Florida Senate - 2022                                     SB 790
       
       
        
       By Senator Hooper
       
       
       
       
       
       16-00636C-22                                           2022790__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to computer science and technology
    3         instruction; amending s. 1003.01, F.S.; defining
    4         terms; creating s. 1003.4202, F.S.; defining the term
    5         “instructional personnel”; requiring public schools to
    6         provide computer science instruction conforming to
    7         specified requirements; requiring computer science
    8         courses and technology-related industry certifications
    9         to be identified in the Course Code Directory and
   10         published on the Department of Education’s website;
   11         authorizing additional computer science courses to be
   12         subsequently identified and posted on the department’s
   13         website; requiring the Florida Virtual School to offer
   14         computer science courses identified in the Course Code
   15         Directory; requiring school districts that do not
   16         offer an identified course to provide students access
   17         to the course through the Florida Virtual School or
   18         other means approved by the department; authorizing
   19         school districts or consortiums of school districts to
   20         apply to the department for funding to deliver or
   21         facilitate certain training, subject to appropriation;
   22         requiring the funding to be used only for specified
   23         purposes; requiring the department to establish an
   24         application deadline; requiring the department to
   25         award funding in an equitable manner that accounts for
   26         the unique needs of small or rural school districts;
   27         requiring the department to submit a report to the
   28         Governor and Legislature by a specified date;
   29         specifying the contents of the report; authorizing
   30         public elementary and middle schools to establish
   31         digital classrooms that provide specified
   32         opportunities; requiring instructional personnel who
   33         meet specified criteria to receive a bonus; specifying
   34         amounts for such bonuses; requiring school districts
   35         to identify and report to the department qualifying
   36         instructional personnel; providing that qualifying
   37         instructional personnel receive the bonus upon
   38         completion of the school year; prohibiting such
   39         instructional personnel from receiving more than one
   40         of certain bonuses per year; authorizing certain funds
   41         that are not disbursed by a specified date to be
   42         carried forward for a specified timeframe; requiring
   43         the State Board of Education to adopt rules; repealing
   44         s. 1007.2616, F.S., relating to computer science and
   45         technology instruction; providing an effective date.
   46          
   47  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   48  
   49         Section 1. Subsections (17) and (18) are added to section
   50  1003.01, Florida Statutes, to read:
   51         1003.01 Definitions.—As used in this chapter, the term:
   52         (17) “Computer science” means the study of computers and
   53  algorithmic processes, including their principles, hardware and
   54  software designs, applications, implementation, and impact on
   55  society, and includes computer coding, computer programming,
   56  computational thinking, robotics, and physical computing.
   57         (18)“Computational thinking” means the thought process
   58  involved in expressing solutions as computational steps or
   59  algorithms that can be carried out by a computer.
   60         Section 2. Section 1003.4202, Florida Statutes, is created
   61  to read:
   62         1003.4202 Computer science and technology instruction.—
   63         (1) For the purposes of this section, the term
   64  instructional personnel” has the same meaning as in s.
   65  1012.01(2)(a), (b), and (c).
   66         (2)(a) Public schools shall provide computer science
   67  instruction in conformity with the following:
   68         1. Each elementary school may provide computer science
   69  instruction with the goals of providing a foundation for future
   70  computer usage and achieving digital literacy.
   71         2. Each middle school shall provide computer science
   72  instruction with the goals of providing a foundation for future
   73  computer usage and achieving digital literacy.
   74         3. Each high school shall provide computer science
   75  instruction that includes opportunities for students to take
   76  courses resulting in computer science-related industry
   77  certifications that satisfy the requirements to obtain a
   78  standard high school diploma under s. 1003.4282(3).
   79         (b) Computer science courses and technology-related
   80  industry certifications identified as eligible for meeting
   81  mathematics or science requirements for obtaining a standard
   82  high school diploma must be identified in the Course Code
   83  Directory and published on the Department of Education’s
   84  website. Additional computer science courses may be subsequently
   85  identified and posted on the department’s website.
   86         (3) The Florida Virtual School shall offer computer science
   87  courses identified in the Course Code Directory pursuant to
   88  paragraph (2)(b). If a school district does not offer an
   89  identified course, the district must provide students access to
   90  the course through the Florida Virtual School or through other
   91  means approved by the department.
   92         (4)(a) Subject to legislative appropriation, a school
   93  district or a consortium of school districts may apply to the
   94  department, in a format prescribed by the department, for
   95  funding to deliver or facilitate training for instructional
   96  personnel to earn an educator certificate in computer science
   97  pursuant to s. 1012.56; training for instructional personnel
   98  which leads to an industry certification associated with a
   99  course identified in the Course Code Directory pursuant to
  100  paragraph (2)(b); or professional development for instructional
  101  personnel to provide instruction in computer science. Such
  102  funding may be used only to provide training for instructional
  103  personnel, to pay fees for examinations that lead to a
  104  credential, or to provide professional development, pursuant to
  105  this paragraph.
  106         (b) The department shall establish a deadline for school
  107  districts or consortiums to apply for funding pursuant to
  108  paragraph (a). The department shall award funding in an
  109  equitable manner that accounts for the unique needs of small or
  110  rural school districts.
  111         (c) The department shall prepare and submit a report by
  112  December 1 of each year to the Governor, the Cabinet, and the
  113  Legislature which details the funding formula and distribution
  114  of funds to each school district in the previous fiscal year
  115  pursuant to this subsection.
  116         (5) Public elementary schools and public middle schools may
  117  establish digital classrooms in which students are provided
  118  opportunities to improve digital literacy and competency; to
  119  learn digital skills, such as computer science, multiple media
  120  presentation, and the manipulation of multiple digital graphic
  121  images; and to earn digital tool certificates and certifications
  122  pursuant to s. 1003.4203 and grade-appropriate, technology
  123  related industry certifications.
  124         (6) Subject to legislative appropriation, instructional
  125  personnel evaluated as effective or highly effective pursuant to
  126  s. 1012.34 in the previous school year or instructional
  127  personnel who were newly hired by the district school board and
  128  have not been evaluated pursuant to s. 1012.34 must receive a
  129  bonus as follows:
  130         (a) If the individual holds an educator certificate in
  131  computer science pursuant to s. 1012.56 or has passed the
  132  computer science subject area examination and holds an adjunct
  133  certificate issued by a school district pursuant to s. 1012.57,
  134  he or she must receive a bonus of $1,000 after each year he or
  135  she completes teaching a computer science course identified in
  136  the Course Code Directory pursuant to paragraph (2)(b) at a
  137  public elementary, middle, high, or combination school in this
  138  state, for up to 3 years.
  139         (b) If the individual holds an industry certification
  140  associated with a course identified in the Course Code Directory
  141  pursuant to paragraph (2)(b), he or she must receive a bonus of
  142  $500 after each year he or she completes teaching the identified
  143  course at a public elementary, middle, high, or combination
  144  school in this state, for up to 3 years.
  145         (c)A school district shall identify and report qualifying
  146  instructional personnel to the department by a date and in a
  147  format established by the department. Eligible instructional
  148  personnel shall receive the bonus upon completion of the school
  149  year in which he or she taught the course but may not receive
  150  more than one bonus per year under this subsection.
  151         (7)Notwithstanding s. 216.301 and pursuant to s. 216.351,
  152  funds allocated for the purpose of this section which are not
  153  disbursed by June 30 of the fiscal year in which such funds are
  154  allocated may be carried forward for up to 5 years after the
  155  effective date of the original appropriation.
  156         (8) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
  157  administer this section.
  158         Section 3. Section 1007.2616, Florida Statutes, is
  159  repealed.
  160         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.