Florida Senate - 2021                                    SB 1898
       
       
        
       By Senator Rodriguez
       
       
       
       
       
       39-01370-21                                           20211898__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to student literacy; amending s.
    3         1001.215, F.S.; revising and providing duties for the
    4         Just Read, Florida! Office within the Department of
    5         Education; amending s. 1001.42, F.S.; revising a
    6         district school board’s duty to implement a school
    7         improvement plan for certain low-performing schools to
    8         conform to changes made by the act; amending s.
    9         1002.33, F.S.; conforming a provision to changes made
   10         by the act; amending s. 1002.55, F.S.; revising
   11         requirements for prekindergarten instructors relating
   12         to completing an emergent literacy training course;
   13         amending s. 1002.59, F.S.; requiring the Office of
   14         Early Learning to adopt minimum standards for such
   15         course in collaboration with the Just Read, Florida!
   16         Office; requiring such course to be consistent with
   17         certain strategies identified by the Just Read,
   18         Florida! Office; amending s. 1002.67, F.S.; requiring
   19         certain private prekindergarten providers and public
   20         schools to use a coordinated screening and progress
   21         monitoring system; amending s. 1002.69, F.S.;
   22         requiring the Department of Education, in consultation
   23         with the Office of Early Learning, to implement a
   24         coordinated screening and progress monitoring system
   25         for students in the Voluntary Prekindergarten
   26         Education Program through grade 8; requiring such
   27         screening and progress monitoring system to be used to
   28         assess kindergarten readiness and to determine student
   29         learning gains; amending s. 1002.83, F.S.; requiring
   30         early learning coalitions to adopt best-practices
   31         plans for transitioning prekindergarten students into
   32         kindergarten; providing requirements for such plans;
   33         requiring the Office of Early Learning to provide
   34         certain guidelines to assist early learning
   35         coalitions, schools districts, charter schools, and
   36         parents; amending ss. 1002.995 and 1003.621, F.S.;
   37         conforming provisions to changes made by the act;
   38         amending s. 1004.04, F.S.; revising provisions
   39         relating to teacher preparation programs; removing
   40         provisions authorizing the waiver of certain admission
   41         requirements for such programs; requiring certain
   42         school district and instructional personnel to have
   43         evidence of being certified or endorsed in reading
   44         beginning in a specified school year; amending s.
   45         1008.25, F.S.; requiring certain students to
   46         participate in a certain coordinated screening and
   47         progress monitoring system; requiring schools to
   48         communicate with parents at least monthly regarding
   49         the progress of certain students; providing
   50         requirements for such communication; requiring the
   51         department to develop a handbook for schools to
   52         provide to parents of certain students; providing
   53         requirements for such handbook; requiring the
   54         department, in collaboration with the Office of Early
   55         Learning, to procure and require the use of a certain
   56         coordinated screening and progress monitoring system;
   57         providing requirements for such system; requiring
   58         private Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
   59         providers and public schools to participate in such
   60         system beginning in a specified school year; providing
   61         the frequency with which such system must be
   62         administered during the program year or school year,
   63         as applicable; providing that certain prekindergarten
   64         students may be eligible for intensive reading
   65         interventions; authorizing a school district to pay
   66         for such interventions using certain funds; requiring
   67         screening and progress monitoring system results to be
   68         reported to the department and maintained in a
   69         specified department warehouse; requiring such results
   70         to be provided to a student’s teacher and parent;
   71         requiring the department, in collaboration with the
   72         Office of Early Learning, to provide certain training
   73         and support; amending s. 1008.345, F.S.; conforming a
   74         cross-reference; creating s. 1008.365, F.S.; providing
   75         a short title; establishing the Reading Achievement
   76         Initiative for Scholastic Excellence Program within
   77         the department; providing a purpose; requiring the
   78         department to establish a specified number of literacy
   79         support regions and regional support teams for a
   80         certain purpose; requiring a regional literacy support
   81         director to meet certain criteria; providing duties
   82         and requirements for such teams; authorizing the
   83         department to establish criteria for identifying
   84         schools that need supports; requiring such schools to
   85         implement a certain plan; requiring the department to
   86         provide progress monitoring data to such teams
   87         regarding the implementation of supports; providing
   88         requirements for such supports; providing that certain
   89         schools are not required to implement a turnaround
   90         option or take other corrective actions; authorizing a
   91         school to discontinue receiving supports and
   92         implementing a school improvement plan under certain
   93         circumstances; requiring the department to establish a
   94         tutoring program and develop certain training to
   95         prepare high school students to tutor certain
   96         students; providing eligibility criteria for high
   97         school students to participate in a tutoring program;
   98         requiring school districts that wish to participate in
   99         such program to recruit, train, and deploy eligible
  100         high school students; providing requirements for such
  101         program; requiring the department to designate certain
  102         high school students as New Worlds Scholars; requiring
  103         the State Board of Education to adopt rules; amending
  104         s. 1011.62, F.S.; renaming the research-based reading
  105         instruction allocation as the evidence-based reading
  106         instruction allocation; requiring such allocation to
  107         be used to provide comprehensive reading instruction
  108         to certain prekindergarten students; requiring a
  109         school district’s K-12 comprehensive reading plan to
  110         be developed with input from certain personnel and
  111         provide for certain interventions delivered by certain
  112         instructional personnel; requiring the department to
  113         annually release to certain school districts their
  114         allocations of appropriated funds by a specified date;
  115         requiring the department to annually report certain
  116         findings and recommendations to the State Board of
  117         Education by a specified date; providing a definition;
  118         amending s. 1011.67, F.S.; authorizing school
  119         districts to purchase certain instructional materials
  120         with specified funds without undergoing certain
  121         adoption procedures; amending s. 1012.585, F.S.;
  122         providing a limitation on earning certain inservice
  123         points; amending s. 1012.586, F.S.; requiring the
  124         department to adopt competency-based pathways for
  125         instructional personnel to earn a reading endorsement
  126         by the beginning of a specified school year; providing
  127         requirements for such pathways; requiring the
  128         department to place microcredentials on participants’
  129         educator certificates; providing requirements for the
  130         department in adopting such pathways; requiring school
  131         districts to resubmit certain programs to the
  132         department for approval by a specified date;
  133         prohibiting instructional personnel from earning a
  134         reading endorsement solely by achieving a passing
  135         score on a specified assessment; amending s. 1012.98,
  136         F.S.; requiring the department to identify certain
  137         professional development opportunities to be
  138         implemented by school districts; amending s. 1012.986,
  139         F.S.; revising the goals of the William Cecil Golden
  140         Professional Development Program for School Leaders to
  141         include support for instructional personnel who
  142         provide reading instruction and interventions;
  143         providing an effective date.
  144          
  145  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
  146  
  147         Section 1. Subsections (1) through (6) and subsection (11)
  148  of section 1001.215, Florida Statutes, are amended, and
  149  subsection (8) of that section is republished, to read:
  150         1001.215 Just Read, Florida! Office.—There is created in
  151  the Department of Education the Just Read, Florida! Office. The
  152  office is fully accountable to the Commissioner of Education and
  153  shall:
  154         (1) Provide training to Train reading coaches and school
  155  administrators on the evidence-based strategies identified
  156  pursuant to subsection (8) for purposes of implementation,
  157  modeling, and classroom observations to support professional
  158  growth and inform performance evaluations of instructional
  159  personnel.
  160         (2) Create multiple designations of effective reading
  161  instruction, with accompanying credentials and microcredentials,
  162  to enable all teachers to integrate reading instruction into
  163  their content areas and indicate mastery of specific, evidence
  164  based strategies.
