House Bill 2137

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.







    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2137

        By Representatives Wilson, C. Smith, Eggelletion,
    Henriquez, Bullard, Bush, Reddick, A. Greene, Betancourt, Lee,
    Hill, Lawson, L. Miller, Sobel, Effman, Ritchie, Rayson and
    Ryan



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to school performance grade

  3         categories; amending s. 229.57, F.S.; requiring

  4         specific criteria to be used in the analysis of

  5         student performance; prohibiting the use of

  6         certain students' FCAT scores in the

  7         determination of school performance grades;

  8         requiring the Department of Education to study

  9         the effects of poverty on student achievement

10         and to report to the Legislature; prohibiting

11         the use of the FCAT scores of impoverished

12         students in determining school performance

13         grades, except in specified circumstances;

14         providing an effective date.

15

16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

17

18         Section 1.  Subsections (5) and (8) of section 229.57,

19  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

20         229.57  Student assessment program.--

21         (5)  SCHOOL TESTING PROGRAMS.--Each public school,

22  unless specifically exempted by state board rule based on

23  serving a specialized population for which standardized

24  testing is not appropriate, shall participate in the state

25  assessment program. Student performance data shall be analyzed

26  and reported to parents, the community, and the state. Student

27  performance data shall be used in developing objectives of the

28  school improvement plan, evaluation of instructional

29  personnel, evaluation of administrative personnel, assignment

30  of staff, allocation of resources, acquisition of

31  instructional materials and technology, performance-based

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2137

    713-119-00






  1  budgeting, and promotion and assignment of students into

  2  educational programs. The analysis of student performance data

  3  also must identify strengths and needs in the educational

  4  program and trends over time and consider the effects of

  5  poverty and limited English proficiency on student progress

  6  individually and in populations. The analysis must be used in

  7  conjunction with the budgetary planning processes developed

  8  pursuant to s. 229.555 and the development of the programs of

  9  remediation described in s. 233.051.

10         (8)  DESIGNATION OF SCHOOL PERFORMANCE GRADE

11  CATEGORIES.--School performance grade category designations

12  itemized in subsection (7) shall be based on the following:

13         (a)  Timeframes.--

14         1.  School performance grade category designations

15  shall be based on one school year of performance.

16         2.  In school years 1998-1999 and 1999-2000, a school's

17  performance grade category designation shall be determined by

18  the student achievement levels on the FCAT, and on other

19  appropriate performance data, including, but not limited to,

20  attendance, dropout rate, school discipline data, and student

21  readiness for college, in accordance with state board rule.

22         3.  Beginning with the 2000-2001 school year, a

23  school's performance grade category designation shall be based

24  on a combination of student achievement scores as measured by

25  the FCAT, on the degree of measured learning gains of the

26  students, and on other appropriate performance data,

27  including, but not limited to, attendance, dropout rate,

28  school discipline data, and student readiness for college.

29         4.  Beginning with the 2001-2002 school year and

30  thereafter, a school's performance grade category designation

31  shall be based on student learning gains as measured by annual

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2137

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  1  FCAT assessments in grades 3 through 10, and on other

  2  appropriate performance data, including, but not limited to,

  3  attendance, dropout rate, school discipline data, cohort

  4  graduation rate, and student readiness for college.

  5

  6  For the purpose of implementing ss. 229.0535 and 229.0537, if

  7  any of the four schools that were identified as critically low

  8  performing, based on both 1996-1997 and 1997-1998 school

  9  performance data and state board adopted criteria, receives a

10  performance grade category designation of "F," based on

11  1998-1999 school performance data, that school shall be

12  considered as having failed to make adequate progress for 2

13  years in a 4-year period. All other schools that receive a

14  performance grade category designation of "F," based on

15  1998-1999 school performance data, shall be considered as

16  having failed to make adequate progress for 1 year.

17         (b)  Student assessment data.--Student assessment data

18  used in determining school performance grade categories shall

19  include:

20         1.  The median scores of all eligible students enrolled

21  in the school who have been assessed on the FCAT.

22         2.  The median scores of all eligible students enrolled

23  in the school who have been assessed on the FCAT and who have

24  scored at or in the lowest 25th percentile of the state in the

25  previous school year.

26         3.  The scores of students with limited English

27  proficiency must not be used in calculating the performance

28  grade category of a school.

29

30  The Department of Education shall study the effects of

31  mobility on the performance of highly mobile students and

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2137

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  1  recommend programs to improve the performance of such

  2  students. The Department of Education shall study the effects

  3  of poverty on the performance of students. This study must be

  4  completed and recommendations made to the Legislature by

  5  September 1, 2000. Unless the study recommends otherwise and

  6  the Legislature enacts that recommendation, subsequent to the

  7  completion of this study, the department may not use the

  8  scores of impoverished students in the calculation of the

  9  performance grade category of schools that have high

10  populations of students who qualify for free or reduced-price

11  lunch, as determined by state board rule. The state board

12  shall adopt appropriate criteria for each school performance

13  grade category. The criteria must also give added weight to

14  student achievement in reading. Schools designated as

15  performance grade category "C," making satisfactory progress,

16  shall be required to demonstrate that adequate progress has

17  been made by students who have scored among the lowest 25

18  percent of students in the state as well as by the overall

19  population of students in the school.

20         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.

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23                          SENATE SUMMARY

24    Relates to school performance grade categories. Requires
      certain criteria to be used in the analysis of student
25    performance. Prohibits the use of the FCAT scores of
      students who have limited English proficiency in
26    determining the performance grades of schools. Requires
      the Department of Education to conduct a study of the
27    effects of poverty on student achievement and to report
      its recommendations to the Legislature by September 1,
28    2000. Prohibits using the FCAT scores of impoverished
      students in determining the performance grades of
29    schools, unless the departmental study recommends
      otherwise and the Legislature provides otherwise.
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