The Florida Senate

236.1228  Accountability program grants.--

(1)  INTENT.--The intent of the Legislature is to:

(a)  Assure that lottery funds will enhance a high school's productivity, including improvement of student outcomes.

(b)  Challenge each high school to develop and achieve productivity indicators or student outcome indicators in its area of greatest need.

(c)  Form partnerships between the state, districts, and high schools in the development of a positive accountability system to improve productivity, including student outcomes.

(d)  Challenge the students, parents, staff, the community, and business partners of each high school to form partnerships to improve productivity and meet student outcome indicators.

(e)  Provide an opportunity for high schools to showcase improvements in productivity and student outcomes.

(f)  Encourage the department to publish and distribute reports that display student outcomes by school and district.

(2)  GRANTS.--There is hereby created an incentives grant program for public high schools that achieve accountability on productivity, including student outcome indicators. The program shall reward high schools for meeting specified statewide indicators for improving productivity, including student outcomes in educational programs. The grant program shall be administered by the Commissioner of Education. The Commissioner of Education shall provide instructions to districts and schools necessary for the implementation of this section, including a designation of mathematics and science courses by level.

(3)  DEFINITION.--For the purposes of this section, the term "high school" means a school with grade 12 and at least two other grades with at least one-half of the current grades 9 through 12 full-time equivalent student membership in the 9 through 12 basic and dropout prevention programs.

(4)  STATEWIDE INDICATORS.--

(a)  A high school's annual allocation will be determined based on the district's and the school's achievement of statewide indicators. The superintendent shall recommend and the school board shall adopt a plan which contains student outcome indicators by school and the strategies to be used in improving productivity, including student outcomes.

(b)  The statewide indicators are:

1.  Improve graduation rate.--The statewide goal is to achieve a graduation rate of 85 percent. The graduate rate will be calculated as defined in ¹s. 228.041(41). The district annual graduation rate indicator shall be at least an increase of one percentage point or one-third of the difference between the second preceding year and 85 percent, whichever is greater.

2.  Improve dropout rate.--The statewide goal is to achieve a dropout rate in high school of 4 percent or less. The dropout rate will be calculated as defined in ²s. 228.041(43). The district and high school annual dropout rate indicator for the high school shall be 6 percent or less and the district average shall be 4 percent or less for grades 9 through 12.

3.  Improve promotion rate.--The statewide goal is to achieve a 95-percent promotion rate from grade to grade in grades 9 through 12. The district and high school annual promotion rate indicator for the high school from grade to grade in grades 9 through 12 shall be 94 percent or higher and the district average shall be 95 percent or higher for grades 9 through 12.

4.  Increase enrollment in and completion of upper level science courses.--The statewide goal is to have 20 percent or more of the high school students enrolled in and completing level 3 science courses, 55 percent or more of the high school students enrolled in level 2 science courses, and 20 percent or less of the high school students enrolled in level 1 science courses. Components of the district and high school annual science enrollment indicator are:

a.  For level 3 science courses, the high school shall have 15 percent or more of the grades 9 through 12 students enrolled in level 3 science courses and the district average shall be 20 percent or more of the grades 9 through 12 students enrolled in level 3 science courses;

b.  For level 2 science courses, the high school shall have 45 percent or more of the grades 9 through 12 students enrolled in level 2 science courses and the district average shall be 55 percent or more of the grades 9 through 12 students enrolled in level 2 science courses; and

c.  For level 1 science courses, the high school shall have 30 percent or less of the grades 9 through 12 students enrolled in level 1 science courses and the district average shall be 20 percent or less of the grades 9 through 12 students enrolled in level 1 science courses.

5.  Increase enrollment in and completion of upper level mathematics courses.--The statewide goal is to have 15 percent or more of the high school students enrolled in and completing level 3 mathematics courses, 50 percent or more of the high school students enrolled in level 2 mathematics courses, and 30 percent or less of the high school students enrolled in level 1 mathematics courses. Components of the district and high school annual mathematics enrollment indicator are:

a.  For level 3 mathematics courses, the high school shall have 10 percent or more of the grades 9 through 12 students enrolled in level 3 mathematics courses and the district average shall be 15 percent or more of the grades 9 through 12 students enrolled in level 3 mathematics courses;

b.  For level 2 mathematics courses, the high school shall have 40 percent or more of the grades 9 through 12 students enrolled in level 2 mathematics courses and the district average shall be 50 percent or more of the grades 9 through 12 students enrolled in level 2 mathematics courses; and

c.  For level 1 mathematics courses, the high school shall have 40 percent or less of the grades 9 through 12 students enrolled in level 1 mathematics courses and the district average shall be 30 percent or less of the grades 9 through 12 students enrolled in level 1 mathematics courses.

6.  Improve utilization of postsecondary feedback report.--The statewide goal is to reduce annually the high school's graduates who are enrolled in a degree program and are referred for remediation in mathematics, reading, and writing in public colleges and universities by 50 percent of the number for the second preceding year. The district and high school annual referrals for remediation indicators for high school shall be a reduction of 40 percent or more and the district's average reduction shall be 50 percent or more of the number for the second preceding year.

(5)  FUNDING.--

(a)  The Department of Education shall distribute funds on November 1 of each succeeding school year to the respective school districts which have schools that are eligible for accountability program grants. The funds allocated for each school shall be used by the school to improve productivity, including student outcomes.

(b)  To be eligible for a grant, a school must carry out one of the following plans:

1.  Plan I.--Select and achieve four statewide indicators including subparagraph (4)(b)1.;

2.  Plan II.--Select and achieve five statewide indicators including subparagraph (4)(b)1.; or

3.  Plan III.--Select and achieve six statewide indicators.

(c)  Funding will be provided as follows unless otherwise stated in the appropriations act:

(d)  The high school in each of the state goal areas which exceeds the state goal by the highest percentage will receive $25,000.

(e)  The district in the state which has the highest or lowest percentage, as applicable, on each of the state indicators will receive $25,000 to be used to improve the high school instructional programs.

History.--s. 13, ch. 89-298; s. 39, ch. 90-288; s. 54, ch. 91-105; s. 61, ch. 97-190.

¹Note.--Redesignated as s. 228.041(40) to conform to the repeal of former s. 228.041(35) by s. 74, ch. 97-190.

²Note.--Redesignated as s. 228.041(42) to conform to the repeal of former s. 228.041(35) by s. 74, ch. 97-190.