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A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to education; amending s. 1002.42, 2
F.S.; conforming a cross -reference; amending s. 3
1003.4282, F.S.; revising a graduation requirement for 4
certain students; amending s. 1004.04, F.S.; revising 5
the core curricula for certain teacher preparati on 6
programs; amending s. 1004.85, F.S.; revising 7
terminology; deleting a requirement that certain 8
certification programs be previously approved by the 9
Department of Education; revising requirements for 10
certain competency-based programs, certain teacher 11
preparation field experience, and participants in 12
certain teacher preparation programs; requiring the 13
State Board of Education to adopt specified rules 14
relating to the continued approval of certain teacher 15
preparation programs rather than by a determination o f 16
the Commissioner of Education; amending s. 1007.25, 17
F.S.; requiring the state board and the Board of 18
Governors to identify Florida College System 19
institutions and state universities to develop certain 20
courses and provide specified training; amending s. 21
1007.27, F.S.; revising the articulated acceleration 22
mechanisms available to certain students; authorizing 23
the department to partner with specified organizations 24
to develop certain assessments; providing for the 25
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award of credit to certain students; requirin g the 26
department to provide a report to the Legislature by a 27
specified date; providing requirements for such 28
report; amending s. 1007.271, F.S.; requiring dual 29
enrollment courses to be age and developmentally 30
appropriate; amending s. 1007.35, F.S.; revisin g the 31
responsibilities of the Florida Partnership for 32
Minority and Underrepresented Student Achievement; 33
conforming provisions to changes made by the act; 34
amending s. 1008.22, F.S.; authorizing school 35
districts to select the Classic Learning Test for an 36
annual districtwide administration for certain 37
students; amending s. 1008.34, F.S.; revising the 38
calculation of school grades for certain schools; 39
amending s. 1009.531, F.S.; authorizing students to 40
earn a concordant score on the Classic Learning Test 41
to meet the initial eligibility requirements for the 42
Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program; amending 43
s. 1011.62, F.S.; revising requirements for the 44
calculation of additional full -time equivalent 45
membership for certain funding through the Florida 46
Education Finance Program; revising school eligibility 47
requirements for the turnaround school supplemental 48
services allocation; providing that certain allocation 49
amounts be based on a specified membership survey; 50
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amending s. 1012.34, F.S.; providing school 51
administrators are not precluded from taking specified 52
actions; amending s. 1012.56, F.S.; revising 53
requirements for a person seeking an educator 54
certification; revising criteria for the award of a 55
temporary certificate; revising the validity period 56
for certain temporary certificates; deleting 57
provisions relating to the department's ability to 58
extend the validity period of certain temporary 59
certificates; revising the requirements for the 60
approval and administration of such programs; 61
establishing professional educati on competency 62
programs; requiring school districts to develop and 63
maintain such a program; authorizing private schools 64
and state-supported schools to develop and maintain 65
such a program; amending ss. 1012.57 and 1012.575, 66
F.S.; conforming cross -references; amending s. 67
1012.585, F.S.; requiring certain applicants for the 68
renewal of a professional certificate to earn 69
specified college credit or inservice points; 70
providing requirements for such credit or points; 71
amending s. 1012.586, F.S.; conforming a cross -72
reference; amending s. 1012.71, F.S.; revising the 73
funding calculation for the Florida Teachers Classroom 74
Supply Assistance Program; deleting a requirement that 75
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school districts provide contributions for the 76
program; requiring the Department of Education to 77
administer a competitive procurement for the purchase 78
of materials and supplies through the program; 79
providing school district requirements; deleting 80
requirements for the distribution of funds to 81
classroom teachers through the program; deleting a 82
requirement that classroom teachers sign a specified 83
statement; revising requirements for unused program 84
funds; deleting provisions authorizing department and 85
district school boards to enter into specified 86
partnerships; amending s. 1012.98, F.S.; defining the 87
term "professional learning"; prohibiting specified 88
meetings from being considered professional learning 89
and eligible for inservice points; providing and 90
revising requirements for certain professional 91
learning activities; revising department and school 92
district duties relating to such activities; providing 93
requirements for entities contracted with to provide 94
professional learning services and inservice education 95
for school districts; amending s. 1012.986, F.S.; 96
renaming the "William Cecil Golden Professional 97
Development Program for School Leaders" as the 98
"William Cecil Golden Professional Learning Program 99
for School Leaders"; revising the goal of the program; 100
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providing a directive to the Division of Law Revision; 101
providing effective dates. 102
103
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 104
105
Section 1. Subsection (13) of section 1002.42, Florida 106
Statutes, is amended to read: 107
1002.42 Private schools. — 108
(13) PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM.—An 109
organization of private schools that has no f ewer than 10 member 110
schools in this state may develop a professional learning 111
development system to be filed with the Department of Education 112
in accordance with s. 1012.98(7) the provisions of s. 113
1012.98(6). 114
Section 2. Paragraph (e) of subsection (3) o f section 115
1003.4282, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 116
1003.4282 Requirements for a standard high school 117
diploma.— 118
(3) STANDARD HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA; COURSE AND ASSESSMENT 119
REQUIREMENTS.— 120
(e) One credit in fine or performing arts, speech and 121
debate, or, for students entering grade 9 in the 2023 -2024 122
school year, career education practical arts.—The practical arts 123
course must incorporate artistic content and techniques of 124
creativity, interpretation, and imagination . Eligible career 125
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education practical arts courses are identified in the Course 126
Code Directory. 127
Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section 128
1004.04, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 129
1004.04 Public accountability and state approval for 130
teacher preparation programs. — 131
(2) UNIFORM CORE CURRICULA AND CANDIDATE ASSESSMENT. — 132
(b) The rules to establish uniform core curricula for each 133
state-approved teacher preparation program must include, but are 134
not limited to, the following: 135
1. Candidate instruction and assessment in the Florida 136
Educator Accomplished Practices across content areas. 137
2. The use of state -adopted content standards to guide 138
curricula and instruction. 139
3. Scientifically researched and evidence -based reading 140
instructional strategies that improve reading performance for 141
all students, including explicit, systematic, and sequential 142
approaches to teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, 143
fluency, and text comprehension and multisensory intervention 144
strategies. 145
4. Content literacy and mathematics pra ctices. 146
5. Strategies appropriate for the instruction of English 147
language learners. 148
6. Strategies appropriate for the instruction of students 149
with disabilities. 150
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7. Strategies to differentiate instruction based on 151
student needs. 152
8. Strategies and pr actices to support evidence -based 153
content aligned to state standards and grading practices. 154
9. Strategies appropriate for the early identification of 155
a student in crisis or experiencing a mental health challenge 156
and the referral of such student to a ment al health professional 157
for support. 158
10. Strategies to support the use of technology in 159
education and distance learning. 160
11. Strategies and practices to support effective, 161
research-based assessment and grading practices aligned to the 162
state's academic standards. 163
Section 4. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) and subsections 164
(3), (4), and (5) of section 1004.85, Florida Statutes, are 165
amended to read: 166
1004.85 Postsecondary educator preparation institutes. — 167
(2)(a) Postsecondary institutions that are acc redited or 168
approved as described in State Board of Education rule may seek 169
approval from the Department of Education to create educator 170
preparation institutes for the purpose of providing any or all 171
of the following: 172
1. Professional learning development instruction to assist 173
teachers in improving classroom instruction and in meeting 174
certification or recertification requirements. 175
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2. Instruction to assist potential and existing substitute 176
teachers in performing their duties. 177
3. Instruction to assist par aprofessionals in meeting 178
education and training requirements. 179
4. Instruction for baccalaureate degree holders to become 180
certified teachers as provided in this section in order to 181
increase routes to the classroom for mid-career professionals 182
who hold a baccalaureate degree and college graduates who were 183
not education majors. 184
5. Instruction and professional learning development for 185
part-time and full-time nondegreed teachers of career programs 186
under s. 1012.39(1)(c). 187
(3) Educator preparation institutes approved pursuant to 188
this section may offer competency -based certification programs 189
specifically designed for noneducation major baccalaureate 190
degree holders to enable program participants to meet the 191
educator certification requirements of s. 1012.56. An educator 192
preparation institute choosing to offer a competency -based 193
certification program pursuant to the provisions of this section 194
must implement a program previously approved by the Department 195
of Education for this purpose or a program developed by the 196
institute and approved by the department for this purpose. 197
Approved programs shall be available for use by other approved 198
educator preparation institutes. 199
(a) Within 90 days after receipt of a request for 200
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approval, the Department of Education shall appro ve a 201
preparation program pursuant to the requirements of this 202
subsection or issue a statement of the deficiencies in the 203
request for approval. The department shall approve a 204
certification program if the institute provides evidence of the 205
institute's capacity to implement a competency -based program 206
that instructs and assesses each candidate in includes each of 207
the following: 208
1.a. Participant instruction and assessment in The Florida 209
Educator Accomplished Practices approved by the state board 210
across content areas. 211
b. The state academic use of state-adopted student content 212
standards provided under s. 1003.41, including scientifically 213
based reading instruction, content literacy, and mathematical 214
practices, for each subject identified on the statement of 215
status of eligibility or the temporary certificate to guide 216
curriculum and instruction . 217
c. Scientifically researched and evidence -based reading 218
instructional strategies that improve reading performance for 219
all students, including explicit, systematic, and se quential 220
approaches to teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, 221
fluency, and text comprehension and multisensory intervention 222
strategies. 223
d. Content literacy and mathematical practices. 224
e. Strategies appropriate for instruction of English 225
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language learners. 226
f. Strategies appropriate for instruction of students with 227
disabilities. 228
g. Strategies to differentiate instruction based on 229
student needs. 230
h. Strategies and practices to support evidence -based 231
content aligned to state standards and gr ading practices. 232
i. Strategies appropriate for the early identification of 233
a student in crisis or experiencing a mental health challenge 234
and the referral of such student to a mental health professional 235
for support. 236
j. Strategies to support the use of t echnology in 237
education and distance learning. 238
2. An educational plan for each participant to meet 239
certification requirements and demonstrate his or her ability to 240
teach the subject area for which the participant is seeking 241
certification, which is based on an assessment of his or her 242
competency in the areas listed in subparagraph 1. 243
3. Field experiences appropriate to the certification 244
subject area specified in the educational plan with a diverse 245
population of students in a variety of challenging enviro nments, 246
including, but not limited to, high -poverty schools, urban 247
schools, and rural schools, under the supervision of qualified 248
educators. The state board shall determine in rule the amount of 249
field experience necessary to serve as the teacher of record, 250
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beginning with candidates entering a program in the 2023 -2024 251
school year. 252
4. A certification ombudsman to facilitate the process and 253
procedures required for participants who complete the program to 254
meet any requirements related to the background screen ing 255
pursuant to s. 1012.32 and educator professional or temporary 256
certification pursuant to s. 1012.56. 257
(b) Each program participant must: 258
1. Meet certification requirements pursuant to s. 259
1012.56(1) by obtaining a statement of status of eligibility in 260
the certification subject area of the educational plan and meet 261
the requirements of s. 1012.56(2)(a) -(f). 262
2. Demonstrate competency and participate in coursework 263
and field experiences that are appropriate to his or her 264
educational plan prepared under paragraph (a). Beginning with 265
candidates entering an educator preparation institute in the 266
2022-2023 school year, a candidate for certification in a 267
coverage area identif ied pursuant to s. 1012.585(3)(f) must 268
successfully complete all competencies for a reading 269
endorsement, including completion of the endorsement practicum 270
through the candidate's field experience, in order to graduate 271
from the program. 272
3. Before completion of the program, fully demonstrate his 273
or her ability to teach the subject area for which he or she is 274
