Florida Senate - 2021 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 934
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LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
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Appropriations Subcommittee on Education (Wright) recommended
the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete everything after the enacting clause
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) and paragraph
6 (b) of subsection (3) of section 1004.04, Florida Statutes, are
7 amended to read:
8 1004.04 Public accountability and state approval for
9 teacher preparation programs.—
10 (2) UNIFORM CORE CURRICULA AND CANDIDATE ASSESSMENT.—
11 (b) The rules to establish uniform core curricula for each
12 state-approved teacher preparation program must include, but are
13 not limited to, the following:
14 1. Candidate instruction and assessment in the Florida
15 Educator Accomplished Practices across content areas.
16 2. The use of state-adopted content standards to guide
17 curricula and instruction.
18 3. Scientifically researched and evidence-based reading
19 instructional strategies that improve reading performance for
20 all students, including explicit, systematic, and sequential
21 approaches to teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary,
22 fluency, and text comprehension and multisensory intervention
23 strategies.
24 4. Content literacy and mathematics practices.
25 5. Strategies appropriate for the instruction of English
26 language learners.
27 6. Strategies appropriate for the instruction of students
28 with disabilities.
29 7. Strategies to differentiate instruction based on student
30 needs.
31 8. The use of character-based classroom management.
32 9. Strategies appropriate for the early identification of
33 students in crisis or experiencing a mental health challenge and
34 the referral of such students to a mental health professional
35 for support.
36 10. Strategies to support the use of technology in
37 education and distance learning.
38 (3) INITIAL STATE PROGRAM APPROVAL.—
39 (b) Each teacher preparation program approved by the
40 Department of Education, as provided for by this section, shall
41 require students to meet, at a minimum, the following
42 requirements as prerequisites for admission into the program:
43 1. For admission into the program, have a grade point
44 average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the general education
45 component of undergraduate studies or have completed the
46 requirements for a baccalaureate degree with a minimum grade
47 point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale from any college or
48 university accredited by a regional accrediting association as
49 defined by State Board of Education rule or any college or
50 university otherwise approved pursuant to State Board of
51 Education rule.
52 2. Demonstrate mastery of general knowledge sufficient for
53 entry into the program, including the ability to read, write,
54 and perform in mathematics, by passing the General Knowledge
55 Test of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination by the
56 time of graduation or, for a graduate level program, obtain a
57 baccalaureate degree from an institution that is accredited or
58 approved pursuant to the rules of the State Board of Education.
59
60 Each teacher preparation program may waive these admissions
61 requirements for up to 10 percent of the students admitted.
62 Programs shall implement strategies to ensure that students
63 admitted under a waiver receive assistance to demonstrate
64 competencies to successfully meet requirements for certification
65 and shall annually report to the Department of Education the
66 status of each candidate admitted under such a waiver.
67 Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) and paragraphs
68 (a) and (b) of subsection (3) of section 1004.85, Florida
69 Statutes, are amended to read:
70 1004.85 Postsecondary educator preparation institutes.—
71 (2)(a) Postsecondary institutions that are accredited or
72 approved as described in State Board of Education rule may seek
73 approval from the Department of Education to create educator
74 preparation institutes for the purpose of providing any or all
75 of the following:
76 1. Professional development instruction to assist teachers
77 in improving classroom instruction and in meeting certification
78 or recertification requirements.
79 2. Instruction to assist potential and existing substitute
80 teachers in performing their duties.
81 3. Instruction to assist paraprofessionals in meeting
82 education and training requirements.
83 4. Instruction for baccalaureate degree holders to become
84 certified teachers as provided in this section in order to
85 increase routes to the classroom for mid-career professionals
86 who hold a baccalaureate degree and college graduates who were
87 not education majors.
88 5. Instruction and professional development for part-time
89 and full-time nondegreed teachers of career programs under s.
90 1012.39(1)(c).
91 (3) Educator preparation institutes approved pursuant to
92 this section may offer competency-based certification programs
93 specifically designed for noneducation major baccalaureate
94 degree holders to enable program participants to meet the
95 educator certification requirements of s. 1012.56. An educator
96 preparation institute choosing to offer a competency-based
97 certification program pursuant to the provisions of this section
98 must implement a program previously approved by the Department
99 of Education for this purpose or a program developed by the
100 institute and approved by the department for this purpose.
101 Approved programs shall be available for use by other approved
102 educator preparation institutes.
