Florida Senate - 2026 CS for SB 206
By the Committee on Education Pre-K - 12; and Senator Harrell
581-01914-26 2026206c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to students with autism spectrum
3 disorder; amending s. 1004.85, F.S.; requiring certain
4 program participants at educator preparation
5 institutes to complete the autism micro-credential;
6 requiring each educator preparation institute to offer
7 training on teaching students with certain
8 disabilities; creating s. 1009.636, F.S.; providing
9 legislative findings; creating the Autism Educator
10 Loan Forgiveness Program; providing eligibility
11 requirements; providing criteria for loan repayment
12 assistance; providing requirements for teachers to
13 receive an annual payment; requiring the State Board
14 of Education to adopt rules; amending s. 1012.22,
15 F.S.; revising salary supplements a district school
16 board must provide; revising which district school
17 board duties collective bargaining may not preclude;
18 amending s. 1012.551, F.S.; revising core curricula
19 for teacher preparation programs; requiring a teacher
20 preparation program to include the autism micro
21 credential; amending s. 1012.552, F.S.; providing that
22 the Coaching for Educator Readiness and Teaching
23 Certification Program must include completion of the
24 autism micro-credential; amending s. 1012.585, F.S.;
25 revising requirements for the renewal of a
26 professional certificate; amending s. 1012.586, F.S.;
27 providing that personnel certified in exceptional
28 student education who complete the Autism Spectrum
29 Disorder Endorsement are eligible for a stipend;
30 amending s. 1012.98, F.S.; requiring a professional
31 learning system to provide at least one autism
32 specific professional development opportunity;
33 providing requirements for the professional
34 development; providing an effective date.
35
36 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
37
38 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section
39 1004.85, Florida Statutes, is amended, and subsection (9) is
40 added to that section, to read:
41 1004.85 Postsecondary educator preparation institutes.—
42 (3) Educator preparation institutes approved pursuant to
43 this section may offer competency-based certification programs
44 specifically designed for noneducation major baccalaureate
45 degree holders to enable program participants to meet the
46 educator certification requirements of s. 1012.56. An educator
47 preparation institute choosing to offer a competency-based
48 certification program pursuant to the provisions of this section
49 must implement a program developed by the institute and approved
50 by the department for this purpose. Approved programs shall be
51 available for use by other approved educator preparation
52 institutes.
53 (b) Each program participant must:
54 1. Meet certification requirements pursuant to s.
55 1012.56(1) by obtaining a statement of status of eligibility in
56 the certification subject area of the educational plan and meet
57 the requirements of s. 1012.56(2)(a)-(f) before participating in
58 field experiences.
59 2. Demonstrate competency and participate in field
60 experiences that are appropriate to his or her educational plan
61 prepared under paragraph (a). Beginning with candidates entering
62 an educator preparation institute in the 2022-2023 school year,
63 a candidate for certification in a coverage area identified
64 pursuant to s. 1012.585(3)(f) must successfully complete all
65 competencies for a reading endorsement, including completion of
66 the endorsement practicum through the candidate’s field
67 experience, in order to graduate from the program.
68 3. Before completion of the program, fully demonstrate his
69 or her ability to teach the subject area for which he or she is
70 seeking certification by documenting a positive impact on
71 student learning growth in a prekindergarten through grade 12
72 setting and, except as provided in s. 1012.56(7)(a)3., achieving
73 a passing score on the professional education competency
74 examination, the basic skills examination, and the subject area
75 examination for the subject area certification which is required
76 by state board rule.
77 4. For each participant who is certified in exceptional
78 student education, complete the autism micro-credential created
79 pursuant to s. 1004.551(1)(f).
80 (9) By August 1, 2027, as a condition for continued program
81 approval, each educator preparation institute must offer
82 instruction and training on evidence-based practices for
83 teaching students with autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome,
84 other developmental disabilities, and emotional or behavioral
85 disabilities, consistent with the uniform core curricula
86 developed by the department.
87 Section 2. Section 1009.636, Florida Statutes, is created
88 to read:
89 1009.636 Autism educator loan forgiveness program.—
90 (1) The Legislature finds that an adequate supply of
91 special education teachers is critical to provide students who
92 have a neurodevelopmental disability, such as autism spectrum
93 disorder, with individualized education to foster essential
94 social-emotional skills, provide positive interventions, and
95 build life skills for independence. The Autism Educator Loan
96 Forgiveness Program is created to recruit and retain qualified
97 individuals to serve as special education teachers for students
98 with autism spectrum disorder.
