Senate Bill sb2576

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2576

    By Senator Wilson





    33-1347A-06

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to education; creating s.

  3         1003.425, F.S.; requiring that certain

  4         information concerning the value of a high

  5         school education, the test scores that help

  6         students obtain a diploma, and the options for

  7         postsecondary training and workforce

  8         participation be provided to students who are

  9         in the 9th grade and to those who withdraw from

10         public school; requiring that a counselor be

11         assigned to each student who withdraws and that

12         the counselor follow the student's progress

13         until the student becomes an adult; amending s.

14         1008.25, F.S.; providing that the Legislature

15         intends to provide students and parents with

16         the tools and resources to ensure academic

17         success; requiring that the middle school

18         success plan include home visits for the

19         purpose of monitoring a student's progress and

20         ensuring that the parent is informed of efforts

21         directed towards the student; requiring

22         remedial or supplemental instruction to include

23         programs to assist students in achieving a

24         passing score on the FCAT assessment; requiring

25         that a weekly progress report be provided to

26         the parent; requiring assistance that

27         familiarizes the student with the type of

28         questions that are likely to appear on the

29         FCAT; authorizing high school students who have

30         passed the FCAT to provide tutoring assistance

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2576
    33-1347A-06




 1         for students in certain grades; providing an

 2         effective date.

 3  

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

 5  

 6         Section 1.  Section 1003.425, Florida Statutes, is

 7  created to read:

 8         1003.425  Required information for 9th-grade students

 9  and those leaving public school; mandatory followup

10  counselor.--

11         (1)  Beginning in the 2007-2008 school year, each

12  student who is in the second semester of the 9th grade in a

13  public school must be given instruction in:

14         (a)  The value of a high school education, both

15  financial and cultural;

16         (b)  The alternative assessments, such as the SAT and

17  the ACT, the scores of which could help the student obtain a

18  high school diploma; and

19         (c)  The postsecondary options that are available,

20  including undertaking workforce training, enrolling in a

21  community college or a university and the prerequisites to

22  each; and entering the workforce immediately upon leaving high

23  school, with or without a diploma. The instruction must

24  include a detailed discussion of the relative advantages and

25  disadvantages of each alternative.

26         (2)  Beginning in the 2007-2008 school year, a student

27  who withdraws from public school for reasons other than

28  graduating or transferring to another school within or outside

29  the state must have an exit interview with a counselor who

30  presents the student with the types of information required to

31  be presented to 9th-grade students under subsection (1). In

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2576
    33-1347A-06




 1  the exit interview, the counselor must also determine where

 2  the individual plans to go, and the school must assign to the

 3  individual a counselor who will follow his or her progress and

 4  serve as a resource for educational information until he or

 5  she attains the age of 18 years.

 6         Section 2.  Subsections (1) and (4) of section 1008.25,

 7  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

 8         1008.25  Public school student progression; remedial

 9  instruction; reporting requirements.--

10         (1)  INTENT.--It is the intent of the Legislature that

11  each student's progression from one grade to another be

12  determined, in part, upon proficiency in reading, writing,

13  science, and mathematics; that district school board policies

14  facilitate such proficiency; and that each student and his or

15  her parent be informed of that student's academic progress

16  through weekly progress reports; and that each student and his

17  or her parent be provided with the tools and resources to

18  ensure academic success.

19         (4)  ASSESSMENT AND REMEDIATION.--

20         (a)  Each student must participate in the statewide

21  assessment tests required by s. 1008.22. Each student who does

22  not meet specific levels of performance as determined by the

23  district school board in reading, writing, science, and

24  mathematics for each grade level, or who does not meet

25  specific levels of performance as determined by the

26  commissioner on statewide assessments at selected grade

27  levels, must be provided with additional diagnostic

28  assessments to determine the nature of the student's

29  difficulty and areas of academic need.

30         (b)  The school in which the student is enrolled must

31  develop, in consultation with the student's parent, and must

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2576
    33-1347A-06




 1  implement an academic improvement plan designed to assist the

 2  student in meeting state and district expectations for

 3  proficiency. For a student for whom a personalized middle

 4  school success plan is required pursuant to s. 1003.415, the

 5  middle school success plan must be incorporated in the

 6  student's academic improvement plan. The middle school success

 7  plan must include a component that provides for home visits to

 8  be made for the purpose of monitoring a student's progress and

 9  ensuring that the parent is aware and informed of the efforts

10  being made to ensure that the student improves academically.

11  Beginning with the 2002-2003 school year, if the student has

12  been identified as having a deficiency in reading, the

13  academic improvement plan shall identify the student's

14  specific areas of deficiency in phonemic awareness, phonics,

15  fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary; the desired levels of

16  performance in these areas; and the instructional and support

17  services to be provided to meet the desired levels of

18  performance. Schools shall also provide for the frequent

19  monitoring of the student's progress in meeting the desired

20  levels of performance. District school boards shall assist

21  schools and teachers to implement research-based reading

22  activities that have been shown to be successful in teaching

23  reading to low-performing students. Remedial instruction

24  provided during high school may not be in lieu of English and

25  mathematics credits required for graduation.

26         (c)  Upon subsequent evaluation, if the documented

27  deficiency has not been remediated in accordance with the

28  academic improvement plan, the student may be retained. Each

29  student who does not meet the minimum performance expectations

30  defined by the Commissioner of Education for the statewide

31  assessment tests in reading, writing, science, and mathematics

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2576
    33-1347A-06




 1  must continue to be provided with remedial or supplemental

 2  instruction until the expectations are met or the student

 3  graduates from high school or is not subject to compulsory

 4  school attendance.

 5         (d)  The remedial or supplemental instruction required

 6  under this subsection shall include special programs that are

 7  dedicated to assisting students in attaining a passing score

 8  on the FCAT assessment. The special programs may be offered as

 9  after-school programs or during class periods that are set

10  aside for the purpose of providing intensive remedial study

11  and coaching in designated subject areas of the FCAT. The

12  parent of each student who receives remedial study and

13  coaching for purposes of passing the FCAT assessment shall be

14  provided with a weekly progress report. Additional assistance

15  may be provided in the form of homework or classes designed to

16  familiarize the student with the type of questions that are

17  likely to appear on the FCAT assessment. The remedial or

18  supplemental instruction may also include tutoring by high

19  school students who have successfully passed the FCAT

20  assessment and who provide assistance to students in the

21  eighth grade or ninth grade who are anticipated to have

22  difficulty in attaining a passing score on the FCAT

23  assessment. The school shall offer credit in community service

24  for any student who provides such tutoring.

25         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2576
    33-1347A-06




 1            *****************************************

 2                          SENATE SUMMARY

 3    Requires that certain information about the value of a
      high school education, the test scores that help students
 4    obtain a diploma, and the options for postsecondary
      training and workforce participation be provided to
 5    students who are in the 9th grade and to those who
      withdraw from public school. Requires that a counselor be
 6    assigned to each student who withdraws and that the
      counselor follow the student's progress until the student
 7    becomes an adult. Requires the middle school success plan
      to include home visits in order to ensure that the parent
 8    is informed of the student's progress and of efforts
      directed towards the student. Requires that remedial or
 9    supplemental instruction include programs to assist
      students in passing the FCAT. Requires that a weekly
10    progress report be provided to the student's parent.
      Requires that the assistance help familiarizes the
11    student with the type of questions that are likely to
      appear on the FCAT. Provides for high school students who
12    have passed the FCAT to provide tutoring assistance for
      students in eighth and ninth grades.
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