Florida Senate - 2019                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 1366
       
       
       
       
       
       
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                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
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       Appropriations Subcommittee on Education (Baxley) recommended
       the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Between lines 40 and 41
    4  insert:
    5         Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
    6  1002.45, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
    7         1002.45 Virtual instruction programs.—
    8         (2) PROVIDER QUALIFICATIONS.—
    9         (a) The department shall annually publish online a list of
   10  providers approved to offer virtual instruction programs. To be
   11  approved by the department, a provider must document that it:
   12         1. Is nonsectarian in its programs, admission policies,
   13  employment practices, and operations;
   14         2. Complies with the antidiscrimination provisions of s.
   15  1000.05;
   16         3. Locates an administrative office or offices in this
   17  state, requires its administrative staff to be state residents,
   18  requires all instructional staff to be Florida-certified
   19  teachers under chapter 1012 and conducts background screenings
   20  for all employees or contracted personnel, as required by s.
   21  1012.32, using state and national criminal history records;
   22         4. Provides to parents and students specific information
   23  posted and accessible online that includes, but is not limited
   24  to, the following teacher-parent and teacher-student contact
   25  information for each course:
   26         a. How to contact the instructor via phone, e-mail, or
   27  online messaging tools.
   28         b. How to contact technical support via phone, e-mail, or
   29  online messaging tools.
   30         c. How to contact the administration office via phone, e
   31  mail, or online messaging tools.
   32         d. Any requirement for regular contact with the instructor
   33  for the course and clear expectations for meeting the
   34  requirement.
   35         e. The requirement that the instructor in each course must,
   36  at a minimum, conduct one contact via phone with the parent and
   37  the student each month;
   38         5. Possesses prior, successful experience offering online
   39  courses to elementary, middle, or high school students.
   40  Successful experience may be as demonstrated by showing, for
   41  students in this state, quantified student learning gains in
   42  each subject area and grade level provided for consideration as
   43  an instructional program option. or, for students in other
   44  states, quantified student learning gains using other statewide
   45  assessments, nationally recognized assessments, or other third
   46  party pre- and post-assessments. However, for a provider without
   47  sufficient prior, successful experience offering online courses,
   48  the department may conditionally approve the provider to offer
   49  courses measured pursuant to subparagraph (8)(a)2. Conditional
   50  approval shall be valid for 2 school years 1 school year only
   51  and, based on the provider’s experience in offering the courses,
   52  the department shall determine whether to grant approval to
   53  offer a virtual instruction program;
   54         6. Is accredited by a regional accrediting association as
   55  defined by State Board of Education rule;
   56         7. Ensures instructional and curricular quality through a
   57  detailed curriculum and student performance accountability plan
   58  that addresses every subject and grade level it intends to
   59  provide through contract with the school district, including:
   60         a. Courses and programs that meet the standards of the
   61  International Association for K-12 Online Learning and the
   62  Southern Regional Education Board.
   63         b. Instructional content and services that align with, and
   64  measure student attainment of, student proficiency in the Next
   65  Generation Sunshine State Standards.
   66         c. Mechanisms that determine and ensure that a student has
   67  satisfied requirements for grade level promotion and high school
   68  graduation with a standard diploma, as appropriate;
   69         8. Publishes for the general public, in accordance with
   70  disclosure requirements adopted in rule by the State Board of
   71  Education, as part of its application as a provider and in all
   72  contracts negotiated pursuant to this section:
   73         a. Information and data about the curriculum of each full
   74  time and part-time program.
   75         b. School policies and procedures.
   76         c. Certification status and physical location of all
   77  administrative and instructional personnel.
   78         d. Hours and times of availability of instructional
   79  personnel.
   80         e. Student-teacher ratios.
   81         f. Student completion and promotion rates.
   82         g. Student, educator, and school performance accountability
   83  outcomes;
   84         9. If the provider is a Florida College System institution,
   85  employs instructors who meet the certification requirements for
   86  instructional staff under chapter 1012; and
   87         10. Performs an annual financial audit of its accounts and
   88  records conducted by an independent certified public accountant
   89  which is in accordance with rules adopted by the Auditor
   90  General, is conducted in compliance with generally accepted
   91  auditing standards, and includes a report on financial
   92  statements presented in accordance with generally accepted
   93  accounting principles.
   94  
   95  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   96  And the title is amended as follows:
   97         Delete line 2
   98  and insert:
   99         An act relating to education; amending s. 1002.45,
  100         F.S.; revising requirements for qualifications of
  101         virtual instruction program providers; revising the
  102         length of time for which the Department of Education’s
  103         conditional approval of a provider is valid; amending
  104         s. 1003.4282,