90 minutes of daily, uninterrupted reading
658 instruction incorporating the instructional and intervention
659 strategies under subparagraph 1. This instruction may include:
660 a. Coordinated integration of content-rich texts in science
661 and civic literacy social studies within the 90-minute block.
662 b. Small group instruction.
663 c. Reduced teacher-student ratios.
664 d. More frequent progress monitoring.
665 e. Tutoring or mentoring.
666 f. Transition classes containing 3rd and 4th grade
667 students.
668 g. Extended school day, week, or year.
669 (8) COORDINATED SCREENING AND PROGRESS MONITORING SYSTEM.—
670 (a) The Department of Education, in collaboration with the
671 Office of Early Learning, shall procure and require the use of a
672 statewide, standardized coordinated screening and progress
673 monitoring system for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
674 Program and public schools serving kindergarten through grade 8
675 students. The system must:
676 1. Measure student progress in the Voluntary
677 Prekindergarten Education Program through grade 8 in meeting the
678 appropriate expectations in early literacy and mathematics
679 skills and in English Language Arts and mathematics standards as
680 required by ss. 1002.67(1)(a) and 1003.41.
681 2. Measure student performance in oral language
682 development, phonemic and phonological awareness, knowledge of
683 print and letters, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and
684 comprehension, as applicable by grade level.
685 3. Be a valid, reliable, and developmentally appropriate
686 computer-adaptive direct instrument that provides screening and
687 diagnostic capabilities for monitoring student progress and
688 identifies students who have a substantial deficiency in
689 reading, including identifying students with characteristics of
690 dyslexia.
691 4. Provide data for Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
692 Program accountability as required under s. 1002.67.
693 5. Provide Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
694 providers, school districts, schools, and teachers with data and
695 resources that enhance differentiated instruction and parent
696 communication.
697 6. Provide information to the department to aid in the
698 development of educational programs, policies, and supports for
699 providers, districts, and schools.
700 (b) Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, private
701 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program providers and public
702 schools must participate in the screening and progress
703 monitoring system. The screening and progress monitoring system
704 must be administered at least three times within a program year
705 or school year, as applicable, with the first administration
706 occurring no later than the first 30 instructional days after
707 the start of the program year or school year pursuant to state
708 board rule.
709 (c) A Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program student
710 who exhibits a substantial deficiency in early literacy skills
711 based upon results under this subsection must be referred to the
712 school district in which he or she resides and may be eligible
713 to receive intensive reading interventions after program
714 completion and before participating in kindergarten. Such
715 interventions may be paid for using funds from the school
716 district’s evidence-based reading instruction allocation in
717 accordance with s. 1011.62(9).
718 (d) Screening and progress monitoring system results shall
719 be reported to the department pursuant to state board rule and
720 maintained in the department’s K-20 data warehouse. Results must
721 be provided to a student’s teacher and parent in a timely manner
722 as required in paragraph (2)(a).
723 (e) The department, in collaboration with the Office of
724 Early Learning, shall provide training and support for effective
725 implementation of the screening and progress monitoring system.
726 (9)(8) ANNUAL REPORT.—
727 (a) In addition to the requirements in paragraph (5)(b),
728 each district school board must annually report to the parent of
729 each student the progress of the student toward achieving state
730 and district expectations for proficiency in English Language
731 Arts, science, social studies, and mathematics. The district
732 school board must report to the parent the student’s results on
733 each statewide, standardized assessment and the screening and
734 progress monitoring system under subsection (8). The evaluation
735 of each student’s progress must be based upon the student’s
736 classroom work, observations, tests, district and state
737 assessments, response to intensive interventions provided under
738 paragraph (5)(a), and other relevant information. Progress
739 reporting must be provided to the parent in writing in a format
740 adopted by the district school board.
741 (b) Each district school board must annually publish on the
742 district website and in the local newspaper the following
743 information on the prior school year:
744 1. The provisions of this section relating to public school
745 student progression and the district school board’s policies and
746 procedures on student retention and promotion.
747 2. By grade, the number and percentage of all students in
748 grades 3 through 10 performing at Levels 1 and 2 on the
749 statewide, standardized English Language Arts assessment.
