Florida Senate - 2017 PROPOSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
Bill No. SB 468
Ì1141686Î114168
576-04047-17
Proposed Committee Substitute by the Committee on Appropriations
(Appropriations Subcommittee on Pre-K - 12 Education)
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to voluntary prekindergarten
3 education; amending s. 1001.215, F.S.; requiring the
4 Just Read, Florida! Office to provide teachers,
5 reading coaches, and principals in prekindergarten
6 through grade 3 with specified training; requiring the
7 office to work with the Florida Center for Reading
8 Research to develop and provide access to certain
9 programming, practices, and resources; amending s.
10 1002.51, F.S.; defining the term “public school
11 prekindergarten provider”; amending s. 1002.53, F.S.;
12 requiring each early learning coalition to coordinate
13 with the Office of Early Learning to assign student
14 identification numbers for the Voluntary
15 Prekindergarten Education Program; amending s.
16 1002.67, F.S.; requiring voluntary prekindergarten
17 providers to provide parents with pre- and post
18 assessment results within a specified timeframe;
19 providing for the reporting and distribution of the
20 results; requiring the office to determine eligibility
21 criteria for reenrollment; amending s. 1002.69, F.S.;
22 revising requirements for the adoption and use of the
23 statewide kindergarten screening; conforming cross
24 references; amending s. 1002.71, F.S.; authorizing a
25 child to reenroll in certain school-year programs
26 under certain circumstances; amending s. 1011.62,
27 F.S.; revising the date by which the Department of
28 Education must submit specified information regarding
29 the implementation of school district K-12
30 comprehensive reading plans to the Legislature;
31 providing an effective date.
32
33 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
34
35 Section 1. Section 1001.215, Florida Statutes, is amended
36 to read:
37 1001.215 Just Read, Florida! Office.—There is created in
38 the Department of Education the Just Read, Florida! Office. The
39 office shall be fully accountable to the Commissioner of
40 Education and shall:
41 (1) Train highly effective reading coaches.
42 (2) Create multiple designations of effective reading
43 instruction, with accompanying credentials, which encourage all
44 teachers to integrate reading instruction into their content
45 areas.
46 (3) Train Voluntary Prekindergarten through grade 3
47 teachers, reading coaches, and school principals on effective
48 research-based reading instructional strategies and
49 interventions for all students. Contingent upon legislative
50 appropriation, this training must be designed to be consistently
51 delivered statewide in an appropriate format. The office shall
52 collaborate with the Office of Early Learning to develop the
53 training.
54 (4)(3) Train grade 4-12 K-12 teachers and school principals
55 on effective content-area-specific reading strategies. For
56 secondary teachers, emphasis shall be on technical text. These
57 strategies must be developed for all content areas in the grade
58 4-12 K-12 curriculum.
59 (5)(4) Provide parents with information and strategies for
60 assisting their children in reading in the content area.
61 (6)(5) Provide technical assistance to school districts in
62 the development and implementation of district plans for use of
63 the research-based reading instruction allocation provided in s.
64 1011.62(9) and annually review and approve such plans.
65 (7)(6) Review, evaluate, and provide technical assistance
66 to school districts’ implementation of the K-12 comprehensive
67 reading plan required in s. 1011.62(9).
68 (8)(7) Work with the Florida Center for Reading Research to
69 provide information on research-based reading programs and
70 effective reading in the content area strategies.
71 (9) Work with the Florida Center for Reading Research to
72 develop and provide access to sequenced curriculum programming,
73 instructional practices, and resources that help elementary
74 schools use state-adopted instructional materials and content
75 rich texts to increase students’ background knowledge and
76 literacy skills consistent with the state academic standards.
77 (10)(8) Periodically review the Next Generation Sunshine
78 State Standards for reading at all grade levels.
79 (11)(9) Periodically review teacher certification
80 examinations, including alternative certification exams, to
81 ascertain whether the examinations measure the skills needed for
82 research-based reading instruction and instructional strategies
83 for teaching reading in the content areas.
84 (12)(10) Work with teacher preparation programs approved
85 pursuant to s. 1004.04 to integrate research-based reading
86 instructional strategies and reading in the content area
87 instructional strategies into teacher preparation programs.