103 (a) Within 90 days after receipt of a request for approval,
104 the Department of Education shall approve a preparation program
105 pursuant to the requirements of this subsection or issue a
106 statement of the deficiencies in the request for approval. The
107 department shall approve a certification program if the
108 institute provides evidence of the institute’s capacity to
109 implement a competency-based program that includes each of the
110 following:
111 1.a. Participant instruction and assessment in the Florida
112 Educator Accomplished Practices across content areas.
113 b. The use of state-adopted student content standards to
114 guide curriculum and instruction.
115 c. Scientifically researched and evidence-based reading
116 instructional strategies that improve reading performance for
117 all students, including explicit, systematic, and sequential
118 approaches to teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary,
119 fluency, and text comprehension and multisensory intervention
120 strategies.
121 d. Content literacy and mathematical practices.
122 e. Strategies appropriate for instruction of English
123 language learners.
124 f. Strategies appropriate for instruction of students with
125 disabilities.
126 g. Strategies to differentiate instruction based on student
127 needs.
128 h. The use of character-based classroom management.
129 i. Strategies appropriate for the early identification of
130 students in crisis or experiencing a mental health challenge and
131 the referral of such students to a mental health professional
132 for support.
133 j. Strategies to support the use of technology in education
134 and distance learning.
135 2. An educational plan for each participant to meet
136 certification requirements and demonstrate his or her ability to
137 teach the subject area for which the participant is seeking
138 certification, which is based on an assessment of his or her
139 competency in the areas listed in subparagraph 1.
140 3. Field experiences appropriate to the certification
141 subject area specified in the educational plan with a diverse
142 population of students in a variety of challenging environments,
143 including, but not limited to, high-poverty schools, urban
144 schools, and rural schools, under the supervision of qualified
145 educators.
146 4. A certification ombudsman to facilitate the process and
147 procedures required for participants who complete the program to
148 meet any requirements related to the background screening
149 pursuant to s. 1012.32 and educator professional or temporary
150 certification pursuant to s. 1012.56.
151 (b) Each program participant must:
152 1. Meet certification requirements pursuant to s.
153 1012.56(1) by obtaining a statement of status of eligibility in
154 the certification subject area of the educational plan and meet
155 the requirements of s. 1012.56(2)(a)-(f).
156 2. Participate in coursework and field experiences that are
157 appropriate to his or her educational plan prepared under
158 paragraph (a).
159 3. Before completion of the program, fully demonstrate his
160 or her ability to teach the subject area for which he or she is
161 seeking certification by documenting a positive impact on
162 student learning growth in a prekindergarten through grade 12
163 setting and, except as provided in s. 1012.56(7)(a)3., achieving
164 a passing score on the professional education competency
165 examination, the basic skills examination, and the subject area
166 examination for the subject area certification which is required
167 by state board rule.
168 Section 3. Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section
169 1012.39, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
170 1012.39 Employment of substitute teachers, teachers of
171 adult education, nondegreed teachers of career education, and
172 career specialists; students performing clinical field
173 experience.—
174 (1) Notwithstanding ss. 1012.32, 1012.55, 1012.56, and
175 1012.57, or any other provision of law or rule to the contrary,
176 each district school board shall establish the minimal
177 qualifications for:
178 (c) Part-time and full-time nondegreed teachers of career
179 programs. Qualifications shall be established for nondegreed
180 teachers of career and technical education courses for program
181 clusters that are recognized in the state and are based
182 primarily on successful occupational experience rather than
183 academic training. The qualifications for such teachers shall
184 require:
185 1. The filing of a complete set of fingerprints in the same
186 manner as required by s. 1012.32. Faculty employed solely to
187 conduct postsecondary instruction may be exempted from this
188 requirement.
189 2. Documentation of education and successful occupational
190 experience including documentation of:
191 a. A high school diploma or the equivalent.
192 b. Completion of 6 years of full-time successful
193 occupational experience or the equivalent of part-time
194 experience in the teaching specialization area. The district
195 school board may establish alternative qualifications for
196 teachers with an industry certification in the career area in
197 which they teach.
198 c. Completion of career education training conducted
199 through the local school district inservice master plan or
200 through an educator preparation institute approved by the State
201 Board of Education pursuant to s. 1004.85.
202 d. For full-time teachers, completion of professional
203 education training in teaching methods, course construction,
204 lesson planning and evaluation, and teaching special needs
205 students. This training may be completed through coursework from
206 an accredited or approved institution or an approved district
207 teacher education program.
208 e. Demonstration of successful teaching performance.
209 f. Documentation of industry certification when state or
210 national industry certifications are available and applicable.