99 (2) To be eligible, an individual must:
100 (a)1. Have earned a master’s or higher degree in special
101 education or exceptional student education from an accredited
102 institution and have an active student loan balance from
103 completion of that degree, and hold a temporary or professional
104 certificate; or
105 2. Have earned a bachelor’s or higher degree from an
106 accredited institution and have an active student loan balance
107 from completion of that degree, hold a temporary or professional
108 certificate, and hold the Autism Spectrum Disorder Endorsement
109 or Severe or Profound Disabilities Endorsement; and
110 (b) Serve as the primary teacher in a public school
111 classroom in which a majority of the students have autism
112 spectrum disorder.
113 (3) Eligible participants may receive up to $17,500 in
114 total student loan repayment assistance over 5 years, disbursed
115 in annual payments not to exceed $3,500 per year. Payments must
116 be made directly to the lender servicing the participant’s
117 student loan.
118 (4) In order for the department to release each annual
119 payment, a teacher must:
120 (a) Have completed a full year of service pursuant to
121 paragraph (2)(b).
122 (b) Have received a rating of effective or highly effective
123 pursuant to s. 1012.34.
124 (c) Not have had any disciplinary action taken by the
125 school district or by the department against the teacher’s
126 certificate.
127 (5) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
128 administer this section.
129 Section 3. Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) and paragraph
130 (a) of subsection (3) of section 1012.22, Florida Statutes, are
131 amended to read:
132 1012.22 Public school personnel; powers and duties of the
133 district school board.—The district school board shall:
134 (1) Designate positions to be filled, prescribe
135 qualifications for those positions, and provide for the
136 appointment, compensation, promotion, suspension, and dismissal
137 of employees as follows, subject to the requirements of this
138 chapter:
139 (c) Compensation and salary schedules.—
140 1. Definitions.—As used in this paragraph:
141 a. “Adjustment” means an addition to the base salary
142 schedule that is not a bonus and becomes part of the employee’s
143 permanent base salary and shall be considered compensation under
144 s. 121.021(22).
145 b. “Grandfathered salary schedule” means the salary
146 schedule or schedules adopted by a district school board before
147 July 1, 2014, pursuant to subparagraph 4.
148 c. “Instructional personnel” means instructional personnel
149 as defined in s. 1012.01(2)(a)-(d), excluding substitute
150 teachers.
151 d. “Performance salary schedule” means the salary schedule
152 or schedules adopted by a district school board pursuant to
153 subparagraph 5.
154 e. “Salary schedule” means the schedule or schedules used
155 to provide the base salary for district school board personnel.
156 f. “School administrator” means a school administrator as
157 defined in s. 1012.01(3)(c).
158 g. “Supplement” means an annual addition to the base salary
159 for the term of the negotiated supplement as long as the
160 employee continues his or her employment for the purpose of the
161 supplement. A supplement does not become part of the employee’s
162 continuing base salary but shall be considered compensation
163 under s. 121.021(22).
164 2. Cost-of-living adjustment.—A district school board may
165 provide a cost-of-living salary adjustment if the adjustment:
166 a. Does not discriminate among comparable classes of
167 employees based upon the salary schedule under which they are
168 compensated.
169 b. Does not exceed 50 percent of the annual adjustment
170 provided to instructional personnel rated as effective.
171 3. Advanced degrees.—A district school board may use
172 advanced degrees in setting a salary schedule for instructional
173 personnel or school administrators if the advanced degree is
174 held in the individual’s area of certification.
175 4. Grandfathered salary schedule.—
176 a. The district school board shall adopt a salary schedule
177 or salary schedules to be used as the basis for paying all
178 school employees hired before July 1, 2014. Instructional
179 personnel on annual contract as of July 1, 2014, shall be placed
180 on the performance salary schedule adopted under subparagraph 5.
181 Instructional personnel on continuing contract or professional
182 service contract may opt into the performance salary schedule if
183 the employee relinquishes such contract and agrees to be
184 employed on an annual contract under s. 1012.335. Such an
185 employee shall be placed on the performance salary schedule and
186 may not return to continuing contract or professional service
187 contract status. Any employee who opts into the performance
188 salary schedule may not return to the grandfathered salary
189 schedule.
190 b. In determining the grandfathered salary schedule for
191 instructional personnel, a district school board must base a
192 portion of each employee’s compensation upon performance
193 demonstrated under s. 1012.34 and shall provide differentiated
194 pay for both instructional personnel and school administrators
195 based upon district-determined factors, including, but not
196 limited to, additional responsibilities, school demographics,
197 high-demand teacher needs areas, and level of job performance
198 difficulties.
