Florida Senate - 2021                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 1372
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì409158AÎ409158                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                   Comm: RS            .                                
                  04/20/2021           .                                
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       The Committee on Appropriations (Burgess) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. The Legislature finds that the ability to read
    6  is fundamental to a productive, fulfilling, culturally
    7  rewarding, and civically engaged life. Furthermore, a literacy
    8  rich home environment helps develop reading and writing skills
    9  in young learners to prepare them for future academic and career
   10  success. Research shows that students who read more perform
   11  better academically than those who do not. Unfortunately,
   12  statistics show students who have fewer books and literacy-based
   13  interactions at home than their peers have lower educational
   14  attainment and lifetime income-earning potential. Programs that
   15  deliver books directly to students’ homes and support engagement
   16  in reading enable parents to develop their child’s reading
   17  skills and enjoyment of reading and foster improved outcomes for
   18  students.
   19         Section 2. Section 1003.485, Florida Statutes, is created
   20  to read:
   21         1003.485The New Worlds Reading Initiative.—
   22         (1)The New Worlds Reading Initiative is established under
   23  the Department of Education to improve literacy skills and
   24  instill a love of reading by providing high-quality, free books
   25  to students in kindergarten through grade 5 who are reading
   26  below grade level.
   27         (2)DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
   28         (a)“Administrator” means the Department of Education or a
   29  third-party entity contracted to administer the initiative.
   30         (b)“Initiative” means the New Worlds Reading Initiative.
   31         (3)The administrator shall:
   32         (a)Develop, in consultation with the Just Read, Florida!
   33  Office under s. 1001.215, a selection of high-quality books
   34  encompassing diverse subjects and genres for each grade level to
   35  be mailed to students in the initiative.
   36         (b)Facilitate the distribution of books as provided in
   37  paragraph (5)(c) either directly or through an agreement with a
   38  book distribution company.
   39         (c)Assist local implementation of the initiative by:
   40         1.Providing assistance to local communities to raise
   41  awareness of the initiative, including through the use of
   42  partnerships between public libraries and school districts to
   43  implement events such as family library nights, library card
   44  drives, summer access and activities, and other activities
   45  designed to increase family engagement and instill a love of
   46  reading in students.
   47         2.Developing and providing marketing materials to school
   48  districts and any partnering nonprofit organizations to assist
   49  with public awareness campaigns.
   50         (d)Maintain a clearinghouse for information on national,
   51  state, and local nonprofit organizations that support efforts to
   52  provide books to children.
   53         (e)Develop training materials for parents of students in
   54  the initiative, including brief video training modules, which
   55  engage families in reading and assist with improving student
   56  literacy skills. The administrator shall periodically send, via
   57  text message and e-mail, tips for facilitating reading at home
   58  and hyperlinks to the video training modules.
   59  
   60  Beginning September 30, 2022, and annually thereafter, the
   61  Department of Education shall report to the President of the
   62  Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the
   63  Commissioner of Education the number of students participating
   64  in the initiative in each school district and the academic
   65  achievement and learning gains, as applicable, of participating
   66  students based on data provided by school districts as permitted
   67  under s. 1002.22. The department shall establish a date by which
   68  each school district must annually provide the data necessary to
   69  complete the report.
   70         (4)Each school district shall participate in the
   71  initiative by partnering with local nonprofit organizations,
   72  raising awareness of the initiative using marketing materials
   73  developed by the administrator, coordinating book delivery, and
   74  identifying students and notifying parents pursuant to
   75  subsection (5).
   76         (5)(a)A student in kindergarten through grade 5 must be
   77  provided books through the initiative if the student has a
   78  substantial reading deficiency identified under s. 1008.25(5)(a)
   79  or scored below a Level 3 on the preceding year’s statewide,
   80  standardized English Language Arts assessment under s. 1008.22.
   81         (b)Each school district shall notify the parent of a
   82  student who meets the criteria under paragraph (a) that the
   83  student is eligible to receive books at no cost through the New
   84  Worlds Reading Initiative and provide the parent with the
   85  application form developed by the administrator, which must
   86  allow for the selection of specific book topics or genres for
   87  the student.
   88         (c)Once an eligible student is identified, the school
   89  district shall coordinate with the administrator to initiate
   90  book delivery on a monthly basis during the school year, which
   91  must begin no later than October and continue through at least
   92  June.
   93         (d)At the beginning of each school year, students must be
   94  provided options for specific book topics or genres in order to
   95  maximize student interest in reading.
   96         (e)A student’s eligibility for the initiative continues
   97  until promotion to grade 6 or until the student’s parent opts
   98  out of the initiative.