seeking certification by documenting a positive impact on 275
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student learning growth in a prekindergarten through grade 12 276
setting and, except as provided in s. 1012.56(7)(a)3., achieving 277
a passing score on the professional education competency 278
examination, the basic skills examination, and the subject area 279
examination for the subject area certification which is required 280
by state board rule. 281
(c) Upon completion of all requirements for a 282
certification program approved pursuant to this subsection, a 283
participant shall receive a credential from the sponsoring 284
institution signifying that the participant has completed a 285
state-approved competency-based certification program in the 286
certification subject area specified in the educational plan. A 287
participant is eligible for educator certification through the 288
Department of Education upon satisfaction of all requirements 289
for certification set forth in s. 1012.56(2). 290
(4) The state board shall adopt rules for the continued 291
approval of each program approved pursuant to this section . 292
shall be determined by the Commissioner of Education based upon 293
a periodic review of the following areas: 294
(a) Candidate readiness based on passage rates on educator 295
certification examinations under s. 1012.56, as applicable. 296
(b) Evidence of performance in each of the following 297
areas: 298
1. Performance of students in prekindergarten through 299
grade 12 who are assigned to in -field program completers on 300
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statewide assessments using the results of the student learning 301
growth formula adopted under s. 1012.34. 302
2. Results of program completers' annual evaluations in 303
accordance with the timeline as set forth in s. 1012.34. 304
3. Workforce contribution s, including placement of program 305
completers in instructional positions in Florida public and 306
private schools, with additional weight given to production of 307
program completers in statewide critical teacher shortage areas 308
as identified in s. 1012.07. 309
(5) Each institute approved pursuant to this section shall 310
submit to the Department of Education annual performance 311
evaluations that measure the effectiveness of the programs , 312
including the pass rates of participants on all examinations 313
required for teacher ce rtification, employment rates, 314
longitudinal retention rates, and satisfaction surveys of 315
employers and program completers. The satisfaction surveys must 316
be designed to measure the sufficient preparation of the 317
educator for the realities of the classroom an d the institute's 318
responsiveness to local school districts. These evaluations 319
shall be used by the Department of Education for purposes of 320
continued approval of an educator preparation institute's 321
certification program . 322
Section 5. Subsection (3) of sec tion 1007.25, Florida 323
Statutes, is amended to read: 324
1007.25 General education courses; common prerequisites; 325
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other degree requirements. — 326
(3) The chair of the State Board of Education and the 327
chair of the Board of Governors, or their designees, shall 328
jointly appoint faculty committees to identify statewide general 329
education core course options. General education core course 330
options shall consist of a maximum of five courses within each 331
of the subject areas of communication, mathematics, social 332
sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. The core courses may 333
be revised, or the five -course maximum within each subject area 334
may be exceeded, if approved by the State Board of Education and 335
the Board of Governors, as recommended by the subject area 336
faculty committee and approved by the Articulation Coordinating 337
Committee as necessary for a subject area. Each general 338
education core course option must contain high -level academic 339
and critical thinking skills and common competencies that 340
students must demonstrate to successfully complete the course. 341
Beginning with students initially entering a Florida College 342
System institution or state university in 2015 -2016 and 343
thereafter, each student must complete at least one identified 344
core course in each subject area as part o f the general 345
education course requirements. The State Board of Education and 346
the Board of Governors shall identify Florida College System 347
institutions and state universities to develop advanced courses 348
for students in secondary education and provide the t raining 349
required under s. 1007.35(6). Beginning in the 2022 -2023 350
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academic year and thereafter, students entering a technical 351
degree education program as defined in s. 1004.02(13) must 352
complete at least one identified core course in each subject 353
area as part of the general education course requirements before 354
a degree is awarded. All public postsecondary educational 355
institutions shall accept these courses as meeting general 356
education core course requirements. The remaining general 357
education course requiremen ts shall be identified by each 358
institution and reported to the department by their statewide 359
course number. The general education core course options shall 360
be adopted in rule by the State Board of Education and in 361
regulation by the Board of Governors. 362
Section 6. Subsections (1), (2), and (5) of section 363
1007.27, Florida Statutes, are amended, and subsection (9) is 364
added to that section, to read: 365
1007.27 Articulated acceleration mechanisms. — 366
(1) It is the intent of the Legislature that a variety of 367
articulated acceleration mechanisms be available for secondary 368
and postsecondary students attending public educational 369
institutions. It is intended that articulated acceleration serve 370
to shorten the time necessary for a student to complete the 371
requirements associated with the conference of a high school 372
diploma and a postsecondary degree, broaden the scope of 373
curricular options available to students, or increase the depth 374
of study available for a particular subject. Articulated 375
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acceleration mechanisms shall i nclude, but are not limited to, 376
dual enrollment and early admission as provided for in s. 377
1007.271, advanced courses placement, credit by examination, the 378
International Baccalaureate Program, and the Advanced 379
International Certificate of Education Program. Credit earned 380
through the Florida Virtual School shall provide additional 381
opportunities for early graduation and acceleration. Students of 382
Florida public secondary schools enrolled pursuant to this 383
subsection shall be deemed authorized users of the state -funded 384
electronic library resources that are licensed for Florida 385
College System institutions and state universities by the 386
Florida Postsecondary Academic Library Network. Verification of 387
eligibility shall be in accordance with rules established by the 388
State Board of Education and regulations established by the 389
Board of Governors and processes implemented by Florida College 390
System institutions and state universities. 391
(2) The Department of Education shall annually identify 392
and publish the minimum scores, m aximum credit, and course or 393
courses for which credit is to be awarded for each College Level 394
Examination Program (CLEP) subject examination, College Board 395
Advanced Placement Program examination, Advanced International 396
Certificate of Education examination, International 397
Baccalaureate examination, Excelsior College subject 398
examination, Defense Activity for Non -Traditional Education 399
Support (DANTES) subject standardized test, and Defense Language 400
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Proficiency Test (DLPT). The department may partner with an 401
independent third-party testing or assessment organization to 402
develop assessments that measure competencies consistent with 403
the required course competencies identified by the Articulation 404
Coordinating Committee for general education core courses 405
pursuant to s. 1007.25. Postsecondary credit shall be limited to 406
students who achieve a minimum score as established in this 407
subsection. The department shall use student performance data in 408
subsequent postsecondary courses to determine the appropriate 409
examination scores and courses for which credit is to be 410
granted. Minimum scores may vary by subject area based on 411
available performance data. In addition, the department shall 412
identify such courses in the general education core curriculum 413
of each state university and Flor ida College System institution. 414
(5) Advanced courses placement shall be the enrollment of 415
an eligible secondary student in a course offered through the 416
Advanced Placement Program administered by the College Board or 417
a course that prepares students for as sessments identified in 418
subsection (2). Postsecondary credit for an advanced placement 419
course shall be limited to students who score a minimum of 3, on 420
a 5-point scale, on the corresponding Advanced Placement 421
Examination or at least the minimum score on an assessment 422
identified in subsection (2) . The specific courses for which 423
students receive such credit shall be identified in the 424
statewide articulation agreement required by s. 1007.23(1). 425
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Students of Florida public secondary schools enrolled pursuant 426
to this subsection shall be exempt from the payment of any fees 427
for administration of the examination regardless of whether or 428
not the student achieves a passing score on the examination. 429
(9) The department, in cooperation with the Board of 430
Governors, shall issue a report to the Legislature by January 1, 431
2024, on the alignment between acceleration mechanisms available 432
to secondary students and student success at the postsecondary 433
level. At a minimum, the report must examine how: 434
(a) Acceleration mechanisms align to secondary completion 435
and rates of success. 436
(b) Bonuses provided to classroom teachers for the 437
completion or passage of acceleration courses by students impact 438
school quality and performance. 439
(c) Acceleration mechanisms align to postsecondary 440
completion rates. 441
(d) Acceleration course offerings align with general 442
education core courses and reduce the amount of time needed for 443
students to complete a postsecondary degree. 444
(e) To improve acceptance of postsecondary credit earned 445
through acceleration courses through agreements with other 446
states. 447
Section 7. Subsection (14) of section 1007.271, Florida 448
Statutes, is amended to read: 449
1007.271 Dual enrollment programs. — 450
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(14) The Department of Education shall approve any course 451
for inclusion in the dual enrollment program that is age and 452
developmentally appropriate and contained within the statewide 453
course numbering system. However, developmental education and 454
physical education and other courses that focus on the physical 455
execution of a skill rather than the intellectual attributes of 456
the activity, may not be so approved but must be evaluated 457
individually for potential inclusion in the dual enrollment 458
program. This subsec tion may not be construed to mean that an 459
independent postsecondary institution eligible for inclusion in 460
a dual enrollment or early admission program pursuant to s. 461
1011.62 must participate in the statewide course numbering 462
system developed pursuant to s. 1007.24 to participate in a dual 463
enrollment program. 464
Section 8. Paragraph (a) of subsection (5) and subsection 465
(6) of section 1007.35, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 466
1007.35 Florida Partnership for Minority and 467
Underrepresented Student Achie vement.— 468
(5) Each public high school, including, but not limited 469
to, schools and alternative sites and centers of the Department 470
of Juvenile Justice, shall provide for the administration of the 471
Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test 472
(PSAT/NMSQT), or the PreACT to all enrolled 10th grade students. 473
However, a written notice shall be provided to each parent which 474
must include the opportunity to exempt his or her child from 475
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taking the PSAT/NMSQT or the PreACT. 476
(a) Test results will prov ide each high school with a 477
database of student assessment data which certified school 478
counselors will use to identify students who are prepared or who 479
need additional work to be prepared to enroll and be successful 480
in AP courses or other advanced high school courses. 481
(6) The partnership shall: 482
(a) Provide teacher training and professional development 483
to enable teachers of AP or other advanced courses to have the 484
necessary content knowledge and instructional skills to prepare 485
students for success on assessments developed pursuant to s. 486
1007.27(2) AP or other advanced course examinations and mastery 487
of postsecondary general education core courses course content. 488
(b) Provide to middle school teachers and administrators 489
professional development that will enable them to educate middle 490
school students at the level necessary to prepare the students 491
to enter high school ready to participate in advanced courses. 492
(c) Provide teacher training and materials that are 493
aligned with the state standards Next Generation Sunshine State 494
Standards and are consistent with best theory and practice 495
regarding multiple learning styles and research on learning, 496
instructional strategies, instructional design, and classroom 497
assessment. Curriculum materials must be based on curren t, 498
accepted, and essential academic knowledge. 499
(d) Provide assessment of individual strengths and 500
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weaknesses as related to potential success in AP or other 501
advanced courses and readiness for college. 502
(e) Provide college entrance exam preparation throug h a 503
variety of means that may include, but are not limited to, 504
training teachers to provide courses at schools; training 505
community organizations to provide courses at community centers, 506
faith-based organizations, and businesses; and providing online 507
courses. 508
(f) Consider ways to incorporate Florida College System 509
institutions in the mission of preparing all students for 510
postsecondary success. 511
(g) Provide a plan for communication and coordination of 512
efforts with the Florida Virtual School's provision of online AP 513
or other advanced courses. 514
(h) Work with school districts to identify minority and 515
underrepresented students for participation in AP or other 516
advanced courses. 517
(i) Work with school districts to provide information to 518
students and parents that explains available opportunities for 519
students to take AP and other advanced courses and that explains 520
enrollment procedures that students must follow to enroll in 521
such courses. Such information must also explain the value of 522
such courses as they relate to : 523
1. Preparing the student for postsecondary level 524
coursework. 525
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2. Enabling the student to gain access to postsecondary 526
education opportunities. 527
3. Qualifying for scholarships and other financial aid 528
opportunities. 529
(j) Provide information to student s, parents, teachers, 530
counselors, administrators, districts, Florida College System 531
institutions, and state universities regarding PSAT/NMSQT or the 532
PreACT administration, including, but not limited to: 533
1. Test administration dates and times. 534
2. That participation in the PSAT/NMSQT or the PreACT is 535
open to all 10th grade students. 536
3. The value of such tests in providing diagnostic 537
feedback on student skills. 538
4. The value of student scores in predicting the 539
probability of success on AP or other advanced course 540
examinations. 541
(k) Cooperate with the department to provide information 542
to administrators, teachers, and counselors, whenever possible, 543
about partnership activities, opportunities, and priorities. 544
(l) Partner with the Florida College System i nstitutions 545
and state universities identified by the State Board of 546
Education and Board of Governors pursuant to s. 1007.25(3) to 547
develop advanced courses and provide teacher training. 548
Section 9. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section 549
1008.22, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 550
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1008.22 Student assessment program for public schools. — 551
(3) STATEWIDE, STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT PROGRAM. —The 552
Commissioner of Education shall design and implement a 553
statewide, standardized assessment program aligned to the core 554
curricular content established in the state academic standards. 555
The commissioner also must develop or select and implement a 556
common battery of assessment tools that will be used in all 557
juvenile justice education programs in the state. These tools 558
must accurately measure the core curricular content established 559
in the state academic standards. Participation in the assessment 560
program is mandatory for all school districts and all students 561
attending public schools, including adult students seeking a 562
standard high school diploma under s. 1003.4282 and students in 563
Department of Juvenile Justice education programs, except as 564
otherwise provided by law. If a student does not participate in 565
the assessment program, the school district must notify the 566
student's parent and provide the parent with information 567
regarding the implications of such nonparticipation. The 568
statewide, standardized assessment program shall be designed and 569
implemented as follows: 570
(c) Nationally recognized high school assessments. — Each 571
school district shall, by the 2023-2024 2021-2022 school year 572
and subject to appropriation, select either the SAT , or ACT, or 573
Classic Learning Test for districtwide administration to each 574
public school student in grade 11, including students attending 575
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public high schools, alternative schools, and Department of 576
Juvenile Justice education programs. 577
Section 10. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section 578
1008.34, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 579
1008.34 School grading system; school report cards; 580
district grade.— 581
(3) DESIGNATION OF SCHOOL GRADES. — 582
(b)1. Beginning with the 2014 -2015 school year, A school's 583
grade shall be based on the following components, each worth 100 584
points: 585
a. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide, 586
standardized assessments in English Language Arts under s. 587
1008.22(3). 588
b. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide, 589
standardized assessments in mathematics under s. 1008.22(3). 590
c. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide, 591
standardized assessments in science under s. 1008.22(3). 592
d. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide, 593
standardized assessments in social studies under s. 1008.22(3). 594
e. The percentage of eligible students who make Learning 595
Gains in English Language Arts as measured by statewide, 596
standardized assessments administered under s. 1008.22(3). 597
f. The percentage of eligible students who make Learning 598
Gains in mathematics as measured by statewide, standardized 599
assessments administered under s. 1008.22(3). 600
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g. The percentage of eligible students in the lowest 25 601
percent in English Language Arts, as identified by prior year 602
performance on statewide, standardized assessments, who make 603
Learning Gains as measured by statewide, standardized English 604
Language Arts assessme nts administered under s. 1008.22(3). 605
h. The percentage of eligible students in the lowest 25 606
percent in mathematics, as identified by prior year performance 607
on statewide, standardized assessments, who make Learning Gains 608
as measured by statewide, standa rdized Mathematics assessments 609
administered under s. 1008.22(3). 610
i. For schools comprised of middle grades 6 through 8 or 611
grades 7 and 8, the percentage of eligible students passing high 612
school level statewide, standardized end -of-course assessments 613
or attaining national industry certifications identified in the 614
CAPE Industry Certification Funding List pursuant to state board 615
rule. 616
j. Beginning in the 2023 -2024 school year, for schools 617
comprised of grade levels that include grade 3, the percentage 618
of eligible students who score an achievement level 3 or higher 619
on the grade 3 statewide, standardized English Language Arts 620
assessment administered under s. 1008.22(3). 621
622
In calculating Learning Gains for the components listed in sub -623
subparagraphs e.-h., the State Board of Education shall require 624
that learning growth toward achievement levels 3, 4, and 5 is 625
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demonstrated by students who scored below each of those levels 626
in the prior year. In calculating the components in sub -627
subparagraphs a.-d., the state board s hall include the 628
performance of English language learners only if they have been 629
enrolled in a school in the United States for more than 2 years. 630
2. For a school comprised of grades 9, 10, 11, and 12, or 631
grades 10, 11, and 12, the school's grade shall al so be based on 632
the following components, each worth 100 points: 633
a. The 4-year high school graduation rate of the school as 634
defined by state board rule. 635
b. The percentage of students who were eligible to earn 636
college and career credit through an assessment identified 637
pursuant to s. 1007.27(2), College Board Advanced Placement 638
examinations, International Baccalaureate examinations, dual 639
enrollment courses, including career dual enrollment courses 640
resulting in the completion of 300 or more clock hours duri ng 641
high school which are approved by the state board as meeting the 642
requirements of s. 1007.271, or Advanced International 643
Certificate of Education examinations; who, at any time during 644
high school, earned national industry certification identified 645
in the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List, pursuant to 646
rules adopted by the state board; or , beginning with the 2022 -647
2023 school year, who earned an Armed Services Qualification 648
Test score that falls within Category II or higher on the Armed 649
Services Vocational Aptitude Battery and earned a minimum of two 650
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credits in Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps courses from 651
the same branch of the United States Armed Forces. 652
Section 11. Paragraph (c) of subsection (6) of section 653
1009.531, Florida Statutes, is a mended to read: 654
1009.531 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program; 655
student eligibility requirements for initial awards. — 656
(6) 657
(c) To ensure that the required examination scores 658
represent top student performance and are equivalent between the 659
SAT, and ACT, and Classic Learning Test (CLT) , the department 660
shall develop a method for determining the required examination 661
scores which incorporates all of the following: 662
1. The minimum required SAT score for the Florida Academic 663
Scholarship must be set no lo wer than the 89th national 664
percentile on the SAT. The department may adjust the required 665
SAT score only if the required score drops below the 89th 666
national percentile, and any such adjustment must be applied to 667
the bottom of the SAT score range that is con cordant to the ACT 668
and CLT. 669
2. The minimum required SAT score for the Florida 670
Medallion Scholarship must be set no lower than the 75th 671
national percentile on the SAT. The department may adjust the 672
required SAT score only if the required score drops below the 673
75th national percentile, and any such adjustment must be made 674
to the bottom of the SAT score range that is concordant to the 675
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ACT and CLT. 676
3. The required ACT and CLT scores must be made concordant 677
to the required SAT scores, using the latest publis hed national 678
concordance table developed jointly by the College Board , and 679
ACT, Inc., and Classic Learning Initiatives. 680
Section 12. Paragraphs (n) and (o) of subsection (1) and 681
subsection (17) of section 1011.62, Florida Statutes, are 682
amended to read: 683
1011.62 Funds for operation of schools. —If the annual 684
allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each 685
district for operation of schools is not determined in the 686
annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing 687
the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as 688
follows: 689
(1) COMPUTATION OF THE BASIC AMOUNT TO BE INCLUDED FOR 690
OPERATION.—The following procedure shall be followed in 691
determining the annual allocation to each district for 692
operation: 693
(n) Calculation of additi onal full-time equivalent 694
membership based on college board advanced placement scores of 695
students and earning postsecondary credit or a college board 696
advanced placement capstone diplomas. —A value of 0.16 full -time 697
equivalent student membership shall be cal culated for each 698
student in each advanced placement course who receives at least 699
the minimum a score of 3 or higher on assessments identified 700
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pursuant to s. 1007.27(2) the College Board Advanced Placement 701
Examination for the prior year and added to the tot al full-time 702
equivalent student membership in basic programs for grades 9 703
through 12 in the subsequent fiscal year. A value of 0.3 full -704
time equivalent student membership shall be calculated for each 705
student who receives a College Board Advanced Placement Capstone 706
Diploma and meets the requirements for a standard high school 707
diploma under s. 1003.4282. Such value shall be added to the 708
total full-time equivalent student membership in basic programs 709
for grades 9 through 12 in the subsequent fiscal year. Each 710
district must allocate at least 80 percent of the funds provided 711
to the district for advanced course placement instruction, in 712
accordance with this paragraph, to the high school that 713
generates the funds. The school district shall distribute to 714
each classroom teacher who provided advanced course placement 715
instruction: 716
1. A bonus in the amount of $50 for each student taught by 717
the Advanced Placement teacher in each advanced placement course 718
who receives at least the minimum a score of 3 or higher on an 719
assessment identified pursuant to s. 1007.27(2) the College 720
Board Advanced Placement Examination . 721
2. An additional bonus of $500 to each Advanced Placement 722
teacher in a school designated with a grade of "D" or "F" who 723
has at least one student scoring at least the minimum score 3 or 724
higher on an assessment identified pursuant to s. 1007.27(2) the 725
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College Board Advanced Placement Examination , regardless of the 726
number of classes taught or of the number of students scoring at 727
least the minimum a 3 or higher on an assessment identified 728
pursuant to s. 1007.27(2) the College Board Advanced Placement 729
Examination. 730
731
Bonuses awarded under this paragraph shall be in addition to any 732
regular wage or other bonus the teacher received or is scheduled 733
to receive. For such cours es, the teacher shall earn an 734
additional bonus of $50 for each student who has a qualifying 735
score. 736
(o) Calculation of additional full -time equivalent 737
membership based on successful completion of a career -themed 738
course pursuant to ss. 1003.491, 1003.492, and 1003.493, or 739
courses with embedded CAPE industry certifications or CAPE 740
Digital Tool certificates, and issuance of industry 741
certification identified on the CAPE Industry Certification 742
Funding List pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of 743
Education or CAPE Digital Tool certificates pursuant to s. 744
1003.4203.— 745
1.a. A value of 0.025 full -time equivalent student 746
membership shall be calculated for CAPE Digital Tool 747
certificates earned by students in elementary and middle school 748
grades. 749
b. A value of 0.1 or 0.2 full-time equivalent student 750
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membership shall be calculated for each student who completes a 751
course as defined in s. 1003.493(1)(b) or courses with embedded 752
CAPE industry certifications and who is issued an industry 753
certification identified an nually on the CAPE Industry 754
Certification Funding List approved under rules adopted by the 755
State Board of Education. A value of 0.2 full -time equivalent 756
membership shall be calculated for each student who is issued a 757
CAPE industry certification that has a statewide articulation 758
agreement for college credit approved by the State Board of 759
Education. For CAPE industry certifications that do not 760
articulate for college credit, the Department of Education shall 761
assign a full-time equivalent value of 0.1 for each 762
certification. Middle grades students who earn additional FTE 763
membership for a CAPE Digital Tool certificate pursuant to sub -764
subparagraph a. may not use the previously funded examination to 765
satisfy the requirements for earning an industry certification 766
under this sub-subparagraph. Additional FTE membership for an 767
elementary or middle grades student may not exceed 0.1 for 768
certificates or certifications earned within the same fiscal 769
year. The State Board of Education shall include the assigned 770
values on the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List under 771
rules adopted by the state board. Such value shall be added to 772
the total full-time equivalent student membership for grades 6 773
