HB 393

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to education; amending s. 1001.03, F.S.;
3specifying the student performance standards that must be
4used for civics education; creating s. 1004.65, F.S.;
5establishing the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship;
6providing purpose and location; providing for a board of
7directors and an advisory committee; providing that the
8center shall solicit and may receive funding; requiring an
9annual report; amending s. 1008.22, F.S.; requiring the
10Commissioner of Education to include social studies as
11part of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test;
12providing an effective date.
13
14Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16     Section 1.  Subsection (1) of section 1001.03, Florida
17Statutes, is amended to read:
18     1001.03  Specific powers of State Board of Education.--
19     (1)  PUBLIC K-12 STUDENT PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.--The State
20Board of Education shall approve the student performance
21standards known as the Sunshine State Standards in key academic
22subject areas and grade levels. The state board shall establish
23a schedule to facilitate the periodic review of the standards to
24ensure adequate rigor, relevance, logical student progression,
25and the integration of reading, writing, and mathematics across
26all subject areas. The standards review by subject area must
27include participation of curriculum leaders in other content
28areas, including the arts, to ensure valid content area
29integration and to address the instructional requirements of
30different learners learning styles. The 2008 revision of the
31curriculum standards for social studies must include an emphasis
32on the integration of civics education at all grade levels,
33based on the framework provided by the National Standards for
34Civics and Government. The civics standards must be included in
35all appropriate state testing provisions and assessments as they
36are developed, with an emphasis on student application,
37analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The process and schedule
38for review and the design and implementation of the proposed
39revisions must include leadership and input from the state's
40classroom teachers, school administrators, and community
41colleges and universities, and from representatives from
42business and industry who are identified by local education
43foundations. A report including proposed revisions must be
44submitted to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
45Speaker of the House of Representatives annually to coincide
46with the established review schedule. The review schedule and an
47annual status report must be submitted to the Governor, the
48President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
49Representatives annually not later than January 1.
50     Section 2.  Section 1004.65, Florida Statutes, is created
51to read:
52     1004.65  Florida Joint Center for Citizenship.--
53     (1)  Subject to appropriation, the Florida Joint Center for
54Citizenship is created at the Bob Graham Center for Public
55Service at the University of Florida and the Lou Frey Institute
56of Politics and Government at the University of Central Florida.
57The center is established to promote civic learning and
58engagement among the public, especially young people. To
59accomplish this purpose, the center shall:
60     (a)  Work in collaboration with the Department of
61Education, colleges and universities, school districts, and
62other public and private organizations to improve civic learning
63and engagement;
64     (b)  Serve as an information resource and clearinghouse on
65activities and initiatives that promote civic learning and
66engagement;
67     (c)  Offer and support programs that encourage civic and
68political engagement and leadership; and
69     (d)  Undertake research on civic learning and engagement.
70     (2)  The center shall operate under the leadership of a
71board of directors that meets at least two times per year. Board
72membership 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
76her designee;
77     (d)  The Commissioner of Education or his or her designee;
78     (e)  The President of the University of Florida or his or
79her designee;
80     (f)  The President of the University of Central Florida or
81his or her designee;
82     (g)  Former United States Senator Bob Graham or the chair
83of the board of directors of the Bob Graham Center for Public
84Service; and
85     (h)  Former United States Congressman Louis Frey, Jr., or
86the chair of the board of directors of the Lou Frey Institute of
87Politics and Government.
88     (3)  The center shall solicit and may receive state,
89federal, and private funds for the purpose of promoting civic
90learning and engagement. Revenues and expenditures shall be
91reported to the board on a regular basis.
92     (4)  The administrative headquarters of the center shall
93initially be located at the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and
94Government. The headquarters may subsequently be moved between
95the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government and the Bob
96Graham Center for Public Service at the discretion of the board.
97Administrative and management responsibility and support
98services for the center shall rest with the director of the unit
99where the center is headquartered and shall be provided as such
100services are normally provided to academic programs.
101     (5)  A statewide advisory committee, whose members shall be
102annually appointed by the board, shall be convened to provide
103guidance and recommendations regarding initiatives to promote
104civic learning and engagement among members of the public.
105     (6)  On or before January 31 of each year, the center shall
106provide a report of its activities to the Governor, the
107President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
108Representatives.
109     Section 3.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section
1101008.22, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
111     1008.22  Student assessment program for public schools.--
112     (3)  STATEWIDE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM.--The commissioner shall
113design and implement a statewide program of educational
114assessment that provides information for the improvement of the
115operation and management of the public schools, including
116schools operating for the purpose of providing educational
117services to youth in Department of Juvenile Justice programs.
118The commissioner may enter into contracts for the continued
119administration of the assessment, testing, and evaluation
120programs authorized and funded by the Legislature. Contracts may
121be initiated in 1 fiscal year and continue into the next and may
122be paid from the appropriations of either or both fiscal years.
