Florida Senate - 2009                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for CS for SB 1310
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 591830                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
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                 Floor: WD/2R          .                                
             04/27/2009 02:54 PM       .                                
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       Senators Deutch, Wilson, and Rich moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with directory and title amendments)
    2  
    3         Between lines 234 and 235
    4  insert:
    5         (7) PARENT AND STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES FOR PROGRAM
    6  PARTICIPATION.—
    7         (e) The parent shall ensure that the student participating
    8  in the scholarship program takes the assessment as required in
    9  this paragraph.
   10         1.A student who is participating in the program must take
   11  the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) in reading,
   12  writing, science, mathematics, and other content areas, as
   13  directed by the Commissioner of Education pursuant to s.
   14  1008.22, if 33 percent or more of the students enrolled in the
   15  private school are receiving a scholarship under this section
   16  during the school year or the total scholarship funds received
   17  by the private school during the school year exceeds $125,000,
   18  whichever is less. The parent is responsible for transporting
   19  the student to the assessment site designated by the school
   20  district.
   21         2.A student who does not take the FCAT as required in
   22  subparagraph 1. must take the norm-referenced assessment offered
   23  by the private school. The parent may also choose to have the
   24  student participate in the statewide assessments pursuant to s.
   25  1008.22. If the parent requests that the student participating
   26  in the scholarship program take statewide assessments pursuant
   27  to s. 1008.22, the parent is responsible for transporting the
   28  student to the assessment site designated by the school
   29  district.
   30         (8) PRIVATE SCHOOL ELIGIBILITY AND OBLIGATIONS.—An eligible
   31  private school may be sectarian or nonsectarian and must:
   32         (a) Comply with all requirements for private schools
   33  participating in state school choice scholarship programs
   34  pursuant to s. 1002.421.
   35         (b) Provide to the eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding
   36  organization, upon request, all documentation required for the
   37  student’s participation, including the private school’s and
   38  student’s fee schedules.
   39         (c) Be academically accountable to the parent for meeting
   40  the educational needs of the student by:
   41         1. At a minimum, annually providing to the parent a written
   42  explanation of the student’s progress.
   43         2. Annually administering or making provision for students
   44  participating in the scholarship program to take the FCAT or one
   45  of the nationally norm-referenced tests identified by the
   46  Department of Education. Students having with disabilities for
   47  whom standardized testing is not appropriate are exempt from
   48  this requirement. A participating private school must report a
   49  student’s scores to the parent and to the independent research
   50  organization selected by the Department of Education as
   51  described in paragraph (9)(j).
   52         3. Cooperating with the scholarship student whose parent
   53  chooses to have the student participate in the statewide
   54  assessments pursuant to s. 1008.22.
   55         (d) Employ or contract with teachers who have regular and
   56  direct contact with each student receiving a scholarship under
   57  this section at the school’s physical location.
   58         (e)Receive a school grade pursuant to s. 1008.34 if the
   59  school has students who are required to take the FCAT under
   60  subparagraph (7)(e)1.
   61  
   62  The inability of a private school to meet the requirements of
   63  this subsection shall constitute a basis for the ineligibility
   64  of the private school to participate in the scholarship program
   65  as determined by the Department of Education.
   66  
   67  ====== D I R E C T O R Y  C L A U S E  A M E N D M E N T ======
   68         And the directory clause is amended as follows:
   69         Delete lines 45 - 46
   70  and insert:
   71  subsection (5), paragraphs (b) and (i) of subsection (6),
   72  paragraph (e) of subsection (7), subsection (8), and paragraphs
   73  (a), (b), (l), and (n) of subsection (9) of section
   74  
   75  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   76         And the title is amended as follows:
   77         Delete line 15
   78  and insert:
   79         against the corporate income tax; revising provisions
   80         relating to the parents’ and students’
   81         responsibilities for participating in the program;
   82         requiring that a participating student who is enrolled
   83         in a private school take the Florida Comprehensive
   84         Assessment Test under certain circumstances; requiring
   85         that a student take the norm-referenced assessment
   86         offered by the private school if the student does not
   87         take the FCAT; requiring that an eligible private
   88         school receive a school grade if the school has
   89         students who are required to take the FCAT; imposing
   90         an