Florida Senate - 2013                                    SB 1626
       
       
       
       By Senator Thompson
       
       
       
       
       12-01098-13                                           20131626__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to fine arts education in public
    3         schools; creating s. 1008.342, F.S.; requiring the
    4         Department of Education to establish a school grading
    5         system for fine arts courses; requiring the department
    6         to adopt criteria for determining a school’s fine arts
    7         grade; requiring the department to collect school
    8         data, assign school grades, and publish information;
    9         providing an effective date.
   10  
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Section 1008.342, Florida Statutes, is created
   14  to read:
   15         1008.342 School grading system for fine arts education.—
   16         (1) The Department of Education shall establish a school
   17  grading system, separate from the school grading system provided
   18  in s. 1008.34, for kindergarten through grade 12 fine arts
   19  courses. Fine arts courses are visual arts, music, dance, and
   20  theatre courses.
   21         (2) The department shall adopt criteria for determining a
   22  school’s fine arts grade based on student access to, and
   23  participation in, fine arts courses, the certification status of
   24  educators providing instruction in fine arts courses, and the
   25  manner in which schools are providing the core curricular
   26  content for fine arts established in the Next Generation
   27  Sunshine State Standards. The criteria shall include, but not be
   28  limited to, the number of:
   29         (a) Fine arts courses offered.
   30         (b) Students enrolled in fine arts courses.
   31         (c) Teachers certified in fine arts.
   32         (3) The department shall annually collect school data from
   33  each kindergarten through grade 12 school, assign the school a
   34  fine arts grade, and publish the information on its website.
   35         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.