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A bill to be entitled

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An act relating to the designation of high school grades;

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amending s. 1008.34, F.S, relating to the school grading

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system; providing for a revised high school grading system

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beginning with the 2009-2010 school year which includes

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the statewide standardized assessment, graduation rates,

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performance and participation in certain courses,

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postsecondary readiness as measured by certain

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examinations, and the change in these factors from year to

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year; specifying the data components to be used in

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determining the revised high school grading system;

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requiring that the criteria for school grades give added

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weight to the graduation rate of all eligible at-risk

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students; providing an effective date.

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

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

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Statutes, is amended to read:

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     1008.34  School grading system; school report cards;

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district grade.--

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

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students who are tested and included in the school grading

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system, except an alternative school that receives a school

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improvement rating pursuant to s. 1008.341, shall receive a

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school grade; however, an alternative school may choose to

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

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improvement rating. Additionally, a school that serves any

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combination of students in kindergarten through grade 3 which

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does not receive a school grade because its students are not

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tested and included in the school grading system shall receive

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

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identified by the Department of Education and verified by the

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

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percent of the students in the school serving a combination of

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students in kindergarten through grade 3 are scheduled to be

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assigned to the graded school. School grades itemized in

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subsection (2) shall be based on the following:

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     (a)1. Criteria.--A school's grade shall be based on a

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combination of:

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     a.1. Student achievement scores, including achievement

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scores for students seeking a special diploma.

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     b.2. Student learning gains as measured by annual FCAT

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assessments in grades 3 through 10; learning gains for students

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seeking a special diploma, as measured by an alternate assessment

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

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

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

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these students are exhibiting satisfactory performance.

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     2. Beginning with the 2009-2010 school year for schools

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comprised of high school grades 9, 10, 11, and 12, or grades 10,

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11, and 12, 50 percent of the school grade shall be based on a

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combination of the factors listed in sub-subparagraphs 1.a.-c.

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and the remaining 50 percent on the following factors:

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     a. The high school graduation rate of the school;

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     b. As valid data becomes available, the performance and

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participation of the school's students in College Board Advanced

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Placement courses; International Baccalaureate courses; dual

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enrollment courses; Advanced International Certificate of

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Education courses; and achievement of industry certification, as

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determined by the Agency for Workforce Innovation under s.

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1003.492(2) in a career and professional academy, as described in

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s. 1003.493;

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     c. Postsecondary readiness of the school's students as

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measured by the SAT, ACT, or the common placement test;

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     d. The high school graduation rate of at-risk students who

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scored at Level 2 or lower on the 8th grade FCAT Reading and

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Mathematics examinations;

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     e. As valid data becomes available, the performance of the

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school's students on statewide standardized end-of-course

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assessments approved by the Department of Education; and

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     f. The growth or decline in the components listed in sub-

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subparagraphs a. through e. from year to year.

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

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in determining school grades shall include:

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     1.  The aggregate scores of all eligible students enrolled

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in the school who have been assessed on the FCAT.

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     2.  The aggregate scores of all eligible students enrolled

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

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

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

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writing, unless these students are exhibiting satisfactory

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performance.

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

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achievement scores and learning gains of eligible students

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attending alternative schools that provide dropout prevention and

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academic intervention services pursuant to s. 1003.53. The term

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"eligible students" in this subparagraph does not include

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students attending an alternative school who are subject to

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district school board policies for expulsion for repeated or

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serious offenses, who are in dropout retrieval programs serving

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students who have officially been designated as dropouts, or who

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are in programs operated or contracted by the Department of

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Juvenile Justice. The student performance data for eligible

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students identified in this subparagraph shall be included in the

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

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

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student was attending when assigned to an alternative school. If

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an alternative school chooses to be graded pursuant to this

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section, student performance data for eligible students

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identified in this subparagraph shall not be included in the home

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

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the alternative school's grade. School districts must require

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collaboration between the home school and the alternative school

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in order to promote student success.

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     4. Beginning with the 2009-2010 school year for schools

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comprised of high school grades 9, 10, 11, and 12, or grades 10,

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11, and 12, the data listed in subparagraphs 1. through 3. and

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the following data as the Department of Education determines such

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data are valid and available:

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     a. The high school graduation rate of the school as

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calculated by the Department of Education;

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     b. The participation rate of all eligible students enrolled

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in the school and enrolled in College Board Advanced Placement

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courses; International Baccalaureate courses; dual enrollment

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courses; Advanced International Certificate of Education courses;

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and courses or sequence of courses leading to industry

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certification, as determined by the Agency for Workforce

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Innovation under s. 1003.492(2) in a career and professional

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academy, as described in s. 1003.493;

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     c. The aggregate scores of all eligible students enrolled

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in the school in College Board Advanced Placement courses,

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International Baccalaureate courses, and Advanced International

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Certificate of Education courses;

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     d. Earning of college credit by all eligible students

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enrolled in the school in dual enrollment programs under s.

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1007.271;

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     e. Earning of an industry certification, as determined by

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the Agency for Workforce Innovation under s. 1003.492(2) in a

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career and professional academy, as described in s. 1003.493;

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     f. The aggregate scores of all eligible students enrolled

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in the school in reading, mathematics, and other subjects as

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measured by the SAT, ACT, and common placement test for

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postsecondary readiness;

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     g. The high school graduation rate of all eligible at-risk

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students enrolled in the school who scored at Level 2 or lower on

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the 8th grade FCAT Reading and Mathematics examinations;

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     h. The performance of the school's students on statewide

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standardized end-of-course assessments approved by the Department

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of Education; and

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     i. The growth or decline in the data components listed in

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sub-subparagraphs a. through h. from year to year.

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The State Board of Education shall adopt appropriate criteria for

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

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student achievement in reading. Schools designated with a grade

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

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demonstrate that adequate progress has been made by students in

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

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

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these students are exhibiting satisfactory performance. Beginning

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with the 2009-2010 school year for schools comprised of high

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school grades 9, 10, 11, and 12, or grades 10, 11, and 12, the

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criteria for school grades must also give added weight to the

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graduation rate of all eligible at-risk students, as defined in

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this paragraph. Beginning in the 2009-2010 school year, in order

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for a high school to be designated as having a grade of "A,"

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making excellent progress, the school must demonstrate that at-

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risk students, as defined in this paragraph, in the school are

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making adequate progress.

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