Florida Senate - 2018 SB 1306
By Senator Perry
8-01046-18 20181306__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to reading instruction; amending s.
3 1011.62, F.S.; requiring K-12 comprehensive reading
4 plans to provide for intensive reading interventions
5 that are delivered by teachers who meet certain
6 criteria beginning with a specified school year;
7 providing requirements for such interventions;
8 amending s. 1012.586, F.S.; requiring the Department
9 of Education to consider the award of endorsements for
10 a teaching certificate to individuals who hold
11 specified certifications or who complete specified
12 programs that meet certain criteria in a specified
13 review; amending s. 1012.98, F.S.; requiring school
14 districts to provide access to training sufficient for
15 certain instructional personnel to earn an endorsement
16 in reading; providing an effective date.
17
18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
19
20 Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (9) of section
21 1011.62, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
22 1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
23 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
24 district for operation of schools is not determined in the
25 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
26 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
27 follows:
28 (9) RESEARCH-BASED READING INSTRUCTION ALLOCATION.—
29 (d)1. Annually, by a date determined by the Department of
30 Education but before May 1, school districts shall submit a K-12
31 comprehensive reading plan for the specific use of the research
32 based reading instruction allocation in the format prescribed by
33 the department for review and approval by the Just Read,
34 Florida! Office created pursuant to s. 1001.215. The plan
35 annually submitted by school districts shall be deemed approved
36 unless the department rejects the plan on or before June 1. If a
37 school district and the Just Read, Florida! Office cannot reach
38 agreement on the contents of the plan, the school district may
39 appeal to the State Board of Education for resolution. School
40 districts shall be allowed reasonable flexibility in designing
41 their plans and shall be encouraged to offer reading
42 intervention through innovative methods, including career
43 academies. The plan format shall be developed with input from
44 school district personnel, including teachers and principals,
45 and shall provide for allow courses in core, career, and
46 alternative programs that deliver intensive reading
47 interventions remediation through integrated curricula, provided
48 that, beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, the
49 interventions are delivered by a teacher who is certified or
50 endorsed in reading. Such interventions must incorporate
51 strategies identified by the Just Read, Florida! Office pursuant
52 to s. 1001.215(8) deemed highly qualified to teach reading or
53 working toward that status. No later than July 1 annually, the
54 department shall release the school district’s allocation of
55 appropriated funds to those districts having approved plans. A
56 school district that spends 100 percent of this allocation on
57 its approved plan shall be deemed to have been in compliance
58 with the plan. The department may withhold funds upon a
59 determination that reading instruction allocation funds are not
60 being used to implement the approved plan. The department shall
61 monitor and track the implementation of each district plan,
62 including conducting site visits and collecting specific data on
63 expenditures and reading improvement results. By February 1 of
64 each year, the department shall report its findings to the
65 Legislature.
66 2. Each school district that has a school designated as one
67 of the 300 lowest-performing elementary schools as specified in
68 paragraph (a) shall specifically delineate in the comprehensive
69 reading plan, or in an addendum to the comprehensive reading
70 plan, the implementation design and reading intervention
71 strategies that will be used for the required additional hour of
72 reading instruction. The term “reading intervention” includes
73 evidence-based strategies frequently used to remediate reading
74 deficiencies and also includes individual instruction, tutoring,
75 mentoring, or the use of technology that targets specific
76 reading skills and abilities.
77 Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section
78 1012.586, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
79 1012.586 Additions or changes to certificates; duplicate
80 certificates.—A school district may process via a Department of
81 Education website certificates for the following applications of
82 public school employees:
83 (1) Addition of a subject coverage or endorsement to a
84 valid Florida certificate on the basis of the completion of the
85 appropriate subject area testing requirements of s.
86 1012.56(5)(a) or the completion of the requirements of an
87 approved school district program or the inservice components for
88 an endorsement.
89 (b) By July 1, 2018, and at least once every 5 years
90 thereafter, the department shall conduct a review of existing
91 subject coverage or endorsement requirements in the elementary,
92 reading, and exceptional student educational areas. The review
93 must include reciprocity requirements for out-of-state
94 certificates and requirements for demonstrating competency in
95 the reading instruction professional development topics listed
96 in s. 1012.98(4)(b)11. The review must also consider the award
97 of an endorsement to an individual who holds a certificate
98 issued by an internationally recognized organization that
99 establishes standards for providing evidence-based interventions
100 to struggling readers or who completes a postsecondary program
101 that is accredited by such organization. Any such certificate or
102 program must require an individual who completes the certificate
103 or program to demonstrate competence in reading intervention
104 strategies through clinical experience. At the conclusion of
105 each review, the department shall recommend to the state board
106 changes to the subject coverage or endorsement requirements
107 based upon any identified instruction or intervention strategies
108 proven to improve student reading performance. This paragraph
109 does not authorize the state board to establish any new
110 certification subject coverage.
111
112 The employing school district shall charge the employee a fee
113 not to exceed the amount charged by the Department of Education
114 for such services. Each district school board shall retain a
115 portion of the fee as defined in the rules of the State Board of
116 Education. The portion sent to the department shall be used for
117 maintenance of the technology system, the web application, and
118 posting and mailing of the certificate.
119 Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of section
120 1012.98, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
121 1012.98 School Community Professional Development Act.—
122 (4) The Department of Education, school districts, schools,
123 Florida College System institutions, and state universities
124 share the responsibilities described in this section. These
125 responsibilities include the following:
126 (b) Each school district shall develop a professional
127 development system as specified in subsection (3). The system
128 shall be developed in consultation with teachers, teacher
129 educators of Florida College System institutions and state
130 universities, business and community representatives, and local
131 education foundations, consortia, and professional
132 organizations. The professional development system must:
133 1. Be approved by the department. All substantial revisions
134 to the system shall be submitted to the department for review
135 for continued approval.
136 2. Be based on analyses of student achievement data and
137 instructional strategies and methods that support rigorous,
138 relevant, and challenging curricula for all students. Schools
139 and districts, in developing and refining the professional
140 development system, shall also review and monitor school
141 discipline data; school environment surveys; assessments of
142 parental satisfaction; performance appraisal data of teachers,
143 managers, and administrative personnel; and other performance
144 indicators to identify school and student needs that can be met
145 by improved professional performance.
146 3. Provide inservice activities coupled with followup
147 support appropriate to accomplish district-level and school
148 level improvement goals and standards. The inservice activities
149 for instructional personnel shall focus on analysis of student
150 achievement data, ongoing formal and informal assessments of
151 student achievement, identification and use of enhanced and
152 differentiated instructional strategies that emphasize rigor,
153 relevance, and reading in the content areas, enhancement of
154 subject content expertise, integrated use of classroom
155 technology that enhances teaching and learning, classroom
156 management, parent involvement, and school safety.
157 4. Provide inservice activities and support targeted to the
158 individual needs of new teachers participating in the
159 professional development certification and education competency
160 program under s. 1012.56(8)(a).
161 5. Include a master plan for inservice activities, pursuant
162 to rules of the State Board of Education, for all district
163 employees from all fund sources. The master plan shall be
164 updated annually by September 1, must be based on input from
165 teachers and district and school instructional leaders, and must
166 use the latest available student achievement data and research
167 to enhance rigor and relevance in the classroom. Each district
168 inservice plan must be aligned to and support the school-based
169 inservice plans and school improvement plans pursuant to s.
170 1001.42(18). Each district inservice plan must provide a
171 description of the training that middle grades instructional
172 personnel and school administrators receive on the district’s
173 code of student conduct adopted pursuant to s. 1006.07;
174 integrated digital instruction and competency-based instruction
175 and CAPE Digital Tool certificates and CAPE industry
176 certifications; classroom management; student behavior and
177 interaction; extended learning opportunities for students; and
178 instructional leadership. District plans must be approved by the
179 district school board annually in order to ensure compliance
180 with subsection (1) and to allow for dissemination of research
181 based best practices to other districts. District school boards
182 must submit verification of their approval to the Commissioner
183 of Education no later than October 1, annually. Each school
184 principal may establish and maintain an individual professional
185 development plan for each instructional employee assigned to the
186 school as a seamless component to the school improvement plans
187 developed pursuant to s. 1001.42(18). An individual professional
188 development plan must be related to specific performance data
189 for the students to whom the teacher is assigned, define the
190 inservice objectives and specific measurable improvements
191 expected in student performance as a result of the inservice
192 activity, and include an evaluation component that determines
193 the effectiveness of the professional development plan.
194 6. Include inservice activities for school administrative
195 personnel that address updated skills necessary for
196 instructional leadership and effective school management
197 pursuant to s. 1012.986.
198 7. Provide for systematic consultation with regional and
199 state personnel designated to provide technical assistance and
200 evaluation of local professional development programs.
201 8. Provide for delivery of professional development by
202 distance learning and other technology-based delivery systems to
203 reach more educators at lower costs.
204 9. Provide for the continuous evaluation of the quality and
205 effectiveness of professional development programs in order to
206 eliminate ineffective programs and strategies and to expand
207 effective ones. Evaluations must consider the impact of such
208 activities on the performance of participating educators and
209 their students’ achievement and behavior.
210 10. For middle grades, emphasize:
211 a. Interdisciplinary planning, collaboration, and
212 instruction.
213 b. Alignment of curriculum and instructional materials to
214 the state academic standards adopted pursuant to s. 1003.41.
215 c. Use of small learning communities; problem-solving,
216 inquiry-driven research and analytical approaches for students;
217 strategies and tools based on student needs; competency-based
218 instruction; integrated digital instruction; and project-based
219 instruction.
220
221 Each school that includes any of grades 6, 7, or 8 must include
222 in its school improvement plan, required under s. 1001.42(18), a
223 description of the specific strategies used by the school to
224 implement each item listed in this subparagraph.
225 11. Provide training to reading coaches, classroom
226 teachers, and school administrators in effective methods of
227 identifying characteristics of conditions such as dyslexia and
228 other causes of diminished phonological processing skills;
229 incorporating instructional techniques into the general
230 education setting which are proven to improve reading
231 performance for all students; and using predictive and other
232 data to make instructional decisions based on individual student
233 needs. The training must help teachers integrate phonemic
234 awareness; phonics, word study, and spelling; reading fluency;
235 vocabulary, including academic vocabulary; and text
236 comprehension strategies into an explicit, systematic, and
237 sequential approach to reading instruction, including
238 multisensory intervention strategies. Each district must provide
239 all elementary grades instructional personnel access to training
240 sufficient to meet the requirements of s. 1012.585(3)(f) and to
241 earn an endorsement in reading consistent with s.
242 1012.586(1)(b).
243 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.