  165         (3) Work with the Lastinger Center for Learning at the
  166  University of Florida to develop training for K-12 teachers,
  167  reading coaches, and school administrators principals on
  168  effective content-area-specific reading strategies; the
  169  coordinated integration of content-rich curriculum from other
  170  core subject areas into reading instruction, with an emphasis on
  171  civic literacy; and evidence-based reading strategies identified
  172  pursuant to in subsection (8) to improve student reading
  173  performance. For secondary teachers, emphasis shall be on
  174  technical text. These strategies must be developed for all
  175  content areas in the K-12 curriculum.
  176         (4) Develop and provide access to sequenced, content-rich
  177  curriculum programming, instructional practices, and resources
  178  that help elementary schools use state-adopted instructional
  179  materials to increase students’ background knowledge and
  180  literacy skills, including student attainment of the Next
  181  Generation Sunshine State Standards for social studies, science,
  182  and the arts. The office shall, as part of the adoption cycle
  183  for English Language Arts instructional materials, assist in
  184  evaluating elementary grades instructional materials submitted
  185  for adoption consideration, identify those materials that are
  186  closely aligned to the content and evidence-based strategies
  187  identified pursuant to subsection (8), and incorporate
  188  professional development to implement such strategies.
  189         (5) Provide parents with information and evidence-based
  190  strategies for assisting their children in reading, including
  191  reading in content areas.
  192         (6) Provide technical assistance to school districts in the
  193  development and implementation of district plans for use of the
  194  evidence-based research-based reading instruction allocation
  195  provided in s. 1011.62(9) and annually review and approve such
  196  plans.
  197         (8) Work with the Florida Center for Reading Research to
  198  identify scientifically researched and evidence-based reading
  199  instructional and intervention programs that incorporate
  200  explicit, systematic, and sequential approaches to teaching
  201  phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text
  202  comprehension and incorporate decodable or phonetic text
  203  instructional strategies. Reading intervention includes
  204  evidence-based strategies frequently used to remediate reading
  205  deficiencies and includes, but is not limited to, individual
  206  instruction, multisensory approaches, tutoring, mentoring, or
  207  the use of technology that targets specific reading skills and
  208  abilities.
  209         (11) Work with teacher preparation programs approved
  210  pursuant to ss. 1004.04 and 1004.85 to integrate effective,
  211  research-based and evidence-based reading instructional and
  212  intervention strategies, including explicit, systematic, and
  213  sequential reading strategies, multisensory intervention
  214  strategies, and reading in content area instructional strategies
  215  into teacher preparation programs.
  216         Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (18) of section
  217  1001.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  218         1001.42 Powers and duties of district school board.—The
  219  district school board, acting as a board, shall exercise all
  220  powers and perform all duties listed below:
  221         (18) IMPLEMENT SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
  222  Maintain a system of school improvement and education
  223  accountability as provided by statute and State Board of
  224  Education rule. This system of school improvement and education
  225  accountability shall be consistent with, and implemented
  226  through, the district’s continuing system of planning and
  227  budgeting required by this section and ss. 1008.385, 1010.01,
  228  and 1011.01. This system of school improvement and education
  229  accountability shall comply with the provisions of ss. 1008.33,
  230  1008.34, 1008.345, and 1008.385 and include the following:
  231         (a) School improvement plans.—The district school board
  232  shall annually approve and require implementation of a new,
  233  amended, or continuation school improvement plan for each school
  234  in the district which has a school grade of “D” or “F”; has a
  235  significant gap in achievement on statewide, standardized
  236  assessments administered pursuant to s. 1008.22 by one or more
  237  student subgroups, as defined in the federal Elementary and
  238  Secondary Education Act (ESEA), 20 U.S.C. s.
  239  6311(b)(2)(C)(v)(II); has not significantly increased the
  240  percentage of students passing statewide, standardized
  241  assessments; has not significantly increased the percentage of
  242  students demonstrating Learning Gains, as defined in s. 1008.34
  243  and as calculated under s. 1008.34(3)(b), who passed statewide,
  244  standardized assessments; has been identified as requiring
  245  instructional supports under the Reading Achievement Initiative
  246  for Scholastic Excellence Program established in s. 1008.365; or
  247  has significantly lower graduation rates for a subgroup when
  248  compared to the state’s graduation rate. The improvement plan of
  249  a school that meets the requirements of this paragraph shall
  250  include strategies for improving these results. The state board
  251  shall adopt rules establishing thresholds and for determining
  252  compliance with this paragraph.
  253         Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (17) of section
  254  1002.33, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  255         1002.33 Charter schools.—
  256         (17) FUNDING.—Students enrolled in a charter school,
  257  regardless of the sponsorship, shall be funded as if they are in
  258  a basic program or a special program, the same as students
  259  enrolled in other public schools in the school district. Funding
  260  for a charter lab school shall be as provided in s. 1002.32.
  261         (b) The basis for the agreement for funding students
  262  enrolled in a charter school shall be the sum of the school
  263  district’s operating funds from the Florida Education Finance
  264  Program as provided in s. 1011.62 and the General Appropriations
  265  Act, including gross state and local funds, discretionary
  266  lottery funds, and funds from the school district’s current
  267  operating discretionary millage levy; divided by total funded
  268  weighted full-time equivalent students in the school district;
  269  multiplied by the weighted full-time equivalent students for the
  270  charter school. Charter schools whose students or programs meet
  271  the eligibility criteria in law are entitled to their
  272  proportionate share of categorical program funds included in the
  273  total funds available in the Florida Education Finance Program
  274  by the Legislature, including transportation, the evidence-based
  275  research-based reading allocation, and the Florida digital
  276  classrooms allocation. Total funding for each charter school
  277  shall be recalculated during the year to reflect the revised
  278  calculations under the Florida Education Finance Program by the
  279  state and the actual weighted full-time equivalent students
  280  reported by the charter school during the full-time equivalent
  281  student survey periods designated by the Commissioner of
  282  Education. For charter schools operated by a not-for-profit or
  283  municipal entity, any unrestricted current and capital assets
  284  identified in the charter school’s annual financial audit may be
  285  used for other charter schools operated by the not-for-profit or
  286  municipal entity within the school district. Unrestricted
  287  current assets shall be used in accordance with s. 1011.62, and
  288  any unrestricted capital assets shall be used in accordance with
  289  s. 1013.62(2).
  290         Section 4. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) and subsection
  291  (4) of section 1002.55, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
  292         1002.55 School-year prekindergarten program delivered by
  293  private prekindergarten providers.—
  294         (3) To be eligible to deliver the prekindergarten program,
  295  a private prekindergarten provider must meet each of the
  296  following requirements:
  297         (c) The private prekindergarten provider must have, for
  298  each prekindergarten class of 11 children or fewer, at least one
  299  prekindergarten instructor who meets each of the following
  300  requirements:
  301         1. The prekindergarten instructor must hold, at a minimum,
  302  one of the following credentials:
  303         a. A child development associate credential issued by the
  304  National Credentialing Program of the Council for Professional
  305  Recognition; or
  306         b. A credential approved by the Department of Children and
  307  Families as being equivalent to or greater than the credential
  308  described in sub-subparagraph a.
  309  
  310  The Department of Children and Families may adopt rules under
  311  ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 which provide criteria and procedures
  312  for approving equivalent credentials under sub-subparagraph b.
  313         2. The prekindergarten instructor must successfully
  314  complete an emergent literacy training course and a student
  315  performance standards training course approved by the office as
  316  meeting or exceeding the minimum standards adopted under s.
  317  1002.59. The emergent literacy training course must be completed
  318  at least once every 5 years after the prekindergarten instructor
  319  initially completes the course. The requirement for completion
  320  of the standards training course shall take effect July 1, 2014,
  321  and The courses course shall be made available online.
  322         (4) A prekindergarten instructor, in lieu of the minimum
  323  credentials and courses required under paragraph (3)(c)1.
  324  (3)(c), may hold one of the following educational credentials:
  325         (a) A bachelor’s or higher degree in early childhood
  326  education, prekindergarten or primary education, preschool
  327  education, or family and consumer science;
  328         (b) A bachelor’s or higher degree in elementary education,
  329  if the prekindergarten instructor has been certified to teach
  330  children any age from birth through 6th grade, regardless of
  331  whether the instructor’s educator certificate is current, and if
  332  the instructor is not ineligible to teach in a public school
  333  because his or her educator certificate is suspended or revoked;
  334         (c) An associate’s or higher degree in child development;
  335         (d) An associate’s or higher degree in an unrelated field,
  336  at least 6 credit hours in early childhood education or child
  337  development, and at least 480 hours of experience in teaching or
  338  providing child care services for children any age from birth
  339  through 8 years of age; or
  340         (e) An educational credential approved by the department as
  341  being equivalent to or greater than an educational credential
  342  described in this subsection. The department may adopt criteria
  343  and procedures for approving equivalent educational credentials
  344  under this paragraph.
  345         Section 5. Subsection (1) of section 1002.59, Florida
  346  Statutes, is amended to read:
  347         1002.59 Emergent literacy and performance standards
  348  training courses.—
  349         (1) The office, in collaboration with the Just Read,
  350  Florida! Office, shall adopt minimum standards for one or more
  351  training courses in emergent literacy for prekindergarten
  352  instructors. Each course must comprise 5 clock hours and provide
  353  instruction in strategies and techniques to address the age
  354  appropriate progress of prekindergarten students in developing
  355  emergent literacy skills, including oral communication,
  356  knowledge of print and letters, phonemic and phonological
  357  awareness, and vocabulary and comprehension development,
  358  consistent with the evidence-based content and strategies
  359  identified pursuant to s. 1001.215(8). Each course must also
  360  provide resources containing strategies that allow students with
  361  disabilities and other special needs to derive maximum benefit
  362  from the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. Successful
  363  completion of an emergent literacy training course approved
  364  under this section satisfies requirements for approved training
  365  in early literacy and language development under ss.
  366  402.305(2)(e)5., 402.313(6), and 402.3131(5).
  367         Section 6. Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section
  368  1002.67, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  369         1002.67 Performance standards; curricula and
  370  accountability.—
  371         (3)(a) Contingent upon legislative appropriation, each
  372  private prekindergarten provider and public school in the
  373  Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program must implement an
  374  evidence-based pre- and post-assessment that has been approved
  375  by rule of the State Board of Education. However, beginning with
  376  the 2022-2023 school year, such providers and public schools
  377  shall use a coordinated screening and progress monitoring system
  378  pursuant to s. 1008.25(8) to meet the requirements of this
  379  subsection.
  380         Section 7. Subsections (1) and (5) of section 1002.69,
  381  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
  382         1002.69 Statewide kindergarten screening; kindergarten
  383  readiness rates; state-approved prekindergarten enrollment
  384  screening; good cause exemption.—
  385         (1) The department shall adopt a statewide kindergarten
  386  screening that assesses the readiness of each student for
  387  kindergarten based upon the performance standards adopted by the
  388  department under s. 1002.67(1) for the Voluntary Prekindergarten
  389  Education Program. However, beginning with the 2022-2023 school
  390  year, the department, in consultation with the Office of Early
  391  Learning, shall implement a coordinated screening and progress
  392  monitoring system for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
  393  Program through grade 8 pursuant to s. 1008.25(8), which must be
  394  used to assess kindergarten readiness consistent with this
  395  subsection. The department shall require that each school
  396  district administer the statewide kindergarten screening to each
  397  kindergarten student in the school district within the first 30
  398  school days of each school year. Nonpublic schools may
  399  administer the statewide kindergarten screening to each
  400  kindergarten student in a nonpublic school who was enrolled in
  401  the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.
  402         (5) The office shall adopt procedures to annually calculate
  403  each private prekindergarten provider’s and public school’s
  404  kindergarten readiness rate, which must be expressed as the
  405  percentage of the provider’s or school’s students who are
  406  assessed as ready for kindergarten. The methodology for
  407  calculating each provider’s kindergarten readiness rate must
  408  include student learning gains when available and the percentage
  409  of students who meet all state readiness measures. The rates
  410  must not include students who are not administered the statewide
  411  kindergarten screening. The office shall determine learning
  412  gains using a value-added measure based on growth demonstrated
  413  by the results of the preassessment and postassessment from at
  414  least 2 successive years of administration of the preassessment
  415  and postassessment. However, beginning with the 2022-2023 school
  416  year, a coordinated screening and progress monitoring system
  417  implemented pursuant to s. 1008.25(8) must be used to determine
  418  such learning gains consistent with this subsection.
  419         Section 8. Present subsection (14) of section 1002.83,
  420  Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (15), and a new
  421  subsection (14) is added to that section, to read:
  422         1002.83 Early learning coalitions.—
  423         (14) Each early learning coalition shall adopt a best
  424  practices plan for transitioning prekindergarten students into
  425  kindergarten. The plan must provide for:
  426         (a) Opportunities for prekindergarten students and their
  427  parents to visit schools in which they may be enrolled in
  428  kindergarten.
  429         (b) Written information for parents on school registration
  430  and academic and social expectations for kindergarten.
  431         (c) Meetings at least annually with school districts and
  432  charter schools in the coalition’s service area to identify and
  433  address areas for improvement in transitioning prekindergarten
  434  students into kindergarten.
  435         (d) Transferring prekindergarten student information for
  436  continuity in progress monitoring and the provision of supports.
  437  
  438  The office shall provide guidelines for successful kindergarten
  439  transitions to early learning coalitions, school districts,
  440  charter schools, and parents to assist with the implementation
  441  of this subsection.
  442         Section 9. Subsection (2) of section 1002.995, Florida
  443  Statutes, is amended to read:
  444         1002.995 Early learning professional development standards
  445  and career pathways.—
  446         (2) To the greatest extent possible, the credentials and
  447  certifications established pursuant to this section shall align
  448  with the training for K-12 teachers, reading coaches, and school
  449  administrators principals in s. 1001.215(3).
  450         Section 10. Paragraph (g) of subsection (2) of section
  451  1003.621, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  452         1003.621 Academically high-performing school districts.—It
  453  is the intent of the Legislature to recognize and reward school
  454  districts that demonstrate the ability to consistently maintain
  455  or improve their high-performing status. The purpose of this
  456  section is to provide high-performing school districts with
  457  flexibility in meeting the specific requirements in statute and
  458  rules of the State Board of Education.
  459         (2) COMPLIANCE WITH STATUTES AND RULES.—Each academically
  460  high-performing school district shall comply with all of the
  461  provisions in chapters 1000-1013, and rules of the State Board
  462  of Education which implement these provisions, pertaining to the
  463  following:
  464         (g) Those statutes pertaining to planning and budgeting,
  465  including chapter 1011, except s. 1011.62(9)(d), relating to the
  466  requirement for a comprehensive reading plan. A district that is
  467  exempt from submitting this plan shall be deemed approved to
  468  receive the evidence-based research-based reading instruction
  469  allocation.
  470         Section 11. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) and paragraph
  471  (b) of subsection (5) of section 1004.04, Florida Statutes, are
  472  amended to read:
  473         1004.04 Public accountability and state approval for
  474  teacher preparation programs.—
  475         (3) INITIAL STATE PROGRAM APPROVAL.—
  476         (b) Each teacher preparation program approved by the
  477  Department of Education, as provided for by this section, shall
  478  require students, at a minimum, to meet, at a minimum, the
  479  following as prerequisites for admission into the program:
  480         1. Have a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0
  481  scale for the general education component of undergraduate
  482  studies or have completed the requirements for a baccalaureate
  483  degree with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale
  484  from any college or university accredited by a regional
  485  accrediting association as defined by State Board of Education
  486  rule or any college or university otherwise approved pursuant to
  487  State Board of Education rule.
  488         2. Demonstrate mastery of general knowledge sufficient for
  489  entry into the program, including the ability to read, write,
  490  and perform in mathematics, by passing the General Knowledge
  491  Test of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination or, for a
  492  graduate level program, obtain a baccalaureate degree from an
  493  institution that is accredited or approved pursuant to the rules
  494  of the State Board of Education.
