The Florida Senate

1008.341  School improvement rating for alternative schools.--

(1)  ANNUAL REPORTS.--The Commissioner of Education shall prepare an annual report on the performance of each school receiving a school improvement rating pursuant to this section if the provisions of s. 1002.22 pertaining to student records apply.

(2)  SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT RATING.--An alternative school that provides dropout prevention and academic intervention services pursuant to s. 1003.53 shall receive a school improvement rating pursuant to this section. However, an alternative school shall not receive a school improvement rating if the number of its students for whom student performance data is available for the current year and previous year ¹is less than the minimum sample size necessary, based on accepted professional practice, for statistical reliability and prevention of the unlawful release of personally identifiable student data under s. 1002.22 or 20 U.S.C. s. 1232g. The school improvement rating shall identify an alternative school as having one of the following ratings defined according to rules of the State Board of Education:

(a)  "Improving" means the students attending the school are making more academic progress than when the students were served in their home schools.

(b)  "Maintaining" means the students attending the school are making progress equivalent to the progress made when the students were served in their home schools.

(c)  "Declining" means the students attending the school are making less academic progress than when the students were served in their home schools.

The school improvement rating shall be based on a comparison of student performance data for the current year and previous year. Schools that improve at least one level or maintain an "improving" rating pursuant to this section are eligible for school recognition awards pursuant to s. 1008.36

(3)  DESIGNATION OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT RATING.--Student data used in determining an alternative school's school improvement rating shall include:

(a)  The aggregate scores of all eligible students who were assigned to and enrolled in the school during the October or February FTE count, who have been assessed on the FCAT, and who have FCAT or comparable scores for the preceding school year.

(b)  The aggregate scores of all eligible students who were assigned to and enrolled in the school during the October or February FTE count, who have been assessed on the FCAT and who have scored in the lowest 25th percentile of students in the state on FCAT Reading.

The assessment scores of students who are subject to district school board policies for expulsion for repeated or serious offenses, who are in dropout retrieval programs serving students who have officially been designated as dropouts, or who are in programs operated or contracted by the Department of Juvenile Justice may not be included in an alternative school's school improvement rating.

(4)  IDENTIFICATION OF STUDENT LEARNING GAINS.--For each alternative school receiving a school improvement rating, the Department of Education shall annually identify the percentage of students making learning gains as compared to the percentage of the same students making learning gains in their home schools in the year prior to being assigned to the alternative school.

(5)  SCHOOL REPORT CARD.--The Department of Education shall annually develop, in collaboration with the school districts, a school report card for alternative schools to be delivered to parents throughout each school district. The report card shall include the school improvement rating, identification of student learning gains, student attendance data, information regarding school improvement, an explanation of school performance as evaluated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and indicators of return on investment.

(6)  RULES.--The State Board of Education shall adopt rules under ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to administer this section.

History.--s. 47, ch. 2006-74; s. 22, ch. 2008-235.

¹Note.--The words "is less" were substituted by the editors for the words "are fewer."