750 3. By grade, the number and percentage of all students
751 retained in kindergarten through grade 10.
752 4. Information on the total number of students who were
753 promoted for good cause, by each category of good cause as
754 specified in paragraph (6)(b).
755 5. Any revisions to the district school board’s policies
756 and procedures on student retention and promotion from the prior
757 year.
758 Section 13. Paragraph (a) of subsection (5) of section
759 1008.345, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
760 1008.345 Implementation of state system of school
761 improvement and education accountability.—
762 (5) The commissioner shall annually report to the State
763 Board of Education and the Legislature and recommend changes in
764 state policy necessary to foster school improvement and
765 education accountability. The report shall include:
766 (a) For each school district:
767 1. The percentage of students, by school and grade level,
768 demonstrating learning growth in English Language Arts and
769 mathematics.
770 2. The percentage of students, by school and grade level,
771 in both the highest and lowest quartiles demonstrating learning
772 growth in English Language Arts and mathematics.
773 3. The information contained in the school district’s
774 annual report required pursuant to s. 1008.25(9) s. 1008.25(8).
775
776 School reports shall be distributed pursuant to this subsection
777 and s. 1001.42(18)(c) and according to rules adopted by the
778 State Board of Education.
779 Section 14. Section 1008.365, Florida Statutes, is created
780 to read:
781 1008.365 Reading Achievement Initiative for Scholastic
782 Excellence Act.—
783 (1) This section may be cited as the “Reading Achievement
784 Initiative for Scholastic Excellence Act.”
785 (2) The Reading Achievement Initiative for Scholastic
786 Excellence (RAISE) Program is established within the Department
787 of Education to provide instructional supports to school
788 districts, school administrators, and instructional personnel in
789 implementing evidence-based reading instruction and
790 interventions in order to improve student reading achievement.
791 (3) The department shall establish at least 20 literacy
792 support regions and regional support teams, at the direction of
793 a regional literacy support director appointed by the
794 Commissioner of Education, to assist schools with improving low
795 reading scores as provided in this section.
796 (a) A regional literacy support director must be an
797 employee of a school district, successfully demonstrate
798 competence on the evidence-based strategies identified pursuant
799 to s. 1001.215(8) through a statewide, competency-based reading
800 endorsement pathway under s. 1012.586(2), and have the
801 experience and credentials necessary, as determined by the
802 department, to:
803 1. Effectively monitor student reading growth and
804 achievement data;
805 2. Oversee districtwide and schoolwide professional
806 development and planning to establish evidence-based practices
807 among school administrators and instructional personnel;
808 3. Evaluate implementation of evidence-based practices; and
809 4. Manage a regional support team.
810 (b) A regional support team shall report to its regional
811 literacy support director and must consist of individuals who:
812 1. Successfully demonstrate competence on the evidence
813 based strategies identified pursuant to s. 1001.215(8) through a
814 statewide, competency-based reading endorsement pathway under s.
815 1012.586(2);
816 2. Have substantial experience in teaching and monitoring
817 student progress data in reading; and
818 3. Have received training necessary to assist with the
819 delivery of professional development and site-based supports,
820 including modeling evidence-based practices and providing
821 feedback to instructional personnel.
822 (4) The department may establish criteria to identify
823 schools that must receive supports from a regional support team.
824 However, regardless of its school grade designated pursuant to
825 s. 1008.34, a school must be identified for supports if 50
826 percent of its students who take the statewide, standardized
827 English Language Arts assessment score below a Level 3 for any
828 grade level, or, for students in kindergarten through grade 3,
829 if progress monitoring data collected pursuant to s. 1008.25(8)
830 shows that 50 percent or more of the students are not on track
831 to pass the statewide, standardized grade 3 English Language
832 Arts assessment. A school identified for supports under this
833 section must implement a school improvement plan pursuant to s.
834 1001.42(18).
835 (5) The department shall provide progress monitoring data
836 to regional support teams regarding the implementation of
837 supports. Such supports must include:
838 (a) Professional development, aligned to evidence-based
839 strategies identified pursuant to s. 1001.215(8), for
840 appropriate instructional personnel and school administrators
841 identified by the regional support team.
