Florida Senate - 2019              PROPOSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
       Bill No. CS for SB 226
       
       
       
       
       
                               Ì568896oÎ568896                          
       
       576-03855-19                                                    
       Proposed Committee Substitute by the Committee on Appropriations
       (Appropriations Subcommittee on Education)
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to mastery-based education; amending
    3         s. 1003.436, F.S.; authorizing a district school board
    4         or developmental research school participating in the
    5         Mastery-Based Education Program to award credit based
    6         on student mastery of certain content and skills;
    7         amending s. 1003.437, F.S.; authorizing a district
    8         school board or developmental research school
    9         participating in the Mastery-Based Education Program
   10         to use an alternative interpretation of letter grades
   11         for certain students; requiring participating district
   12         school boards and developmental research schools to
   13         use the current 4-point scale in determining student
   14         grade point averages; amending s. 1003.4996, F.S.;
   15         renaming the Competency-Based Education Pilot Program
   16         as the Mastery-Based Education Program; authorizing
   17         public school districts and developmental research
   18         schools to submit applications for the program;
   19         authorizing participating school districts and
   20         developmental research schools to amend their
   21         applications to include alternatives for the award of
   22         credits and interpretation of letter grades; providing
   23         requirements for such alternatives; amending s.
   24         1007.23, F.S.; requiring the statewide articulation
   25         agreement to ensure fair and equitable access for
   26         students who have earned high school credit through
   27         mastery-based education and graduate with a standard
   28         high school diploma; providing an effective date.
   29          
   30  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   31  
   32         Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section
   33  1003.436, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   34         1003.436 Definition of “credit.”—
   35  (1)(a) For the purposes of requirements for high school
   36  graduation, one full credit means a minimum of 135 hours of bona
   37  fide instruction in a designated course of study that contains
   38  student performance standards, except as otherwise provided
   39  through the Credit Acceleration Program (CAP) under s.
   40  1003.4295(3). One full credit means a minimum of 120 hours of
   41  bona fide instruction in a designated course of study that
   42  contains student performance standards for purposes of meeting
   43  high school graduation requirements in a district school that
   44  has been authorized to implement block scheduling by the
   45  district school board. However, district school boards and
   46  developmental research schools participating in the Mastery-
   47  Based Education Program under s. 1003.4996 may determine and
   48  award credit based on a student’s mastery of the core content
   49  and skills, consistent with s. 1003.41, as approved by the
   50  district school board or developmental research school governing
   51  authority, as applicable. The State Board of Education shall
   52  determine the number of postsecondary credit hours earned
   53  through dual enrollment pursuant to s. 1007.271 that satisfy the
   54  requirements of a dual enrollment articulation agreement
   55  according to s. 1007.271(21) and that equal one full credit of
   56  the equivalent high school course identified pursuant to s.
   57  1007.271(9).
   58         Section 2. Section 1003.437, Florida Statutes, is amended
   59  to read:
   60         1003.437 Middle and high school grading system.—
   61         (1) The grading system and interpretation of letter grades
   62  used to measure student success in grade 6 through grade 12
   63  courses for students in public schools is shall be as follows:
   64         (a)(1) Grade “A” equals 90 percent through 100 percent, has
   65  a grade point average value of 4, and is defined as “outstanding
   66  progress.”
   67         (b)(2) Grade “B” equals 80 percent through 89 percent, has
   68  a grade point average value of 3, and is defined as “above
   69  average progress.”
   70         (c)(3) Grade “C” equals 70 percent through 79 percent, has
   71  a grade point average value of 2, and is defined as “average
   72  progress.”
   73         (d)(4) Grade “D” equals 60 percent through 69 percent, has
   74  a grade point average value of 1, and is defined as “lowest
   75  acceptable progress.”
   76         (e)(5) Grade “F” equals zero percent through 59 percent,
   77  has a grade point average value of zero, and is defined as
   78  “failure.”
   79         (f)(6) Grade “I” equals zero percent, has a grade point
   80  average value of zero, and is defined as “incomplete.”
   81         (2)A district school board and a developmental research
   82  school participating in the Mastery-Based Education Program
   83  under s. 1003.4996 may use an alternative interpretation of
   84  letter grades to measure student success in grade 6 through
   85  grade 12; however, the school board and developmental research
   86  school must continue to use the 4-point scale established in
   87  subsection (1) for calculating a student’s grade point average.
   88  
   89  For the purposes of class ranking, district school boards may
   90  exercise a weighted grading system pursuant to s. 1007.271.
   91         Section 3. Section 1003.4996, Florida Statutes, is amended
   92  to read:
   93         1003.4996 Mastery-Based Competency-Based Education Pilot
   94  Program.—Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, the Mastery
   95  Based Competency-Based Education Pilot Program is created within
   96  the Department of Education to be administered for a period of 5
   97  years. The purpose of the pilot program is to provide an
   98  educational environment that allows students to advance to
   99  higher levels of learning upon the mastery of concepts and
  100  skills through statutory exemptions relating to student
  101  progression and the awarding of credits.
  102         (1) PARTICIPATION.—Developmental research schools