through 12 in the subsequent year. CAPE industry certifications 774
earned through dual enrollment must be reported and funded 775
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pursuant to s. 1011.80. However, if a student earns a 776
certification through a dual enrollment course and the 777
certification is not a fundable certification on the 778
postsecondary certification funding list, or the dual e nrollment 779
certification is earned as a result of an agreement between a 780
school district and a nonpublic postsecondary institution, the 781
bonus value shall be funded in the same manner as other nondual 782
enrollment course industry certifications. In such cases, the 783
school district may provide for an agreement between the high 784
school and the technical center, or the school district and the 785
postsecondary institution may enter into an agreement for 786
equitable distribution of the bonus funds. 787
c. A value of 0.3 full -time equivalent student membership 788
shall be calculated for student completion of the courses and 789
the embedded certifications identified on the CAPE Industry 790
Certification Funding List and approved by the commissioner 791
pursuant to ss. 1003.4203(5)(a) and 10 08.44. 792
d. A value of 0.5 full -time equivalent student membership 793
shall be calculated for CAPE Acceleration Industry 794
Certifications that articulate for 15 to 29 college credit 795
hours, and 1.0 full-time equivalent student membership shall be 796
calculated for CAPE Acceleration Industry Certifications that 797
articulate for 30 or more college credit hours pursuant to CAPE 798
Acceleration Industry Certifications approved by the 799
commissioner pursuant to ss. 1003.4203(5)(b) and 1008.44. 800
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2. Each district must allocate a t least 80 percent of the 801
funds provided for CAPE industry certification, in accordance 802
with this paragraph, to the program that generated the funds. 803
This allocation may not be used to supplant funds provided for 804
basic operation of the program. 805
3. For CAPE industry certifications earned in the 2013 -806
2014 school year and in subsequent years, the school district 807
shall distribute to each classroom teacher who provided direct 808
instruction toward the attainment of a CAPE industry 809
certification that qualified for additional full-time equivalent 810
membership under subparagraph 1.: 811
a. A bonus of $25 for each student taught by a teacher who 812
provided instruction in a course that led to the attainment of a 813
CAPE industry certification on the CAPE Industry Certification 814
Funding List with a weight of 0.1. 815
b. A bonus of $50 for each student taught by a teacher who 816
provided instruction in a course that led to the attainment of a 817
CAPE industry certification on the CAPE Industry Certification 818
Funding List with a weight of 0. 2. 819
c. A bonus of $75 for each student taught by a teacher who 820
provided instruction in a course that led to the attainment of a 821
CAPE industry certification on the CAPE Industry Certification 822
Funding List with a weight of 0.3. 823
d. A bonus of $100 for each student taught by a teacher 824
who provided instruction in a course that led to the attainment 825
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of a CAPE industry certification on the CAPE Industry 826
Certification Funding List with a weight of 0.5 or 1.0. 827
828
Bonuses awarded pursuant to this paragraph shall be provided to 829
teachers who are employed by the district in the year in which 830
the additional FTE membership calculation is included in the 831
calculation. Bonuses shall be calculated based upon the 832
associated weight of a CAPE industry certification on the CAPE 833
Industry Certification Funding List for the year in which the 834
certification is earned by the student. Any bonus awarded to a 835
teacher pursuant to this paragraph is in addition to any regular 836
wage or other bonus the teacher received or is scheduled to 837
receive. A bonus may not be awarded to a teacher who fails to 838
maintain the security of any CAPE industry certification 839
examination or who otherwise violates the security or 840
administration protocol of any assessment instrument that may 841
result in a bonus being awar ded to the teacher under this 842
paragraph. 843
(17) TURNAROUND SCHOOL SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES ALLOCATION. —844
The turnaround school supplemental services allocation is 845
created to provide district-managed turnaround schools, as 846
identified in s. 1008.33, s. 1008.33(4)(a), schools that earn 847
three consecutive grades below a "C," as identified in s. 848
1008.33(4)(b)3., and schools that implemented a turnaround plan 849
and exited turnaround status by earning a school grade of have 850
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improved to a "C" or higher and are no longer in turnaround 851
status, as identified in s. 1008.33(4)(c), with funds to offer 852
services designed to improve the overall academic and community 853
welfare of the schools' students and their families. 854
(a)1. Services funded by the allocation may include, but 855
are not limited to, tutorial and after -school programs, student 856
counseling, nutrition education, parental counseling, and an 857
extended school day and school year. In addition, services may 858
include models that develop a culture that encourages students 859
to complete high school and to attend college or career 860
training, set high academic expectations, and inspire character 861
development. 862
2. A school district may enter into a formal agreement 863
with a nonprofit organization that has tax -exempt status under 864
s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code to implement an 865
integrated student support service model that provides students 866
and families with access to wrap -around services, including, but 867
not limited to, health services, after -school programs, drug 868
prevention programs, college and career readiness programs, and 869
food and clothing banks. 870
(b) Before distribution of the allocation, the school 871
district shall develop and submit a plan for implementation to 872
its school board for approval no later than August 1 of each 873
fiscal year. 874
(c) At a minimum, the plan required under paragraph (b) 875
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must: 876
1. Establish comprehensive support services that develop 877
family and community partnerships; 878
2. Establish clearly defined and measurable high academic 879
and character standards; 880
3. Increase parental involvement and engagement in the 881
child's education; 882
4. Describe how instructional personnel will be 883
identified, recruited, retained, and rewarded; 884
5. Provide professional learning development that focuses 885
on academic rigor, direct instruction, and creating high 886
academic and character standards; 887
6. Provide focused instruction to improve student academic 888
proficiency, which may include additional instruction time 889
beyond the normal school day or school year; and 890
7. Include a strategy for continuing to provide services 891
after the school is no longer in turnaround status by virtue of 892
achieving a grade of "C" or higher. 893
(d) Each school district shall submit its approved plans 894
to the commissioner by September 1 of each fiscal year. 895
(e) Subject to legislative appropriation, each school 896
district's allocation must be based on the unweighted FTE 897
student enrollment at the eligible schools and a per -FTE funding 898
amount of $500 or as provided in the Gene ral Appropriations Act. 899
The supplement provided in the General Appropriations Act shall 900
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be based on the most recent school grades and shall serve as a 901
proxy for the official calculation. Once school grades are 902
available for the school year immediately prec eding the fiscal 903
year coinciding with the appropriation, the supplement shall be 904
recalculated for the official participating schools as part of 905
the subsequent FEFP calculation. The commissioner may prepare a 906
preliminary calculation so that districts may pr oceed with 907
timely planning and use of the funds. If the calculated funds 908
for the statewide allocation exceed the funds appropriated, the 909
allocation of funds to each school district must be prorated 910
based on each school district's share of the total unweigh ted 911
FTE student enrollment for the eligible schools. The final 912
amount allocated for each school district shall be based on 913
actual student membership from the October FTE survey. 914
(f) Subject to legislative appropriation, each school 915
shall remain eligible for the allocation for a maximum of 4 916
continuous fiscal years while implementing a turnaround option 917
pursuant to s. 1008.33(4). In addition, a school that improves 918
to a grade of "C" or higher shall remain eligible to receive the 919
allocation for a maximum of 2 continuous fiscal years after 920
exiting turnaround status. 921
Section 13. Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section 922
1012.34, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 923
1012.34 Personnel evaluation procedures and criteria. — 924
(3) EVALUATION PROCEDURES AND C RITERIA.—Instructional 925
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personnel and school administrator performance evaluations must 926
be based upon the performance of students assigned to their 927
classrooms or schools, as provided in this section. Pursuant to 928
this section, a school district's performance evaluation system 929
is not limited to basing unsatisfactory performance of 930
instructional personnel and school administrators solely upon 931
student performance, but may include other criteria to evaluate 932
instructional personnel and school administrators' perfo rmance, 933
or any combination of student performance and other criteria. 934
Evaluation procedures and criteria must comply with, but are not 935
limited to, the following: 936
(a) A performance evaluation must be conducted for each 937
employee at least once a year, excep t that a classroom teacher, 938
as defined in s. 1012.01(2)(a), excluding substitute teachers, 939
who is newly hired by the district school board must be observed 940
and evaluated at least twice in the first year of teaching in 941
the school district. The performance e valuation must be based 942
upon sound educational principles and contemporary research in 943
effective educational practices. The evaluation criteria must 944
include: 945
1. Performance of students. —At least one-third of a 946
performance evaluation must be based upon da ta and indicators of 947
student performance, as determined by each school district. This 948
portion of the evaluation must include growth or achievement 949
data of the teacher's students or, for a school administrator, 950
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the students attending the school over the cou rse of at least 3 951
years. If less than 3 years of data are available, the years for 952
which data are available must be used. The proportion of growth 953
or achievement data may be determined by instructional 954
assignment. 955
2. Instructional practice. —For instructional personnel, at 956
least one-third of the performance evaluation must be based upon 957
instructional practice. Evaluation criteria used when annually 958
observing classroom teachers, as defined in s. 1012.01(2)(a), 959
excluding substitute teachers, must include ind icators based 960
upon each of the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices adopted 961
by the State Board of Education. For instructional personnel who 962
are not classroom teachers, evaluation criteria must be based 963
upon indicators of the Florida Educator Accomplish ed Practices 964
and may include specific job expectations related to student 965
support. This section does not preclude a school administrator 966
from visiting and observing classroom teachers throughout the 967
school year for purposes of providing mentorship, trainin g, 968
instructional feedback, or professional learning. 969
3. Instructional leadership. —For school administrators, at 970
least one-third of the performance evaluation must be based on 971
instructional leadership. Evaluation criteria for instructional 972
leadership must include indicators based upon each of the 973
leadership standards adopted by the State Board of Education 974
under s. 1012.986, including performance measures related to the 975
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effectiveness of classroom teachers in the school, the 976
administrator's appropriate use of evaluation criteria and 977
procedures, recruitment and retention of effective and highly 978
effective classroom teachers, improvement in the percentage of 979
instructional personnel evaluated at the highly effective or 980
effective level, and other leadership pract ices that result in 981
student learning growth. The system may include a means to give 982
parents and instructional personnel an opportunity to provide 983
input into the administrator's performance evaluation. 984
4. Other indicators of performance. —For instructional 985
personnel and school administrators, the remainder of a 986
performance evaluation may include, but is not limited to, 987
professional and job responsibilities as recommended by the 988
State Board of Education or identified by the district school 989
board and, for instructional personnel, peer reviews, 990
objectively reliable survey information from students and 991
parents based on teaching practices that are consistently 992
associated with higher student achievement, and other valid and 993
reliable measures of instructional pract ice. 994
Section 14. Subsections (9) through (16) of section 995
1012.56, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (10) 996
through (17), respectively, subsection (1), paragraphs (d), (g), 997
and (i) of subsection (2) and subsections (6), (7), and (8) are 998
amended, and a new subsection (9) is added to that section, to 999
read: 1000
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1012.56 Educator certification requirements. — 1001
(1) APPLICATION.—Each person seeking certification 1002
pursuant to this chapter shall submit a completed application 1003
containing the applicant's s ocial security number to the 1004
Department of Education and remit the fee required pursuant to 1005
s. 1012.59 and rules of the State Board of Education. Pursuant 1006
to the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 1007
Reconciliation Act of 1996, each party is required to provide 1008
his or her social security number in accordance with this 1009
section. Disclosure of social security numbers obtained through 1010
this requirement is limited to the purpose of administration of 1011
the Title IV-D program of the Social Security Act for child 1012
support enforcement. 1013
(a) Pursuant to s. 120.60, the department shall issue 1014
within 90 calendar days after receipt of the completed 1015
application a professional certificate to a qualifying applicant 1016
covering the classification, level, and area for which the 1017