842 (b) Assistance with implementing:
843 1. Data-informed instructional decisionmaking using
844 progress monitoring and other appropriate data.
845 2. Selection and consistent, coordinated use of high
846 quality instructional materials and supplemental materials.
847 3. Reading instruction in other core subject area
848 curricula, with an emphasis on civic literacy.
849 4. A multitiered system of supports in order to provide
850 students effective interventions and identify students who may
851 require an evaluation for special educational services,
852 including identifying characteristics of conditions that affect
853 phonological processing, such as dyslexia.
854 (c) Evaluating a school’s improvement plan for alignment
855 with the school district’s K-12 comprehensive reading plan under
856 s. 1011.62(9)(d). If the regional support team determines that
857 the school district’s reading plan does not address the school’s
858 need to improve student outcomes, the regional literacy support
859 director, the district school superintendent, or his or her
860 designee, and the director of the Just Read, Florida! Office
861 shall convene a meeting to rectify the deficiencies of the
862 reading plan.
863 (6) Identification of a school for supports under this
864 section does not require a school to implement a turnaround
865 option or take other corrective actions under s. 1008.33.
866 However, a regional support team may be used to assist with
867 providing the differentiated matrix of intervention and support
868 strategies under s. 1008.33, as appropriate. The department may
869 direct a regional support team to make other forms of assistance
870 available to school districts and schools.
871 (7) Once a school’s data shows that it no longer meets the
872 criteria under subsection (4), the school may discontinue
873 receiving supports and implementing a school improvement plan.
874 Such supports may continue subject to available resources.
875 (8) As part of the RAISE Program, the department shall
876 establish a tutoring program and develop training in effective
877 reading tutoring practices and content, based on evidence-based
878 practices and aligned to the English Language Arts standards
879 under s. 1003.41, which prepares eligible high school students
880 to tutor students in kindergarten through grade 3 in schools
881 identified under this section, instilling in those students a
882 love of reading and improving their literacy skills.
883 (a) To be eligible to participate in the tutoring program,
884 a high school student must be a rising junior or senior who has
885 a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, has no
886 history of out-of-school suspensions or expulsions, is on track
887 to complete all core course requirements to graduate, and has
888 written recommendations from at least two of his or her present
889 or former high school teachers of record or extracurricular
890 activity sponsors.
891 (b) School districts that wish to participate in the
892 tutoring program must recruit, train, and deploy eligible high
893 school students using the materials developed under this
894 section. Tutoring must occur during the school day on school
895 district property in the presence and under the supervision of
896 instructional personnel who are school district employees. A
897 parent must give written permission for his or her child to
898 receive tutoring through the program.
899 (c) Tutoring may be part of a service-learning course
900 adopted pursuant to s. 1003.497. Students may earn up to 3
901 elective credits for high school graduation based on the
902 verified number of hours the student spends tutoring under the
903 program. The hours of volunteer service must be documented in
904 writing, and the document must be signed by the student, the
905 student’s parent or guardian, and an administrator or designee
906 of the school in which the tutoring occurred. The hours that a
907 high school student devotes to tutoring may be counted toward
908 meeting community service requirements for high school
909 graduation and community service requirements for participation
910 in the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program as provided in
911 s. 1003.497(3)(b). The department shall designate a high school
912 student who provides at least 500 verified hours of tutoring
913 under the program as a New Worlds Scholar and award the student
914 with a pin indicating such designation.
915 (9) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
916 administer this section.
917 Section 15. Paragraphs (b) and (d) of subsection (6) and
918 subsections (9) and (11) of section 1011.62, Florida Statutes,
919 are amended to read:
920 1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
921 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
922 district for operation of schools is not determined in the
923 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
924 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
925 follows:
926 (6) CATEGORICAL FUNDS.—
927 (b) If a district school board finds and declares in a
928 resolution adopted at a regular meeting of the school board that
929 the funds received for any of the following categorical
930 appropriations are urgently needed to maintain school board
931 specified academic classroom instruction or improve school
932 safety, the school board may consider and approve an amendment
933 to the school district operating budget transferring the
934 identified amount of the categorical funds to the appropriate
935 account for expenditure:
936 1. Funds for student transportation.
