Florida Senate - 2020 SB 1220
By Senator Diaz
36-01326-20 20201220__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to education; amending s. 1004.04,
3 F.S.; requiring that the rules to establish uniform
4 core curricula for each state-approved teacher
5 preparation program include evidence-based reading
6 instructional strategies and mental health strategies
7 and support; deleting a provision allowing teacher
8 preparation programs to waive admission requirements
9 for up to 10 percent of the students admitted;
10 amending s. 1012.56, F.S.; providing that for a
11 subject requiring only a baccalaureate degree, a
12 baccalaureate degree with a major in the subject area,
13 conferred within the last 10 years, is an acceptable
14 means of demonstrating mastery of subject area
15 knowledge; amending s. 1012.79, F.S.; directing the
16 Commissioner of Education, with the advice and consent
17 of the chair of the Education Practices Commission, to
18 appoint an executive director who is exempt from
19 career service and may be removed by the commissioner;
20 specifying that the executive director will have
21 administrative duties, as determined by the
22 commissioner; making a technical change; amending s.
23 1012.586, F.S.; conforming a cross-reference;
24 providing an effective date.
25
26 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
27
28 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) and paragraph
29 (b) of subsection (3) of section 1004.04, Florida Statutes, are
30 amended to read:
31 1004.04 Public accountability and state approval for
32 teacher preparation programs.—
33 (2) UNIFORM CORE CURRICULA AND CANDIDATE ASSESSMENT.—
34 (b) The rules to establish uniform core curricula for each
35 state-approved teacher preparation program must include, but are
36 not limited to, the following:
37 1. Candidate instruction and assessment in the Florida
38 Educator Accomplished Practices across content areas.
39 2. The use of state-adopted content standards to guide
40 curricula and instruction.
41 3. Evidence-based Scientifically researched and evidence
42 based reading instructional strategies that improve reading
43 performance for all students, including explicit, systematic,
44 and sequential approaches to teaching phonemic awareness,
45 phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text comprehension and
46 multisensory intervention strategies.
47 4. Content literacy and mathematics practices.
48 5. Strategies appropriate for the instruction of English
49 language learners.
50 6. Strategies appropriate for the instruction of students
51 with disabilities.
52 7. Strategies to differentiate instruction based on student
53 needs.
54 8. The use of character-based classroom management.
55 9. Mental health strategies and support.
56 (3) INITIAL STATE PROGRAM APPROVAL.—
57 (b) Each teacher preparation program approved by the
58 Department of Education, as provided for by this section, shall
59 require students, at a minimum, to meet, at a minimum, the
60 following as prerequisites for admission into the program:
61 1. Have a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0
62 scale for the general education component of undergraduate
63 studies or have completed the requirements for a baccalaureate
64 degree with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale
65 from any college or university accredited by a regional
66 accrediting association as defined by State Board of Education
67 rule or any college or university otherwise approved pursuant to
68 State Board of Education rule.
69 2. Demonstrate mastery of general knowledge sufficient for
70 entry into the program, including the ability to read, write,
71 and perform in mathematics, by passing the General Knowledge
72 Test of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination or, for a
73 graduate level program, obtain a baccalaureate degree from an
74 institution that is accredited or approved pursuant to the rules
75 of the State Board of Education.
76
77 Each teacher preparation program may waive these admissions
78 requirements for up to 10 percent of the students admitted.
79 Programs shall implement strategies to ensure that students
80 admitted under a waiver receive assistance to demonstrate
81 competencies to successfully meet requirements for certification
82 and shall annually report to the Department of Education the
83 status of each candidate admitted under such a waiver.
84 Section 2. Subsection (5) of section 1012.56, Florida
85 Statutes, is amended to read:
86 1012.56 Educator certification requirements.—
87 (5) MASTERY OF SUBJECT AREA KNOWLEDGE.—Acceptable means of
88 demonstrating mastery of subject area knowledge are:
89 (a) For a subject requiring only a baccalaureate degree, a
90 baccalaureate degree with a major in the subject area, conferred
91 within the last 10 years from an accredited or approved
92 institution as defined in rule 6A-4.003, Florida Administrative
93 Code;
94 (b)(a) For a subject requiring only a baccalaureate degree
95 for which a Florida subject area examination has been developed,
96 achievement of a passing score on the Florida-developed subject
97 area examination specified in state board rule;
98 (c)(b) For a subject for which a Florida subject area
99 examination has not been developed, achievement of a passing
100 score on a standardized examination specified in state board
101 rule, including, but not limited to, passing scores on both the
102 oral proficiency and written proficiency examinations
103 administered by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign
104 Languages;
105 (d)(c) For a subject for which a Florida subject area
106 examination has not been developed or a standardized examination
107 has not been specified in state board rule, completion of the
108 subject area specialization requirements specified in state
109 board rule and verification of the attainment of the essential
110 subject matter competencies by the district school
111 superintendent of the employing school district or chief
112 administrative officer of the employing state-supported or
113 private school;
114 (e)(d) For a subject requiring a master’s or higher degree,
115 completion of the subject area specialization requirements
116 specified in state board rule and achievement of a passing score
117 on the Florida-developed subject area examination or a
118 standardized examination specified in state board rule;
119 (f)(e) Documentation of a valid professional standard
120 teaching certificate issued by another state;
121 (g)(f) Documentation of a valid certificate issued by the
122 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or a national
123 educator credentialing board approved by the State Board of
124 Education;
125 (h)(g) Documentation of successful completion of a United
126 States Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center
127 program; or
128 (i)(h) Documentation of a passing score on the Defense
129 Language Proficiency Test (DLPT).
130
131 School districts are encouraged to provide mechanisms for middle
132 grades teachers holding only a K-6 teaching certificate to
133 obtain a subject area coverage for middle grades through
134 postsecondary coursework or district add-on certification.
135 Section 3. Subsections (5), (6), and (9) of section
136 1012.79, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
137 1012.79 Education Practices Commission; organization.—
138 (5) The Commissioner of Education, with the advice and
139 consent of the commission chair, is responsible for appointing,
140 and may remove, commission, by a vote of three-fourths of the
141 membership, shall employ an executive director, who shall be
142 exempt from career service. The executive director shall have
143 administrative duties, as determined by the Commissioner of
144 Education. The executive director may not impact or influence
145 decisions of the commission. The executive director may be
146 dismissed by a majority vote of the membership.
147 (6)(a) The commission shall be assigned to the Department
148 of Education for administrative and fiscal accountability
149 purposes. The commission, in the performance of its powers and
150 duties, shall not be subject to control, supervision, or
151 direction by the Department of Education.
152 (b) The property, personnel, and appropriations related to
153 the specified authority, powers, duties, and responsibilities of
154 the commission shall be provided to the commission by the
155 Department of Education.
156 (9) The commission shall make such expenditures as may be
157 necessary in exercising its authority and powers and carrying
158 out its duties and responsibilities, including expenditures for
159 personal services, legal services general counsel or access to
160 counsel, and rent at the seat of government and elsewhere; for
161 books of reference, periodicals, furniture, equipment, and
162 supplies; and for printing and binding. The expenditures of the
163 commission shall be subject to the powers and duties of the
164 Department of Financial Services as provided in s. 17.03.
165 Section 4. Subsection (1) of section 1012.586, Florida
166 Statutes, is amended to read:
167 1012.586 Additions or changes to certificates; duplicate
168 certificates.—A school district may process via a Department of
169 Education website certificates for the following applications of
170 public school employees:
171 (1) Addition of a subject coverage or endorsement to a
172 valid Florida certificate on the basis of the completion of the
173 appropriate subject area testing requirements of s.
174 1012.56(5)(b) s. 1012.56(5)(a) or the completion of the
175 requirements of an approved school district program or the
176 inservice components for an endorsement.
177 (a) To reduce duplication, the department may recommend the
178 consolidation of endorsement areas and requirements to the State
179 Board of Education.
180 (b) By July 1, 2018, and at least once every 5 years
181 thereafter, the department shall conduct a review of existing
182 subject coverage or endorsement requirements in the elementary,
183 reading, and exceptional student educational areas. The review
184 must include reciprocity requirements for out-of-state
185 certificates and requirements for demonstrating competency in
186 the reading instruction professional development topics listed
187 in s. 1012.98(4)(b)11. The review must also consider the award
188 of an endorsement to an individual who holds a certificate
189 issued by an internationally recognized organization that
190 establishes standards for providing evidence-based interventions
191 to struggling readers or who completes a postsecondary program
192 that is accredited by such organization. Any such certificate or
193 program must require an individual who completes the certificate
194 or program to demonstrate competence in reading intervention
195 strategies through clinical experience. At the conclusion of
196 each review, the department shall recommend to the state board
197 changes to the subject coverage or endorsement requirements
198 based upon any identified instruction or intervention strategies
199 proven to improve student reading performance. This paragraph
200 does not authorize the state board to establish any new
201 certification subject coverage.
202
203 The employing school district shall charge the employee a fee
204 not to exceed the amount charged by the Department of Education
205 for such services. Each district school board shall retain a
206 portion of the fee as defined in the rules of the State Board of
207 Education. The portion sent to the department shall be used for
208 maintenance of the technology system, the web application, and
209 posting and mailing of the certificate.
210 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.