1 | A bill to be entitled |
2 | An act relating to education; amending s. 1001.03, F.S.; |
3 | specifying the student performance standards that must be |
4 | used for civics education; creating s. 1004.65, F.S.; |
5 | establishing the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship; |
6 | providing purpose and location; providing for a board of |
7 | directors and an advisory committee; providing that the |
8 | center shall solicit and may receive funding; requiring an |
9 | annual report; amending s. 1008.22, F.S.; requiring the |
10 | Commissioner of Education to include social studies as |
11 | part of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test; |
12 | providing an effective date. |
13 |
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14 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
15 |
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16 | Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 1001.03, Florida |
17 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
18 | 1001.03 Specific powers of State Board of Education.-- |
19 | (1) PUBLIC K-12 STUDENT PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.--The State |
20 | Board of Education shall approve the student performance |
21 | standards known as the Sunshine State Standards in key academic |
22 | subject areas and grade levels. The state board shall establish |
23 | a schedule to facilitate the periodic review of the standards to |
24 | ensure adequate rigor, relevance, logical student progression, |
25 | and the integration of reading, writing, and mathematics across |
26 | all subject areas. The standards review by subject area must |
27 | include participation of curriculum leaders in other content |
28 | areas, including the arts, to ensure valid content area |
29 | integration and to address the instructional requirements of |
30 | different learners learning styles. The 2008 revision of the |
31 | curriculum standards for social studies must include an emphasis |
32 | on the integration of civics education at all grade levels, |
33 | based on the framework provided by the National Standards for |
34 | Civics and Government. The civics standards must be included in |
35 | all appropriate state testing provisions and assessments as they |
36 | are developed, with an emphasis on student application, |
37 | analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The process and schedule |
38 | for review and the design and implementation of the proposed |
39 | revisions must include leadership and input from the state's |
40 | classroom teachers, school administrators, and community |
41 | colleges and universities, and from representatives from |
42 | business and industry who are identified by local education |
43 | foundations. A report including proposed revisions must be |
44 | submitted to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the |
45 | Speaker of the House of Representatives annually to coincide |
46 | with the established review schedule. The review schedule and an |
47 | annual status report must be submitted to the Governor, the |
48 | President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of |
49 | Representatives annually not later than January 1. |
50 | Section 2. Section 1004.65, Florida Statutes, is created |
51 | to read: |
52 | 1004.65 Florida Joint Center for Citizenship.-- |
53 | (1) Subject to appropriation, the Florida Joint Center for |
54 | Citizenship is created at the Bob Graham Center for Public |
55 | Service at the University of Florida and the Lou Frey Institute |
56 | of Politics and Government at the University of Central Florida. |
57 | The center is established to promote civic learning and |
58 | engagement among the public, especially young people. To |
59 | accomplish this purpose, the center shall: |
60 | (a) Work in collaboration with the Department of |
61 | Education, colleges and universities, school districts, and |
62 | other public and private organizations to improve civic learning |
63 | and engagement; |
64 | (b) Serve as an information resource and clearinghouse on |
65 | activities and initiatives that promote civic learning and |
66 | engagement; |
67 | (c) Offer and support programs that encourage civic and |
68 | political engagement and leadership; and |
69 | (d) Undertake research on civic learning and engagement. |
70 | (2) The center shall operate under the leadership of a |
71 | board of directors that meets at least two times per year. Board |
72 | membership must include: |
73 | (a) The Governor or his or her designee; |
74 | (b) The President of the Senate or his or her designee; |
75 | (c) The Speaker of the House of Representatives or his or |
76 | her designee; |
77 | (d) The Commissioner of Education or his or her designee; |
78 | (e) The President of the University of Florida or his or |
79 | her designee; |
80 | (f) The President of the University of Central Florida or |
81 | his or her designee; |
82 | (g) Former United States Senator Bob Graham or the chair |
83 | of the board of directors of the Bob Graham Center for Public |
84 | Service; and |
85 | (h) Former United States Congressman Louis Frey, Jr., or |
86 | the chair of the board of directors of the Lou Frey Institute of |
87 | Politics and Government. |
88 | (3) The center shall solicit and may receive state, |
89 | federal, and private funds for the purpose of promoting civic |
90 | learning and engagement. Revenues and expenditures shall be |
91 | reported to the board on a regular basis. |
