1

A bill to be entitled

2

An act relating to the public school grading system;

3

amending s. 1008.34, F.S.; providing for identification of

4

feeder pattern schools by the school district rather than

5

the Department of Education prior to school grades being

6

issued for the school year; deleting provisions describing

7

what constitutes a school feeder pattern; providing an

8

effective date.

9

10

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

11

12

     Section 1.  Subsection (3) of section 1008.34, Florida

13

Statutes, is amended to read:

14

     1008.34  School grading system; school report cards;

15

district grade.--

16

     (3)  DESIGNATION OF SCHOOL GRADES.--Each school that has

17

students who are tested and included in the school grading

18

system, except an alternative school that receives a school

19

improvement rating pursuant to s. 1008.341, shall receive a

20

school grade; however, an alternative school may choose to

21

receive a school grade under this section in lieu of a school

22

improvement rating. Additionally, a school that serves any

23

combination of students in kindergarten through grade 3 which

24

does not receive a school grade because its students are not

25

tested and included in the school grading system shall receive

26

the school grade designation of a K-3 feeder pattern school

27

identified by the Department of Education and verified by the

28

school district prior to the school grades being issued for the

29

school year. A school feeder pattern exists if at least 60

30

percent of the students in the school serving a combination of

31

students in kindergarten through grade 3 are scheduled to be

32

assigned to the graded school. School grades itemized in

33

subsection (2) shall be based on the following:

34

     (a)  Criteria.--A school's grade shall be based on a

35

combination of:

36

     1.  Student achievement scores, including achievement scores

37

for students seeking a special diploma.

38

     2.  Student learning gains as measured by annual FCAT

39

assessments in grades 3 through 10; learning gains for students

40

seeking a special diploma, as measured by an alternate assessment

41

tool, shall be included not later than the 2009-2010 school year.

42

     3.  Improvement of the lowest 25th percentile of students in

43

the school in reading, math, or writing on the FCAT, unless these

44

students are exhibiting satisfactory performance.

45

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

46

in determining school grades shall include:

47

     1.  The aggregate scores of all eligible students enrolled

48

in the school who have been assessed on the FCAT.

49

     2.  The aggregate scores of all eligible students enrolled

50

in the school who have been assessed on the FCAT, including

51

Florida Writes, and who have scored at or in the lowest 25th

52

percentile of students in the school in reading, math, or

53

writing, unless these students are exhibiting satisfactory

54

performance.

55

     3.  Effective with the 2005-2006 school year, the

56

achievement scores and learning gains of eligible students

57

attending alternative schools that provide dropout prevention and

58

academic intervention services pursuant to s. 1003.53. The term

59

"eligible students" in this subparagraph does not include

60

students attending an alternative school who are subject to

61

district school board policies for expulsion for repeated or

62

serious offenses, who are in dropout retrieval programs serving

63

students who have officially been designated as dropouts, or who

64

are in programs operated or contracted by the Department of

65

Juvenile Justice. The student performance data for eligible

66

students identified in this subparagraph shall be included in the

67

calculation of the home school's grade. For purposes of this

68

section and s. 1008.341, "home school" means the school the

69

student was attending when assigned to an alternative school. If

70

an alternative school chooses to be graded pursuant to this

71

section, student performance data for eligible students

72

identified in this subparagraph shall not be included in the home

73

school's grade but shall be included only in the calculation of

74

the alternative school's grade. School districts must require

75

collaboration between the home school and the alternative school

76

in order to promote student success.

77

78

The State Board of Education shall adopt appropriate criteria for

79

each school grade. The criteria must also give added weight to

80

student achievement in reading. Schools designated with a grade

81

of "C," making satisfactory progress, shall be required to

82

demonstrate that adequate progress has been made by students in

83

the school who are in the lowest 25th percentile in reading,

84

math, or writing on the FCAT, including Florida Writes, unless

85

these students are exhibiting satisfactory performance.

86

     Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2008.