| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to public school mathematics and science |
| 3 | instructional materials; creating the Florida Center for |
| 4 | World Excellence in Mathematics and Science to provide for |
| 5 | the review of mathematics and science instructional |
| 6 | materials; providing duties of the center to include |
| 7 | recommendations to the Commissioner of Education of |
| 8 | instructional materials for use in K-12 public schools |
| 9 | beginning with the 2011-2012 school year; requiring the |
| 10 | Commissioner of Education to adopt instructional materials |
| 11 | in mathematics and science according to a schedule |
| 12 | developed by the commissioner; requiring the center to |
| 13 | form advisory panels for mathematics and science to make |
| 14 | recommendations to the center; specifying requirements for |
| 15 | recommended instructional materials; authorizing the |
| 16 | Commissioner of Education to add curricula to the existing |
| 17 | 2010-2011 list of adopted instructional materials under |
| 18 | certain circumstances; providing for funding; providing an |
| 19 | effective date. |
| 20 |
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| 21 | WHEREAS, Florida's citizens need world-class skills to |
| 22 | secure a place in the increasingly competitive global economy, |
| 23 | and Florida's school children, teachers, and parents need access |
| 24 | to the best possible instructional materials and technologies to |
| 25 | acquire these basic skills, and |
| 26 | WHEREAS, mathematics and science are among the most |
| 27 | fundamental of these skills and are among the core subjects |
| 28 | which form the basis of Florida's educational standards, and |
| 29 | WHEREAS, technology and teaching practices for mathematics |
| 30 | and science have evolved significantly during the past 20 years, |
| 31 | and the newest versions of Florida's Next Generation Sunshine |
| 32 | State Standards reflect best practices, and |
| 33 | WHEREAS, Florida's public school classrooms have not always |
| 34 | kept pace with changes in these standards, which is due |
| 35 | partially to a state instructional materials adoption process |
| 36 | that resists many of the changes embodied in the latest |
| 37 | standards and is also due to the rapid pace of change in the |
| 38 | instructional materials market, and |
| 39 | WHEREAS, in order to improve the mathematics and science |
| 40 | skills of Florida's students, a 21st Century instructional |
| 41 | materials adoption process should be developed and implemented |
| 42 | to enable Florida's school children, teachers, and parents to |
| 43 | benefit from the best possible instructional materials and |
| 44 | technologies, and |
| 45 | WHEREAS, the Legislature is considering legislation which |
| 46 | will require, as a condition for promotion and graduation, that |
| 47 | Florida students pass end-of-course assessments in mathematics |
| 48 | and science, thereby increasing the need for effective classroom |
| 49 | instruction, and |
| 50 | WHEREAS, the Legislature has taken comparable steps in the |
| 51 | past to improve the quality of reading instruction in the state |
| 52 | by creating the Florida Center for Reading Research at Florida |
| 53 | State University, and |
| 54 | WHEREAS, the current instructional materials adoption |
| 55 | process results in the rejection of many of the most effective |
| 56 | methods of instruction in mathematics and science, warranting a |
| 57 | reconstruction of the entire process, NOW, THEREFORE, |
| 58 |
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| 59 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 60 |
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| 61 | Section 1. Florida Center for World Excellence in |
| 62 | Mathematics and Science.- |
| 63 | (1) The Florida Center for World Excellence in Mathematics |
| 64 | and Science is created at the University of Florida. The purpose |
| 65 | of the Florida Center for World Excellence in Mathematics and |
| 66 | Science is to provide for an independent review of mathematics |
| 67 | and science instructional materials from around the world to |
| 68 | ensure delivery of the best possible instruction in the state's |
| 69 | K-12 public schools and to ensure that instructional personnel |
| 70 | adopt the most effective teaching strategies. The center shall: |
| 71 | (a) Conduct basic and applied research in mathematics and |
| 72 | science learning. |
| 73 | (b) Recommend the most effective instructional materials |
| 74 | and technologies, both core and supplemental, for use in the K- |
| 75 | 12 public schools, such as those used in the Singapore Math |
