Florida Senate - 2025                             CS for SB 1402
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Education Pre-K - 12; and Senator Yarborough
       
       
       
       
       
       581-02510-25                                          20251402c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to students enrolled in dropout
    3         retrieval programs; amending s. 1002.45, F.S.;
    4         revising assessment and accountability requirements
    5         for a virtual instruction program provider; providing
    6         that a virtual instruction program provider operating
    7         exclusively as a dropout retrieval program is exempt
    8         from specified requirements; amending s. 1003.53,
    9         F.S.; providing that dropout retrieval programs serve
   10         a specified group of students; providing an effective
   11         date.
   12          
   13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   14  
   15         Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (7) of section
   16  1002.45, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   17         1002.45 Virtual instruction programs.—
   18         (7) ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY.—
   19         (a) Each approved virtual instruction program provider
   20  contracted pursuant to this section must:
   21         1. Participate in the statewide assessment program under s.
   22  1008.22 and in the state’s education performance accountability
   23  system under s. 1008.31.
   24         2. Receive a school grade under s. 1008.34 or a school
   25  improvement rating under s. 1008.341, as applicable, for each
   26  district with which it contracts, based on the assessment scores
   27  of all students served within the school district. The school
   28  improvement rating received by each approved virtual instruction
   29  program provider shall be based upon the aggregated assessment
   30  scores of all students served by the provider statewide. Each
   31  approved virtual instruction program provider shall receive a
   32  district grade pursuant to s. 1008.34 based upon the aggregated
   33  assessment scores of all students served by the provider
   34  statewide and a separate school grade or school improvement
   35  rating for each school district with which it contracts based
   36  upon the assessment scores of all students served within the
   37  school district. A virtual instruction program provider
   38  operating exclusively as a dropout retrieval program as
   39  described in s. 1003.53(7) is exempt from the district grade
   40  requirement of this paragraph. The department shall publish the
   41  school grade or school improvement rating received by each
   42  approved virtual instruction program provider on its Internet
   43  website. The department shall develop an evaluation method for
   44  providers of part-time programs which includes the percentage of
   45  students making learning gains, the percentage of students
   46  successfully passing any required end-of-course assessment, the
   47  percentage of students taking Advanced Placement examinations,
   48  and the percentage of students scoring 3 or higher on an
   49  Advanced Placement examination.
   50         Section 2. Present subsection (7) of section 1003.53,
   51  Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (8), and a new
   52  subsection (7) is added to that section, to read:
   53         1003.53 Dropout prevention and academic intervention.—
   54         (7) Dropout retrieval programs serve students who have
   55  officially withdrawn from high school before graduation and who
   56  are not engaged in the education system at the time of
   57  enrollment in the program.
   58         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.