Florida Senate - 2017                                     SB 468
       
       
        
       By Senator Stargel
       
       22-00377B-17                                           2017468__
    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; amending s.
    7         1002.53, F.S.; requiring each early learning coalition
    8         to coordinate with the Office of Early Learning to
    9         assign student identification numbers for the
   10         Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program; amending
   11         s. 1002.67, F.S.; requiring voluntary prekindergarten
   12         providers to provide parents with pre- and post
   13         assessment results within a specified timeframe;
   14         providing for the reporting and distribution of the
   15         results; requiring the office to determine eligibility
   16         criteria for reenrollment; amending s. 1002.69, F.S.;
   17         revising requirements for the adoption and use of the
   18         statewide kindergarten screening; conforming cross
   19         references; amending s. 1002.71, F.S.; authorizing a
   20         child to reenroll in certain school-year programs
   21         under certain circumstances; amending s. 1011.62,
   22         F.S.; revising the date by which the Department of
   23         Education must submit specified information regarding
   24         the implementation of school district K-12
   25         comprehensive reading plans to the Legislature;
   26         providing an appropriation; providing an effective
   27         date.
   28          
   29  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   30  
   31         Section 1. Present subsections (3) through (11) of section
   32  1001.215, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (4)
   33  through (12), respectively, a new subsection (3) is added to
   34  that section, and present subsection (3) of that section is
   35  amended, to read:
   36         1001.215 Just Read, Florida! Office.—There is created in
   37  the Department of Education the Just Read, Florida! Office. The
   38  office shall be fully accountable to the Commissioner of
   39  Education and shall:
   40         (3) Train Voluntary Prekindergarten through grade 3
   41  teachers, reading coaches, and school principals on effective
   42  research-based reading instructional strategies and
   43  interventions for all students. Contingent upon legislative
   44  appropriation, this training must be designed to be consistently
   45  delivered statewide in an appropriate format. The office shall
   46  collaborate with the Office of Early Learning to develop the
   47  training.
   48         (4)(3) Train grade 4-12 K-12 teachers and school principals
   49  on effective content-area-specific reading strategies. For
   50  secondary teachers, emphasis shall be on technical text. These
   51  strategies must be developed for all content areas in the grade
   52  4-12 K-12 curriculum.
   53         Section 2. Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (4) of
   54  section 1002.53, Florida Statutes, to read:
   55         1002.53 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program;
   56  eligibility and enrollment.—
   57         (4)
   58         (d) Each early learning coalition shall coordinate with the
   59  Office of Early Learning to assign student identification
   60  numbers to each student who enrolls in the Voluntary
   61  Prekindergarten Education Program.
   62         Section 3. Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (2) of
   63  section 1002.67, Florida Statutes, are amended, paragraphs (d)
   64  and (e) are added to subsection (3) of that section, present
   65  subsection (4) of that section is redesignated as subsection
   66  (5), and a new subsection (4) is added to that section, to read:
   67         1002.67 Performance standards; curricula and
   68  accountability.—
   69         (2)(a) Each private prekindergarten provider and public
   70  school may select or design the curriculum that the provider or
   71  school uses to implement the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
   72  Program, except as otherwise required for a provider or school
   73  that is placed on probation under paragraph (5)(c) (4)(c).
   74         (c) The office shall review and approve curricula for use
   75  by private prekindergarten providers and public schools that are
   76  placed on probation under paragraph (5)(c) (4)(c). The office
   77  shall maintain a list of the curricula approved under this
   78  paragraph. Each approved curriculum must meet the requirements
   79  of paragraph (b).
   80         (3)
   81         (d) Each private prekindergarten provider and public school
   82  in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program shall provide
   83  parents with the results of the pre- and post-assessments,
   84  including any resources that might be helpful for their
   85  students, within 10 days after administration of the assessment.
   86         (e) The results of the pre- and post-assessments must be
   87  reported at the aggregate level, distributed to the respective
   88  early learning coalitions and school districts, and displayed on
   89  the office’s website within 30 days after administration of the
   90  assessment.
   91         (4) The office shall determine the eligibility criteria for
   92  enrollment, as authorized by s. 1002.71(4)(c), and for
   93  reenrollment in the school year Voluntary Prekindergarten
   94  Education Program.
   95         Section 4. Subsections (1) and (2) and paragraphs (a), (e),
   96  and (f) of subsection (7) of section 1002.69, Florida Statutes,
   97  are amended to read:
   98         1002.69 Statewide kindergarten screening; kindergarten
   99  readiness rates; state-approved prekindergarten enrollment
  100  screening; good cause exemption.—
  101         (1) The department shall adopt a single statewide
  102  kindergarten screening that assesses the readiness of each
  103  student for kindergarten based upon the performance standards
  104  adopted by the department under s. 1002.67(1) for the Voluntary
  105  Prekindergarten Education Program. The department shall require
  106  that each school district administer the statewide kindergarten
  107  screening to each kindergarten student in the school district
  108  within the first 30 school days of each school year. Nonpublic
  109  schools may administer the statewide kindergarten screening to
  110  each kindergarten student in a nonpublic school who was enrolled
  111  in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.
  112         (2) The statewide kindergarten screening must shall provide
  113  objective data concerning each student’s readiness for
  114  kindergarten and progress in attaining the performance standards
  115  adopted by the office under s. 1002.67(1), with an emphasis on
  116  early literacy and numeracy skills. The screening must be a
  117  direct assessment of these skills.
  118         (7)(a) Notwithstanding s. 1002.67(5)(c)3. s.
  119  1002.67(4)(c)3., the office, upon the request of a private
  120  prekindergarten provider or public school that remains on
  121  probation for 2 consecutive years or more and subsequently fails
  122  to meet the minimum rate adopted under subsection (6) and for
  123  good cause shown, may grant to the provider or school an
  124  exemption from being determined ineligible to deliver the
  125  Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program and receive state
  126  funds for the program. Such exemption is valid for 1 year and,
  127  upon the request of the private prekindergarten provider or
  128  public school and for good cause shown, may be renewed.
  129         (e) A private prekindergarten provider or public school
  130  granted a good cause exemption shall continue to implement its
  131  improvement plan and continue the corrective actions required
  132  under s. 1002.67(5)(c)1. s. 1002.67(4)(c)1., including the use
  133  of a curriculum approved by the office, until the provider or
  134  school meets the minimum rate adopted under subsection (6).
  135         (f) If a good cause exemption is granted to a private
  136  prekindergarten provider who remains on probation for 2
  137  consecutive years, the office shall notify the early learning
  138  coalition of the good cause exemption and direct that the
  139  coalition, notwithstanding s. 1002.67(5)(c)3. s.
  140  1002.67(4)(c)3., not remove the provider from eligibility to
  141  deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program or to
  142  receive state funds for the program, if the provider meets all
  143  other applicable requirements of this part.
  144         Section 5. Paragraph (c) is added to subsection (4) of
  145  section 1002.71, Florida Statutes, to read:
  146         1002.71 Funding; financial and attendance reporting.—
  147         (4) Notwithstanding s. 1002.53(3) and subsection (2):
  148         (c) A child who is at risk of not attaining the performance
  149  standards specified by s. 1002.67(1) may reenroll in one of the
  150  school-year programs, which is offered by a provider that has
  151  met the adopted minimum readiness rate provided under s.
  152  1002.69(6), for the subsequent year at the request of the
  153  child’s parent. The prekindergarten program may report the child
  154  for funding purposes as a full-time equivalent student in the
  155  school-year program for which he or she is enrolled.
  156  
  157  A child may reenroll only once in a prekindergarten program
  158  under this section. A child who reenrolls in a prekindergarten
  159  program under this subsection may not subsequently withdraw from
  160  the program and reenroll, unless the child is granted a good
  161  cause exemption under this subsection. The Office of Early
  162  Learning shall establish criteria specifying whether a good
  163  cause exists for a child to withdraw from a program under
  164  paragraph (a), whether a child has substantially completed a
  165  program under paragraph (b), and whether an extreme hardship
  166  exists which is beyond the child’s or parent’s control under
  167  paragraph (b).
  168         Section 6. Paragraph (d) of subsection (9) of section
  169  1011.62, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  170         1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
  171  allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
  172  district for operation of schools is not determined in the
  173  annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
  174  the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
  175  follows:
  176         (9) RESEARCH-BASED READING INSTRUCTION ALLOCATION.—
  177         (d) Annually, by a date determined by the Department of
  178  Education but before May 1, school districts shall submit a K-12
  179  comprehensive reading plan for the specific use of the research
  180  based reading instruction allocation in the format prescribed by
  181  the department for review and approval by the Just Read,
  182  Florida! Office created pursuant to s. 1001.215. The plan
  183  annually submitted by school districts shall be deemed approved
  184  unless the department rejects the plan on or before June 1. If a
  185  school district and the Just Read, Florida! Office cannot reach
  186  agreement on the contents of the plan, the school district may
  187  appeal to the State Board of Education for resolution. School
  188  districts shall be allowed reasonable flexibility in designing
  189  their plans and shall be encouraged to offer reading
  190  intervention through innovative methods, including career
  191  academies. The plan format shall be developed with input from
  192  school district personnel, including teachers and principals,
  193  and shall allow courses in core, career, and alternative
  194  programs that deliver intensive reading remediation through
  195  integrated curricula, provided that the teacher is deemed highly
  196  qualified to teach reading or is working toward that status. No
  197  later than July 1 annually, the department shall release the
  198  school district’s allocation of appropriated funds to those
  199  districts having approved plans. A school district that spends
  200  100 percent of this allocation on its approved plan shall be
  201  deemed to have been in compliance with the plan. The department
  202  may withhold funds upon a determination that reading instruction
  203  allocation funds are not being used to implement the approved
  204  plan. The department shall monitor and track the implementation
  205  of each district plan, including conducting site visits and
  206  collecting specific data on expenditures and reading improvement
  207  results. By December February 1 of each year, the department
  208  shall report its findings from the previous school year to the
  209  Legislature.
  210         Section 7. For the 2017-2018 fiscal year, the sum of $10
  211  million from the General Revenue Fund is appropriated to the
  212  Department of Education for the development of training for
  213  Voluntary Prekindergarten through grade 3 teachers, reading
  214  coaches, and school principals on research-based reading
  215  instructional strategies and interventions.
  216         Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.