88 (13)(11) Administer grants and perform other functions as
89 necessary to meet the goal that all students read at grade
90 level.
91 Section 2. Subsection (8) is added to section 1002.51,
92 Florida Statutes, to read:
93 1002.51 Definitions.—As used in this part, the term:
94 (8) “Public school prekindergarten provider” includes a
95 charter school that is authorized to provide a prekindergarten
96 program in its charter consistent with s. 1002.33 and that is
97 eligible to deliver the school-year prekindergarten program
98 under s. 1002.63 or the summer prekindergarten program under s.
99 1002.61.
100 Section 3. Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (4) of
101 section 1002.53, Florida Statutes, to read:
102 1002.53 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program;
103 eligibility and enrollment.—
104 (4)
105 (d) Each early learning coalition shall coordinate with the
106 Office of Early Learning to assign student identification
107 numbers to each student who enrolls in the Voluntary
108 Prekindergarten Education Program.
109 Section 4. Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (2) of
110 section 1002.67, Florida Statutes, are amended, paragraphs (d)
111 and (e) are added to subsection (3) of that section, present
112 subsection (4) of that section is redesignated as subsection
113 (5), and a new subsection (4) is added to that section, to read:
114 1002.67 Performance standards; curricula and
115 accountability.—
116 (2)(a) Each private prekindergarten provider and public
117 school may select or design the curriculum that the provider or
118 school uses to implement the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
119 Program, except as otherwise required for a provider or school
120 that is placed on probation under paragraph (5)(c) (4)(c).
121 (c) The office shall review and approve curricula for use
122 by private prekindergarten providers and public schools that are
123 placed on probation under paragraph (5)(c) (4)(c). The office
124 shall maintain a list of the curricula approved under this
125 paragraph. Each approved curriculum must meet the requirements
126 of paragraph (b).
127 (3)
128 (d) Each private prekindergarten provider and public school
129 in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program shall provide
130 parents with the results of the pre- and post-assessments,
131 including any resources that might be helpful for their
132 students, within 10 days after administration of the assessment.
133 (e) The results of the pre- and post-assessments must be
134 reported at the aggregate level, distributed to the respective
135 early learning coalitions and school districts, and displayed on
136 the office’s website within 30 days after administration of the
137 assessment.
138 (4) The office shall determine the eligibility criteria for
139 enrollment, as authorized by s. 1002.71(4)(c), and for
140 reenrollment in the school year Voluntary Prekindergarten
141 Education Program.
142 Section 5. Subsections (1) and (2) and paragraphs (a), (e),
143 and (f) of subsection (7) of section 1002.69, Florida Statutes,
144 are amended to read:
145 1002.69 Statewide kindergarten screening; kindergarten
146 readiness rates; state-approved prekindergarten enrollment
147 screening; good cause exemption.—
148 (1) The department shall adopt a single statewide
149 kindergarten screening that assesses the readiness of each
150 student for kindergarten based upon the performance standards
151 adopted by the department under s. 1002.67(1) for the Voluntary
152 Prekindergarten Education Program. The department shall require
153 that each school district administer the statewide kindergarten
154 screening to each kindergarten student in the school district
155 within the first 30 school days of each school year. Nonpublic
156 schools may administer the statewide kindergarten screening to
157 each kindergarten student in a nonpublic school who was enrolled
158 in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.
159 (2) The statewide kindergarten screening must shall provide
160 objective data concerning each student’s readiness for
161 kindergarten and progress in attaining the performance standards
162 adopted by the office under s. 1002.67(1), with an emphasis on
163 early literacy and numeracy skills. The screening must be a
164 direct assessment of these skills.
165 (7)(a) Notwithstanding s. 1002.67(5)(c)3. s.
166 1002.67(4)(c)3., the office, upon the request of a private
167 prekindergarten provider or public school that remains on
168 probation for 2 consecutive years or more and subsequently fails
169 to meet the minimum rate adopted under subsection (6) and for
170 good cause shown, may grant to the provider or school an
171 exemption from being determined ineligible to deliver the
172 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program and receive state
173 funds for the program. Such exemption is valid for 1 year and,
174 upon the request of the private prekindergarten provider or
175 public school and for good cause shown, may be renewed.
