Florida Senate - 2015                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for CS for SB 616
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì779600ÈÎ779600                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                 Floor: WD/2R          .                                
             04/01/2015 05:22 PM       .                                
       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————




       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
       Senator Hays moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment to Amendment (877970) (with title
    2  amendment)
    3  
    4         Delete lines 1041 - 1086
    5  and insert:
    6         (7) TRANSITION.—School grades and school improvement
    7  ratings pursuant to s. 1008.341 for the 2013-2014 school year
    8  shall be calculated based on statutes and rules in effect on
    9  June 30, 2014. To assist in the transition to the new statewide,
   10  standardized assessments 2014-2015 school grades, calculated
   11  based on new statewide, standardized assessments administered
   12  pursuant to s. 1008.22, the 2014-2015 school year grades shall
   13  serve as an informational baseline for schools to work toward
   14  improved performance in future years. School grades may not be
   15  issued for the 2014-2015 school year, and the statewide,
   16  standardized assessments may not be used to determine grade 3
   17  retention, high school graduation, or instructional personnel
   18  and school administrative personnel evaluations for the 2014
   19  2015 school year. In lieu of school grades for the 2014-2015
   20  school year, school districts shall provide summary information
   21  in the form of aggregate performance data posted on the website
   22  of the school district and each school, as applicable. The
   23  summary should specify the following: the percent of students
   24  who reach proficiency by each school on the statewide,
   25  standardized assessments in end-of-course assessments in English
   26  Language Arts, Mathematics, Algebra I, Algebra II, Biology,
   27  United States History, and Civics; secondary acceleration rates;
   28  and high school graduation rates. This summary shall serve as
   29  baseline information to students, parents, instructional
   30  personnel, school administrators, superintendents, and other
   31  stakeholders. The summary shall be reported in a format
   32  determined by the State Board of Education. Accordingly,
   33  notwithstanding any other provision of law:
   34         (a) A school may not be required to select and implement a
   35  turnaround option pursuant to s. 1008.33 in the 2015-2016 school
   36  year based on the school’s 2014-2015 performance grade or school
   37  improvement rating under s. 1008.341, as applicable. The
   38  benefits of s. 1008.33(4)(c) relating to a school being released
   39  from implementation of the turnaround option, and s.
   40  1008.33(4)(d) relating to a school implementing strategies
   41  identified in its school improvement plan, apply to a school
   42  using turnaround options pursuant to s. 1008.33 which improves
   43  based on the performance data reported pursuant to this
   44  subsection and approved by the Commissioner of Education.
   45         (b)1. A school or approved provider under s. 1002.45 that
   46  would have received receives the same or a lower school grade or
   47  school improvement rating for the 2014-2015 school year compared
   48  to the 2013-2014 school year is not subject to sanctions or
   49  penalties that would otherwise occur as a result of performance
   50  in the 2014-2015 school year grade or rating. A charter school
   51  system or a school district designated as high performing may
   52  not lose the designation based on performance in the 2014-2015
   53  school year grades of any of the schools within the charter
   54  school system or school district, as applicable.
   55         2. The Florida School Recognition Program established under
   56  s. 1008.36 shall continue to be implemented as otherwise
   57  provided in the General Appropriations Act.
   58         (c) Until such time that an independent verification of the
   59  psychometric validity of the statewide, standardized assessments
   60  is completed pursuant to paragraph (d), for purposes of
   61  determining grade 3 retention pursuant to s. 1008.25(5) and high
   62  school graduation pursuant to s. 1003.4282, student performance
   63  on the 2014-2015 statewide, standardized assessments shall be
   64  linked to 2013-2014 student performance expectations. Students
   65  who score in the bottom quintile on the 2014-2015 grade 3
   66  English Language Arts assessment shall be identified as at-risk
   67  students. School districts must notify parents of such students,
   68  provide evidence as outlined in s. 1008.25(6)(b), and provide
   69  the appropriate intervention and support services for student
   70  success in grade 4.
   71         (d) The Commissioner of Education shall have the statewide,
   72  standardized assessments implemented and administered for the
   73  2014-2015 school year independently verified for psychometric
   74  validity by the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational
   75  Evaluation, the American Psychological Association, the National
   76  Council on Measurement in Education, or the Buros Center for
   77  Testing. The commissioner shall submit a report detailing the
   78  findings on the psychometric validity of the assessments to the
   79  Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the
   80  House of Representatives no later than August 1, 2015.
   81  
   82  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   83  And the title is amended as follows:
   84         Delete lines 1655 - 1665
   85  and insert:
   86         readiness; amending s. 1008.34, F.S.; removing
   87         obsolete language; prohibiting the issuance of school
   88         grades for the 2014-2015 school year; prohibiting the
   89         use of assessment results for purposes relating to
   90         grade 3 retention, high school graduation, and
   91         personnel evaluations for the 2014-2015 school year;
   92         requiring school districts to summarize specified
   93         performance data in lieu of school grades; specifying
   94         applicability of certain accountability measures to
   95         schools using turnaround options; requiring that
   96         students who score in the bottom quintile on the 2014
   97         2015 grade 3 English Language Arts assessment be
   98         identified as at-risk students; requiring that each
   99         school district notify such students’ parents, provide
  100         evidence, and provide intervention and support
  101         services; requiring the Commissioner of Education to
  102         have the psychometric validity of the statewide,
  103         standardized assessments independently verified;
  104         requiring the commissioner to submit a report of the
  105         findings to the Governor and the Legislature by a
  106         specified date; authorizing a school district to