The Florida Senate

1004.54  Learning Development and Evaluation Center.--

(1)  For the purpose of providing academic support for learning disabled students, the verbal communications laboratory at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University is established as the Learning Development and Evaluation Center. The university shall provide housing, equipment, and utilities for the center.

(2)  The primary objective of the center shall be to provide learning disabled students with accessibility to learning by providing a program for building student self-acceptance, self-esteem, and faculty acceptance. The program shall also provide for diagnosing and clarifying the nature of the disability and for identifying strategies that can be used to enhance learning. Services shall include:

(a)  Problem identification.

(b)  Diagnostic evaluation, including neurological, psychological, speech, and hearing diagnoses.

(c)  Training, including tutoring and study.

(d)  Academic, psychological, social, and career counseling.

(e)  Followup.

(f)  Maintenance of academic course requirements with provision for support services to identified students.

(g)  Modifications of methods of reaching course requirements which do not detract from the course purpose.

(3)  Participants in the program shall be students with specific learning disabilities who meet eligibility criteria as defined by rule 6A-6.03018, Florida Administrative Code.

(4)  An outreach component shall be established which shall include:

(a)  Notifying secondary schools, community colleges, career education centers, and community agencies of the program.

(b)  Working with community colleges, career centers, and community agencies to identify students who may benefit from the program.

(c)  Providing secondary schools, community colleges, career centers, and community agencies with a description of methods used by the program for identification of students who have learning disabilities.

(d)  Providing secondary schools, community colleges, career centers, and community agencies with a description of program services and the support services available.

(e)  Providing on-campus and off-campus activities for students, administrators, faculty, and staff to enhance learning of the disabled secondary students.

(f)  Providing training for school district personnel to enable them to develop a better understanding of the needs of learning disabled students.

(g)  Designing, developing, and implementing, in cooperation with Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, public school districts, community colleges, and career centers within the Department of Education, model programs for the learning disabled student.

(h)  Providing assistance to community colleges and state universities in designing, developing, and evaluating model programs for learning disabled students.

(i)  Establishing a procedure for the annual review and update of model programs developed for the learning disabled.

(j)  Providing precollegiate residential experiences.

(5)  On or before November 1, the president of the university shall submit to the State Board of Education and the Legislature a report on program effectiveness, which report shall include:

(a)  The number of students participating in the program.

(b)  An ongoing analysis of overall student performance as a result of participation in the program.

(c)  A description of the methods used in identifying students with learning disabilities.

(d)  A description of methods and materials prescribed to meet the specific learning needs of each participant.

(e)  The number and types of disabilities of students in the program.

(f)  How the program accomplished its objectives.

(g)  Procedures used to counsel and advise students that would build self-acceptance and enhance learning.

(h)  Procedures for promoting faculty acceptance of the program and its participants.

(i)  A detailed description of each program objective and the results.

(j)  Projections of future participation by learning disabled students based on enrollment, queries, and program results.

(k)  The number of postsecondary and secondary students participating in the program and the type of service provided.

(6)  Funding of this program shall be provided for in the General Appropriations Act.

History.--s. 201, ch. 2002-387; s. 90, ch. 2004-357.