Florida Senate - 2015                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for CS for SB 1552
       
       
       
       
       
       
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                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
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       Senator Bullard moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Between lines 1265 and 1266
    4  insert:
    5         Section 8. Subsection (7) of section 1008.34, Florida
    6  Statutes, as amended by chapter 2015-6, Laws of Florida, is
    7  amended to read:
    8         1008.34 School grading system; school report cards;
    9  district grade.—
   10         (7) TRANSITION.—School grades pursuant to this section and
   11  school improvement ratings pursuant to s. 1008.341 for the 2013
   12  2014 school year shall be calculated based on statutes and rules
   13  in effect on June 30, 2014. To assist in the transition to 2014
   14  2015 school grades and school improvement ratings, calculated
   15  based on new statewide, standardized assessments administered
   16  pursuant to s. 1008.22, the 2014-2015 school grades and school
   17  improvement ratings shall serve as an informational baseline for
   18  schools to work toward improved performance in future years.
   19  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 2014-2015 school
   20  year shall be considered an implementation year for the new
   21  statewide, standardized assessments. Learning gains data from
   22  2014-2015 test scores may not be used in the calculation of
   23  school grades, school improvement grades, district grades, or
   24  personnel performance evaluations pursuant to s. 1012.34 if such
   25  use would result in a lower grade or level of performance than
   26  the grade or level of performance which would result without the
   27  use of learning gains data. Accordingly, notwithstanding any
   28  other provision of law:
   29         (a) A school may not be required to select and implement a
   30  turnaround option pursuant to s. 1008.33 in the 2015-2016 school
   31  year based on the school’s 2014-2015 grade or school improvement
   32  rating under s. 1008.341, as applicable. The benefits of s.
   33  1008.33(4)(c), relating to a school being released from
   34  implementation of the turnaround option, and s. 1008.33(4)(d),
   35  relating to a school implementing strategies identified in its
   36  school improvement plan, apply to a school using turnaround
   37  options pursuant to s. 1008.33 which improves at least one
   38  letter grade during the 2014-2015 school year.
   39         (b)1. A school or approved provider under s. 1002.45 which
   40  receives the same or a lower school grade or school improvement
   41  rating for the 2014-2015 school year compared to the 2013-2014
   42  school year is not subject to sanctions or penalties that would
   43  otherwise occur as a result of the 2014-2015 school grade or
   44  rating. A charter school system or a school district designated
   45  as high performing may not lose the designation based on the
   46  2014-2015 school grades of any of the schools within the charter
   47  school system or school district, as applicable.
   48         2. The Florida School Recognition Program established under
   49  s. 1008.36 shall continue to be implemented as otherwise
   50  provided in the General Appropriations Act.
   51         (c)  Until such time as an independent verification of the
   52  psychometric validity of the statewide, standardized assessments
   53  first implemented in 2014-2015 is provided, for purposes of
   54  determining grade 3 English Language Arts student performance
   55  retention pursuant to s. 1008.25(5) and high school graduation
   56  requirements pursuant to s. 1003.4282, student performance on
   57  the 2014-2015 statewide, standardized assessments shall be
   58  linked to 2013-2014 student performance expectations. Students
   59  who score in the bottom quintile on the 2014-2015 grade 3
   60  English Language Arts assessment shall be identified as students
   61  at risk of retention. School districts must notify parents of
   62  such students, provide evidence as outlined in s. 1008.25(6)(b),
   63  and provide the appropriate intervention and support services
   64  for student success in grade 4.
   65         (d)1. An independent verification of the psychometric
   66  validity of the statewide, standardized assessments first
   67  implemented in 2014-2015 must be completed before the 2014-2015
   68  school grades results may be published and before the student
   69  performance data resulting from such assessments may be used for
   70  purposes of instructional personnel and school administrator
   71  evaluations.
   72         2. The independent entity must be selected by a panel
   73  consisting of one member appointed by the Governor, one member
   74  appointed by the President of the Senate, and one member
   75  appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. In
   76  selecting the independent entity, the panel must consider, at a
   77  minimum:
   78         a. The national reputation and length of establishment of
   79  the entity;
   80         b. The experience and expertise of the independent entity
   81  in validating such data; and
   82         c. The use of professional standards, codes, and guidelines
   83  that address applicable practices in the profession, such as the
   84  Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing.
   85         3. The panel must select the independent entity no later
   86  than June 1, 2015. Upon selection of the independent entity, the
   87  Department of Education shall immediately contract with the
   88  independent entity to perform the independent verification,
   89  which must be completed by September 1, 2015. This paragraph is
   90  repealed December 31, 2015.
   91  
   92  This subsection is repealed July 1, 2017.
   93  
   94  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   95  And the title is amended as follows:
   96         Delete line 97
   97  and insert:
   98         Education; amending s. 1008.34, F.S.; designating the
   99         2014-2015 school year as an implementation year for
  100         the new statewide, standardized assessments;
  101         prohibiting the use of learning gains data from 2014
  102         2015 test scores under specified circumstances;
  103         creating s. 1011.6202, F.S.; creating the