199 5. Performance salary schedule.—By July 1, 2014, the
200 district school board shall adopt a performance salary schedule
201 that provides annual salary adjustments for instructional
202 personnel and school administrators based upon performance
203 determined under s. 1012.34. Employees hired on or after July 1,
204 2014, or employees who choose to move from the grandfathered
205 salary schedule to the performance salary schedule shall be
206 compensated pursuant to the performance salary schedule once
207 they have received the appropriate performance evaluation for
208 this purpose.
209 a. Base salary.—The base salary shall be established as
210 follows:
211 (I) The base salary for instructional personnel or school
212 administrators who opt into the performance salary schedule
213 shall be the salary paid in the prior year, including
214 adjustments only.
215 (II) Instructional personnel or school administrators new
216 to the district, returning to the district after a break in
217 service without an authorized leave of absence, or appointed for
218 the first time to a position in the district in the capacity of
219 instructional personnel or school administrator shall be placed
220 on the performance salary schedule.
221 b. Salary adjustments.—Salary adjustments for highly
222 effective or effective performance shall be established as
223 follows:
224 (I) The annual salary adjustment under the performance
225 salary schedule for an employee rated as highly effective must
226 be at least 25 percent greater than the highest annual salary
227 adjustment available to an employee of the same classification
228 through any other salary schedule adopted by the district.
229 (II) The annual salary adjustment under the performance
230 salary schedule for an employee rated as effective must be equal
231 to at least 50 percent and no more than 75 percent of the annual
232 adjustment provided for a highly effective employee of the same
233 classification.
234 (III) A salary schedule shall not provide an annual salary
235 adjustment for an employee who receives a rating other than
236 highly effective or effective for the year.
237 c. Salary supplements.—In addition to the salary
238 adjustments, each district school board shall provide for salary
239 supplements for activities that must include, but are not
240 limited to:
241 (I) Assignment to a Title I eligible school.
242 (II) Assignment to a school that earned a grade of “F” or
243 three consecutive grades of “D” pursuant to s. 1008.34 such that
244 the supplement remains in force for at least 1 year following
245 improved performance in that school.
246 (III) Certification and teaching in high-demand teacher
247 needs areas. Statewide high-demand teacher needs areas shall be
248 identified by the State Board of Education under s. 1012.07.
249 However, the district school board may identify other areas of
250 high-demand needs within the school district for purposes of
251 this sub-sub-subparagraph and may remove areas identified by the
252 state board which do not apply within the school district.
253 (IV) Assignment of additional academic responsibilities.
254 (V) Completion of the Autism Spectrum Disorder Endorsement.
255
256 If budget constraints in any given year limit a district school
257 board’s ability to fully fund all adopted salary schedules, the
258 performance salary schedule shall not be reduced on the basis of
259 total cost or the value of individual awards in a manner that is
260 proportionally greater than reductions to any other salary
261 schedules adopted by the district. Any compensation for
262 longevity of service awarded to instructional personnel who are
263 on any other salary schedule must be included in calculating the
264 salary adjustments required by sub-subparagraph b.
265 (3)(a) Collective bargaining.—Notwithstanding provisions of
266 chapter 447 related to district school board collective
267 bargaining, collective bargaining may not preclude a district
268 school board from carrying out its constitutional and statutory
269 duties related to the following:
270 1. Providing incentives to effective and highly effective
271 teachers.
272 2. Implementing intervention and support strategies under
273 s. 1008.33 to address the causes of low student performance and
274 improve student academic performance and attendance.
275 3. Implementing student discipline provisions required by
276 law, including a review of a student’s abilities, past
277 performance, behavior, and needs.
278 4. Implementing school safety plans and requirements.
279 5. Implementing staff and student recognition programs.
280 6. Distributing correspondence to parents, teachers, and
281 community members related to the daily operation of schools and
282 the district.
283 7. Providing any required notice or copies of information
284 related to the district school board or district operations
285 which is readily available on the school district’s website.
286 8. The school district’s calendar.
287 9. Providing incentives to exceptional student education
288 teachers who complete the Autism Spectrum Disorder Endorsement,
289 in addition to any stipend funded in the General Appropriations
290 Act for completion of the endorsement, and who serve as the
291 primary teacher in a classroom in which a majority of the
292 students have autism spectrum disorder.
293 Section 4. Paragraph (g) of subsection (2) of section
294 1012.551, Florida Statutes, is amended, and subsection (4) is
295 added to that section to read:
296 1012.551 Teacher preparation core principles, standards,
297 and content.—
298 (2) The uniform core curricula for each state-approved
299 teacher preparation program must meet, at a minimum, the
300 following standards:
301 (g) Must include strategies for differentiated instruction
302 to meet student needs, including English language learners and
303 students with disabilities, while maintaining grade-level
304 expectations. The strategies must also include specific training
305 aligned with evidence-based practices for supporting students
306 with autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, other
307 developmental disabilities, and emotional or behavioral
308 disabilities applicable across all levels of support.
309 (4) Each state-approved teacher preparation program using
310 the uniform core curricula developed pursuant to this section
311 must include the autism micro-credential created pursuant to s.
312 1004.551(1)(f), which shall count for at least 1 semester hour
313 toward completion of the program.
314 Section 5. Paragraph (g) is added to subsection (2) of
315 section 1012.552, Florida Statutes, to read:
316 1012.552 The Coaching for Educator Readiness and Teaching
317 (CERT) Certification Program.—
318 (2) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—A CERT program must include all
319 of the following:
320 (g) Required successful completion of the autism micro
321 credential created pursuant to s. 1004.551(1)(f) for a candidate
322 certification in exceptional student education.
323 Section 6. Paragraph (e) of subsection (3) of section
324 1012.585, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
325 1012.585 Process for renewal of professional certificates.—
326 (3) For the renewal of a professional certificate, the
327 following requirements must be met:
328 (e) Beginning July 1, 2014, an applicant for renewal of a
329 professional certificate must earn a minimum of one college
330 credit or the equivalent inservice points in the area of
331 instruction for teaching students with disabilities. The
332 requirement in this paragraph may not add to the total hours
333 required by the department for continuing education or inservice
334 training. Beginning August 1, 2027:
335 1. Instruction for teaching students with disabilities must
336 include autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, other
337 developmental disabilities, and emotional or behavioral
338 disabilities.
339 2. An applicant certified in exceptional student education
340 must earn the autism micro-credential created pursuant to s.
341 1004.551(1)(f), which must count toward 3 college credits or the
342 equivalent inservice points. Once earned, an applicant is not
343 required to earn the micro-credential for additional renewal
344 periods.
345 Section 7. Subsection (3) is added to section 1012.586,
346 Florida Statutes, to read:
347 1012.586 Additions or changes to certificates; duplicate
348 certificates; reading endorsement pathways.—
349 (3) Personnel certified in exceptional student education
350 who complete the Autism Spectrum Disorder Endorsement are
351 eligible for a stipend as specified in the General
352 Appropriations Act.
353 Section 8. Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of section
354 1012.98, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
355 1012.98 School Community Professional Learning Act.—
356 (5) The Department of Education, school districts, schools,
357 Florida College System institutions, and state universities
358 share the responsibilities described in this section. These
359 responsibilities include the following:
360 (b) Each school district shall develop a professional
361 learning system as specified in subsection (4). The system shall
362 be developed in consultation with teachers, teacher-educators of
363 Florida College System institutions and state universities,
364 business and community representatives, and local education
365 foundations, consortia, and professional organizations. The
366 professional learning system must:
367 1. Be reviewed and approved by the department for
368 compliance with s. 1003.42(3) and this section. Effective March
369 1, 2024, the department shall establish a calendar for the
370 review and approval of all professional learning systems. A
371 professional learning system must be reviewed and approved every
372 5 years. Any substantial revisions to the system must be
373 submitted to the department for review and approval. The
374 department shall establish a format for the review and approval
375 of a professional learning system.
376 2. Be based on analyses of student achievement data and
377 instructional strategies and methods that support rigorous,
378 relevant, and challenging curricula for all students. Schools
379 and districts, in developing and refining the professional
380 learning system, shall also review and monitor school discipline
381 data; school environment surveys; assessments of parental
382 satisfaction; performance appraisal data of teachers, managers,
383 and administrative personnel; and other performance indicators
384 to identify school and student needs that can be met by improved
385 professional performance.
386 3. Provide inservice activities coupled with follow-up
387 followup support appropriate to accomplish district-level and
388 school-level improvement goals and standards. The inservice
389 activities for instructional and school administrative personnel
390 shall focus on analysis of student achievement data; ongoing
391 formal and informal assessments of student achievement;
392 identification and use of enhanced and differentiated
393 instructional strategies that emphasize rigor, relevance, and
394 reading in the content areas; enhancement of subject content
395 expertise; integrated use of classroom technology that enhances
396 teaching and learning; classroom management; parent involvement;
397 and school safety.
398 4. Provide inservice activities and support targeted to the
399 individual needs of new teachers participating in the
400 professional learning certification and education competency
401 program under s. 1012.56(8)(a).
402 5. Include a professional learning catalog for inservice
403 activities, pursuant to rules of the State Board of Education,
404 for all district employees from all fund sources. The catalog
405 must be updated annually by September 1, must be based on input
406 from teachers and district and school instructional leaders, and
407 must use the latest available student achievement data and
408 research to enhance rigor and relevance in the classroom. Each
409 district inservice catalog must be aligned to and support the
410 school-based inservice catalog and school improvement plans
411 pursuant to s. 1001.42(18). Each district inservice catalog must
412 provide a description of the training that middle grades
413 instructional personnel and school administrators receive on the
414 district’s code of student conduct adopted pursuant to s.
415 1006.07; integrated digital instruction and competency-based
416 instruction and CAPE Digital Tool certificates and CAPE industry
417 certifications; classroom management; student behavior and
418 interaction; extended learning opportunities for students; and
419 instructional leadership. District plans must be approved by the
420 district school board annually in order to ensure compliance
421 with subsection (1) and to allow for dissemination of research
422 based best practices to other districts. District school boards
423 shall submit verification of their approval to the Commissioner
424 of Education no later than October 1, annually. Each school
425 principal may establish and maintain an individual professional
426 learning plan for each instructional employee assigned to the
427 school as a seamless component to the school improvement plans
428 developed pursuant to s. 1001.42(18). An individual professional
429 learning plan must be related to specific performance data for
430 the students to whom the teacher is assigned, define the
431 inservice objectives and specific measurable improvements
432 expected in student performance as a result of the inservice
433 activity, and include an evaluation component that determines
434 the effectiveness of the professional learning plan.
435 6. Include inservice activities for school administrative
436 personnel, aligned to the state’s educational leadership
437 standards, which address updated skills necessary for
438 instructional leadership and effective school management
439 pursuant to s. 1012.986.
440 7. Provide for systematic consultation with regional and
441 state personnel designated to provide technical assistance and
442 evaluation of local professional learning programs.
443 8. Provide for delivery of professional learning by
444 distance learning and other technology-based delivery systems to
445 reach more educators at lower costs.
446 9. Provide for the continuous evaluation of the quality and
447 effectiveness of professional learning programs in order to
448 eliminate ineffective programs and strategies and to expand
449 effective ones. Evaluations must consider the impact of such
450 activities on the performance of participating educators and
451 their students’ achievement and behavior.
452 10. For all grades, emphasize:
453 a. Interdisciplinary planning, collaboration, and
454 instruction.
455 b. Alignment of curriculum and instructional materials to
456 the state academic standards adopted pursuant to s. 1003.41.
457 c. Use of small learning communities; problem-solving,
458 inquiry-driven research and analytical approaches for students;
459 strategies and tools based on student needs; competency-based
460 instruction; integrated digital instruction; and project-based
461 instruction.
462
463 Each school that includes any of grades 6, 7, or 8 shall include
464 in its school improvement plan, required under s. 1001.42(18), a
465 description of the specific strategies used by the school to
466 implement each item listed in this subparagraph.
467 11. Provide training to reading coaches, classroom
468 teachers, and school administrators in effective methods of
469 identifying characteristics of conditions such as dyslexia and
470 other causes of diminished phonological processing skills;
471 incorporating instructional techniques into the general
472 education setting which are proven to improve reading
473 performance for all students; and using predictive and other
474 data to make instructional decisions based on individual student
475 needs. The training must help teachers integrate phonemic
476 awareness; phonics, word study, and spelling; reading fluency;
477 vocabulary, including academic vocabulary; and text
478 comprehension strategies into an explicit, systematic, and
479 sequential approach to reading instruction, including
480 multisensory intervention strategies. Such training for teaching
481 foundational skills must be based on the science of reading and
482 include phonics instruction for decoding and encoding as the
483 primary instructional strategy for word reading. Instructional
484 strategies included in the training may not employ the three
485 cueing system model of reading or visual memory as a basis for
486 teaching word reading. Such instructional strategies may include
487 visual information and strategies which improve background and
488 experiential knowledge, add context, and increase oral language
489 and vocabulary to support comprehension, but may not be used to
490 teach word reading. Each district must provide all elementary
491 grades instructional personnel access to training sufficient to
492 meet the requirements of s. 1012.585(3)(f).
493 12. Provide at least one autism-specific professional
494 development opportunity annually for instructional personnel and
495 school-based administrators. The professional development must
496 be developed and delivered in coordination with the district’s
497 assigned Center for Autism and Related Disabilities and must
498 include evidence-based practices for supporting students with
499 autism spectrum disorder across all levels of need, including
500 academic instruction, behavioral supports, communication
501 strategies, and inclusive practices.
502 Section 9. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.