  103  established under s. 1002.32, including the P.K. Yonge
  104  Developmental Research School, and public school districts,
  105  including, but not limited to, the Lake, Palm Beach, Pinellas,
  106  and Seminole County School Districts, may submit an application
  107  in a format prescribed by the department to participate in the
  108  pilot program.
  109         (2) APPLICATION.—The application to participate in the
  110  pilot program must, at a minimum, include:
  111         (a) The vision and timelines for the implementation of
  112  mastery-based competency-based education within the school
  113  district, including a list of the schools that will participate
  114  in the pilot program during the first school year and the list
  115  of schools that will be integrated into the program in
  116  subsequent school years.
  117         (b) The annual goals and performance outcomes for
  118  participating schools, including, but not limited to:
  119         1. Student performance as defined in s. 1008.34.
  120         2. Promotion and retention rates.
  121         3. Graduation rates.
  122         4. Indicators of college and career readiness.
  123         (c) A communication plan for parents and other
  124  stakeholders, including local businesses and community members.
  125         (d) The scope of and timelines for professional development
  126  for school instructional and administrative personnel.
  127         (e) A plan for student progression based on the mastery of
  128  content, including mechanisms that determine and ensure that a
  129  student has satisfied the requirements for grade-level promotion
  130  and content mastery.
  131         (f) A plan for using technology and digital and blended
  132  learning to enhance student achievement and facilitate the
  133  mastery-based competency-based education system.
  134         (g) The proposed allocation of resources for the pilot
  135  program at the school and district levels.
  136         (h) The recruitment and selection of participating schools.
  137         (i) The rules to be waived for participating schools
  138  pursuant to subsection (3) to implement the pilot program.
  139         (3) EXEMPTION FROM RULES.—In addition to the waivers
  140  authorized in s. 1001.10(3), the State Board of Education may
  141  authorize the commissioner to grant an additional waiver of
  142  rules relating to student progression and the awarding of
  143  credits.
  144         (4) ALTERNATIVE CREDIT AND LETTER GRADE SYSTEMS.—
  145         (a) Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, participating
  146  school districts and developmental research schools may amend
  147  their applications to include alternatives for awarding credit,
  148  as authorized under s. 1003.436, and for the interpretation of
  149  middle school and high school letter grades, as authorized under
  150  s. 1003.437.
  151         1. Alternatives to awarding credit must include
  152  verification of the student’s mastery of the applicable course
  153  content using rigorous scoring rubrics to evaluate the student’s
  154  work. A participating school district and developmental research
  155  school must amend its student progression plan required by s.
  156  1008.25 to conform to the alternative awarding of credits
  157  pursuant to this section.
  158         2. Alternatives to the interpretation of middle school and
  159  high school letter grades may substitute the applicable language
  160  from the school district’s rigorous scoring rubric; however,
  161  participating school districts and developmental research
  162  schools must continue to use the 4-point scale established in s.
  163  1003.437(1) for calculating a student’s grade point average.
  164         (b) An application that is amended pursuant to this
  165  subsection must be approved by the district school board or
  166  developmental research school governing authority, as
  167  applicable.
  168         (5)(4) STUDENT FUNDING.—Students enrolled in a
  169  participating school shall be reported for and generate funding
  170  pursuant to s. 1011.62.
  171         (6)(5) DEPARTMENT DUTIES.—The department shall:
  172         (a) Compile the student and staff schedules of
  173  participating schools before and after implementation of the
  174  pilot program.
  175         (b) Provide participating schools with access to statewide,
  176  standardized assessments required under s. 1008.22.
  177         (c) Annually, by June 1, provide to the Governor, the
  178  President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
  179  Representatives a report summarizing the activities and
  180  accomplishments of the pilot program and any recommendations for
  181  statutory revisions.
  182         (7)(6) RULES.—The State Board of Education shall adopt
  183  rules to administer this section.
  184         Section 4. Subsection (1) of section 1007.23, Florida
  185  Statutes, is amended to read:
  186         1007.23 Statewide articulation agreement.—
  187         (1) The State Board of Education and the Board of Governors
  188  shall enter into a statewide articulation agreement which the
  189  State Board of Education shall adopt by rule. The agreement must
  190  preserve Florida’s “2+2” system of articulation, facilitate the
  191  seamless articulation of student credit across and among
  192  Florida’s educational entities, and reinforce the provisions of
  193  this chapter by governing:
  194         (a) Articulation between secondary and postsecondary
  195  education, including fair and equitable access for students who
  196  have earned high school credit through a mastery-based education
  197  program pursuant to s. 1003.4996 and graduate with a standard
  198  high school diploma;
  199         (b) Admission of associate in arts degree graduates from
  200  Florida College System institutions and state universities;
  201         (c) Admission of applied technology diploma program
  202  graduates from Florida College System institutions or career
  203  centers;
  204         (d) Admission of associate in science degree and associate
  205  in applied science degree graduates from Florida College System
  206  institutions;
  207         (e) The use of acceleration mechanisms, including
  208  nationally standardized examinations through which students may
  209  earn credit;
  210         (f) General education requirements and statewide course
  211  numbers as provided for in ss. 1007.24 and 1007.25; and
  212         (g) Articulation among programs in nursing.
  213         Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.