  495  
  496  Each teacher preparation program may waive these admissions
  497  requirements for up to 10 percent of the students admitted.
  498  Programs shall implement strategies to ensure that students
  499  admitted under a waiver receive assistance to demonstrate
  500  competencies to successfully meet requirements for certification
  501  and shall annually report to the Department of Education the
  502  status of each candidate admitted under such a waiver.
  503         (5) PRESERVICE FIELD EXPERIENCE.—All postsecondary
  504  instructors, school district personnel and instructional
  505  personnel, and school sites preparing instructional personnel
  506  through preservice field experience courses and internships
  507  shall meet special requirements. District school boards may pay
  508  student teachers during their internships.
  509         (b)1. All school district personnel and instructional
  510  personnel who supervise or direct teacher preparation students
  511  during field experience courses or internships taking place in
  512  this state in which candidates demonstrate an impact on student
  513  learning growth must have:
  514         a. Evidence of “clinical educator” training;,
  515         b. A valid professional certificate issued pursuant to s.
  516  1012.56;, and
  517         c. At least 3 years of teaching experience in
  518  prekindergarten through grade 12; and must have
  519         d. Earned an effective or highly effective rating on the
  520  prior year’s performance evaluation under s. 1012.34 or be a
  521  peer evaluator under the district’s evaluation system approved
  522  under s. 1012.34; and
  523         e. Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, for all such
  524  personnel who supervise or direct teacher preparation students
  525  during internships in kindergarten through grade 3 or who are
  526  enrolled in a teacher preparation program for a certificate area
  527  identified pursuant to s. 1012.585(3)(f), evidence of being
  528  certified or endorsed in reading.
  529  
  530  The State Board of Education shall approve the training
  531  requirements.
  532         2. All instructional personnel who supervise or direct
  533  teacher preparation students during field experience courses or
  534  internships in another state, in which a candidate demonstrates
  535  his or her impact on student learning growth, through a Florida
  536  online or distance program must have received “clinical
  537  educator” training or its equivalent in that state, hold a valid
  538  professional certificate issued by the state in which the field
  539  experience takes place, and have at least 3 years of teaching
  540  experience in prekindergarten through grade 12.
  541         3. All instructional personnel who supervise or direct
  542  teacher preparation students during field experience courses or
  543  internships, in which a candidate demonstrates his or her impact
  544  on student learning growth, on a United States military base in
  545  another country through a Florida online or distance program
  546  must have received “clinical educator” training or its
  547  equivalent, hold a valid professional certificate issued by the
  548  United States Department of Defense or a state or territory of
  549  the United States, and have at least 3 years teaching experience
  550  in prekindergarten through grade 12.
  551         Section 12. Present subsections (8) and (9) of section
  552  1008.25, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (9)
  553  and (10), respectively, and paragraph (d) of subsection (5) and
  554  a new subsection (8) are added to that section, and paragraph
  555  (a) of subsection (4), paragraph (c) of subsection (5),
  556  paragraph (a) of subsection (7), and present subsection (8) are
  557  amended, to read:
  558         1008.25 Public school student progression; student support;
  559  screening and progress monitoring; reporting requirements.—
  560         (4) ASSESSMENT AND SUPPORT.—
  561         (a) Each student must participate in the statewide,
  562  standardized assessment program required under by s. 1008.22 and
  563  the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program through grade 8
  564  coordinated screening and progress monitoring system required
  565  under subsection (8). Each student who does not achieve a Level
  566  3 or above on the statewide, standardized English Language Arts
  567  assessment, the statewide, standardized Mathematics assessment,
  568  or the Algebra I EOC assessment must be evaluated to determine
  569  the nature of the student’s difficulty, the areas of academic
  570  need, and strategies for providing academic supports to improve
  571  the student’s performance.
  572         (5) READING DEFICIENCY AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION.—
  573         (c) The parent of any student who exhibits a substantial
  574  deficiency in reading, as described in paragraph (a), must be
  575  notified in writing of the following:
  576         1. That his or her child has been identified as having a
  577  substantial deficiency in reading, including a description and
  578  explanation, in terms understandable to the parent, of the exact
  579  nature of the student’s difficulty in learning and lack of
  580  achievement in reading.
  581         2. A description of the current services that are provided
  582  to the child.
  583         3. A description of the proposed intensive interventions
  584  and supports that will be provided to the child that are
  585  designed to remediate the identified area of reading deficiency.
  586         4. That if the child’s reading deficiency is not remediated
  587  by the end of grade 3, the child must be retained unless he or
  588  she is exempt from mandatory retention for good cause.
  589         5. Strategies, including multisensory strategies, through a
  590  read-at-home plan the parent can use in helping his or her child
  591  succeed in reading.
  592         6. That the statewide, standardized English Language Arts
  593  assessment is not the sole determiner of promotion and that
  594  additional evaluations, portfolio reviews, and assessments are
  595  available to the child to assist parents and the school district
  596  in knowing when a child is reading at or above grade level and
  597  ready for grade promotion.
  598         7. The district’s specific criteria and policies for a
  599  portfolio as provided in subparagraph (6)(b)4. and the evidence
  600  required for a student to demonstrate mastery of Florida’s
  601  academic standards for English Language Arts. A parent of a
  602  student in grade 3 who is identified anytime during the year as
  603  being at risk of retention may request that the school
  604  immediately begin collecting evidence for a portfolio.
  605         8. The district’s specific criteria and policies for
  606  midyear promotion. Midyear promotion means promotion of a
  607  retained student at any time during the year of retention once
  608  the student has demonstrated ability to read at grade level.
  609  
  610  After initial notification, the school shall apprise the parent
  611  at least monthly of the student’s progress in response to the
  612  intensive interventions and supports. Such communications must
  613  be in writing and must explain any additional interventions or
  614  supports that will be implemented to accelerate the student’s
  615  progress if the interventions and supports already being
  616  implemented have not resulted in improvement.
  617         (d) The Department of Education shall develop a handbook
  618  that schools must provide to the parent of a student who is
  619  identified as having a substantial reading deficiency. The
  620  handbook must be made available in an electronic format that is
  621  accessible online and must include the following information:
  622         1. An overview of the types of assessments used to identify
  623  reading deficiencies and what those assessments measure or do
  624  not measure, the frequency with which the assessments are
  625  administered, and the requirements for interventions and
  626  supports that districts must provide to students who do not make
  627  adequate academic progress.
  628         2. An overview of the process for initiating and conducting
  629  evaluations for exceptional education eligibility. The overview
  630  must include an explanation that a diagnosis of a medical
  631  condition alone is not sufficient to establish exceptional
  632  education eligibility but may be used to document how that
  633  condition relates to the student’s eligibility determination and
  634  may be disclosed in an eligible student’s individual education
  635  plan when necessary to inform school personnel responsible for
  636  implementing the plan.
  637         3. Characteristics of conditions associated with learning
  638  disorders, including dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and
  639  developmental aphasia.
  640         4. A list of resources that support informed parent
  641  involvement in decisionmaking processes for students who have
  642  difficulty in learning.
  643         (7) SUCCESSFUL PROGRESSION FOR RETAINED THIRD GRADE
  644  STUDENTS.—
  645         (a) Students retained under paragraph (5)(b) must be
  646  provided intensive interventions in reading to ameliorate the
  647  student’s specific reading deficiency and prepare the student
  648  for promotion to the next grade. These interventions must
  649  include:
  650         1. Evidence-based, explicit, systematic, and multisensory
  651  reading instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency,
  652  vocabulary, and comprehension and other strategies prescribed by
  653  the school district.
  654         2. Participation in the school district’s summer reading
  655  camp, which must incorporate the instructional and intervention
  656  strategies under subparagraph 1.
  657         3. A minimum of 90 minutes of daily, uninterrupted reading
  658  instruction incorporating the instructional and intervention
  659  strategies under subparagraph 1. This instruction may include:
  660         a. Coordinated integration of content-rich texts in science
  661  and civic literacy social studies within the 90-minute block.
  662         b. Small group instruction.
  663         c. Reduced teacher-student ratios.
  664         d. More frequent progress monitoring.
  665         e. Tutoring or mentoring.
  666         f. Transition classes containing 3rd and 4th grade
  667  students.
  668         g. Extended school day, week, or year.
  669         (8) COORDINATED SCREENING AND PROGRESS MONITORING SYSTEM.—
  670         (a) The Department of Education, in collaboration with the
  671  Office of Early Learning, shall procure and require the use of a
  672  statewide, standardized coordinated screening and progress
  673  monitoring system for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
  674  Program and public schools serving kindergarten through grade 8
  675  students. The system must:
  676         1. Measure student progress in the Voluntary
  677  Prekindergarten Education Program through grade 8 in meeting the
  678  appropriate expectations in early literacy and mathematics
  679  skills and in English Language Arts and mathematics standards as
  680  required by ss. 1002.67(1)(a) and 1003.41.
  681         2. Measure student performance in oral language
  682  development, phonemic and phonological awareness, knowledge of
  683  print and letters, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and
  684  comprehension, as applicable by grade level.
  685         3. Be a valid, reliable, and developmentally appropriate
  686  computer-adaptive direct instrument that provides screening and
  687  diagnostic capabilities for monitoring student progress and
  688  identifies students who have a substantial deficiency in
  689  reading, including identifying students with characteristics of
  690  dyslexia.
  691         4. Provide data for Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
  692  Program accountability as required under s. 1002.67.
  693         5. Provide Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
  694  providers, school districts, schools, and teachers with data and
  695  resources that enhance differentiated instruction and parent
  696  communication.
  697         6. Provide information to the department to aid in the
  698  development of educational programs, policies, and supports for
  699  providers, districts, and schools.
  700         (b) Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, private
  701  Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program providers and public
  702  schools must participate in the screening and progress
  703  monitoring system. The screening and progress monitoring system
  704  must be administered at least three times within a program year
  705  or school year, as applicable, with the first administration
  706  occurring no later than the first 30 instructional days after
  707  the start of the program year or school year pursuant to state
  708  board rule.
  709         (c) A Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program student
  710  who exhibits a substantial deficiency in early literacy skills
  711  based upon results under this subsection must be referred to the
  712  school district in which he or she resides and may be eligible
  713  to receive intensive reading interventions after program
  714  completion and before participating in kindergarten. Such
  715  interventions may be paid for using funds from the school
  716  district’s evidence-based reading instruction allocation in
  717  accordance with s. 1011.62(9).
  718         (d) Screening and progress monitoring system results shall
  719  be reported to the department pursuant to state board rule and
  720  maintained in the department’s K-20 data warehouse. Results must
  721  be provided to a student’s teacher and parent in a timely manner
  722  as required in paragraph (2)(a).
  723         (e) The department, in collaboration with the Office of
  724  Early Learning, shall provide training and support for effective
  725  implementation of the screening and progress monitoring system.
  726         (9)(8) ANNUAL REPORT.—
  727         (a) In addition to the requirements in paragraph (5)(b),
  728  each district school board must annually report to the parent of
  729  each student the progress of the student toward achieving state
  730  and district expectations for proficiency in English Language
  731  Arts, science, social studies, and mathematics. The district
  732  school board must report to the parent the student’s results on
  733  each statewide, standardized assessment and the screening and
  734  progress monitoring system under subsection (8). The evaluation
  735  of each student’s progress must be based upon the student’s
  736  classroom work, observations, tests, district and state
  737  assessments, response to intensive interventions provided under
  738  paragraph (5)(a), and other relevant information. Progress
  739  reporting must be provided to the parent in writing in a format
  740  adopted by the district school board.
  741         (b) Each district school board must annually publish on the
  742  district website and in the local newspaper the following
  743  information on the prior school year:
  744         1. The provisions of this section relating to public school
  745  student progression and the district school board’s policies and
  746  procedures on student retention and promotion.
  747         2. By grade, the number and percentage of all students in
  748  grades 3 through 10 performing at Levels 1 and 2 on the
  749  statewide, standardized English Language Arts assessment.
  750         3. By grade, the number and percentage of all students
  751  retained in kindergarten through grade 10.
  752         4. Information on the total number of students who were
  753  promoted for good cause, by each category of good cause as
  754  specified in paragraph (6)(b).
  755         5. Any revisions to the district school board’s policies
  756  and procedures on student retention and promotion from the prior
  757  year.
  758         Section 13. Paragraph (a) of subsection (5) of section
  759  1008.345, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  760         1008.345 Implementation of state system of school
  761  improvement and education accountability.—
  762         (5) The commissioner shall annually report to the State
  763  Board of Education and the Legislature and recommend changes in
  764  state policy necessary to foster school improvement and
  765  education accountability. The report shall include:
  766         (a) For each school district:
  767         1. The percentage of students, by school and grade level,
  768  demonstrating learning growth in English Language Arts and
  769  mathematics.
  770         2. The percentage of students, by school and grade level,
  771  in both the highest and lowest quartiles demonstrating learning
  772  growth in English Language Arts and mathematics.
  773         3. The information contained in the school district’s
  774  annual report required pursuant to s. 1008.25(9) s. 1008.25(8).
  775  
  776  School reports shall be distributed pursuant to this subsection
  777  and s. 1001.42(18)(c) and according to rules adopted by the
  778  State Board of Education.
  779         Section 14. Section 1008.365, Florida Statutes, is created
  780  to read:
  781         1008.365 Reading Achievement Initiative for Scholastic
  782  Excellence Act.—
  783         (1) This section may be cited as the “Reading Achievement
  784  Initiative for Scholastic Excellence Act.”
  785         (2) The Reading Achievement Initiative for Scholastic
  786  Excellence (RAISE) Program is established within the Department
  787  of Education to provide instructional supports to school
  788  districts, school administrators, and instructional personnel in
  789  implementing evidence-based reading instruction and
  790  interventions in order to improve student reading achievement.
  791         (3) The department shall establish at least 20 literacy
  792  support regions and regional support teams, at the direction of
  793  a regional literacy support director appointed by the
  794  Commissioner of Education, to assist schools with improving low
  795  reading scores as provided in this section.
  796         (a) A regional literacy support director must be an
  797  employee of a school district, successfully demonstrate
  798  competence on the evidence-based strategies identified pursuant
  799  to s. 1001.215(8) through a statewide, competency-based reading
  800  endorsement pathway under s. 1012.586(2), and have the
  801  experience and credentials necessary, as determined by the
  802  department, to:
  803         1. Effectively monitor student reading growth and
  804  achievement data;
  805         2. Oversee districtwide and schoolwide professional
  806  development and planning to establish evidence-based practices
  807  among school administrators and instructional personnel;
  808         3. Evaluate implementation of evidence-based practices; and
  809         4. Manage a regional support team.
  810         (b) A regional support team shall report to its regional
  811  literacy support director and must consist of individuals who:
  812         1. Successfully demonstrate competence on the evidence
  813  based strategies identified pursuant to s. 1001.215(8) through a
  814  statewide, competency-based reading endorsement pathway under s.
  815  1012.586(2);
  816         2. Have substantial experience in teaching and monitoring
  817  student progress data in reading; and
  818         3. Have received training necessary to assist with the
  819  delivery of professional development and site-based supports,
  820  including modeling evidence-based practices and providing
  821  feedback to instructional personnel.
  822         (4) The department may establish criteria to identify
  823  schools that must receive supports from a regional support team.
  824  However, regardless of its school grade designated pursuant to
  825  s. 1008.34, a school must be identified for supports if 50
  826  percent of its students who take the statewide, standardized
  827  English Language Arts assessment score below a Level 3 for any
  828  grade level, or, for students in kindergarten through grade 3,
  829  if progress monitoring data collected pursuant to s. 1008.25(8)
  830  shows that 50 percent or more of the students are not on track
  831  to pass the statewide, standardized grade 3 English Language
  832  Arts assessment. A school identified for supports under this
  833  section must implement a school improvement plan pursuant to s.
  834  1001.42(18).
  835         (5) The department shall provide progress monitoring data
  836  to regional support teams regarding the implementation of
  837  supports. Such supports must include:
  838         (a) Professional development, aligned to evidence-based
  839  strategies identified pursuant to s. 1001.215(8), for
  840  appropriate instructional personnel and school administrators
  841  identified by the regional support team.
  842         (b) Assistance with implementing:
  843         1. Data-informed instructional decisionmaking using
  844  progress monitoring and other appropriate data.
  845         2. Selection and consistent, coordinated use of high
  846  quality instructional materials and supplemental materials.
  847         3. Reading instruction in other core subject area
  848  curricula, with an emphasis on civic literacy.
  849         4. A multitiered system of supports in order to provide
  850  students effective interventions and identify students who may
  851  require an evaluation for special educational services,
  852  including identifying characteristics of conditions that affect
  853  phonological processing, such as dyslexia.
  854         (c) Evaluating a school’s improvement plan for alignment
  855  with the school district’s K-12 comprehensive reading plan under
  856  s. 1011.62(9)(d). If the regional support team determines that
  857  the school district’s reading plan does not address the school’s
  858  need to improve student outcomes, the regional literacy support
  859  director, the district school superintendent, or his or her
  860  designee, and the director of the Just Read, Florida! Office
  861  shall convene a meeting to rectify the deficiencies of the
  862  reading plan.
  863         (6) Identification of a school for supports under this
  864  section does not require a school to implement a turnaround
  865  option or take other corrective actions under s. 1008.33.
  866  However, a regional support team may be used to assist with
  867  providing the differentiated matrix of intervention and support
  868  strategies under s. 1008.33, as appropriate. The department may
  869  direct a regional support team to make other forms of assistance
  870  available to school districts and schools.
  871         (7) Once a school’s data shows that it no longer meets the
  872  criteria under subsection (4), the school may discontinue
  873  receiving supports and implementing a school improvement plan.
  874  Such supports may continue subject to available resources.
  875         (8) As part of the RAISE Program, the department shall
  876  establish a tutoring program and develop training in effective
  877  reading tutoring practices and content, based on evidence-based
  878  practices and aligned to the English Language Arts standards
  879  under s. 1003.41, which prepares eligible high school students
  880  to tutor students in kindergarten through grade 3 in schools
  881  identified under this section, instilling in those students a
  882  love of reading and improving their literacy skills.
  883         (a) To be eligible to participate in the tutoring program,
  884  a high school student must be a rising junior or senior who has
  885  a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, has no
  886  history of out-of-school suspensions or expulsions, is on track
  887  to complete all core course requirements to graduate, and has
  888  written recommendations from at least two of his or her present
  889  or former high school teachers of record or extracurricular
  890  activity sponsors.
  891         (b) School districts that wish to participate in the
  892  tutoring program must recruit, train, and deploy eligible high
  893  school students using the materials developed under this
  894  section. Tutoring must occur during the school day on school
  895  district property in the presence and under the supervision of
  896  instructional personnel who are school district employees. A
  897  parent must give written permission for his or her child to
  898  receive tutoring through the program.
  899         (c) Tutoring may be part of a service-learning course
  900  adopted pursuant to s. 1003.497. Students may earn up to 3
  901  elective credits for high school graduation based on the
  902  verified number of hours the student spends tutoring under the
  903  program. The hours of volunteer service must be documented in
  904  writing, and the document must be signed by the student, the
  905  student’s parent or guardian, and an administrator or designee
  906  of the school in which the tutoring occurred. The hours that a
  907  high school student devotes to tutoring may be counted toward
  908  meeting community service requirements for high school
  909  graduation and community service requirements for participation
  910  in the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program as provided in
  911  s. 1003.497(3)(b). The department shall designate a high school
  912  student who provides at least 500 verified hours of tutoring
  913  under the program as a New Worlds Scholar and award the student
  914  with a pin indicating such designation.
  915         (9) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
  916  administer this section.
  917         Section 15. Paragraphs (b) and (d) of subsection (6) and
  918  subsections (9) and (11) of section 1011.62, Florida Statutes,
  919  are amended to read:
  920         1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
  921  allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
  922  district for operation of schools is not determined in the
  923  annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
  924  the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
  925  follows:
  926         (6) CATEGORICAL FUNDS.—
  927         (b) If a district school board finds and declares in a
  928  resolution adopted at a regular meeting of the school board that
  929  the funds received for any of the following categorical
  930  appropriations are urgently needed to maintain school board
  931  specified academic classroom instruction or improve school
  932  safety, the school board may consider and approve an amendment
  933  to the school district operating budget transferring the
  934  identified amount of the categorical funds to the appropriate
  935  account for expenditure:
  936         1. Funds for student transportation.
  937         2. Funds for evidence-based research-based reading
  938  instruction if the required additional hour of instruction
  939  beyond the normal school day for each day of the entire school
  940  year has been provided for the students in each low-performing
  941  elementary school in the district pursuant to paragraph (9)(a).
  942         3. Funds for instructional materials if all instructional
  943  material purchases necessary to provide updated materials that
  944  are aligned with applicable state standards and course
  945  descriptions and that meet statutory requirements of content and
  946  learning have been completed for that fiscal year, but no sooner
  947  than March 1. Funds available after March 1 may be used to
  948  purchase hardware for student instruction.
  949         4. Funds for the guaranteed allocation as provided in
  950  subparagraph (1)(e)2.
  951         5. Funds for the supplemental academic instruction
  952  allocation as provided in paragraph (1)(f).
  953         6. Funds for the Florida digital classrooms allocation as
  954  provided in subsection (12).
  955         7. Funds for the federally connected student supplement as
  956  provided in subsection (13).
  957         8. Funds for class size reduction as provided in s.
  958  1011.685.
  959         (d) If a district school board transfers funds from its
  960  evidence-based research-based reading instruction allocation,
  961  the board must also submit to the Department of Education an
  962  amendment describing the changes that the district is making to
  963  its reading plan approved pursuant to paragraph (9)(d).
  964         (9) EVIDENCE-BASED RESEARCH-BASED READING INSTRUCTION
  965  ALLOCATION.—
  966         (a) The evidence-based research-based reading instruction
  967  allocation is created to provide comprehensive reading
  968  instruction to students in kindergarten through grade 12,
  969  including certain students who have completed the Voluntary
  970  Prekindergarten Education Program and who exhibit a substantial
  971  deficiency in early literacy skills under s. 1008.25(8)(c). Each
  972  school district that has one or more of the 300 lowest
  973  performing elementary schools based on a 3-year average of the
  974  state reading assessment data must use the school’s portion of
  975  the allocation to provide an additional hour per day of
  976  intensive reading instruction for the students in each school.