123The commissioner is authorized to negotiate for the sale or
124lease of tests, scoring protocols, test scoring services, and
125related materials developed pursuant to law. Pursuant to the
126statewide assessment program, the commissioner shall:
127     (c)  Develop and implement a student achievement testing
128program known as the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
129(FCAT) as part of the statewide assessment program to measure
130reading, writing, science, and mathematics. The commissioner
131shall develop and administer a statewide assessment for social
132studies that includes an emphasis on the integration of civics
133education as required in s. 1001.03(1). Other content areas may
134be included as directed by the commissioner. The assessment of
135reading and mathematics shall be administered annually in grades
1363 through 10. The assessment of writing and science shall be
137administered at least once at the elementary, middle, and high
138school levels. The assessment of social studies shall be
139administered at least once at the elementary, middle, and high
140school levels beginning with the 2013-2014 school year. The
141commissioner must document the procedures used to ensure that
142the versions of the FCAT which are taken by students retaking
143the grade 10 FCAT are equally as challenging and difficult as
144the tests taken by students in grade 10 which contain
145performance tasks. The testing program must be designed so that:
146     1.  The tests measure student skills and competencies
147adopted by the State Board of Education as specified in
148paragraph (a). The tests must measure and report student
149proficiency levels of all students assessed in reading, writing,
150mathematics, and science. The commissioner shall provide for the
151tests to be developed or obtained, as appropriate, through
152contracts and project agreements with private vendors, public
153vendors, public agencies, postsecondary educational
154institutions, or school districts. The commissioner shall obtain
155input with respect to the design and implementation of the
156testing program from state educators, assistive technology
157experts, and the public.
158     2.  The testing program will include a combination of norm-
159referenced and criterion-referenced tests and include, to the
160extent determined by the commissioner, questions that require
161the student to produce information or perform tasks in such a
162way that allows the skills and competencies he or she uses to
163can be measured.
164     3.  Each testing program, whether at the elementary,
165middle, or high school level, must include a includes a test of
166writing test in which students are required to produce writings
167that are then scored by appropriate and timely methods.
168     4.  A minimum score is designated for each subject area
169tested, below which score a student's performance is deemed
170inadequate. The school districts shall provide appropriate
171remedial instruction to students who score below these levels.
172     5.  Except as provided in s. 1003.428(8)(b) or s.
1731003.43(11)(b), students must earn a passing score on the grade
17410 assessment test described in this paragraph or attain
175concordant scores as described in subsection (9) in reading,
176writing, and mathematics to qualify for a standard high school
177diploma. The State Board of Education shall designate a passing
178score for each part of the grade 10 assessment test. In
179establishing passing scores, the state board shall consider any
180possible negative impact of the test on minority students. The
181State Board of Education shall adopt rules that which specify
182the passing scores for the grade 10 FCAT. Any such rules that,
183which have the effect of raising the required passing scores,
184shall only apply to students taking the grade 10 FCAT for the
185first time after such rules are adopted by the State Board of
186Education.
187     6.  Participation in the testing program is mandatory for
188all students attending public school, including students served
189in Department of Juvenile Justice programs, except as otherwise
190prescribed by the commissioner. If a student does not
191participate in the statewide assessment, the district must
192notify the student's parent and provide the parent with
193information regarding the implications of such nonparticipation.
194A parent must provide signed consent for a student to receive
195classroom instructional accommodations that would not be
196available or permitted on the statewide assessments and must
197acknowledge in writing that he or she understands the
198implications of such instructional accommodations. The State
199Board of Education shall adopt rules, based upon recommendations
200of the commissioner, for the provision of test accommodations
201for students in exceptional education programs and for students
202who have limited English proficiency. Accommodations that negate
203the validity of a statewide assessment are not allowable in the
204administration of the FCAT. However, instructional
205accommodations are allowable in the classroom if included in a
206student's individual education plan. Students using
207instructional accommodations in the classroom that are not
208allowable as accommodations on the FCAT may have the FCAT
209requirement waived pursuant to the requirements of s.
2101003.428(8)(b) or s. 1003.43(11)(b).
211     7.  A student seeking an adult high school diploma must
212meet the same testing requirements that a regular high school
213student must meet.
214     8.  District school boards must provide instruction to
215prepare students to demonstrate proficiency in the skills and
216competencies necessary for successful grade-to-grade progression
217and high school graduation. If a student is provided with
218instructional accommodations in the classroom that are not
219allowable as accommodations in the statewide assessment program,
220as described in the test manuals, the district must inform the
221parent in writing and must provide the parent with information
222regarding the impact on the student's ability to meet expected
223proficiency levels in reading, writing, and math. The
224commissioner shall conduct studies as necessary to verify that
225the required skills and competencies are part of the district
226instructional programs.
227     9.  District school boards must provide opportunities for
228students to demonstrate an acceptable level of performance on an
229alternative standardized assessment approved by the State Board
230of Education following enrollment in summer academies.
231     10.  The Department of Education must develop, or select,
232and implement a common battery of assessment tools that will be
233used in all juvenile justice programs in the state. These tools
234must accurately measure the skills and competencies established
235in the Sunshine State Standards.
236     11.  For students seeking a special diploma pursuant to s.
2371003.438, the Department of Education must develop or select and
238implement an alternate assessment tool that accurately measures
239the skills and competencies established in the Sunshine State
240Standards for students with disabilities under s. 1003.438.
241
242The commissioner may, based on collaboration and input from
243school districts, design and implement student testing programs,
244for any grade level and subject area, necessary to effectively
245monitor educational achievement in the state, including the
246measurement of educational achievement of the Sunshine State
247Standards for students with disabilities. Development and
248refinement of assessments shall include universal design
249principles and accessibility standards that will prevent any
250unintended obstacles for students with disabilities while
251ensuring the validity and reliability of the test. These
252principles should be applicable to all technology platforms and
253assistive devices available for the assessments. The field
254testing process and psychometric analyses for the statewide
255assessment program must include an appropriate percentage of
256students with disabilities and an evaluation or determination of
257the effect of test items on such students.
258     Section 4.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.