937 2. Funds for evidence-based research-based reading
938 instruction if the required additional hour of instruction
939 beyond the normal school day for each day of the entire school
940 year has been provided for the students in each low-performing
941 elementary school in the district pursuant to paragraph (9)(a).
942 3. Funds for instructional materials if all instructional
943 material purchases necessary to provide updated materials that
944 are aligned with applicable state standards and course
945 descriptions and that meet statutory requirements of content and
946 learning have been completed for that fiscal year, but no sooner
947 than March 1. Funds available after March 1 may be used to
948 purchase hardware for student instruction.
949 4. Funds for the guaranteed allocation as provided in
950 subparagraph (1)(e)2.
951 5. Funds for the supplemental academic instruction
952 allocation as provided in paragraph (1)(f).
953 6. Funds for the Florida digital classrooms allocation as
954 provided in subsection (12).
955 7. Funds for the federally connected student supplement as
956 provided in subsection (13).
957 8. Funds for class size reduction as provided in s.
958 1011.685.
959 (d) If a district school board transfers funds from its
960 evidence-based research-based reading instruction allocation,
961 the board must also submit to the Department of Education an
962 amendment describing the changes that the district is making to
963 its reading plan approved pursuant to paragraph (9)(d).
964 (9) EVIDENCE-BASED RESEARCH-BASED READING INSTRUCTION
965 ALLOCATION.—
966 (a) The evidence-based research-based reading instruction
967 allocation is created to provide comprehensive reading
968 instruction to students in kindergarten through grade 12,
969 including certain students who have completed the Voluntary
970 Prekindergarten Education Program and who exhibit a substantial
971 deficiency in early literacy skills under s. 1008.25(8)(c). Each
972 school district that has one or more of the 300 lowest
973 performing elementary schools based on a 3-year average of the
974 state reading assessment data must use the school’s portion of
975 the allocation to provide an additional hour per day of
976 intensive reading instruction for the students in each school.
977 The additional hour may be provided within the school day.
978 Students enrolled in these schools who earned a level 4 or level
979 5 score on the statewide, standardized English Language Arts
980 assessment for the previous school year may participate in the
981 additional hour of instruction. Exceptional student education
982 centers may not be included in the 300 schools. The intensive
983 reading instruction delivered in this additional hour shall
984 include: evidence-based research-based reading instruction that
985 has been proven to accelerate progress of students exhibiting a
986 reading deficiency; differentiated instruction based on
987 screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, or student
988 assessment data to meet students’ specific reading needs;
989 explicit and systematic reading strategies to develop phonemic
990 awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, with
991 more extensive opportunities for guided practice, error
992 correction, and feedback; and the coordinated integration of
993 civic literacy social studies, science, and mathematics-text
994 reading, text discussion, and writing in response to reading.
995 (b) Funds for comprehensive, evidence-based research-based
996 reading instruction shall be allocated annually to each school
997 district in the amount provided in the General Appropriations
998 Act. Each eligible school district shall receive the same
999 minimum amount as specified in the General Appropriations Act,
1000 and any remaining funds shall be distributed to eligible school
1001 districts based on each school district’s proportionate share of
1002 K-12 base funding.
1003 (c) Funds allocated under this subsection must be used to
1004 provide a system of comprehensive reading instruction to
1005 students enrolled in the K-12 programs, which may include the
1006 following:
1007 1. An additional hour per day of evidence-based intensive
1008 reading instruction to students in the 300 lowest-performing
1009 elementary schools by teachers and reading specialists who have
1010 demonstrated effectiveness in teaching reading as required in
1011 paragraph (a).
1012 2. Kindergarten through grade 5 evidence-based reading
1013 intervention teachers to provide intensive reading interventions
1014 provided by reading intervention teachers intervention during
1015 the school day and in the required extra hour for students
1016 identified as having a substantial reading deficiency.
1017 3. Highly qualified reading coaches to specifically support
1018 teachers in making instructional decisions based on student
1019 data, and improve teacher delivery of effective reading
1020 instruction, intervention, and reading in the content areas
1021 based on student need.
1022 4. Professional development for school district teachers in
1023 scientifically researched and evidence-based based reading
1024 instruction, including strategies to teach reading in content
1025 areas and with an emphasis on technical and informational text,
1026 to help school district teachers earn a certification or an
1027 endorsement in reading.
1028 5. Summer reading camps, using only teachers or other
1029 district personnel who are certified or endorsed in reading
1030 consistent with s. 1008.25(7)(b)3., for all students in
1031 kindergarten through grade 2 who demonstrate a reading
1032 deficiency as determined by district and state assessments, and
1033 students in grades 3 through 5 who score at Level 1 on the
1034 statewide, standardized English Language Arts assessment.
1035 6. Scientifically researched and evidence-based
1036 supplemental instructional materials that are grounded in
1037 scientifically based reading research as identified by the Just
1038 Read, Florida! Office pursuant to s. 1001.215(8).
1039 7. Evidence-based intensive reading interventions for
1040 students in kindergarten through grade 12 who have been
1041 identified as having a substantial reading deficiency or who are
1042 reading below grade level as determined by the statewide,
1043 standardized English Language Arts assessment.
1044 (d)1. Annually, by a date determined by the Department of
1045 Education but before May 1, school districts shall submit a K-12
1046 comprehensive reading plan for the specific use of the evidence
1047 based research-based reading instruction allocation in the
1048 format prescribed by the department for review and approval by
1049 the Just Read, Florida! Office created pursuant to s. 1001.215.
1050 The plan format shall be developed with input from school
1051 district personnel, including teachers and principals, and shall
1052 provide for intensive reading interventions identified through a
1053 root-cause analysis of student performance data and reflection
1054 tool developed by the department to evaluate the effectiveness
1055 of interventions implemented in the prior year. Intensive
1056 reading interventions must be delivered by instructional
1057 personnel who are certified or endorsed in reading and must
1058 incorporate evidence-based strategies identified by the Just
1059 Read, Florida! Office pursuant to s. 1001.215(8).
1060 2. By July 1 of each year, the department shall release to
1061 each school district with an approved plan its allocation of
1062 appropriated funds The plan annually submitted by school
1063 districts shall be deemed approved unless the department rejects
1064 the plan on or before June 1. If a school district and the Just
1065 Read, Florida! Office cannot reach agreement on the contents of
1066 the plan, the school district may appeal to the State Board of
1067 Education for resolution. School districts shall be allowed
1068 reasonable flexibility in designing their plans and shall be
1069 encouraged to offer reading intervention through innovative
1070 methods, including career academies. The plan format shall be
1071 developed with input from school district personnel, including
1072 teachers and principals, and shall provide for intensive reading
1073 interventions through integrated curricula, provided that,
1074 beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, the interventions are
1075 delivered by a teacher who is certified or endorsed in reading.
1076 Such interventions must incorporate strategies identified by the
1077 Just Read, Florida! Office pursuant to s. 1001.215(8). No later
1078 than July 1 annually, the department shall release the school
1079 district’s allocation of appropriated funds to those districts
1080 having approved plans. A school district that spends 100 percent
1081 of this allocation on its approved plan shall be deemed to have
1082 been in compliance with the plan. The department shall may
1083 withhold funds upon a determination that reading instruction
1084 allocation funds are not being used to implement the approved
1085 plan. The department shall evaluate monitor and track the
1086 implementation of each district plan, including conducting site
1087 visits and collecting specific data on expenditures and reading
1088 improvement results. By February 1 of each year, the department
1089 shall report its findings to the Legislature and the State Board
1090 of Education, including any recommendations for improving
1091 implementation of evidence-based reading and intervention
1092 strategies in classrooms.
1093 3.2. Each school district that has a school designated as
1094 one of the 300 lowest-performing elementary schools as specified
1095 in paragraph (a) shall specifically delineate in the
1096 comprehensive reading plan, or in an addendum to the
1097 comprehensive reading plan, the implementation design and
1098 reading intervention strategies that will be used for the
1099 required additional hour of reading instruction. The term
1100 “reading intervention” includes evidence-based strategies
1101 frequently used to remediate reading deficiencies and also
1102 includes individual instruction, tutoring, mentoring, or the use
1103 of technology that targets specific reading skills and
1104 abilities.
1105
1106 For purposes of this subsection, the term “evidence-based” means
1107 demonstrating a statistically significant effect on improving
1108 student outcomes or other relevant outcomes as provided in 20
1109 U.S.C. s. 8101(21)(A)(i).
1110 (11) VIRTUAL EDUCATION CONTRIBUTION.—The Legislature may
1111 annually provide in the Florida Education Finance Program a
1112 virtual education contribution. The amount of the virtual
1113 education contribution shall be the difference between the
1114 amount per FTE established in the General Appropriations Act for
1115 virtual education and the amount per FTE for each district and
1116 the Florida Virtual School, which may be calculated by taking
1117 the sum of the base FEFP allocation, the discretionary local
1118 effort, the state-funded discretionary contribution, the
1119 discretionary millage compression supplement, the evidence-based
1120 research-based reading instruction allocation, the teacher
1121 salary increase allocation, and the instructional materials
1122 allocation, and then dividing by the total unweighted FTE. This
1123 difference shall be multiplied by the virtual education
1124 unweighted FTE for programs and options identified in s.
1125 1002.455 and the Florida Virtual School and its franchises to
1126 equal the virtual education contribution and shall be included
1127 as a separate allocation in the funding formula.
1128 Section 16. Subsection (2) of section 1011.67, Florida
1129 Statutes, is amended to read:
1130 1011.67 Funds for instructional materials.—
1131 (2) Annually by July 1 and before the release of
1132 instructional materials funds, each district school
1133 superintendent shall certify to the Commissioner of Education
1134 that the district school board has approved a comprehensive
1135 staff development plan that supports fidelity of implementation
1136 of instructional materials programs, including verification that
1137 training was provided; that the materials are being implemented
1138 as designed; and, beginning July 1, 2021, for core reading
1139 materials and reading intervention materials used in
1140 kindergarten through grade 5, that the materials meet the
1141 requirements of s. 1001.215(8). Such instructional materials, as
1142 evaluated and identified pursuant to s. 1001.215(4), may be
1143 purchased by the school district with funds under this section
1144 without undergoing the adoption procedures under s.
1145 1006.40(4)(b). This subsection does not preclude school
1146 districts from purchasing or using other materials to supplement
1147 reading instruction and provide additional skills practice.
1148 Section 17. Paragraph (g) is added to subsection (3) of
1149 section 1012.585, Florida Statutes, to read:
1150 1012.585 Process for renewal of professional certificates.—
1151 (3) For the renewal of a professional certificate, the
1152 following requirements must be met:
1153 (g) A teacher may earn inservice points only once during
1154 each 5-year validity period for any mandatory training topic
1155 that is not linked to student learning or professional growth.
1156 Section 18. Section 1012.586, Florida Statutes, is amended
1157 to read:
1158 1012.586 Additions or changes to certificates; duplicate
1159 certificates; reading endorsement pathways.—
1160 (1) A school district may process via a Department of
1161 Education website certificates for the following applications of
1162 public school employees:
1163 (a)(1) Addition of a subject coverage or endorsement to a
1164 valid Florida certificate on the basis of the completion of the
1165 appropriate subject area testing requirements of s.
1166 1012.56(5)(a) or the completion of the requirements of an
1167 approved school district program or the inservice components for
1168 an endorsement.
1169 1.(a) To reduce duplication, the department may recommend
1170 the consolidation of endorsement areas and requirements to the
1171 State Board of Education.
1172 2.(b) By July 1, 2018, and At least once every 5 years
1173 thereafter, the department shall conduct a review of existing
1174 subject coverage or endorsement requirements in the elementary,
1175 reading, and exceptional student educational areas. The review
1176 must include reciprocity requirements for out-of-state
1177 certificates and requirements for demonstrating competency in
1178 the reading instruction professional development topics listed
1179 in s. 1012.98(4)(b)11. The review must also consider the award
1180 of an endorsement to an individual who holds a certificate
1181 issued by an internationally recognized organization that
1182 establishes standards for providing evidence-based interventions
1183 to struggling readers or who completes a postsecondary program
1184 that is accredited by such organization. Any such certificate or
1185 program must require an individual who completes the certificate
1186 or program to demonstrate competence in reading intervention
1187 strategies through clinical experience. At the conclusion of
1188 each review, the department shall recommend to the state board
1189 changes to the subject coverage or endorsement requirements
1190 based upon any identified instruction or intervention strategies
1191 proven to improve student reading performance. This subparagraph
1192 paragraph does not authorize the state board to establish any
1193 new certification subject coverage.