  977  The additional hour may be provided within the school day.
  978  Students enrolled in these schools who earned a level 4 or level
  979  5 score on the statewide, standardized English Language Arts
  980  assessment for the previous school year may participate in the
  981  additional hour of instruction. Exceptional student education
  982  centers may not be included in the 300 schools. The intensive
  983  reading instruction delivered in this additional hour shall
  984  include: evidence-based research-based reading instruction that
  985  has been proven to accelerate progress of students exhibiting a
  986  reading deficiency; differentiated instruction based on
  987  screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, or student
  988  assessment data to meet students’ specific reading needs;
  989  explicit and systematic reading strategies to develop phonemic
  990  awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, with
  991  more extensive opportunities for guided practice, error
  992  correction, and feedback; and the coordinated integration of
  993  civic literacy social studies, science, and mathematics-text
  994  reading, text discussion, and writing in response to reading.
  995         (b) Funds for comprehensive, evidence-based research-based
  996  reading instruction shall be allocated annually to each school
  997  district in the amount provided in the General Appropriations
  998  Act. Each eligible school district shall receive the same
  999  minimum amount as specified in the General Appropriations Act,
 1000  and any remaining funds shall be distributed to eligible school
 1001  districts based on each school district’s proportionate share of
 1002  K-12 base funding.
 1003         (c) Funds allocated under this subsection must be used to
 1004  provide a system of comprehensive reading instruction to
 1005  students enrolled in the K-12 programs, which may include the
 1006  following:
 1007         1. An additional hour per day of evidence-based intensive
 1008  reading instruction to students in the 300 lowest-performing
 1009  elementary schools by teachers and reading specialists who have
 1010  demonstrated effectiveness in teaching reading as required in
 1011  paragraph (a).
 1012         2. Kindergarten through grade 5 evidence-based reading
 1013  intervention teachers to provide intensive reading interventions
 1014  provided by reading intervention teachers intervention during
 1015  the school day and in the required extra hour for students
 1016  identified as having a substantial reading deficiency.
 1017         3. Highly qualified reading coaches to specifically support
 1018  teachers in making instructional decisions based on student
 1019  data, and improve teacher delivery of effective reading
 1020  instruction, intervention, and reading in the content areas
 1021  based on student need.
 1022         4. Professional development for school district teachers in
 1023  scientifically researched and evidence-based based reading
 1024  instruction, including strategies to teach reading in content
 1025  areas and with an emphasis on technical and informational text,
 1026  to help school district teachers earn a certification or an
 1027  endorsement in reading.
 1028         5. Summer reading camps, using only teachers or other
 1029  district personnel who are certified or endorsed in reading
 1030  consistent with s. 1008.25(7)(b)3., for all students in
 1031  kindergarten through grade 2 who demonstrate a reading
 1032  deficiency as determined by district and state assessments, and
 1033  students in grades 3 through 5 who score at Level 1 on the
 1034  statewide, standardized English Language Arts assessment.
 1035         6. Scientifically researched and evidence-based
 1036  supplemental instructional materials that are grounded in
 1037  scientifically based reading research as identified by the Just
 1038  Read, Florida! Office pursuant to s. 1001.215(8).
 1039         7. Evidence-based intensive reading interventions for
 1040  students in kindergarten through grade 12 who have been
 1041  identified as having a substantial reading deficiency or who are
 1042  reading below grade level as determined by the statewide,
 1043  standardized English Language Arts assessment.
 1044         (d)1. Annually, by a date determined by the Department of
 1045  Education but before May 1, school districts shall submit a K-12
 1046  comprehensive reading plan for the specific use of the evidence
 1047  based research-based reading instruction allocation in the
 1048  format prescribed by the department for review and approval by
 1049  the Just Read, Florida! Office created pursuant to s. 1001.215.
 1050  The plan format shall be developed with input from school
 1051  district personnel, including teachers and principals, and shall
 1052  provide for intensive reading interventions identified through a
 1053  root-cause analysis of student performance data and reflection
 1054  tool developed by the department to evaluate the effectiveness
 1055  of interventions implemented in the prior year. Intensive
 1056  reading interventions must be delivered by instructional
 1057  personnel who are certified or endorsed in reading and must
 1058  incorporate evidence-based strategies identified by the Just
 1059  Read, Florida! Office pursuant to s. 1001.215(8).
 1060         2. By July 1 of each year, the department shall release to
 1061  each school district with an approved plan its allocation of
 1062  appropriated funds The plan annually submitted by school
 1063  districts shall be deemed approved unless the department rejects
 1064  the plan on or before June 1. If a school district and the Just
 1065  Read, Florida! Office cannot reach agreement on the contents of
 1066  the plan, the school district may appeal to the State Board of
 1067  Education for resolution. School districts shall be allowed
 1068  reasonable flexibility in designing their plans and shall be
 1069  encouraged to offer reading intervention through innovative
 1070  methods, including career academies. The plan format shall be
 1071  developed with input from school district personnel, including
 1072  teachers and principals, and shall provide for intensive reading
 1073  interventions through integrated curricula, provided that,
 1074  beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, the interventions are
 1075  delivered by a teacher who is certified or endorsed in reading.
 1076  Such interventions must incorporate strategies identified by the
 1077  Just Read, Florida! Office pursuant to s. 1001.215(8). No later
 1078  than July 1 annually, the department shall release the school
 1079  district’s allocation of appropriated funds to those districts
 1080  having approved plans. A school district that spends 100 percent
 1081  of this allocation on its approved plan shall be deemed to have
 1082  been in compliance with the plan. The department shall may
 1083  withhold funds upon a determination that reading instruction
 1084  allocation funds are not being used to implement the approved
 1085  plan. The department shall evaluate monitor and track the
 1086  implementation of each district plan, including conducting site
 1087  visits and collecting specific data on expenditures and reading
 1088  improvement results. By February 1 of each year, the department
 1089  shall report its findings to the Legislature and the State Board
 1090  of Education, including any recommendations for improving
 1091  implementation of evidence-based reading and intervention
 1092  strategies in classrooms.
 1093         3.2. Each school district that has a school designated as
 1094  one of the 300 lowest-performing elementary schools as specified
 1095  in paragraph (a) shall specifically delineate in the
 1096  comprehensive reading plan, or in an addendum to the
 1097  comprehensive reading plan, the implementation design and
 1098  reading intervention strategies that will be used for the
 1099  required additional hour of reading instruction. The term
 1100  “reading intervention” includes evidence-based strategies
 1101  frequently used to remediate reading deficiencies and also
 1102  includes individual instruction, tutoring, mentoring, or the use
 1103  of technology that targets specific reading skills and
 1104  abilities.
 1105  
 1106  For purposes of this subsection, the term “evidence-based” means
 1107  demonstrating a statistically significant effect on improving
 1108  student outcomes or other relevant outcomes as provided in 20
 1109  U.S.C. s. 8101(21)(A)(i).
 1110         (11) VIRTUAL EDUCATION CONTRIBUTION.—The Legislature may
 1111  annually provide in the Florida Education Finance Program a
 1112  virtual education contribution. The amount of the virtual
 1113  education contribution shall be the difference between the
 1114  amount per FTE established in the General Appropriations Act for
 1115  virtual education and the amount per FTE for each district and
 1116  the Florida Virtual School, which may be calculated by taking
 1117  the sum of the base FEFP allocation, the discretionary local
 1118  effort, the state-funded discretionary contribution, the
 1119  discretionary millage compression supplement, the evidence-based
 1120  research-based reading instruction allocation, the teacher
 1121  salary increase allocation, and the instructional materials
 1122  allocation, and then dividing by the total unweighted FTE. This
 1123  difference shall be multiplied by the virtual education
 1124  unweighted FTE for programs and options identified in s.
