Senate Bill 0062c1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 CS for SB 62
By the Committee on Education and Senators Diaz de la Portilla
and Meek
304-2171-00
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to school attendance; amending
3 s. 232.01, F.S.; revising provisions relating
4 to eligibility for enrollment in public
5 kindergartens; authorizing the enrollment of
6 certain children determined to be ready for
7 entrance into kindergarten; providing
8 eligibility requirements; providing school
9 district requirements; authorizing the
10 Commissioner of Education to adopt rules;
11 providing an effective date.
12
13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
14
15 Section 1. Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (1) of
16 section 232.01, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
17 232.01 School attendance.--
18 (1)(a)1. All children who have attained the age of 6
19 years or who will have attained the age of 6 years by February
20 1 of any school year or who are older than 6 years of age but
21 who have not attained the age of 16 years, except as
22 hereinafter provided, are required to attend school regularly
23 during the entire school term.
24 2.a. Children who will have attained the age of 5
25 years on or before September 1 of the school year are eligible
26 for admission to public kindergartens during that school year
27 under rules prescribed by the school board.
28 b. Beginning in the 2000-2001 school year, children
29 who will have attained the age of 5 years after September 1
30 but before October 1 of the school year are eligible to take
31 an assessment for early kindergarten placement. Beginning in
1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 CS for SB 62
304-2171-00
1 the 2001-2002 school year, children who will have attained the
2 age of 5 years after September 1 but before November 1 of the
3 school year are eligible to take an assessment for early
4 kindergarten placement. Beginning in the 2002-2003 school
5 year, children who will have attained the age of 5 years after
6 September 1 but before December 1 of the school year are
7 eligible to take an assessment for early kindergarten
8 placement. Upon written request of a child's parent or
9 guardian, the school district must provide at least one
10 opportunity for the child to take the assessment for early
11 kindergarten placement. The assessment for early kindergarten
12 placement must consist of multiple measures and must involve
13 consultation by parents, teachers, school district
14 administrators, and student-support personnel, including, but
15 not limited to, the school psychologist and counselor. Any
16 child who is determined to be ready for entrance into
17 kindergarten, according to rules of the Commissioner of
18 Education, is eligible for admission to public kindergartens
19 during that school year. Any child who is determined not to be
20 ready for entrance into kindergarten, according to rules of
21 the commissioner, is subject to the admission requirements of
22 sub-subparagraph a. The commissioner may adopt rules to
23 implement the provisions of this sub-subparagraph.
24 3. Children who will have attained the age of 3 years
25 on or before September 1 of the school year are eligible for
26 admission to prekindergarten early intervention programs
27 during that school year as provided in s. 230.2305 or a
28 preschool program as provided in s. 228.061.
29 (b) Any child who has attained the age of 6 years on
30 or before September 1 of the school year and who has been
31 enrolled in a public school or who has attained the age of 6
2
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 CS for SB 62
304-2171-00
1 years on or before September 1 and has satisfactorily
2 completed the requirements for kindergarten in a nonpublic
3 school from which the district school board accepts transfer
4 of academic credit, or who has been enrolled in a public
5 kindergarten under the provisions of sub-subparagraph (a)2.b.,
6 or who otherwise meets the criteria for admission or transfer
7 in a manner similar to that applicable to other grades, shall
8 progress according to the district's pupil progression plan.
9 However, nothing in this section shall authorize the state or
10 any school district to oversee or exercise control over the
11 curricula or academic programs of nonpublic schools or home
12 education programs.
13 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.
14
15 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
16 SB 62
17
18 The Committee Substitute differs from SB 62 in the following
ways:
19
1. Instead of requiring an assessment of readiness for
20 kindergarten to be included in the statewide assessment
program, the committee substitute requires an assessment for
21 early kindergarten placement.
22 2. The assessment must include multiple measures and must
involve consultation by parents, teachers, school district
23 administrators, the school psychologist and counselor.
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
3