Florida Senate - 2016                                    SB 1450
       
       
        
       By Senator Bullard
       
       39-01613-16                                           20161450__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to public school educational
    3         assessments and accountability; suspending the use of
    4         statewide, standardized assessment results for
    5         purposes of student promotion, retention, or
    6         graduation and evaluation of instructional personnel
    7         and school administrators for specific school years;
    8         providing requirements for determining the promotion
    9         or retention of a grade 3 student; requiring a grade
   10         10 student to earn a concordant score to meet a
   11         specific graduation requirement; suspending school
   12         grades for specific school years; requiring the State
   13         Board of Education to adopt and implement a new school
   14         grading system by a specified date; providing
   15         requirements for the new school grading system;
   16         providing an effective date.
   17          
   18  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   19  
   20         Section 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law:
   21         (1) For the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 school years, results
   22  from the statewide, standardized assessments in English Language
   23  Arts (ELA) and Mathematics administered pursuant to s. 1008.22,
   24  Florida Statutes, may not be used to determine the promotion or
   25  retention of a student, to satisfy graduation requirements to
   26  earn a standard high school diploma, or as evaluation criteria
   27  for the annual evaluation of instructional personnel and school
   28  administrators. Determination of promotion or retention for a
   29  grade 3 student shall be made using the student’s academic
   30  performance and report card and other evidence that demonstrates
   31  the student’s mastery of Florida’s academic standards for ELA.
   32  To satisfy the graduation requirement that a student pass the
   33  grade 10 ELA assessment, a grade 10 student must earn the
   34  appropriate concordant score on the SAT or ACT as determined by
   35  the Commissioner of Education pursuant to s. 1008.22, Florida
   36  Statutes.
   37         (2) For the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 school years, school
   38  grades, pursuant to s. 1008.34, Florida Statutes, shall be held
   39  in abeyance. Performance on the statewide, standardized
   40  assessments administered pursuant to s. 1008.22, Florida
   41  Statutes, shall serve as an informational baseline for schools
   42  to work toward improved performance in future years. A school
   43  may not be required to select and implement a turnaround option
   44  pursuant to s. 1008.33, Florida Statutes, in the 2016-2017 and
   45  2017-2018 school years.
   46         (3) No later than July 1, 2017, the State Board of
   47  Education shall adopt and implement a school grading system that
   48  is demonstrably equitable, reliable, timely, rigorous,
   49  affordable, and rationally funded. The state board must include
   50  components representing the state’s academic standards,
   51  classroom instruction, technology, and assessments in the new
   52  school grading system.
   53         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.