211 Section 4. Subsection (3) and paragraph (a) of subsection
212 (7) of section 1012.56, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
213 1012.56 Educator certification requirements.—
214 (3) MASTERY OF GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.—Acceptable means of
215 demonstrating mastery of general knowledge are:
216 (a) Achievement of passing scores on the general knowledge
217 examination required by state board rule;
218 (b) Documentation of a valid professional standard teaching
219 certificate issued by another state;
220 (c) Documentation of a valid certificate issued by the
221 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or a national
222 educator credentialing board approved by the State Board of
223 Education;
224 (d) Documentation of two semesters of successful, full-time
225 or part-time teaching in a Florida College System institution,
226 state university, or private college or university that awards
227 an associate or higher degree and is an accredited institution
228 or an institution of higher education identified by the
229 Department of Education as having a quality program; or
230 (e) Achievement of passing scores, identified in state
231 board rule, on national or international examinations that test
232 comparable content and relevant standards in verbal, analytical
233 writing, and quantitative reasoning skills, including, but not
234 limited to, the verbal, analytical writing, and quantitative
235 reasoning portions of the Graduate Record Examination. Passing
236 scores identified in state board rule must be at approximately
237 the same level of rigor as is required to pass the general
238 knowledge examinations; or
239 (f) Documentation of receipt of a master’s or higher degree
240 from an accredited postsecondary educational institution that
241 the Department of Education has identified as having a quality
242 program resulting in a baccalaureate degree or higher.
243
244 A school district that employs an individual who does not
245 achieve passing scores on any subtest of the general knowledge
246 examination must provide information regarding the availability
247 of state-level and district-level supports and instruction to
248 assist him or her in achieving a passing score. Such information
249 must include, but need not be limited to, state-level test
250 information guides, school district test preparation resources,
251 and preparation courses offered by state universities and
252 Florida College System institutions.
253 (7) TYPES AND TERMS OF CERTIFICATION.—
254 (a) The Department of Education shall issue a professional
255 certificate for a period not to exceed 5 years to any applicant
256 who fulfills one of the following:
257 1. Meets all the applicable requirements outlined in
258 subsection (2).
259 2. For a professional certificate covering grades 6 through
260 12:
261 a. Meets the applicable requirements of paragraphs (2)(a)
262 (h).
263 b. Holds a master’s or higher degree in the area of
264 science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.
265 c. Teaches a high school course in the subject of the
266 advanced degree.
267 d. Is rated highly effective as determined by the teacher’s
268 performance evaluation under s. 1012.34, based in part on
269 student performance as measured by a statewide, standardized
270 assessment or an Advanced Placement, Advanced International
271 Certificate of Education, or International Baccalaureate
272 examination.
273 e. Achieves a passing score on the Florida professional
274 education competency examination required by state board rule.
275 3. Meets the applicable requirements of paragraphs (2)(a)
276 (h) and completes a professional preparation and education
277 competence program approved by the department pursuant to
278 paragraph (8)(c) or an educator preparation institute approved
279 by the department pursuant to s. 1004.85. An applicant who
280 completes one of these programs the program and is rated highly
281 effective as determined by his or her performance evaluation
282 under s. 1012.34 is not required to take or achieve a passing
283 score on the professional education competency examination in
284 order to be awarded a professional certificate.
285
286 Each temporary certificate is valid for 3 school fiscal years
287 and is nonrenewable. At least 1 year before an individual’s
288 temporary certificate is set to expire, the department shall
289 electronically notify the individual of the date on which his or
290 her certificate will expire and provide a list of each method by
291 which the qualifications for a professional certificate can be
292 completed. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
293 allow the department to extend the validity period of a
294 temporary certificate for 2 years when the requirements for the
295 professional certificate were not completed due to the serious
296 illness or injury of the applicant, the military service of an
297 applicant’s spouse, other extraordinary extenuating
298 circumstances, or if the certificateholder is rated highly
299 effective in the immediate prior year’s performance evaluation
300 pursuant to s. 1012.34 or has completed a 2-year mentorship
301 program pursuant to s. 1012.56(8). The department shall extend
302 the temporary certificate upon approval by the Commissioner of
303 Education. A written request for extension of the certificate
304 shall be submitted by the district school superintendent, the
305 governing authority of a university lab school, the governing
306 authority of a state-supported school, or the governing
307 authority of a private school.