176 (e) A private prekindergarten provider or public school
177 granted a good cause exemption shall continue to implement its
178 improvement plan and continue the corrective actions required
179 under s. 1002.67(5)(c)1. s. 1002.67(4)(c)1., including the use
180 of a curriculum approved by the office, until the provider or
181 school meets the minimum rate adopted under subsection (6).
182 (f) If a good cause exemption is granted to a private
183 prekindergarten provider who remains on probation for 2
184 consecutive years, the office shall notify the early learning
185 coalition of the good cause exemption and direct that the
186 coalition, notwithstanding s. 1002.67(5)(c)3. s.
187 1002.67(4)(c)3., not remove the provider from eligibility to
188 deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program or to
189 receive state funds for the program, if the provider meets all
190 other applicable requirements of this part.
191 Section 6. Paragraph (c) is added to subsection (4) of
192 section 1002.71, Florida Statutes, to read:
193 1002.71 Funding; financial and attendance reporting.—
194 (4) Notwithstanding s. 1002.53(3) and subsection (2):
195 (c) Beginning in the 2018-2019 school year, a child who has
196 completed a school-year Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
197 Program but is determined to be at risk of not attaining the
198 performance standards specified by s. 1002.67(1) may reenroll in
199 one of the school-year programs, which is offered by a provider
200 that has met the adopted minimum readiness rate provided under
201 s. 1002.69(6), for the subsequent year at the request of the
202 child’s parent. The prekindergarten program may report the child
203 for funding purposes as a full-time equivalent student in the
204 school-year program for which he or she is enrolled.
205
206 A child may reenroll only once in a prekindergarten program
207 under this section. A child who reenrolls in a prekindergarten
208 program under this subsection may not subsequently withdraw from
209 the program and reenroll, unless the child is granted a good
210 cause exemption under this subsection. The Office of Early
211 Learning shall establish criteria specifying whether a good
212 cause exists for a child to withdraw from a program under
213 paragraph (a), whether a child has substantially completed a
214 program under paragraph (b), and whether an extreme hardship
215 exists which is beyond the child’s or parent’s control under
216 paragraph (b).
217 Section 7. Paragraph (d) of subsection (9) of section
218 1011.62, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
219 1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
220 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
221 district for operation of schools is not determined in the
222 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
223 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
224 follows:
225 (9) RESEARCH-BASED READING INSTRUCTION ALLOCATION.—
226 (d) Annually, by a date determined by the Department of
227 Education but before May 1, school districts shall submit a K-12
228 comprehensive reading plan for the specific use of the research
229 based reading instruction allocation in the format prescribed by
230 the department for review and approval by the Just Read,
231 Florida! Office created pursuant to s. 1001.215. The plan
232 annually submitted by school districts shall be deemed approved
233 unless the department rejects the plan on or before June 1. If a
234 school district and the Just Read, Florida! Office cannot reach
235 agreement on the contents of the plan, the school district may
236 appeal to the State Board of Education for resolution. School
237 districts shall be allowed reasonable flexibility in designing
238 their plans and shall be encouraged to offer reading
239 intervention through innovative methods, including career
240 academies. The plan format shall be developed with input from
241 school district personnel, including teachers and principals,
242 and shall allow courses in core, career, and alternative
243 programs that deliver intensive reading remediation through
244 integrated curricula, provided that the teacher is deemed highly
245 qualified to teach reading or is working toward that status. No
246 later than July 1 annually, the department shall release the
247 school district’s allocation of appropriated funds to those
248 districts having approved plans. A school district that spends
249 100 percent of this allocation on its approved plan shall be
250 deemed to have been in compliance with the plan. The department
251 may withhold funds upon a determination that reading instruction
252 allocation funds are not being used to implement the approved
253 plan. The department shall monitor and track the implementation
254 of each district plan, including conducting site visits and
255 collecting specific data on expenditures and reading improvement
256 results. By December February 1 of each year, the department
257 shall report its findings from the previous school year to the
258 Legislature.
259 Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.