92 | (4) The administrative headquarters of the center shall |
93 | initially be located at the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and |
94 | Government. The headquarters may subsequently be moved between |
95 | the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government and the Bob |
96 | Graham Center for Public Service at the discretion of the board. |
97 | Administrative and management responsibility and support |
98 | services for the center shall rest with the director of the unit |
99 | where the center is headquartered and shall be provided as such |
100 | services are normally provided to academic programs. |
101 | (5) A statewide advisory committee, whose members shall be |
102 | annually appointed by the board, shall be convened to provide |
103 | guidance and recommendations regarding initiatives to promote |
104 | civic learning and engagement among members of the public. |
105 | (6) On or before January 31 of each year, the center shall |
106 | provide a report of its activities to the Governor, the |
107 | President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of |
108 | Representatives. |
109 | Section 3. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section |
110 | 1008.22, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
111 | 1008.22 Student assessment program for public schools.-- |
112 | (3) STATEWIDE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM.--The commissioner shall |
113 | design and implement a statewide program of educational |
114 | assessment that provides information for the improvement of the |
115 | operation and management of the public schools, including |
116 | schools operating for the purpose of providing educational |
117 | services to youth in Department of Juvenile Justice programs. |
118 | The commissioner may enter into contracts for the continued |
119 | administration of the assessment, testing, and evaluation |
120 | programs authorized and funded by the Legislature. Contracts may |
121 | be initiated in 1 fiscal year and continue into the next and may |
122 | be paid from the appropriations of either or both fiscal years. |
123 | The commissioner is authorized to negotiate for the sale or |
124 | lease of tests, scoring protocols, test scoring services, and |
125 | related materials developed pursuant to law. Pursuant to the |
126 | statewide assessment program, the commissioner shall: |
127 | (c) Develop and implement a student achievement testing |
128 | program known as the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test |
129 | (FCAT) as part of the statewide assessment program to measure |
130 | reading, writing, science, and mathematics. The commissioner |
131 | shall develop and administer a statewide assessment for social |
132 | studies that includes an emphasis on the integration of civics |
133 | education as required in s. 1001.03(1). Other content areas may |
134 | be included as directed by the commissioner. The assessment of |
135 | reading and mathematics shall be administered annually in grades |
136 | 3 through 10. The assessment of writing and science shall be |
137 | administered at least once at the elementary, middle, and high |
138 | school levels. The assessment of social studies shall be |
139 | administered at least once at the elementary, middle, and high |
140 | school levels beginning with the 2013-2014 school year. The |
141 | commissioner must document the procedures used to ensure that |
142 | the versions of the FCAT which are taken by students retaking |
143 | the grade 10 FCAT are equally as challenging and difficult as |
144 | the tests taken by students in grade 10 which contain |
145 | performance tasks. The testing program must be designed so that: |
146 | 1. The tests measure student skills and competencies |
147 | adopted by the State Board of Education as specified in |
148 | paragraph (a). The tests must measure and report student |
149 | proficiency levels of all students assessed in reading, writing, |
150 | mathematics, and science. The commissioner shall provide for the |
151 | tests to be developed or obtained, as appropriate, through |
152 | contracts and project agreements with private vendors, public |
153 | vendors, public agencies, postsecondary educational |
154 | institutions, or school districts. The commissioner shall obtain |
155 | input with respect to the design and implementation of the |
156 | testing program from state educators, assistive technology |
157 | experts, and the public. |
158 | 2. The testing program will include a combination of norm- |
159 | referenced and criterion-referenced tests and include, to the |
160 | extent determined by the commissioner, questions that require |
161 | the student to produce information or perform tasks in such a |
162 | way that allows the skills and competencies he or she uses to |
163 | can be measured. |
164 | 3. Each testing program, whether at the elementary, |
165 | middle, or high school level, must include a includes a test of |
166 | writing test in which students are required to produce writings |
167 | that are then scored by appropriate and timely methods. |
168 | 4. A minimum score is designated for each subject area |
169 | tested, below which score a student's performance is deemed |
170 | inadequate. The school districts shall provide appropriate |
171 | remedial instruction to students who score below these levels. |
172 | 5. Except as provided in s. 1003.428(8)(b) or s. |
173 | 1003.43(11)(b), students must earn a passing score on the grade |
174 | 10 assessment test described in this paragraph or attain |
