The Florida Senate

1008.34  School grading system; district performance grade.--

(1)  ANNUAL REPORTS.--The Commissioner of Education shall prepare annual reports of the results of the statewide assessment program which describe student achievement in the state, each district, and each school. The commissioner shall prescribe the design and content of these reports, which must include, without limitation, descriptions of the performance of all schools participating in the assessment program and all of their major student populations as determined by the Commissioner of Education, and must also include the median scores of all eligible students who scored at or in the lowest 25th percentile of the state in the previous school year; provided, however, that the provisions of s. 1002.22 pertaining to student records apply to this section.

(2)  SCHOOL PERFORMANCE GRADE CATEGORIES.--The annual report shall identify schools as being in one of the following grade categories defined according to rules of the State Board of Education:

(a)  "A," schools making excellent progress.

(b)  "B," schools making above average progress.

(c)  "C," schools making satisfactory progress.

(d)  "D," schools making less than satisfactory progress.

(e)  "F," schools failing to make adequate progress.

Each school designated in performance grade category "A," making excellent progress, or having improved at least two performance grade categories, shall have greater authority over the allocation of the school's total budget generated from the FEFP, state categoricals, lottery funds, grants, and local funds, as specified in state board rule. The rule must provide that the increased budget authority shall remain in effect until the school's performance grade declines.

(3)  DESIGNATION OF SCHOOL PERFORMANCE GRADE CATEGORIES.--School performance grade category designations itemized in subsection (2) shall be based on the following:

(a)  Timeframes.--

1.  School performance grade category designations shall be based on the school's current year performance and the school's annual learning gains.

2.  A school's performance grade category designation shall be based on a combination of student achievement scores, student learning gains as measured by annual FCAT assessments in grades 3 through 10, and improvement of the lowest 25th percentile of students in the school in reading, math, or writing on the FCAT, unless these students are performing above satisfactory performance.

(b)  Student assessment data.--Student assessment data used in determining school performance grade categories shall include:

1.  The aggregate scores of all eligible students enrolled in the school who have been assessed on the FCAT.

2.  The aggregate scores of all eligible students enrolled in the school who have been assessed on the FCAT, including Florida Writes, and who have scored at or in the lowest 25th percentile of students in the school in reading, math, or writing, unless these students are performing above satisfactory performance.

The Department of Education shall study the effects of mobility on the performance of highly mobile students and recommend programs to improve the performance of such students. The State Board of Education shall adopt appropriate criteria for each school performance grade category. The criteria must also give added weight to student achievement in reading. Schools designated as performance grade category "C," making satisfactory progress, shall be required to demonstrate that adequate progress has been made by students in the school who are in the lowest 25th percentile in reading, math, or writing on the FCAT, including Florida Writes, unless these students are performing above satisfactory performance.

(4)  SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT RATINGS.--The annual report shall identify each school's performance as having improved, remained the same, or declined. This school improvement rating shall be based on a comparison of the current year's and previous year's student and school performance data. Schools that improve at least one performance grade category are eligible for school recognition awards pursuant to s. 1008.36

(5)  SCHOOL PERFORMANCE GRADE CATEGORY AND IMPROVEMENT RATING REPORTS.--School performance grade category designations and improvement ratings shall apply to each school's performance for the year in which performance is measured. Each school's designation and rating shall be published annually by the Department of Education and the school district. Parents shall be entitled to an easy-to-read report card about the designation and rating of the school in which their child is enrolled.

(6)  RULES.--The State Board of Education shall adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement the provisions of this section.

(7)  PERFORMANCE-BASED FUNDING.--The Legislature may factor in the performance of schools in calculating any performance-based funding policy that is provided for annually in the General Appropriations Act.

(8)  DISTRICT PERFORMANCE GRADE.--The annual report required by subsection (1) shall include district performance grades, which shall consist of weighted district average grades, by level, for all elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools in the district. A district's weighted average grade shall be calculated by weighting individual school grades determined pursuant to subsection (2) by school enrollment.

History.--s. 378, ch. 2002-387.