1194 (b)(2) A reissued certificate to reflect a name change.
1195 (c)(3) A duplicate certificate to replace a lost or damaged
1196 certificate.
1197
1198 The employing school district shall charge the employee a fee
1199 not to exceed the amount charged by the Department of Education
1200 for such services. Each district school board shall retain a
1201 portion of the fee as defined in the rules of the State Board of
1202 Education. The portion sent to the department shall be used for
1203 maintenance of the technology system, the web application, and
1204 posting and mailing of the certificate.
1205 (2)(a) By the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, the
1206 department shall adopt one or more statewide, competency-based
1207 pathways by which instructional personnel may earn a reading
1208 endorsement. A pathway adopted by the department must allow a
1209 candidate to complete coursework online and demonstrate mastery
1210 of each endorsement competency either in person or remotely. The
1211 department shall place on each participant’s educator
1212 certificate a microcredential for each competency module the
1213 candidate successfully completes.
1214 (b) As part of adopting a pathway pursuant to paragraph
1215 (a), the department shall review the competencies for the
1216 reading endorsement for alignment with evidence-based
1217 instructional and intervention practices rooted in the science
1218 of reading, consistent with s. 1001.215(3), and recommend
1219 changes to the State Board of Education. Recommended changes
1220 must address identification of the characteristics of conditions
1221 such as dyslexia, implementation of evidence-based classroom
1222 instruction and interventions, and effective progress
1223 monitoring. By July 1, 2023, each school district reading
1224 endorsement add-on program must be resubmitted for approval by
1225 the department consistent with this paragraph.
1226 (c) Beginning July 1, 2024, instructional personnel may not
1227 earn a reading endorsement solely by achieving a passing score
1228 on the K-12 reading certification subject area assessment.
1229 Section 19. Subsection (5) of section 1012.98, Florida
1230 Statutes, is amended to read:
1231 1012.98 School Community Professional Development Act.—
1232 (5) Each district school board shall provide funding for
1233 the professional development system as required by s. 1011.62
1234 and the General Appropriations Act, and shall direct
1235 expenditures from other funding sources to continuously
1236 strengthen the system in order to increase student achievement
1237 and support instructional staff in enhancing rigor and relevance
1238 in the classroom. The department shall identify professional
1239 development opportunities that require the teacher to
1240 demonstrate proficiency in a specific classroom practice, with
1241 priority given to implementing evidence-based reading
1242 instructional and intervention strategies identified pursuant to
1243 s. 1001.215(8). A school district may coordinate its
1244 professional development program with that of another district,
1245 with an educational consortium, or with a Florida College System
1246 institution or university, especially in preparing and educating
1247 personnel. Each district school board shall make available
1248 inservice activities to instructional personnel of nonpublic
1249 schools in the district and the state certified teachers who are
1250 not employed by the district school board on a fee basis not to
1251 exceed the cost of the activity per all participants.
1252 Section 20. Paragraph (e) is added to subsection (1) of
1253 section 1012.986, Florida Statutes, to read:
1254 1012.986 William Cecil Golden Professional Development
1255 Program for School Leaders.—
1256 (1) There is established the William Cecil Golden
1257 Professional Development Program for School Leaders to provide
1258 high standards and sustained support for principals as
1259 instructional leaders. The program shall consist of a
1260 collaborative network of state and national professional
1261 leadership organizations to respond to instructional leadership
1262 needs throughout the state. The network shall support the human
1263 resource development needs of principals, principal leadership
1264 teams, and candidates for principal leadership positions using
1265 the framework of leadership standards adopted by the State Board
1266 of Education, the Southern Regional Education Board, and the
1267 National Staff Development Council. The goal of the network
1268 leadership program is to:
1269 (e) Support, through training on observation and evaluation
1270 practices aligned to the science of reading, the professional
1271 growth of instructional personnel who provide reading
1272 instruction and interventions.
1273 Section 21. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.