applicant is deemed qualified and a document explaining the 1018
requirements for renewal of the professional certificate. 1019
(b) The department shall issue a temporary certificate to 1020
a qualifying applicant within 14 calendar days after receipt of 1021
a request from an employer with a professional education 1022
competence demonstration program pursuant to paragraph 1023
paragraphs (6)(f) and subsection (9) (8)(b). The temporary 1024
certificate must cover the classification, level, and area for 1025
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which the applicant is de emed qualified. The department shall 1026
electronically notify the applicant's employer that the 1027
temporary certificate has been issued and provide the applicant 1028
an official statement of status of eligibility at the time the 1029
certificate is issued. 1030
(c) Pursuant to s. 120.60, the department shall issue 1031
within 90 calendar days after receipt of the completed 1032
application, if an applicant does not meet the requirements for 1033
either certificate, an official statement of status of 1034
eligibility. 1035
1036
The statement of status o f eligibility must be provided 1037
electronically and must advise the applicant of any 1038
qualifications that must be completed to qualify for 1039
certification. Each method by which an applicant can complete 1040
the qualifications for a professional certificate must be 1041
included in the statement of status of eligibility. Each 1042
statement of status of eligibility is valid for 5 3 years after 1043
its date of issuance, except as provided in paragraph (2)(d). 1044
(2) ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA. —To be eligible to seek 1045
certification, a perso n must: 1046
(d) Submit to background screening in accordance with 1047
subsection (11) (10). If the background screening indicates a 1048
criminal history or if the applicant acknowledges a criminal 1049
history, the applicant's records shall be referred to the 1050
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investigative section in the Department of Education for review 1051
and determination of eligibility for certification. If the 1052
applicant fails to provide the necessary documentation requested 1053
by the department within 90 days after the date of the receipt 1054
of the certified mail request, the statement of eligibility and 1055
pending application shall become invalid. 1056
(g) Demonstrate mastery of general knowledge , pursuant to 1057
subsection (3), if the person serves as a classroom teacher 1058
pursuant to s. 1012.01(2)(a) . 1059
(i) Demonstrate mastery of professional preparation and 1060
education competence, pursuant to subsection (6) , if the person 1061
serves as a classroom teacher or school administrator as 1062
classified in s. 1012.01(2)(a) and (3)(c), respectively . 1063
(6) MASTERY OF PROFESSIONAL PREPAR ATION AND EDUCATION 1064
COMPETENCE.—Acceptable means of demonstrating mastery of 1065
professional preparation and education competence are: 1066
(a) Successful completion of an approved teacher 1067
preparation program at a postsecondary educational institution 1068
within this state and achievement of a passing score on the 1069
professional education competency examination required by state 1070
board rule; 1071
(b) Successful completion of a teacher preparation program 1072
at a postsecondary educational institution outside Florida and 1073
achievement of a passing score on the professional education 1074
competency examination required by state board rule; 1075
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(c) Documentation of a valid professional standard 1076
teaching certificate issued by another state; 1077
(d) Documentation of a valid certificate issued by the 1078
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or a national 1079
educator credentialing board approved by the State Board of 1080
Education; 1081
(e) Documentation of two semesters of successful, full -1082
time or part-time teaching in a Florida College System 1083
institution, state university, or private college or university 1084
that awards an associate or higher degree and is an accredited 1085
institution or an institution of higher education identified by 1086
the Department of Education as having a quality program and 1087
achievement of a passing score on the professional education 1088
competency examination required by state board rule; 1089
(f) Successful completion of professional preparation 1090
courses as specified in state board rule, successful completion 1091
of a professional preparation and education competence program 1092
pursuant to subsection (9) paragraph (8)(b), and achievement of 1093
a passing score on the professional education competency 1094
examination required by state board rule; 1095
(g) Successful completion of a professional learning 1096
development certification and education competency program, 1097
outlined in subsection (8) paragraph (8)(a); or 1098
(h) Successful completion of a competency -based 1099
certification program pursuant to s. 1004.85 and achievement of 1100
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a passing score on the professional education competency 1101
examination required by rule of the State Board of Education. 1102
1103
The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to implement this 1104
subsection by December 31, 2014 , including rules to approve 1105
specific teacher preparation programs that are not identified in 1106
this subsection which may be used to meet requirements for 1107
mastery of professional preparation and education competence. 1108
(7) TYPES AND TERMS OF CERTIFICATION. — 1109
(a) The Department of Education shall issue a professional 1110
certificate for a period not to exceed 5 years to any applicant 1111
who fulfills one of the following: 1112
1. Meets all the applicable requirements outlined in 1113
subsection (2). 1114
2. For a professional certificate covering grades 6 1115
through 12: 1116
a. Meets the applicable requireme nts of paragraphs (2)(a) -1117
(h). 1118
b. Holds a master's or higher degree in the area of 1119
science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. 1120
c. Teaches a high school course in the subject of the 1121
advanced degree. 1122
d. Is rated highly effective as determined by t he 1123
teacher's performance evaluation under s. 1012.34, based in part 1124
on student performance as measured by a statewide, standardized 1125
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assessment or an Advanced Placement, Advanced International 1126
Certificate of Education, or International Baccalaureate 1127
examination. 1128
e. Achieves a passing score on the Florida professional 1129
education competency examination required by state board rule. 1130
3. Meets the applicable requirements of paragraphs (2)(a) -1131
(h) and completes a professional learning certification 1132
preparation and education competence program approved by the 1133
department pursuant to paragraph (8)(b) (8)(c) or an educator 1134
preparation institute approved by the department pursuant to s. 1135
1004.85. An applicant who completes one of these programs and is 1136
rated highly effective as determined by his or her performance 1137
evaluation under s. 1012.34 is not required to take or achieve a 1138
passing score on the professional education competency 1139
examination in order to be awarded a professional certificate. 1140
(b) The department shall issue a temporary certificate to 1141
any applicant who: 1142
1. Completes the requirements outlined in paragraphs 1143
(2)(a)-(f) and completes the subject area content requirements 1144
specified in state board rule or demonstrates mastery of subject 1145
area knowledge pursua nt to subsection (5) and holds an 1146
accredited degree or a degree approved by the Department of 1147
Education at the level required for the subject area 1148
specialization in state board rule; or 1149
2. For a subject area specialization for which the state 1150
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board otherwise requires a bachelor's degree, documents 48 1151
months of active-duty military service with an honorable 1152
discharge or a medical separation; completes the requirements 1153
outlined in paragraphs (2)(a), (b), and (d) -(f); completes the 1154
subject area content requi rements specified in state board rule 1155
or demonstrates mastery of subject area knowledge pursuant to 1156
subsection (5); and documents completion of 60 college credits 1157
with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 1158
scale, as provided by one or mo re accredited institutions of 1159
higher learning or a nonaccredited institution of higher 1160
learning identified by the Department of Education as having a 1161
quality program resulting in a bachelor's degree or higher ; or. 1162
3. Is enrolled in a state -approved teacher preparation 1163
program under s. 1004.04; is actively completing the required 1164
program field experience or internship at a public school; 1165
completes the requirements outlined in paragraphs (2)(a), (b), 1166
(d), (e), and (f); and documents completion of 60 co llege 1167
credits with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on 1168
a 4.0 scale, as provided by one or more accredited institutions 1169
of higher learning or a nonaccredited institution of higher 1170
learning identified by the Department of Education as having a 1171
quality program resulting in a bachelor's degree or higher. 1172
(c) The department shall issue one nonrenewable 2 -year 1173
temporary certificate and one nonrenewable 5 -year professional 1174
certificate to a qualified applicant who holds a bachelor's 1175
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degree in the area of speech-language impairment to allow for 1176
completion of a master's degree program in speech -language 1177
impairment. 1178
(d) A person who is issued a temporary certificate under 1179
subparagraph (b)2. must be assigned a teacher mentor for a 1180
minimum of 2 school years after commencing employment. Each 1181
teacher mentor selected by the school district, charter school, 1182
or charter management organization must: 1183
1. Hold a valid professional certificate issued pursuant 1184
to this section; 1185
2. Have earned at least 3 years o f teaching experience in 1186
prekindergarten through grade 12; and 1187
3. Have earned an effective or highly effective rating on 1188
the prior year's performance evaluation under s. 1012.34. 1189
(e)(e)1. A temporary certificate issued under subparagraph 1190
(b)1. is valid for 3 school fiscal years and is nonrenewable. 1191
2. A temporary certificate issued under subparagraph (b)2. 1192
is valid for 5 school fiscal years, is limited to a one -time 1193
issuance, and is nonrenewable. 1194
1195
At least 1 year before an individual's temporary certificate is 1196
set to expire, the department shall electronically notify the 1197
individual of the date on which his or her certificate will 1198
expire and provide a list of each method by which the 1199
qualifications for a professional certificate can be completed. 1200
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The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to allow the 1201
department to extend the validity period of a temporary 1202
certificate for 2 years when the requirements for the 1203
professional certificate were not comp leted due to the serious 1204
illness or injury of the applicant, the military service of an 1205
applicant's spouse, other extraordinary extenuating 1206
circumstances, or if the certificateholder is rated highly 1207
effective in the immediate prior year's performance evalu ation 1208
pursuant to s. 1012.34 or has completed a 2 -year mentorship 1209
program pursuant to subsection (8). The department shall extend 1210
the temporary certificate upon approval by the Commissioner of 1211
Education. A written request for extension of the certificate 1212
shall be submitted by the district school superintendent, the 1213
governing authority of a university lab school, the governing 1214
authority of a state -supported school, or the governing 1215
authority of a private school. 1216
(8) PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATION AND 1217
EDUCATION COMPETENCY PROGRAM.— 1218
(a) The Department of Education shall develop and each 1219
school district, charter school, and charter management 1220
organization may provide a cohesive competency -based 1221
professional learning development certification and education 1222
competency program by which instructional staff may satisfy the 1223
mastery of professional preparation and education competence 1224
requirements specified in subsection (6) and rules of the State 1225
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Board of Education. Participants must hold a state -issued 1226
temporary certificate. A school district, charter school, or 1227
charter management organization that implements the program 1228
shall provide a competency -based certification program developed 1229
by the Department of Education or developed by the district, 1230
charter school, or charter management organization and approved 1231
by the Department of Education. These entities may collaborate 1232
with other supporting agencies or educational entities for 1233
implementation. The program shall include the following: 1234
1. A minimum period of initial preparation before assuming 1235
duties as the teacher of record. 1236
2. An option for collaboration with other supporting 1237
agencies or educational entities for implementation. 1238
1.3. A teacher mentorship and induction component. 1239
a. Each individual selected by the district , charter 1240
school, or charter management organization as a mentor: 1241
(I) Must hold a valid professional certificate issued 1242
pursuant to this section; 1243
(II) Must have earned at least 3 years of teaching 1244
experience in prekindergart en through grade 12; 1245
(III) Must have completed specialized training in clinical 1246
supervision and participate in ongoing mentor training provided 1247
through the coordinated system of professional learning 1248
development under s. 1012.98(4) s. 1012.98(3)(e); 1249
(IV) Must have earned an effective or highly effective 1250
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rating on the prior year's performance evaluation under s. 1251
1012.34; and 1252
(V) May be a peer evaluator under the district's 1253
evaluation system approved under s. 1012.34. 1254
b. The teacher mentorship and ind uction component must, at 1255
a minimum, provide routine weekly opportunities for mentoring 1256
and induction activities, including common planning time, 1257
ongoing professional learning as described in s. 1012.98 1258
development targeted to a teacher's needs, opportunit ies for a 1259
teacher to observe other teachers, co -teaching experiences, and 1260
reflection and followup discussions. Professional learning must 1261
meet the criteria established in s. 1012.98(3). Mentorship and 1262
induction activities must be provided for an applicant' s first 1263
year in the program and may be provided until the applicant 1264
attains his or her professional certificate in accordance with 1265
this section. A principal who is rated highly effective as 1266
determined by his or her performance evaluation under s. 1012.34 1267
must be provided flexibility in selecting professional 1268
development activities under this paragraph; however, the 1269
activities must be approved by the department as part of the 1270
district's, charter school's, or charter management 1271
organization's program. 1272
2.4. An assessment of teaching performance aligned to the 1273
district's, charter school's, or charter management 1274
organization's system for personnel evaluation under s. 1012.34 1275
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which provides for: 1276
a. An initial evaluation of each educator's competencies 1277
to determine an appropriate individualized professional learning 1278
development plan. 1279
b. A summative evaluation to assure successful completion 1280
of the program. 1281
3.5. Professional education preparation content knowledge, 1282
which must be included in the mentoring and induction activities 1283
under subparagraph 1. 3., that includes, but is not limited to, 1284
the following: 1285
a. The state academic standards provided under s. 1003.41, 1286
including scientifically based reading instruction, content 1287
literacy, and mathematical practice s, for each subject 1288
identified on the temporary certificate. 1289
b. The educator-accomplished practices approved by the 1290
state board. 1291
c. A variety of data indicators for monitoring student 1292
progress. 1293
d. Methodologies for teaching students with disabilities . 1294
e. Methodologies for teaching students of limited English 1295
proficiency appropriate for each subject area identified on the 1296
temporary certificate. 1297
f. Techniques and strategies for operationalizing the role 1298
of the teacher in assuring a safe learning env ironment for 1299
students. 1300
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4.6. Required achievement of passing scores on the subject 1301
area and professional education competency examination required 1302
by State Board of Education rule. Mastery of general knowledge 1303
must be demonstrated as described in subsecti on (3). 1304
5.7. Beginning with candidates entering a program in the 1305
2022-2023 school year, a candidate for certification in a 1306
coverage area identified pursuant to s. 1012.585(3)(f) must 1307
successfully complete all competencies for a reading 1308
endorsement, including completi on of the endorsement practicum 1309
through the candidate's demonstration of mastery of professional 1310
preparation and education competence under paragraph (b) . 1311
(b)1. Each school district must and a private school or 1312
state-supported public school, including a charter school, may 1313
develop and maintain a system by which members of the 1314
instructional staff may demonstrate mastery of professional 1315
preparation and education competence as required by law. Each 1316
program must be based on classroom application of the Florid a 1317
Educator Accomplished Practices and instructional performance 1318
and, for public schools, must be aligned with the district's or 1319
state-supported public school's evaluation system established 1320
under s. 1012.34, as applicable. 1321
2. The Commissioner of Educatio n shall determine the 1322
continued approval of programs implemented under this paragraph, 1323
based upon the department's review of performance data. The 1324
department shall review the performance data as a part of the 1325
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periodic review of each school district's profe ssional 1326
development system required under s. 1012.98. 1327
(b)(c) No later than December 31, 2017, The department 1328
State Board of Education shall adopt rules standards for the 1329
approval and continued approval of professional learning 1330
development certification and education competency programs 1331
aligned to, including standards for the teacher mentorship and 1332
induction component, under paragraph (a). Standards for the 1333
teacher mentorship and induction component must include program 1334
administration and evaluation; mento r roles, selection, and 1335
training; beginning teacher assessment and professional 1336
development; and teacher content knowledge and practices aligned 1337
to the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices. Each school 1338
district or charter school with a program under thi s subsection 1339
must submit its program, including the teacher mentorship and 1340
induction component, to the department for approval no later 1341
than June 30, 2018. After December 31, 2018, A teacher may not 1342
satisfy requirements for a professional certificate throu gh a 1343
professional learning development certification and education 1344
competency program under paragraph (a) unless the program has 1345
been approved by the department pursuant to this paragraph. 1346
(9) PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION COMPETENCY PROGRAM. — 1347
(a) Each school district must and a private school or 1348
state-supported public school, including a charter school, may 1349
develop and maintain a system by which members of the 1350
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instructional staff may demonstrate mastery of professional 1351
preparation and educatio n competence as required by law. Each 1352
program must be based on classroom application of the Florida 1353
Educator Accomplished Practices and instructional performance 1354
and, for public schools, must be aligned with the district's or 1355
state-supported public school' s evaluation system established 1356
under s. 1012.34, as applicable. 1357
(b) The Commissioner of Education shall determine the 1358
continued approval of programs implemented under this paragraph, 1359
based upon the department's review of performance data. The 1360
department shall review the performance data as a part of the 1361
periodic review of each school district's professional learning 1362
system required under s. 1012.98. 1363
(d) The Commissioner of Education shall determine the 1364
continued approval of programs implemented under p aragraph (a) 1365
based upon the department's periodic review of the following: 1366
1. Evidence that the requirements in paragraph (a) are 1367
consistently met; and 1368
2. Evidence of performance in each of the following areas: 1369
a. Rate of retention for employed progr am completers in 1370
instructional positions in Florida public schools. 1371
b. Performance of students in prekindergarten through 1372
grade 12 who are assigned to in -field program completers on 1373
statewide assessments using the results of the student learning 1374
growth formula adopted under s. 1012.34. 1375
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c. Performance of students in prekindergarten through 1376
grade 12 who are assigned to in -field program completers 1377
aggregated by student subgroups, as defined in the federal 1378
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), 20 U .S.C. s. 1379
6311(b)(2)(C)(v)(II), as a measure of how well the program 1380
prepares teachers to work with a variety of students in Florida 1381
public schools. 1382
d. Results of program completers' annual evaluations in 1383
accordance with the timeline as set forth in s. 10 12.34. 1384
e. Production of program completers in statewide critical 1385
teacher shortage areas as defined in s. 1012.07. 1386
Section 15. Subsection (1) of section 1012.57, Florida 1387
Statutes, is amended to read: 1388
1012.57 Certification of adjunct educators. — 1389
(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of ss. 1012.32, 1390
1012.55, and 1012.56, or any other provision of law or rule to 1391
the contrary, district school boards shall adopt rules to allow 1392
for the issuance of an adjunct teaching certificate to any 1393
applicant who fulfill s the requirements of s. 1012.56(2)(a)-(f) 1394
and (11) s. 1012.56(2)(a)-(f) and (10) and who has expertise in 1395
the subject area to be taught. An applicant shall be considered 1396
to have expertise in the subject area to be taught if the 1397
applicant demonstrates suff icient subject area mastery through 1398
passage of a subject area test. 1399
Section 16. Section 1012.575, Florida Statutes, is amended 1400
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to read: 1401
1012.575 Alternative preparation programs for certified 1402
teachers to add additional coverage. —A district school boa rd, or 1403
an organization of private schools or a consortium of charter 1404
schools with an approved professional learning development 1405
system as described in s. 1012.98(7) s. 1012.98(6), may design 1406
alternative teacher preparation programs to enable persons 1407
already certificated to add an additional coverage to their 1408
certificates. Each alternative teacher preparation program shall 1409
be reviewed and approved by the Department of Education to 1410
assure that persons who complete the program are competent in 1411
the necessary areas of subject matter specialization. Two or 1412
more school districts may jointly participate in an alternative 1413
preparation program for teachers. 1414
Section 17. Paragraph (g) of subsection (3) of section 1415
1012.585, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragra ph (h), 1416
and a new paragraph (g) is added to that subsection, to read: 1417
1012.585 Process for renewal of professional 1418
certificates.— 1419
(3) For the renewal of a professional certificate, the 1420
following requirements must be met: 1421
(g) An applicant for renewal of a professional certificate 1422
in educational leadership from a Level I program under s. 1423
1012.562(2) or Level II program under s. 1012.562(3), with a 1424
beginning validity date of July 1, 2025, or thereafter, must 1425
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earn a minimum of 1 college credit or 20 inser vice points in 1426
Florida's educational leadership standards, as established in 1427
rule by the State Board of Education. The requirement in this 1428
paragraph may not add to the total hours required by the 1429
department for continuing education or inservice training. 1430
Section 18. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section 1431
1012.586, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1432
1012.586 Additions or changes to certificates; duplicate 1433
certificates; reading endorsement pathways. — 1434
(1) A school district may process via a Depa rtment of 1435
Education website certificates for the following applications of 1436
public school employees: 1437
(a) Addition of a subject coverage or endorsement to a 1438
valid Florida certificate on the basis of the completion of the 1439
appropriate subject area testing re quirements of s. 1440
1012.56(5)(a) or the completion of the requirements of an 1441
approved school district program or the inservice components for 1442
an endorsement. 1443
1. To reduce duplication, the department may recommend the 1444
consolidation of endorsement areas and requirements to the State 1445
Board of Education. 1446
2. At least once every 5 years, the department shall 1447
conduct a review of existing subject coverage or endorsement 1448
requirements in the elementary, reading, and exceptional student 1449
educational areas. The review must include reciprocity 1450
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requirements for out -of-state certificates and requirements for 1451
demonstrating competency in the reading instruction professional 1452
learning development topics listed in s. 1012.98(5)(b)11 s. 1453
1012.98(4)(b)11. The review must also consider the award of an 1454
endorsement to an individual who holds a certificate issued by 1455
an internationally recognized organization that establishes 1456
standards for providing evidence -based interventions to 1457
struggling readers or who completes a postsecondary program that 1458
is accredited by such organization. Any such certificate or 1459
program must require an individual who completes the certificate 1460
or program to demonstrate competence in reading intervention 1461
strategies through clinical experience. At the conclusion of 1462
each review, the department shall recommend to the state board 1463
changes to the subject coverage or endorsement requirements 1464
based upon any identified instruction or intervention strategies 1465
proven to improve student reading performance. This subparagraph 1466
does not authorize the state board to establish any new 1467
certification subject coverage. 1468
1469
The employing school district shall charge the employee a fee 1470
not to exceed the amount charged by the Department of Education 1471
for such services. Each district school board shall retain a 1472
portion of the fee as defined in the rules of the State Board of 1473
Education. The portion sent to the department shall be used for 1474
maintenance of the technology system, the web application, and 1475
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posting and mailing of the certificate. 1476
Section 19. Effective upon this act becoming law, section 1477
1012.71, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1478
1012.71 The Florida Teachers Classroom Supply Assistance 1479
Program.— 1480
(1) For purposes of the Florida Teachers Classroom Supply 1481
Assistance Program, the term "classroom teacher" means a 1482
certified teacher employed by a public school district or a 1483
public charter school in that district on or before September 1 1484
of each year whose full -time or job-share responsibility is the 1485
classroom instruction of studen ts in prekindergarten through 1486
grade 12, including full -time media specialists and certified 1487
school counselors serving students in prekindergarten through 1488
grade 12, who are funded through the Florida Education Finance 1489
Program. A "job-share" classroom teache r is one of two teachers 1490
whose combined full-time equivalent employment for the same 1491
teaching assignment equals one full -time classroom teacher. 1492
(2) The Legislature, in the General Appropriations Act, 1493
shall determine funding for the Florida Teachers Clas sroom 1494
Supply Assistance Program. The funds appropriated are for 1495
classroom teachers to purchase, on behalf of the school district 1496
or charter school, classroom materials and supplies for the 1497
public school students assigned to them and may not be used to 1498
purchase equipment. The funds appropriated shall be used to 1499
supplement the materials and supplies otherwise available to 1500
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classroom teachers. From the funds appropriated for the Florida 1501
Teachers Classroom Supply Assistance Program, the Commissioner 1502
of Education shall calculate an amount for each school district 1503
based upon each school district's proportionate share of the 1504
state's total unweighted FTE student enrollment and shall 1505
disburse the funds to the school districts by July 15. 1506
(3) From the funds allocated to each school district and 1507
any funds received from local contributions for the Florida 1508
Teachers Classroom Supply Assistance Program, the district 1509
school board shall calculate an identical amount for each 1510
classroom teacher who is estimated to be employed by the school 1511
district or a charter school in the district on September 1 of 1512
each year, which is that teacher's proportionate share of the 1513
total amount allocated to the district from state funds and 1514
funds received from local contributions . A job-share classroom 1515
teacher may receive a prorated share of the amount provided to a 1516
full-time classroom teacher. 1517
(4) The department shall administer a competitive 1518
procurement through which classroom teachers may purchase 1519
classroom materials and supplies. By September 1 of each year, 1520
each school district shall submit to the department: 1521
(a) The identical amount per classroom teacher calculated 1522
in subsection (3), including the proportionate share of the 1523
identical amount if such classroom teacher is a job -share 1524
classroom teacher. 1525
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(b) The name of each eligible classroom teacher. 1526
(c) The name and master school identification number of 1527
the school in which the classroom teacher is assigned. 1528
(d) Any other information necessary for administration of 1529
the program as determ ined by the department For a classroom 1530
teacher determined eligible on July 1, the district school board 1531
and each charter school board may provide the teacher with his 1532
or her total proportionate share by August 1 based on the 1533
estimate of the number of teach ers who will be employed on 1534
September 1. For a classroom teacher determined eligible after 1535
July 1, the district school board and each charter school board 1536
shall provide the teacher with his or her total proportionate 1537
share by September 30. The proportionat e share may be provided 1538
by any means determined appropriate by the district school board 1539
or charter school board, including, but not limited to, direct 1540
deposit, check, debit card, or purchasing card. If a debit card 1541
is used, an identifier must be placed on the front of the debit 1542
card which clearly indicates that the card has been issued for 1543
the Florida Teachers Classroom Supply Assistance Program. 1544
Expenditures under the program are not subject to state or local 1545
competitive bidding requirements. Funds receiv ed by a classroom 1546
teacher do not affect wages, hours, or terms and conditions of 1547
employment and, therefore, are not subject to collective 1548
bargaining. Any classroom teacher may decline receipt of or 1549
return the funds without explanation or cause . 1550
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(5)(4) Each classroom teacher must sign a statement 1551
acknowledging receipt of the funds, keep receipts for no less 1552
than 4 years to show that funds expended meet the requirements 1553
of this section, and return any unused funds to the district 1554
school board at the end of the regular school year . Any unused 1555
funds that are returned to the district school board shall be 1556
deposited into the school advisory council account of the school 1557
at which the classroom teacher returning the funds was employed 1558
when the funds were made avai lable to the classroom teacher. If 1559
a school does not have a school advisory council, the funds 1560
shall be expended for classroom materials and supplies as 1561
determined by the principal that teacher received the funds or 1562
deposited into the Florida Teachers Clas sroom Supply Assistance 1563
Program account of the school district in which a charter school 1564
is sponsored, as applicable . 1565
(5) The statement must be signed and dated by each 1566
classroom teacher before receipt of the Florida Teachers 1567
Classroom Supply Assistance Program funds and shall include the 1568
wording: "I, ...(name of teacher)..., am employed by the 1569
....County District School Board or by the ....Charter School as 1570
a full-time classroom teacher. I acknowledge that Florida 1571
Teachers Classroom Supply Assistance Pro gram funds are 1572
appropriated by the Legislature for the sole purpose of 1573
purchasing classroom materials and supplies to be used in the 1574
instruction of students assigned to me. In accepting custody of 1575
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these funds, I agree to keep the receipts for all expenditu res 1576
for no less than 4 years. I understand that if I do not keep the 1577
receipts, it will be my personal responsibility to pay any 1578
federal taxes due on these funds. I also agree to return any 1579
unexpended funds to the district school board at the end of the 1580
regular school year for deposit into the school advisory council 1581
account of the school where I was employed at the time I 1582
received the funds or for deposit into the Florida Teachers 1583
Classroom Supply Assistance Program account of the school 1584
district in which the charter school is sponsored, as 1585
applicable." 1586
(6) The Department of Education and district school boards 1587
may, and are encouraged to, enter into public -private 1588
partnerships in order to increase the total amount of Florida 1589
Teachers Classroom Supply Assis tance Programs funds available to 1590
classroom teachers. 1591
Section 20. Section 1012.98, Florida Statutes, is amended 1592
to read: 1593
1012.98 School Community Professional Learning Development 1594
Act.— 1595
(1) The Department of Education, public postsecondary 1596
educational institutions, public school districts, public 1597
schools, state education foundations, consortia, and 1598
professional organizations in this state shall work 1599
collaboratively to establish a coordinated system of 1600
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professional learning. For the purposes of this section, the 1601
term "professional learning" means learning that is aligned to 1602
the state's standards for effective professional learning, 1603
educator practices, and leadership practices; incorporates 1604
active learning; is collaborative; provides models; and is 1605
sustained and continuous development. The purpose of the 1606
professional learning development system is to increase student 1607
achievement, enhance classroom instructional strategies that 1608
promote rigor and relevance throughout the curriculum, and 1609
prepare students for continuing education and the workforce. The 1610
system of professional learning development must align to the 1611
standards adopted by the state . Routine informational meetings 1612
may not be considered professional learning and are not eligible 1613
for inservice points and support the framework for standards 1614
adopted by the National Staff Development Council . 1615
(2) The school community includes students and parents, 1616
administrative personnel, managers, instructional personnel, 1617
support personnel, members of district scho ol boards, members of 1618
school advisory councils, business partners, and personnel that 1619
provide health and social services to students. 1620
(3) Professional learning activities linked to student 1621
learning and professional growth for instructional and 1622
administrative staff meet the following criteria: 1623
(a) For instructional personnel, utilize materials aligned 1624
to the state's academic standards. 1625
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(b) For school administrators, utilize materials aligned 1626
to the state's educational leadership standards. 1627
(c) Have clear, defined, and measurable outcomes for both 1628
individual inservice activities and multiple day sessions. 1629
(d) Employ multiple measurement tools for data on teacher 1630
growth, participants' use of new knowledge and skills, student 1631
learning outcomes, instruc tional growth outcomes, and leadership 1632
growth outcomes, as applicable. 1633
(e) Utilize active learning and engage participants 1634
directly in designing and trying out strategies, providing 1635
participants with the opportunity to engage in authentic 1636
teaching and leadership experiences. 1637
(f) Utilize artifacts, interactive activities, and other 1638
strategies to provide deeply embedded and highly contextualized 1639
professional learning. 1640
(g) Create opportunities for collaboration. 1641
(h) Utilize coaching and expert support to involve the 1642
sharing of expertise about content and evidence -based practices, 1643
focused directly on instructional personnel and school 1644
administrator needs. 1645
(i) Provide opportunities for instructional personnel and 1646
school administrators to think about, re ceive input on, and make 1647
changes to practice by facilitating reflection and providing 1648
feedback. 1649
(j) Provide sustained duration with followup for 1650
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instructional personnel and school administrators to have 1651
adequate time to learn, practice, implement, and re flect upon 1652
new strategies that facilitate changes in practice. 1653
(4)(3) The activities designed to implement this section 1654
must: 1655
(a) Support and increase the success of educators through 1656
collaboratively developed school improvement plans that focus 1657
on: 1658
1. Enhanced and differentiated instructional strategies to 1659
engage students in a rigorous and relevant curriculum based on 1660
state and local educational standards, goals, and initiatives; 1661
2. Increased opportunities to provide meaningful 1662
relationships between teachers and all students; and 1663
3. Increased opportunities for professional collaboration 1664
among and between teachers, certified school counselors, 1665
instructional leaders, postsecondary educators engaged in 1666
preservice training for new teachers, and the w orkforce 1667
community. 1668
(b) Assist the school community in providing stimulating, 1669
scientific research-based educational activities that encourage 1670
and motivate students to achieve at the highest levels and to 1671
participate as active learners and that prepare st udents for 1672
success at subsequent educational levels and the workforce. 1673
(c) Provide continuous support for all education 1674
professionals as well as temporary intervention for education 1675
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professionals who need improvement in knowledge, skills, and 1676
performance. 1677
(d) Provide middle grades instructional personnel and 1678
school administrators with the knowledge, skills, and best 1679
practices necessary to support excellence in classroom 1680
instruction and educational leadership. 1681
(e) Provide training to teacher mentors as part of the 1682
professional learning development certification program under s. 1683
1012.56(8) and the professional education competency program 1684
under s. 1012.56(9) s. 1012.56(8)(a). The training must include 1685
components on teacher development, peer coaching, time 1686
management, and other related topics as determined by the 1687
Department of Education. 1688
(5)(4) The Department of Education, school districts, 1689
schools, Florida College System institutions, and state 1690
universities share the responsibilities described in thi s 1691
section. These responsibilities include the following: 1692
(a)1. The department shall create a high -quality 1693
professional learning marketplace list that acts as guide and 1694
tool for teachers, schools, school administrators, and districts 1695
across the state to i dentify high-quality professional learning 1696
provider programs and resources that meet the criteria described 1697
in subsection (3) and have demonstrated success in meeting 1698
identified student needs. 1699
2.(a)1. The department shall disseminate to the school 1700
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community, through a centralized professional learning webpage, 1701
the marketplace list under subparagraph 1 research-based 1702
professional development methods and programs that have 1703
demonstrated success in meeting identified student needs . The 1704
Commissioner of Educati on shall use data on student achievement 1705
to identify student needs. The methods of dissemination must 1706
include a web-based statewide performance support system, 1707
including a database of exemplary professional development 1708
activities, a listing of available pr ofessional development 1709
resources, training programs, and available assistance. 1710
2. The web-based statewide performance support system 1711
established pursuant to subparagraph 1. must include for middle 1712
grades, subject to appropriation, materials related to cl assroom 1713
instruction, including integrated digital instruction and 1714
competency-based instruction; CAPE Digital Tool certificates and 1715
CAPE industry certifications; classroom management; student 1716
behavior and interaction; extended learning opportunities for 1717
students; and instructional leadership. 1718
(b) Each school district shall develop a professional 1719
learning development system as specified in subsection (4) (3). 1720
The system shall be developed in consultation with teachers, 1721
teacher-educators of Florida College S ystem institutions and 1722
state universities, business and community representatives, and 1723
local education foundations, consortia, and professional 1724
organizations. The professional learning development system 1725
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must: 1726
1. Be reviewed and approved by the departmen t for 1727
compliance with s. 1003.42(3) and this section. Effective March 1728
1, 2024, the department shall establish a calendar for the 1729
review and approval of all professional learning systems. A 1730
professional learning system must be reviewed and approved every 1731
5 years. Any All substantial revisions to the system shall be 1732
submitted to the department for review and for continued 1733
approval. The department shall establish a format for the review 1734
and approval of a professional learning system. 1735
2. Be based on analyses of student achievement data and 1736
instructional strategies and methods that support rigorous, 1737
relevant, and challenging curricula for all students. Schools 1738
and districts, in developing and refining the professional 1739
learning development system, shall also rev iew and monitor 1740
school discipline data; school environment surveys; assessments 1741
of parental satisfaction; performance appraisal data of 1742
teachers, managers, and administrative personnel; and other 1743
performance indicators to identify school and student needs that 1744
can be met by improved professional performance. 1745
3. Provide inservice activities coupled with followup 1746
support appropriate to accomplish district -level and school-1747
level improvement goals and standards. The inservice activities 1748
for instructional and school administrative personnel shall 1749
focus on analysis of student achievement data, ongoing formal 1750
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and informal assessments of student achievement, identification 1751
and use of enhanced and differentiated instructional strategies 1752
that emphasize rigor, releva nce, and reading in the content 1753
areas, enhancement of subject content expertise, integrated use 1754
of classroom technology that enhances teaching and learning, 1755
classroom management, parent involvement, and school safety. 1756
4. Provide inservice activities and support targeted to 1757
the individual needs of new teachers participating in the 1758
professional learning development certification and education 1759
competency program under s. 1012.56(8)(a). 1760
5. Include a professional learning catalog master plan for 1761
inservice activities, pursuant to rules of the State Board of 1762
Education, for all district employees from all fund sources. The 1763
catalog master plan shall be updated annually by September 1, 1764
must be based on input from teachers and district and school 1765
instructional leaders, and must use the latest available student 1766
achievement data and research to enhance rigor and relevance in 1767
the classroom. Each district inservice catalog plan must be 1768
aligned to and support the school -based inservice catalog plans 1769
and school improvemen t plans pursuant to s. 1001.42(18). Each 1770
district inservice catalog plan must provide a description of 1771
the training that middle grades instructional personnel and 1772
school administrators receive on the district's code of student 1773
conduct adopted pursuant to s . 1006.07; integrated digital 1774
instruction and competency -based instruction and CAPE Digital 1775
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Tool certificates and CAPE industry certifications; classroom 1776
management; student behavior and interaction; extended learning 1777
opportunities for students; and instru ctional leadership. 1778
District plans must be approved by the district school board 1779
annually in order to ensure compliance with subsection (1) and 1780
to allow for dissemination of research -based best practices to 1781
other districts. District school boards must subm it verification 1782
of their approval to the Commissioner of Education no later than 1783
October 1, annually. Each school principal may establish and 1784
maintain an individual professional learning development plan 1785
for each instructional employee assigned to the scho ol as a 1786
seamless component to the school improvement plans developed 1787
pursuant to s. 1001.42(18). An individual professional learning 1788
development plan must be related to specific performance data 1789
for the students to whom the teacher is assigned, define the 1790
inservice objectives and specific measurable improvements 1791
expected in student performance as a result of the inservice 1792
activity, and include an evaluation component that determines 1793
the effectiveness of the professional learning development plan. 1794
6. Include inservice activities for school administrative 1795
personnel, aligned to the state's educational leadership 1796
standards, that address updated skills necessary for 1797
instructional leadership and effective school management 1798
pursuant to s. 1012.986. 1799
7. Provide for systematic consultation with regional and 1800
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state personnel designated to provide technical assistance and 1801
evaluation of local professional learning development programs. 1802
8. Provide for delivery of professional learning 1803
development by distance learning and other technology -based 1804
delivery systems to reach more educators at lower costs. 1805
9. Provide for the continuous evaluation of the quality 1806
and effectiveness of professional learning development programs 1807
in order to eliminate ineffective programs an d strategies and to 1808
expand effective ones. Evaluations must consider the impact of 1809
such activities on the performance of participating educators 1810
and their students' achievement and behavior. 1811
10. For all middle grades, emphasize: 1812
a. Interdisciplinary pl anning, collaboration, and 1813
instruction. 1814
b. Alignment of curriculum and instructional materials to 1815
the state academic standards adopted pursuant to s. 1003.41. 1816
c. Use of small learning communities; problem -solving, 1817
inquiry-driven research and analytical approaches for students; 1818
strategies and tools based on student needs; competency -based 1819
instruction; integrated digital instruction; and project -based 1820
instruction. 1821
1822
Each school that includes any of grades 6, 7, or 8 must include 1823
in its school improvement p lan, required under s. 1001.42(18), a 1824
description of the specific strategies used by the school to 1825
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implement each item listed in this subparagraph. 1826
11. Provide training to reading coaches, classroom 1827
teachers, and school administrators in effective method s of 1828
identifying characteristics of conditions such as dyslexia and 1829
other causes of diminished phonological processing skills; 1830
incorporating instructional techniques into the general 1831
education setting which are proven to improve reading 1832
performance for all students; and using predictive and other 1833
data to make instructional decisions based on individual student 1834
needs. The training must help teachers integrate phonemic 1835
awareness; phonics, word study, and spelling; reading fluency; 1836
vocabulary, including academ ic vocabulary; and text 1837
comprehension strategies into an explicit, systematic, and 1838
sequential approach to reading instruction, including 1839
multisensory intervention strategies. Each district must provide 1840
all elementary grades instructional personnel access t o training 1841
sufficient to meet the requirements of s. 1012.585(3)(f). 1842
(6)(5) Each district school board shall provide funding 1843
for the professional learning development system as required by 1844
s. 1011.62 and the General Appropriations Act, and shall direct 1845
expenditures from other funding sources to continuously 1846
strengthen the system in order to increase student achievement 1847
and support instructional staff in enhancing rigor and relevance 1848
in the classroom. The department shall identify professional 1849
learning development opportunities that require the teacher to 1850
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demonstrate proficiency in specific classroom practices, with 1851
priority given to implementing training to complete a reading 1852
endorsement pathway adopted pursuant to s. 1012.586(2)(a). A 1853
school district may coordinate its professional learning 1854
development program with that of another district, with an 1855
educational consortium, or with a Florida College System 1856
institution or university, especially in preparing and educating 1857
personnel. Each district school board shall make available 1858
inservice activities to instructional personnel of nonpublic 1859
schools in the district and the state certified teachers who are 1860
not employed by the district school board on a fee basis not to 1861
exceed the cost of the activity per all parti cipants. 1862
(7)(6) An organization of private schools or consortium of 1863
charter schools which has no fewer than 10 member schools in 1864
this state, which publishes and files with the Department of 1865
Education copies of its standards, and the member schools of 1866
which comply with the provisions of part II of chapter 1003, 1867
relating to compulsory school attendance, or a public or private 1868
college or university with a teacher preparation program 1869
approved pursuant to s. 1004.04, may also develop a professional 1870
learning development system that includes a professional 1871
learning catalog master plan for inservice activities. The 1872
system and inservice catalog plan must be submitted to the 1873
commissioner for approval pursuant to state board rules. 1874
(8)(a)(7)(a) The Department of Education shall 1875
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disseminate, using web -based technology, research -based best 1876
practice methods by which the state and district school boards 1877
may evaluate and improve the professional learning development 1878
system. The best practices must include data that indicate the 1879
progress of all students. The department shall report annually 1880
to the State Board of Education and the Legislature any school 1881
district that, in the determination of the department, has 1882
failed to provide an adequate professional learning development 1883
system. This report must include the results of the department's 1884
investigation and of any intervention provided. 1885
(b) The department shall also disseminate, using web -based 1886
technology, professional learning development in the use of 1887
integrated digital instruction at sch ools that include middle 1888
grades. The professional learning development must provide 1889
training and materials that districts can use to provide 1890
instructional personnel with the necessary knowledge, skills, 1891
and strategies to effectively blend digital instructi on into 1892
subject-matter curricula. The professional learning development 1893
must emphasize online learning and research techniques, reading 1894
instruction, the use of digital devices to supplement the 1895
delivery of curricular content to students, and digital device 1896
management and security. Districts are encouraged to incorporate 1897
the professional learning development as part of their 1898
professional learning development system. 1899
(9)(8) The State Board of Education may adopt rules 1900
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pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 t o administer this 1901
section. 1902
(10)(9) This section does not limit or discourage a 1903
district school board from contracting with independent entities 1904
for professional learning development services and inservice 1905
education if the district school board can demons trate to the 1906
Commissioner of Education that, through such a contract, a 1907
better product can be acquired or its goals for education 1908
improvement can be better met. Such entities shall have 3 or 1909
more years of experience providing professional learning with 1910
demonstrative success in instructional or school administrator 1911
growth. The school district must verify that such entities and 1912
contracted professional learning activities from such entities 1913
meet the criteria established in subsection (3) for training 1914
linked to student learning or professional growth. 1915
(11)(10) For instructional personnel and administrative 1916
personnel who have been evaluated as less than effective, a 1917
district school board shall require participation in specific 1918
professional learning development programs as provided in 1919
subparagraph (5)(b)5. (4)(b)5. as part of the improvement 1920
prescription. 1921
(12)(11) The department shall disseminate to the school 1922
community proven model professional learning development 1923
programs that have demonstrated success in i ncreasing rigorous 1924
and relevant content, increasing student achievement and 1925
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engagement, meeting identified student needs, and providing 1926
effective mentorship activities to new teachers and training to 1927
teacher mentors. The methods of dissemination must inclu de a 1928
web-based statewide performance -support system including a 1929
database of exemplary professional learning development 1930
activities, a listing of available professional learning 1931
development resources, training programs, and available 1932
technical assistance. P rofessional learning development 1933
resources must include sample course -at-a-glance and unit 1934
overview templates that school districts may use when developing 1935
curriculum. The templates must provide an organized structure 1936
for addressing the Florida Standards, grade-level expectations, 1937
evidence outcomes, and 21st century skills that build to 1938
students' mastery of the standards at each grade level. Each 1939
template must support teaching to greater intellectual depth and 1940
emphasize transfer and application of concepts, content, and 1941
skills. At a minimum, each template must: 1942
(a) Provide course or year -long sequencing of concept -1943
based unit overviews based on the Florida Standards. 1944
(b) Describe the knowledge and vocabulary necessary for 1945
comprehension. 1946
(c) Promote the instructional shifts required within the 1947
Florida Standards. 1948
(d) Illustrate the interdependence of grade -level 1949
expectations within and across content areas within a grade. 1950
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(13)(12) The department shall require teachers in grades 1951
K-12 to participate in c ontinuing education training provided by 1952
the Department of Children and Families on identifying and 1953
reporting child abuse and neglect. 1954
Section 21. Subsection (1) of section 1012.986, Florida 1955
Statutes, is amended to read: 1956
1012.986 William Cecil Golden Professional Learning 1957
Development Program for School Leaders. — 1958
(1) There is established the William Cecil Golden 1959
Professional Learning Development Program for School Leaders to 1960
provide high-quality standards and sustained support for 1961
educational leaders. For purposes of this section, the term 1962
"educational leader" means teacher leaders, assistant 1963
principals, principals, or school district leaders. The program 1964
shall consist of a collaborative network of school districts, 1965
state-approved educational leadersh ip programs, regional 1966
consortia, charter management organizations, and state and 1967
national professional leadership organizations to respond to 1968
educational leadership needs throughout the state. The network 1969
shall support the human -resource learning development needs of 1970
educational leaders using the framework of leadership standards 1971
adopted by the State Board of Education. The goal of the network 1972
leadership program is to: 1973
(a) Provide resources to support and enhance the roles of 1974
educational leaders. 1975
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(b) Maintain a clearinghouse and disseminate data -1976
supported information related to the continued enhancement of 1977
student achievement and learning, civic education, coaching and 1978
mentoring, mental health awareness, technology in education, 1979
distance learning, and sc hool safety based on educational 1980
research and best practices. 1981
(c) Increase the quality and capacity of educational 1982
leadership learning development programs. 1983
(d) Support evidence -based leadership practices through 1984
dissemination and modeling at the prese rvice and inservice 1985
levels for educational leaders. 1986
(e) Support the professional growth of instructional 1987
personnel who provide reading instruction and interventions by 1988
training school administrators on classroom observation , 1989
instructional coaching, and teacher evaluation practices aligned 1990
to evidence-based reading instruction and intervention 1991
strategies. 1992
Section 22. The Division of Law Revision shall prepare a 1993
reviser's bill to replace references to the term "professional 1994
development" where it occurs within chapters 1000 through 1013 1995
of the Florida Statutes with the term "professional learning." 1996
Section 23. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this 1997
act, and except for this section, which shall take effect upon 1998
this act becoming a law, this act shall take effect July 1, 1999
2023. 2000