175 | concordant scores as described in subsection (9) in reading, |
176 | writing, and mathematics to qualify for a standard high school |
177 | diploma. The State Board of Education shall designate a passing |
178 | score for each part of the grade 10 assessment test. In |
179 | establishing passing scores, the state board shall consider any |
180 | possible negative impact of the test on minority students. The |
181 | State Board of Education shall adopt rules that which specify |
182 | the passing scores for the grade 10 FCAT. Any such rules that, |
183 | which have the effect of raising the required passing scores, |
184 | shall only apply to students taking the grade 10 FCAT for the |
185 | first time after such rules are adopted by the State Board of |
186 | Education. |
187 | 6. Participation in the testing program is mandatory for |
188 | all students attending public school, including students served |
189 | in Department of Juvenile Justice programs, except as otherwise |
190 | prescribed by the commissioner. If a student does not |
191 | participate in the statewide assessment, the district must |
192 | notify the student's parent and provide the parent with |
193 | information regarding the implications of such nonparticipation. |
194 | A parent must provide signed consent for a student to receive |
195 | classroom instructional accommodations that would not be |
196 | available or permitted on the statewide assessments and must |
197 | acknowledge in writing that he or she understands the |
198 | implications of such instructional accommodations. The State |
199 | Board of Education shall adopt rules, based upon recommendations |
200 | of the commissioner, for the provision of test accommodations |
201 | for students in exceptional education programs and for students |
202 | who have limited English proficiency. Accommodations that negate |
203 | the validity of a statewide assessment are not allowable in the |
204 | administration of the FCAT. However, instructional |
205 | accommodations are allowable in the classroom if included in a |
206 | student's individual education plan. Students using |
207 | instructional accommodations in the classroom that are not |
208 | allowable as accommodations on the FCAT may have the FCAT |
209 | requirement waived pursuant to the requirements of s. |
210 | 1003.428(8)(b) or s. 1003.43(11)(b). |
211 | 7. A student seeking an adult high school diploma must |
212 | meet the same testing requirements that a regular high school |
213 | student must meet. |
214 | 8. District school boards must provide instruction to |
215 | prepare students to demonstrate proficiency in the skills and |
216 | competencies necessary for successful grade-to-grade progression |
217 | and high school graduation. If a student is provided with |
218 | instructional accommodations in the classroom that are not |
219 | allowable as accommodations in the statewide assessment program, |
220 | as described in the test manuals, the district must inform the |
221 | parent in writing and must provide the parent with information |
222 | regarding the impact on the student's ability to meet expected |
223 | proficiency levels in reading, writing, and math. The |
224 | commissioner shall conduct studies as necessary to verify that |
225 | the required skills and competencies are part of the district |
226 | instructional programs. |
227 | 9. District school boards must provide opportunities for |
228 | students to demonstrate an acceptable level of performance on an |
229 | alternative standardized assessment approved by the State Board |
230 | of Education following enrollment in summer academies. |
231 | 10. The Department of Education must develop, or select, |
232 | and implement a common battery of assessment tools that will be |
233 | used in all juvenile justice programs in the state. These tools |
234 | must accurately measure the skills and competencies established |
235 | in the Sunshine State Standards. |
236 | 11. For students seeking a special diploma pursuant to s. |
237 | 1003.438, the Department of Education must develop or select and |
238 | implement an alternate assessment tool that accurately measures |
239 | the skills and competencies established in the Sunshine State |
240 | Standards for students with disabilities under s. 1003.438. |
241 |
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242 | The commissioner may, based on collaboration and input from |
243 | school districts, design and implement student testing programs, |
244 | for any grade level and subject area, necessary to effectively |
245 | monitor educational achievement in the state, including the |
246 | measurement of educational achievement of the Sunshine State |
247 | Standards for students with disabilities. Development and |
248 | refinement of assessments shall include universal design |
249 | principles and accessibility standards that will prevent any |
250 | unintended obstacles for students with disabilities while |
251 | ensuring the validity and reliability of the test. These |
252 | principles should be applicable to all technology platforms and |
253 | assistive devices available for the assessments. The field |
254 | testing process and psychometric analyses for the statewide |
255 | assessment program must include an appropriate percentage of |
256 | students with disabilities and an evaluation or determination of |
257 | the effect of test items on such students. |
258 | Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |