Florida Senate - 2015                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 616
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì245182&Î245182                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                 Comm: UNFAV           .                                
                  03/23/2015           .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————




       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
       Appropriations Subcommittee on Education (Bullard) recommended
       the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment to Amendment (587488) (with title
    2  amendment)
    3  
    4         Delete lines 398 - 534
    5  and insert:
    6  school improvement ratings pursuant to s. 1008.341 for the 2014
    7  2015 and 2015-2016 2013-2014 school years year shall be
    8  calculated based on statutes and rules in effect on June 30,
    9  2014. To assist in the transition to 2014-2015 school grades,
   10  calculated based on new statewide, standardized assessments
   11  administered pursuant to s. 1008.22, the 2014-2015 school grades
   12  shall serve as an informational baseline for schools to work
   13  toward improved performance in future years. Accordingly,
   14  notwithstanding any other provision of law:
   15         (a) A school may not be required to select and implement a
   16  turnaround option pursuant to s. 1008.33 in the 2015-2016 or
   17  2016-2017 school year if based on the school receives a school
   18  grade that is two or more grades lower or a lower school’s 2014
   19  2015 grade or school improvement rating for the 2014-2015 school
   20  year compared to the 2013-2014 school year or for the 2015-2016
   21  school year compared to the 2014-2015 school year under s.
   22  1008.341, as applicable.
   23         (b)1. A school or approved provider under s. 1002.45 that
   24  receives the same or a lower school grade that is two or more
   25  grades lower or a lower school improvement rating for the 2014
   26  2015 school year compared to the 2013-2014 school year or for
   27  the 2015-2016 school year compared to the 2014-2015 school year
   28  is not subject to sanctions or penalties that would otherwise
   29  occur as a result of the 2014-2015 or 2015-2016 school grade or
   30  rating. A charter school system or a school district designated
   31  as high performing may not lose the designation based on the
   32  2014-2015 or 2015-2016 school grades of any of the schools
   33  within the charter school system or school district, as
   34  applicable.
   35         2. The Florida School Recognition Program established under
   36  s. 1008.36 shall continue to be implemented as otherwise
   37  provided in the General Appropriations Act.
   38         (c) For purposes of determining grade 3 retention pursuant
   39  to s. 1008.25(5) and high school graduation pursuant to s.
   40  1003.4282, student performance on the 2014-2015 statewide,
   41  standardized assessments shall be linked to 2013-2014 student
   42  performance expectations.
   43  
   44  This subsection is repealed July 1, 2017.
   45         Section 7. Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (1),
   46  paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of subsection (3), and subsections
   47  (6), (7), (8), and (10) of section 1012.34, Florida Statutes,
   48  are amended to read:
   49         1012.34 Personnel evaluation procedures and criteria.—
   50         (1) EVALUATION SYSTEM APPROVAL AND REPORTING.—
   51         (b) The department must approve each school district’s
   52  instructional personnel and school administrator evaluation
   53  systems. The department shall monitor each district’s
   54  implementation of its instructional personnel and school
   55  administrator evaluation systems for compliance with the
   56  requirements of this section and s. 1012.3401.
   57         (c) Annually, by December 1, the Commissioner of Education
   58  shall report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
   59  the Speaker of the House of Representatives the approval and
   60  implementation status of each school district’s instructional
   61  personnel and school administrator evaluation systems. The
   62  report shall include:
   63         1. Performance evaluation results for the prior school year
   64  for instructional personnel and school administrators using the
   65  four levels of performance specified in paragraph (2)(e). The
   66  performance evaluation results for instructional personnel shall
   67  be disaggregated by classroom teachers, as defined in s.
   68  1012.01(2)(a), excluding substitute teachers, and all other
   69  instructional personnel, as defined in s. 1012.01(2)(b)–(d).
   70         2. An analysis that compares performance evaluation results
   71  calculated by each school district to indicators of performance
   72  calculated by the department using the standards for performance
   73  levels adopted by the state board under subsection (8).
   74         3.The commissioner shall include in the report Each
   75  district’s performance-level standards established under
   76  subsection (7)., a comparative analysis of the district’s
   77  student academic performance results and evaluation results,
   78         4. Data reported under s. 1012.341, and the status of any
   79  evaluation system revisions requested by a school district
   80  pursuant to subsection (6).
   81         (3) EVALUATION PROCEDURES AND CRITERIA.—Instructional
   82  personnel and school administrator performance evaluations must
   83  be based upon the performance of students assigned to their
   84  classrooms or schools, as provided in this section. Pursuant to
   85  this section, a school district’s performance evaluation is not
   86  limited to basing unsatisfactory performance of instructional
   87  personnel and school administrators solely upon student
   88  performance, but may include other criteria approved to evaluate
   89  instructional personnel and school administrators’ performance,
   90  or any combination of student performance and other approved
   91  criteria. Evaluation procedures and criteria must comply with,
   92  but are not limited to, the following:
   93         (a) A performance evaluation must be conducted for each
   94  employee at least once a year, except that a classroom teacher,
   95  as defined in s. 1012.01(2)(a), excluding substitute teachers,
   96  who is newly hired by the district school board must be observed
   97  and evaluated at least twice in the first year of teaching in
   98  the school district. The performance evaluation must be based
   99  upon sound educational principles and contemporary research in
  100  effective educational practices. The evaluation criteria must
  101  include:
  102         1. Performance of students.—At least 33 50 percent of a
  103  performance evaluation must be based upon data and indicators of
  104  student learning growth assessed annually by statewide
  105  assessments or, for subjects and grade levels not measured by
  106  statewide assessments, by school district assessments pursuant
  107  to subsection (7) as provided in s. 1008.22(6). Each school
  108  district must use the formula adopted pursuant to paragraph
  109  (7)(a) for measuring student learning growth in all courses
  110  associated with statewide assessments and must select an equally
  111  appropriate formula for measuring student learning growth for
  112  all other grades and subjects, except as otherwise provided in
  113  subsection (7).
  114         a. For classroom teachers, as defined in s. 1012.01(2)(a),
  115  excluding substitute teachers, the student learning growth
  116  portion of the evaluation must include growth data for students
  117  assigned to the teacher over the course of at least 3 years. If
  118  less than 3 years of data are available, the years for which
  119  data are available must be used and the percentage of the
  120  evaluation based upon student learning growth may be reduced to
  121  not less than 30 40 percent.
  122         b. For instructional personnel who are not classroom
  123  teachers, the student learning growth portion of the evaluation
  124  must include growth data on statewide assessments for students
  125  assigned to the instructional personnel over the course of at
  126  least 3 years, or may include a combination of student learning
  127  growth data and other measurable student outcomes that are
  128  specific to the assigned position, provided that the student
  129  learning growth data accounts for not less than 30 percent of
  130  the evaluation. If less than 3 years of student growth data are
  131  available, the years for which data are available must be used
  132  and the percentage of the evaluation based upon student learning
  133  growth may be reduced to not less than 20 percent.
  134         c. For school administrators, the student learning growth
  135  portion of the evaluation must include growth data for students
  136  assigned to the school over the course of at least 3 years. If
  137  less than 3 years of data are available, the years for which
  138  data are available must be used and the percentage of the
  139  evaluation based upon student learning growth may be reduced to
  140  not less than 30 40 percent.
  141         d. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, performance
  142  evaluations based upon data and indicators for the 2014-2015 and
  143  2015-2016 school years may not use student learning growth as
  144  required under this subparagraph if such use would result in a
  145  lower level of performance as specified in paragraph (2)(e) than
  146  the level of performance which would result without the use of
  147  student learning growth.
  148  
  149  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  150  And the title is amended as follows:
  151         Delete lines 1076 - 1085
  152  and insert:
  153         readiness evaluations; amending s. 1008.34, F.S.;
  154         revising the criteria that serve as an informational
  155         baseline for schools to work toward improved
  156         performance; providing that school grades and school
  157         improvement ratings for specified school years shall
  158         serve as an informational baseline; revising the
  159         circumstances under which a school may not be required
  160         to implement a school turnaround option in specified
  161         school years; revising the circumstances under which a
  162         virtual instruction program will not be subject to
  163         sanctions or penalties based on certain school grades
  164         or improvement ratings; extending the period during
  165         which a charter school system or school district will
  166         not lose a designation as high performing based on
  167         certain school grades or improvement ratings; amending
  168         s. 1012.34, F.S.; revising requirements for the
  169         Commissioner of Education’s annual report to the
  170         Governor and the Legislature regarding personnel
  171         evaluation systems; revising the percentage thresholds
  172         for performance evaluation criteria for instructional
  173         personnel and school administrators; prohibiting the
  174         use of student learning growth in performance
  175         evaluations under certain circumstances; revising