   99         (6)School districts and partnering nonprofit organizations
  100  shall raise awareness of the initiative, including information
  101  on eligibility and video training modules under paragraph
  102  (3)(e), through, at least, the following:
  103         (a)The student handbook and the read-at-home plan under s.
  104  1008.25(5)(c).
  105         (b)A parent or curriculum night or separate initiative
  106  awareness event at each elementary school.
  107         (c)Partnering with the county library to host awareness
  108  events, which should coincide with other initiatives such as
  109  library card drives and other family engagement programming.
  110         (7)Books must be provided under this section at no cost to
  111  families.
  112         (8)If the department contracts with a third-party entity
  113  to act as administrator, the entity must be capable of
  114  coordinating statewide marketing, dissemination of books, and
  115  development of video training modules, as well as completing all
  116  other duties of the administrator.
  117         Section 3. Paragraph (c) of subsection (5) of section
  118  1008.25, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  119         1008.25 Public school student progression; student support;
  120  reporting requirements.—
  121         (5) READING DEFICIENCY AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION.—
  122         (c) The parent of any student who exhibits a substantial
  123  deficiency in reading, as described in paragraph (a), must be
  124  notified in writing of the following:
  125         1. That his or her child has been identified as having a
  126  substantial deficiency in reading, including a description and
  127  explanation, in terms understandable to the parent, of the exact
  128  nature of the student’s difficulty in learning and lack of
  129  achievement in reading.
  130         2. A description of the current services that are provided
  131  to the child.
  132         3. A description of the proposed intensive interventions
  133  and supports that will be provided to the child that are
  134  designed to remediate the identified area of reading deficiency.
  135         4. That if the child’s reading deficiency is not remediated
  136  by the end of grade 3, the child must be retained unless he or
  137  she is exempt from mandatory retention for good cause.
  138         5. Strategies, including multisensory strategies, through a
  139  read-at-home plan the parent can use in helping his or her child
  140  succeed in reading.
  141         6. That the statewide, standardized English Language Arts
  142  assessment is not the sole determiner of promotion and that
  143  additional evaluations, portfolio reviews, and assessments are
  144  available to the child to assist parents and the school district
  145  in knowing when a child is reading at or above grade level and
  146  ready for grade promotion.
  147         7. The district’s specific criteria and policies for a
  148  portfolio as provided in subparagraph (6)(b)4. and the evidence
  149  required for a student to demonstrate mastery of Florida’s
  150  academic standards for English Language Arts. A parent of a
  151  student in grade 3 who is identified anytime during the year as
  152  being at risk of retention may request that the school
  153  immediately begin collecting evidence for a portfolio.
  154         8. The district’s specific criteria and policies for
  155  midyear promotion. Midyear promotion means promotion of a
  156  retained student at any time during the year of retention once
  157  the student has demonstrated ability to read at grade level.
  158         9.Information about the student’s eligibility for the New
  159  Worlds Reading Initiative under s. 1003.485 and information on
  160  parent training modules and other reading engagement resources
  161  available through the initiative.
  162         Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.
  163  
  164  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  165  And the title is amended as follows:
  166         Delete everything before the enacting clause
  167  and insert:
  168                        A bill to be entitled                      
  169         An act relating to literacy improvement; providing
  170         legislative findings; creating s. 1003.485, F.S.;
  171         establishing the New Worlds Reading Initiative under
  172         the Department of Education; defining terms; providing
  173         duties of the administrator; requiring the
  174         administrator, in consultation with a specified
  175         entity, to develop a selection of books; requiring the
  176         administrator to facilitate distribution of books;
  177         requiring the administrator to assist with local
  178         implementation of the initiative; requiring the
  179         administrator to maintain a clearinghouse for
  180         specified information; requiring the administrator to
  181         develop and disseminate certain training materials by
  182         specified means; establishing reporting requirements;
  183         establishing student eligibility requirements;
  184         requiring school districts to partner with certain
  185         entities; requiring school districts to identify
  186         eligible students and notify the students’ parents;
  187         requiring school districts to coordinate with the
  188         administrator to initiate book delivery; providing
  189         requirements for book delivery; requiring that
  190         students be offered certain options relating to books;
  191         specifying when student eligibility ends; requiring
  192         school districts to raise awareness of the initiative;
  193         requiring that books be delivered at no cost to
  194         families; authorizing the Department of Education to
  195         contract with a third-party entity; providing
  196         requirements for such third-party entity; amending s.
  197         1008.25, F.S.; requiring that a certain notification
  198         include information about the initiative; providing an
  199         effective date.