Florida Senate - 2016 SB 834
By Senator Detert
28-00640-16 2016834__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to minimum term school funding;
3 amending s. 1011.61, F.S.; revising the term “full
4 time student” to delete references to membership in a
5 double-session school or a school that uses a
6 specified experimental calendar; clarifying how “full
7 time equivalency” is calculated for students in
8 schools that operate for less than the minimum term;
9 providing an effective date.
10
11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
12
13 Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 1011.61, Florida
14 Statutes, is amended to read:
15 1011.61 Definitions.—Notwithstanding the provisions of s.
16 1000.21, the following terms are defined as follows for the
17 purposes of the Florida Education Finance Program:
18 (1) A “full-time equivalent student” in each program of the
19 district is defined in terms of full-time students and part-time
20 students as follows:
21 (a) A “full-time student” is one student on the membership
22 roll of one school program or a combination of school programs
23 listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c) for the school year or the equivalent
24 for:
25 1. Instruction in a standard school, comprising not less
26 than 900 net hours for a student in or at the grade level of 4
27 through 12, or not less than 720 net hours for a student in or
28 at the grade level of kindergarten through grade 3 or in an
29 authorized prekindergarten exceptional program; or
30 2. Instruction in a double-session school or a school
31 utilizing an experimental school calendar approved by the
32 Department of Education, comprising not less than the equivalent
33 of 810 net hours in grades 4 through 12 or not less than 630 net
34 hours in kindergarten through grade 3; or
35 2.3. Instruction comprising the appropriate number of net
36 hours set forth in subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 2. for
37 students who, within the past year, have moved with their
38 parents for the purpose of engaging in the farm labor or fish
39 industries, if a plan furnishing such an extended school day or
40 week, or a combination thereof, has been approved by the
41 commissioner. Such plan may be approved to accommodate the needs
42 of migrant students only or may serve all students in schools
43 having a high percentage of migrant students. The plan described
44 in this subparagraph is optional for any school district and is
45 not mandated by the state.
46 (b) A “part-time student” is a student on the active
47 membership roll of a school program or combination of school
48 programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c) who is less than a full-time
49 student. A student who receives instruction in a school that
50 operates for less than the minimum term shall generate a full
51 time equivalent student proportional to the amount of
52 instructional hours provided by the school divided by the
53 minimum term requirement as defined in s. 1011.60.
54 (c)1. A “full-time equivalent student” is:
55 a. A full-time student in any one of the programs listed in
56 s. 1011.62(1)(c); or
57 b. A combination of full-time or part-time students in any
58 one of the programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c) which is the
59 equivalent of one full-time student based on the following
60 calculations:
61 (I) A full-time student in a combination of programs listed
62 in s. 1011.62(1)(c) shall be a fraction of a full-time
63 equivalent membership in each special program equal to the
64 number of net hours per school year for which he or she is a
65 member, divided by the appropriate number of hours set forth in
66 subparagraph (a)1. or subparagraph (a)2. The difference between
67 that fraction or sum of fractions and the maximum value as set
68 forth in subsection (4) for each full-time student is presumed
69 to be the balance of the student’s time not spent in a special
70 program and shall be recorded as time in the appropriate basic
71 program.
72 (II) A prekindergarten student with a disability shall meet
73 the requirements specified for kindergarten students.
74 (III) A full-time equivalent student for students in
75 kindergarten through grade 12 in a full-time virtual instruction
76 program under s. 1002.45 or a virtual charter school under s.
77 1002.33 shall consist of six full-credit completions or the
78 prescribed level of content that counts toward promotion to the
79 next grade in programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c). Credit
80 completions may be a combination of full-credit courses or half
81 credit courses. Beginning in the 2016-2017 fiscal year, the
82 reported full-time equivalent students and associated funding of
83 students enrolled in courses requiring passage of an end-of
84 course assessment under s. 1003.4282 to earn a standard high
85 school diploma shall be adjusted if the student does not pass
86 the end-of-course assessment. However, no adjustment shall be
87 made for a student who enrolls in a segmented remedial course
88 delivered online.