 1125  1002.455 and the Florida Virtual School and its franchises to
 1126  equal the virtual education contribution and shall be included
 1127  as a separate allocation in the funding formula.
 1128         Section 16. Subsection (2) of section 1011.67, Florida
 1129  Statutes, is amended to read:
 1130         1011.67 Funds for instructional materials.—
 1131         (2) Annually by July 1 and before the release of
 1132  instructional materials funds, each district school
 1133  superintendent shall certify to the Commissioner of Education
 1134  that the district school board has approved a comprehensive
 1135  staff development plan that supports fidelity of implementation
 1136  of instructional materials programs, including verification that
 1137  training was provided; that the materials are being implemented
 1138  as designed; and, beginning July 1, 2021, for core reading
 1139  materials and reading intervention materials used in
 1140  kindergarten through grade 5, that the materials meet the
 1141  requirements of s. 1001.215(8). Such instructional materials, as
 1142  evaluated and identified pursuant to s. 1001.215(4), may be
 1143  purchased by the school district with funds under this section
 1144  without undergoing the adoption procedures under s.
 1145  1006.40(4)(b). This subsection does not preclude school
 1146  districts from purchasing or using other materials to supplement
 1147  reading instruction and provide additional skills practice.
 1148         Section 17. Paragraph (g) is added to subsection (3) of
 1149  section 1012.585, Florida Statutes, to read:
 1150         1012.585 Process for renewal of professional certificates.—
 1151         (3) For the renewal of a professional certificate, the
 1152  following requirements must be met:
 1153         (g) A teacher may earn inservice points only once during
 1154  each 5-year validity period for any mandatory training topic
 1155  that is not linked to student learning or professional growth.
 1156         Section 18. Section 1012.586, Florida Statutes, is amended
 1157  to read:
 1158         1012.586 Additions or changes to certificates; duplicate
 1159  certificates; reading endorsement pathways.—
 1160         (1) A school district may process via a Department of
 1161  Education website certificates for the following applications of
 1162  public school employees:
 1163         (a)(1) Addition of a subject coverage or endorsement to a
 1164  valid Florida certificate on the basis of the completion of the
 1165  appropriate subject area testing requirements of s.
 1166  1012.56(5)(a) or the completion of the requirements of an
 1167  approved school district program or the inservice components for
 1168  an endorsement.
 1169         1.(a) To reduce duplication, the department may recommend
 1170  the consolidation of endorsement areas and requirements to the
 1171  State Board of Education.
 1172         2.(b)By July 1, 2018, and At least once every 5 years
 1173  thereafter, the department shall conduct a review of existing
 1174  subject coverage or endorsement requirements in the elementary,
 1175  reading, and exceptional student educational areas. The review
 1176  must include reciprocity requirements for out-of-state
 1177  certificates and requirements for demonstrating competency in
 1178  the reading instruction professional development topics listed
 1179  in s. 1012.98(4)(b)11. The review must also consider the award
 1180  of an endorsement to an individual who holds a certificate
 1181  issued by an internationally recognized organization that
 1182  establishes standards for providing evidence-based interventions
 1183  to struggling readers or who completes a postsecondary program
 1184  that is accredited by such organization. Any such certificate or
 1185  program must require an individual who completes the certificate
 1186  or program to demonstrate competence in reading intervention
 1187  strategies through clinical experience. At the conclusion of
 1188  each review, the department shall recommend to the state board
 1189  changes to the subject coverage or endorsement requirements
 1190  based upon any identified instruction or intervention strategies
 1191  proven to improve student reading performance. This subparagraph
 1192  paragraph does not authorize the state board to establish any
 1193  new certification subject coverage.
 1194         (b)(2) A reissued certificate to reflect a name change.
 1195         (c)(3) A duplicate certificate to replace a lost or damaged
 1196  certificate.
 1197  
 1198  The employing school district shall charge the employee a fee
 1199  not to exceed the amount charged by the Department of Education
 1200  for such services. Each district school board shall retain a
 1201  portion of the fee as defined in the rules of the State Board of
 1202  Education. The portion sent to the department shall be used for
 1203  maintenance of the technology system, the web application, and
 1204  posting and mailing of the certificate.
 1205         (2)(a) By the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, the
 1206  department shall adopt one or more statewide, competency-based
 1207  pathways by which instructional personnel may earn a reading
 1208  endorsement. A pathway adopted by the department must allow a
 1209  candidate to complete coursework online and demonstrate mastery
 1210  of each endorsement competency either in person or remotely. The
 1211  department shall place on each participant’s educator
 1212  certificate a microcredential for each competency module the
 1213  candidate successfully completes.
 1214         (b) As part of adopting a pathway pursuant to paragraph
 1215  (a), the department shall review the competencies for the
 1216  reading endorsement for alignment with evidence-based
 1217  instructional and intervention practices rooted in the science
 1218  of reading, consistent with s. 1001.215(3), and recommend
 1219  changes to the State Board of Education. Recommended changes
 1220  must address identification of the characteristics of conditions
 1221  such as dyslexia, implementation of evidence-based classroom
 1222  instruction and interventions, and effective progress
 1223  monitoring. By July 1, 2023, each school district reading
 1224  endorsement add-on program must be resubmitted for approval by
 1225  the department consistent with this paragraph.
 1226         (c) Beginning July 1, 2024, instructional personnel may not
 1227  earn a reading endorsement solely by achieving a passing score
 1228  on the K-12 reading certification subject area assessment.
 1229         Section 19. Subsection (5) of section 1012.98, Florida
 1230  Statutes, is amended to read:
 1231         1012.98 School Community Professional Development Act.—
 1232         (5) Each district school board shall provide funding for
 1233  the professional development system as required by s. 1011.62
 1234  and the General Appropriations Act, and shall direct
 1235  expenditures from other funding sources to continuously
 1236  strengthen the system in order to increase student achievement
 1237  and support instructional staff in enhancing rigor and relevance
 1238  in the classroom. The department shall identify professional
 1239  development opportunities that require the teacher to
 1240  demonstrate proficiency in a specific classroom practice, with
 1241  priority given to implementing evidence-based reading
 1242  instructional and intervention strategies identified pursuant to
 1243  s. 1001.215(8). A school district may coordinate its
 1244  professional development program with that of another district,
 1245  with an educational consortium, or with a Florida College System
 1246  institution or university, especially in preparing and educating
 1247  personnel. Each district school board shall make available
 1248  inservice activities to instructional personnel of nonpublic
 1249  schools in the district and the state certified teachers who are
 1250  not employed by the district school board on a fee basis not to
 1251  exceed the cost of the activity per all participants.
 1252         Section 20. Paragraph (e) is added to subsection (1) of
 1253  section 1012.986, Florida Statutes, to read:
 1254         1012.986 William Cecil Golden Professional Development
 1255  Program for School Leaders.—
 1256         (1) There is established the William Cecil Golden
 1257  Professional Development Program for School Leaders to provide
 1258  high standards and sustained support for principals as
 1259  instructional leaders. The program shall consist of a
 1260  collaborative network of state and national professional
 1261  leadership organizations to respond to instructional leadership
 1262  needs throughout the state. The network shall support the human
 1263  resource development needs of principals, principal leadership
 1264  teams, and candidates for principal leadership positions using
 1265  the framework of leadership standards adopted by the State Board
 1266  of Education, the Southern Regional Education Board, and the
 1267  National Staff Development Council. The goal of the network
 1268  leadership program is to:
 1269         (e) Support, through training on observation and evaluation
 1270  practices aligned to the science of reading, the professional
 1271  growth of instructional personnel who provide reading
 1272  instruction and interventions.
 1273         Section 21. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.