| 76 | programs. |
| 77 | (c) Disseminate best practices in mathematics and science |
| 78 | instruction through teacher preparation programs. |
| 79 | (d) Monitor educational outcomes to identify effective |
| 80 | programs. |
| 81 | (e) Recommend measures to ensure fidelity of the |
| 82 | implementation of best classroom practices. |
| 83 | (2)(a) The center shall form advisory panels to make |
| 84 | recommendations to the center for mathematics and science |
| 85 | instructional materials for the 2011-2012 school year and for |
| 86 | school years thereafter. An advisory panel for mathematics shall |
| 87 | be composed of at least three postsecondary education scholars |
| 88 | in the field of mathematics and an experienced Florida public |
| 89 | school mathematics teacher in each of the grade groups, K |
| 90 | through grade 5, grades 6 through 8, and grades 9 through 12. An |
| 91 | advisory panel for science shall be composed of at least three |
| 92 | postsecondary education scholars in the field of science and an |
| 93 | experienced Florida public school science teacher in each of the |
| 94 | grade groups, K through grade 5, grades 6 through 8, and grades |
| 95 | 9 through 12. |
| 96 | (b) The advisory panels shall review instructional |
| 97 | materials adopted by the Department of Education under the |
| 98 | existing adoption process and make recommendations to the center |
| 99 | for the addition or deletion of instructional materials to |
| 100 | ensure that they include the best possible instructional |
| 101 | materials and technologies. |
| 102 | (3) Notwithstanding any provision of law or rule to the |
| 103 | contrary, beginning in 2011, it shall be the responsibility of |
| 104 | the center to evaluate and recommend instructional materials in |
| 105 | mathematics and science for adoption by the Commissioner of |
| 106 | Education. The center shall recommend to the commissioner |
| 107 | instructional materials for mathematics and science for the |
| 108 | state's K-12 public schools for the 2011-2012 school year and |
| 109 | for school years thereafter, according to a schedule developed |
| 110 | by the commissioner in consultation with the center. When making |
| 111 | recommendations to the commissioner, the center shall offer |
| 112 | solutions that: |
| 113 | (a) Provide differentiated instruction to each student. |
| 114 | (b) Have a track record of effectiveness when measured in |
| 115 | statistically valid controlled third-party studies, with sample |
| 116 | sizes of at least 1,000 students. |
| 117 | (c) Are research based. |
| 118 | (d) Are developed specifically to meet the Next Generation |
| 119 | Sunshine State Standards for mathematics and science. |
| 120 | (e) Include the ability to continually enhance and improve |
| 121 | the instruction based on feedback from the public schools, the |
| 122 | center, or the Department of Education during the adoption term. |
| 123 | (4) The Commissioner of Education may add curricula to the |
| 124 | existing 2010-2011 list of adopted instructional materials if |
| 125 | recommended or advised by the center, as a result of any |
| 126 | administrative challenge of the 2010-2011 adoption |
| 127 | recommendations, or otherwise as the commissioner deems in the |
| 128 | best interests of the state's public school students. |
| 129 | (5) Funding for the 2010-2011 activities of the advisory |
| 130 | panels and the center shall be made through legislative |
| 131 | appropriation of general revenue funds or through the |
| 132 | redirection of funds appropriated to the Department of Education |
| 133 | for its instructional materials adoption process. Funding for |
| 134 | the center in subsequent years shall be derived from a variety |
| 135 | of sources, including, but not limited to: National Science |
| 136 | Foundation grants for basic and applied educational research; |
| 137 | United States Department of Education's Institute of Education |
| 138 | Sciences research grants to study the effectiveness of adopted |
| 139 | mathematics and science curricula in Florida's schools; private |
| 140 | foundation grants to expand innovation and best practices in |
| 141 | mathematics and science education; federal Race to the Top funds |
| 142 | for implementing high academic standards, measuring results, |
| 143 | recruiting the best teachers, and turning around struggling |
| 144 | schools; and fees charged to public schools and school districts |
| 145 | for educator preparation on the best practices in mathematics |
| 146 | and science instruction. |
| 147 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |