Senate Bill 2182
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 SB 2182
By Senator Dawson
30-1408-00
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 Senate - 2000 SB 2182
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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 Senate - 2000 SB 2182
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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 Senate - 2000 SB 2182
30-1408-00
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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