Florida Senate - 2015 SB 638
By Senator Detert
28-00851-15 2015638__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to education facilities; amending s.
3 1011.61, F.S.; revising the term “full-time student”
4 for the purposes of the Florida Education Finance
5 Program; providing an effective date.
6
7 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
8
9 Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 1011.61, Florida
10 Statutes, is amended to read:
11 1011.61 Definitions.—Notwithstanding the provisions of s.
12 1000.21, the following terms are defined as follows for the
13 purposes of the Florida Education Finance Program:
14 (1) A “full-time equivalent student” in each program of the
15 district is defined in terms of full-time students and part-time
16 students as follows:
17 (a) A “full-time student” is one student on the membership
18 roll of one school program or a combination of school programs
19 listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c) for the school year or the equivalent
20 for:
21 1. Instruction in a standard school, comprising not less
22 than 900 net hours for a student in or at the grade level of 4
23 through 12, or not less than 720 net hours for a student in or
24 at the grade level of kindergarten through grade 3 or in an
25 authorized prekindergarten exceptional program;
26 2. Instruction in a school that is operating with more than
27 one session approved by the Department of Education because of a
28 school construction delay, natural disaster, or other unforeseen
29 circumstances, comprising not less than the equivalent of 810
30 net hours per session in grades 4 through 12 or not less than
31 630 net hours per session in kindergarten through grade 3;
32 3. Instruction in a double-session school or a school
33 utilizing an experimental school calendar approved by the
34 Department of Education, comprising not less than the equivalent
35 of 810 net hours in grades 4 through 12 or not less than 630 net
36 hours in kindergarten through grade 3; or
37 4.3. Instruction comprising the appropriate number of net
38 hours set forth in subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 2. for
39 students who, within the past year, have moved with their
40 parents for the purpose of engaging in the farm labor or fish
41 industries, if a plan furnishing such an extended school day or
42 week, or a combination thereof, has been approved by the
43 commissioner. Such plan may be approved to accommodate the needs
44 of migrant students only or may serve all students in schools
45 having a high percentage of migrant students. The plan described
46 in this subparagraph is optional for any school district and is
47 not mandated by the state.
48 (b) A “part-time student” is a student on the active
49 membership roll of a school program or combination of school
50 programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c) who is less than a full-time
51 student.
52 (c)1. A “full-time equivalent student” is:
53 a. A full-time student in any one of the programs listed in
54 s. 1011.62(1)(c); or
55 b. A combination of full-time or part-time students in any
56 one of the programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c) which is the
57 equivalent of one full-time student based on the following
58 calculations:
59 (I) A full-time student in a combination of programs listed
60 in s. 1011.62(1)(c) shall be a fraction of a full-time
61 equivalent membership in each special program equal to the
62 number of net hours per school year for which he or she is a
63 member, divided by the appropriate number of hours set forth in
64 subparagraph (a)1. or subparagraph (a)2. The difference between
65 that fraction or sum of fractions and the maximum value as set
66 forth in subsection (4) for each full-time student is presumed
67 to be the balance of the student’s time not spent in a special
68 program and shall be recorded as time in the appropriate basic
69 program.
70 (II) A prekindergarten student with a disability shall meet
71 the requirements specified for kindergarten students.
72 (III) A full-time equivalent student for students in
73 kindergarten through grade 12 in a full-time virtual instruction
74 program under s. 1002.45 or a virtual charter school under s.
75 1002.33 shall consist of six full-credit completions or the
76 prescribed level of content that counts toward promotion to the
77 next grade in programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c). Credit
78 completions may be a combination of full-credit courses or half
79 credit courses. Beginning in the 2016-2017 fiscal year, the
80 reported full-time equivalent students and associated funding of
81 students enrolled in courses requiring passage of an end-of
82 course assessment under s. 1003.4282 to earn a standard high
83 school diploma shall be adjusted if the student does not pass
84 the end-of-course assessment. However, no adjustment shall be
85 made for a student who enrolls in a segmented remedial course
86 delivered online.
87 (IV) A full-time equivalent student for students in
88 kindergarten through grade 12 in a part-time virtual instruction
89 program under s. 1002.45 shall consist of six full-credit
90 completions in programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c)1. and 3.
91 Credit completions may be a combination of full-credit courses
92 or half-credit courses. Beginning in the 2016-2017 fiscal year,
93 the reported full-time equivalent students and associated
94 funding of students enrolled in courses requiring passage of an
95 end-of-course assessment under s. 1003.4282 to earn a standard
96 high school diploma shall be adjusted if the student does not
97 pass the end-of-course assessment. However, no adjustment shall
98 be made for a student who enrolls in a segmented remedial course
99 delivered online.
100 (V) A Florida Virtual School full-time equivalent student
101 shall consist of six full-credit completions or the prescribed
102 level of content that counts toward promotion to the next grade
103 in the programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c)1. and 3. for students
104 participating in kindergarten through grade 12 part-time virtual
105 instruction and the programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c) for
106 students participating in kindergarten through grade 12 full
107 time virtual instruction. Credit completions may be a
108 combination of full-credit courses or half-credit courses.
109 Beginning in the 2016-2017 fiscal year, the reported full-time
110 equivalent students and associated funding of students enrolled
111 in courses requiring passage of an end-of-course assessment
112 under s. 1003.4282 to earn a standard high school diploma shall
113 be adjusted if the student does not pass the end-of-course
114 assessment. However, no adjustment shall be made for a student
115 who enrolls in a segmented remedial course delivered online.
116 (VI) Each successfully completed full-credit course earned
117 through an online course delivered by a district other than the
118 one in which the student resides shall be calculated as 1/6 FTE.
119 (VII) A full-time equivalent student for courses requiring
120 passage of a statewide, standardized end-of-course assessment
121 under s. 1003.4282 to earn a standard high school diploma shall
122 be defined and reported based on the number of instructional
123 hours as provided in this subsection until the 2016-2017 fiscal
124 year. Beginning in the 2016-2017 fiscal year, the FTE for the
125 course shall be assessment-based and shall be equal to 1/6 FTE.
126 The reported FTE shall be adjusted if the student does not pass
127 the end-of-course assessment. However, no adjustment shall be
128 made for a student who enrolls in a segmented remedial course
129 delivered online.
130 (VIII) For students enrolled in a school district as a
131 full-time student, the district may report 1/6 FTE for each
132 student who passes a statewide, standardized end-of-course
133 assessment without being enrolled in the corresponding course.
134 2. A student in membership in a program scheduled for more
135 or less than 180 school days or the equivalent on an hourly
136 basis as specified by rules of the State Board of Education is a
137 fraction of a full-time equivalent membership equal to the
138 number of instructional hours in membership divided by the
139 appropriate number of hours set forth in subparagraph (a)1.;
140 however, for the purposes of this subparagraph, membership in
141 programs scheduled for more than 180 days is limited to students
142 enrolled in:
143 a. Juvenile justice education programs.
144 b. The Florida Virtual School.
145 c. Virtual instruction programs and virtual charter schools
146 for the purpose of course completion and credit recovery
147 pursuant to ss. 1002.45 and 1003.498. Course completion applies
148 only to a student who is reported during the second or third
149 membership surveys and who does not complete a virtual education
150 course by the end of the regular school year. The course must be
151 completed no later than the deadline for amending the final
152 student enrollment survey for that year. Credit recovery applies
153 only to a student who has unsuccessfully completed a traditional
154 or virtual education course during the regular school year and
155 must re-take the course in order to be eligible to graduate with
156 the student’s class.
157
158 The full-time equivalent student enrollment calculated under
159 this subsection is subject to the requirements in subsection
160 (4).
161
162 The department shall determine and implement an equitable method
163 of equivalent funding for experimental schools and for schools
164 operating under emergency conditions, which schools have been
165 approved by the department to operate for less than the minimum
166 school day.
167 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.