308 Section 5. Section 1012.575, Florida Statutes, is amended
309 to read:
310 1012.575 Alternative preparation programs for certified
311 teachers to add additional coverage.—A district school board, or
312 an organization of private schools or a consortium of charter
313 schools with an approved professional development system as
314 described in s. 1012.98(6), may design alternative teacher
315 preparation programs to enable persons already certificated to
316 add an additional coverage to their certificates. Each
317 alternative teacher preparation program shall be reviewed and
318 approved by the Department of Education to assure that persons
319 who complete the program are competent in the necessary areas of
320 subject matter specialization. Two or more school districts may
321 jointly participate in an alternative preparation program for
322 teachers.
323 Section 6. Subsections (1) and (2) of section 1012.986,
324 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
325 1012.986 William Cecil Golden Professional Development
326 Program for School Leaders.—
327 (1) There is established the William Cecil Golden
328 Professional Development Program for School Leaders to provide
329 high-quality high standards and sustained support for
330 educational principals as instructional leaders. For purposes of
331 this section, “educational leader” means teacher leaders,
332 assistant principals, principals, or school district leaders.
333 The program shall consist of a collaborative network of school
334 districts, state-approved educational leadership programs,
335 regional consortia, charter management organizations, and state
336 and national professional leadership organizations to respond to
337 educational instructional leadership needs throughout the state.
338 The network shall support the human-resource development needs
339 of educational leaders principals, principal leadership teams,
340 and candidates for principal leadership positions using the
341 framework of leadership standards adopted by the State Board of
342 Education, the Southern Regional Education Board, and the
343 National Staff Development Council. The goal of the network
344 leadership program is to:
345 (a) Provide resources to support and enhance the roles of
346 educational leaders principal’s role as the instructional
347 leader.
348 (b) Maintain a clearinghouse and disseminate data-supported
349 information related to the continued enhancement of enhanced
350 student achievement and learning, civic education, coaching and
351 mentoring, mental health awareness, technology in education,
352 distance learning, and school safety, based on educational
353 research and best practices.
354 (c) Build the capacity to Increase the quality and capacity
355 of educational leadership development programs for preservice
356 education for aspiring principals and inservice professional
357 development for principals and principal leadership teams.
358 (d) Support evidence-based leadership best teaching and
359 research-based instructional practices through dissemination and
360 modeling at the preservice and inservice levels for educational
361 leaders both teachers and principals.
362 (2) The Department of Education shall coordinate through
363 the network identified in subsection (1) to offer the program
364 components through multiple delivery systems, including:
365 (a) Approved school district training programs.
366 (b) Interactive technology-based instruction.
367 (c) Regional consortium service organizations pursuant to
368 s. 1001.451.
369 (d) State, regional, university, or local educational
370 leadership academies.
371 (e) Educational leadership coaching and mentoring.
372 Section 7. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.
373
374 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
375 And the title is amended as follows:
376 Delete everything before the enacting clause
377 and insert:
378 A bill to be entitled
379 An act relating to education; amending s. 1004.04,
380 F.S.; requiring additional specified strategies to be
381 included in rules establishing uniform core curricula
382 for each state-approved teacher preparation program;
383 requiring that certain teacher preparation programs
384 require students to demonstrate mastery of general
385 knowledge by passing the General Knowledge Test of the
386 Florida Teacher Certification Examination by the time
387 of graduation; deleting a provision authorizing a
388 teacher preparation program to waive certain
389 admissions requirements for up to 10 percent of
390 admitted students; amending s. 1004.85, F.S.;
391 expanding the instruction that an educator preparation
392 institute may provide to include instruction and
393 professional development for part-time and full-time
394 nondegreed teachers of career programs; requiring the
395 Department of Education to approve a certification
396 program if an institute provides evidence of its
397 capacity to implement a competency-based program that
398 includes specified strategies; amending s. 1012.39,
399 F.S.; revising the minimum qualifications for part
400 time and full-time nondegreed teachers of career
401 programs; amending s. 1012.56, F.S.; revising the
402 acceptable means of demonstrating mastery of general
403 knowledge to include documentation of receipt of a
404 master’s or higher degree from certain postsecondary
405 institutions; revising the criteria for the Department
406 of Education to issue a professional certificate;
407 amending s. 1012.575, F.S.; authorizing an
408 organization of private schools or a consortium of
409 charter schools with an approved professional
410 development system to design alternative teacher
411 preparation programs; amending s. 1012.986, F.S.;
412 defining the term “educational leader”; providing that
413 the William Cecil Golden Professional Development
414 Program for School Leaders must consist of a network
415 of specified entities; revising the goals of the
416 program; requiring the department to offer program
417 components through university or educational
418 leadership academies and through educational
419 leadership coaching and mentoring; making technical
420 changes; providing an effective date.