89 (IV) A full-time equivalent student for students in
90 kindergarten through grade 12 in a part-time virtual instruction
91 program under s. 1002.45 shall consist of six full-credit
92 completions in programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c)1. and 3.
93 Credit completions may be a combination of full-credit courses
94 or half-credit courses. Beginning in the 2016-2017 fiscal year,
95 the reported full-time equivalent students and associated
96 funding of students enrolled in courses requiring passage of an
97 end-of-course assessment under s. 1003.4282 to earn a standard
98 high school diploma shall be adjusted if the student does not
99 pass the end-of-course assessment. However, no adjustment shall
100 be made for a student who enrolls in a segmented remedial course
101 delivered online.
102 (V) A Florida Virtual School full-time equivalent student
103 shall consist of six full-credit completions or the prescribed
104 level of content that counts toward promotion to the next grade
105 in the programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c)1. and 3. for students
106 participating in kindergarten through grade 12 part-time virtual
107 instruction and the programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c) for
108 students participating in kindergarten through grade 12 full
109 time virtual instruction. Credit completions may be a
110 combination of full-credit courses or half-credit courses.
111 Beginning in the 2016-2017 fiscal year, the reported full-time
112 equivalent students and associated funding of students enrolled
113 in courses requiring passage of an end-of-course assessment
114 under s. 1003.4282 to earn a standard high school diploma shall
115 be adjusted if the student does not pass the end-of-course
116 assessment. However, no adjustment shall be made for a student
117 who enrolls in a segmented remedial course delivered online.
118 (VI) Each successfully completed full-credit course earned
119 through an online course delivered by a district other than the
120 one in which the student resides shall be calculated as 1/6 FTE.
121 (VII) A full-time equivalent student for courses requiring
122 passage of a statewide, standardized end-of-course assessment
123 under s. 1003.4282 to earn a standard high school diploma shall
124 be defined and reported based on the number of instructional
125 hours as provided in this subsection until the 2016-2017 fiscal
126 year. Beginning in the 2016-2017 fiscal year, the FTE for the
127 course shall be assessment-based and shall be equal to 1/6 FTE.
128 The reported FTE shall be adjusted if the student does not pass
129 the end-of-course assessment. However, no adjustment shall be
130 made for a student who enrolls in a segmented remedial course
131 delivered online.
132 (VIII) For students enrolled in a school district as a
133 full-time student, the district may report 1/6 FTE for each
134 student who passes a statewide, standardized end-of-course
135 assessment without being enrolled in the corresponding course.
136 2. A student in membership in a program scheduled for more
137 or less than 180 school days or the equivalent on an hourly
138 basis as specified by rules of the State Board of Education is a
139 fraction of a full-time equivalent membership equal to the
140 number of instructional hours in membership divided by the
141 appropriate number of hours set forth in subparagraph (a)1.;
142 however, for the purposes of this subparagraph, membership in
143 programs scheduled for more than 180 days is limited to students
144 enrolled in:
145 a. Juvenile justice education programs.
146 b. The Florida Virtual School.
147 c. Virtual instruction programs and virtual charter schools
148 for the purpose of course completion and credit recovery
149 pursuant to ss. 1002.45 and 1003.498. Course completion applies
150 only to a student who is reported during the second or third
151 membership surveys and who does not complete a virtual education
152 course by the end of the regular school year. The course must be
153 completed no later than the deadline for amending the final
154 student enrollment survey for that year. Credit recovery applies
155 only to a student who has unsuccessfully completed a traditional
156 or virtual education course during the regular school year and
157 must re-take the course in order to be eligible to graduate with
158 the student’s class.
159
160 The full-time equivalent student enrollment calculated under
161 this subsection is subject to the requirements in subsection
162 (4).
163
164 The department shall determine and implement an equitable method
165 of equivalent funding for experimental schools and for schools
166 operating under emergency conditions, which schools have been
167 approved by the department to operate for less than the minimum
168 term requirement as provided in s. 1011.60 school day.
169 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.