Florida Senate - 2017                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 926
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì945386MÎ945386                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  04/03/2017           .                                
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       The Committee on Education (Simmons) recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete lines 23 - 31
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. Study of a nationally recognized alternate high
    6  school assessment.—
    7         (1) INDEPENDENT STUDY.—
    8         (a) The Commissioner of Education shall contract for an
    9  independent study to determine whether a nationally recognized
   10  high school assessment may be administered in lieu of the
   11  Florida Standards Assessment and the Algebra I and end-of-course
   12  assessment for high school students.
   13         (b) In order to be considered a nationally recognized high
   14  school assessment, the assessment must meet the following
   15  requirements:
   16         1. Be substantially aligned with the core curricular
   17  content for high school level English Language Arts (ELA) and
   18  mathematics established in the Next Generation Sunshine State
   19  Standards pursuant to s. 1003.41, Florida Statutes;
   20         2. Provide for learning gains from the grade 8 ELA and
   21  mathematics Florida Standards Assessment to the nationally
   22  recognized high school assessment;
   23         3. Provide for differentiation and comparability between
   24  schools and districts;
   25         4. Provide the same or additional accommodations to
   26  students with disabilities and other students which are provided
   27  by the Florida Standards Assessment and other statewide,
   28  standardized assessments;
   29         5. Meet the applicable assessment security requirements
   30  determined by the commissioner for the state and for school
   31  districts;
   32         6. Meet the reasonable technical specification requirements
   33  determined by the commissioner which allow implementation by the
   34  state and by school districts; and
   35         7. Satisfy any threshold legal requirements, including, but
   36  not limited to, the standard set forth in Debra P. v.
   37  Turlington, 474 F. Supp. 244 (M.D. Fla. 1979).
   38         (c) The commissioner and the contractor shall consult with,
   39  and receive recommendations for alternate assessments from,
   40  education stakeholders, including district school
   41  superintendents, testing and measurement administrators,
   42  curriculum directors, principals, teachers, and other educators
   43  who have experience and expertise in the administration of high
   44  school assessments.
   45         (2) REPORT.—The commissioner shall submit a report on the
   46  findings of the study and any recommendations to the Governor,
   47  the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
   48  Representatives by January 1, 2018.
   49  
   50  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   51  And the title is amended as follows:
   52         Delete lines 3 - 10
   53  and insert:
   54         the Commissioner of Education to contract for an
   55         independent study to determine whether a nationally
   56         recognized high school assessment may be administered
   57         in lieu of the Florida Standards Assessment and the
   58         Algebra I end-of-course assessment; providing
   59         requirements for the assessment; requiring the
   60         commissioner and the contractor to consult with
   61         specified stakeholders; requiring the commissioner to
   62         submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature by
   63         a specified date; amending s. 1008.22,