This document does not reflect the intent or official position of the bill sponsor or House of Representatives.
STORAGE NAME:
DATE:
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STAFF FINAL BILL ANALYSIS
BILL #: CS/CS/HB 537 Student Achievement
SPONSOR(S): Education & Employment Committee and Education Quality Subcommittee, Valdés and others
TIED BILLS: None. IDEN./SIM. BILLS: SB 590
FINAL HOUSE FLOOR ACTION: 111 Y’s
0 N’s GOVERNOR’S ACTION: Approved
SUMMARY ANALYSIS
CS/CS/HB 537 passed the House on February 29, 2024. The bill was amended in the Senate on March 6,
2024, and returned to the House. The House concurred in the Senate amendment and subsequently passed
the bill as amended on March 7, 2024.
The bill establishes a two-year Music-based Supplemental Content to Accelerate Learner Engagement and
Success (mSCALES) Pilot Program within the Department of Education (DOE). The pilot program assists
school districts in adopting music-based supplemental materials that support STEM courses for middle school
students. The bill provides that the DOE is responsible for the implementation of the mSCALES pilot program,
subject to an appropriation by the Legislature.
The bill does not have a fiscal impact. See Fiscal Analysis.
The bill was approved by the Governor on April 15, 2024, ch. 2024-94, L.O.F., and will become effective on
July 1, 2024.
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I. SUBSTANTIVE INFORMATION
A. EFFECT OF CHANGES:
Present Situation
Music-based Supplemental Content to Accelerate Learner Engagement and Success (mSCALES) Pilot
Program
Some studies have indicated a positive correlation between instruction in music and math.
1
Additionally, a variety of aspects of cognitive development have been shown to be positively linked with
music instruction in school, including spatial-temporal abilities, selective attention, and memory for
verbal stimuli.
2
Some research has even identified a positive association between music education and
increases in student self-esteem, academic success, and discipline.
3
Early Childhood Music Education Incentive Program
The Legislature established the Early Childhood Music Education Incentive Pilot Program in 2017 to
assist certain school districts in implementing comprehensive music education programs in
kindergarten through grade 2, beginning with the 2017-2018 school year.
4
Based on an evaluation of
the program following the 2021-2022 school year, students participating in the program showed
significant growth in reading and math, as measured by progress monitoring scores; however, the
analysis noted that the lack of a control group during the program made it unclear the extent to which
academic growth was attributable to the program.
5
In 2023, the Early Childhood Music Education
Incentive Pilot Program was converted into a permanent program administered by the Department of
Education (DOE).
6
For a school district to be eligible for participation in the program, the district school superintendent
must certify to the DOE that specified elementary schools within the district have established a
comprehensive music education program that:
includes all students enrolled at the school in kindergarten through grade 2;
is staffed by certified music educators;
provides music instruction for at least 30 consecutive minutes two days a week;
complies with class size requirements under the law; and
complies with the DOE’s standards for early childhood music education programs for students in
kindergarten through grade 2.
The DOE is required to approve school districts to participate in the program, subject to legislative
appropriation, according to a needs-based criteria established by the SBE. Selected school districts
must annually receive $150 per full-time equivalent (FTE) student in kindergarten through grade 2 who
is enrolled in a comprehensive music education program.
1
J.D. Walsh and B.K. Coleman, Using Music to Teach Math in Middle School, 2 South Carolina Association for Middle Level
Education Journal 144-151 (2023), available at https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1028&context=scamle;
see also M.F. Gardiner, et al, Learning Improved by Arts Training, 381 Nature 284 (1996) (last visited Mar. 12, 2024).
2
See, e.g., Lois Hetland, Learning to Make Music Enhances Spatial Reasoning, 34 J. Aesthetic Ed. 179 (2000); J. Goopy, ‘Extra-
musical effects’ and Benefits of Programs Founded on the Kodaly Philosophy, 2 AUST RALIAN JOURNAL OF MUSIC EDUCAT ION 71-78
(2013); Yim-Chi Ho, et al, Music Training Improves Verbal but Not Visual Memory: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Explorations
in Children, 17 NEUROPSYCHOLOGY 439 (2003).
3
See e.g., Cecil Adderley, et al, “A home away from home”: The world of the high school music classroom, 51 J. MUSIC RES. 190
(2003).
4
Chapter 2017-116, L.O.F.
5
Serephine, Anne, and Miller, David, University of Florida, College of Education, Evaluation Report Early Childhood Education
Incentive Pilot Program 2021-2022, at 92, on file with the Education Quality Subcommittee.
6
Chapter 2023-168, L.O.F.
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The SBE is authorized to adopt rules to administer the program.
7
The Legislature appropriated $400,000 in recurring funds and $10 million in nonrecurring funds for the
DOE to implement the Early Childhood Music Education Program in the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
8
Based
on applications received, the DOE anticipates that the program will serve 19,346 students in 78 schools
across 13 school districts in the 2023-2024 fiscal year. The DOE projects expenditures of $3,205,248
for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
9
Middle Grades Mathematics Teachers
Specialization requirements for teacher certification as a middle grades mathematics instructor require
a bachelor’s or higher degree with a mathematics or middle grades mathematics major, or at least 18
semester hours in mathematics, including:
calculus, precalculus, or trigonometry;
geometry; and
probability or statistics.
10
As of the 2021-2022 school year, there were 17,786 mathematics teacher certifications in Florida.
11
The
maximum number of students assigned to each teacher who is teaching middle school mathematics
may not exceed 22 students.
12
The Florida Center for Partnerships in Arts-Integrated Teaching
The Florida Center for Partnerships in Arts-Integrated Teaching, commonly referred to as PAInT, is a
state-wide resource in arts-integrated pedagogy. The Center for PAInT is an essential part of the
collaborative strategic planning for the arts in Florida.
13
The goals of the center include research in arts-
integrated teaching, technical assistance and support, professional development, and examination of
arts integrated teaching in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) educational courses.
14
Effect of the Bill
This bill establishes a two-year Music-based Supplemental Content to Accelerate Learner Engagement
and Success (mSCALES) Pilot Program within the DOE. The program is intended to assist school
districts that participated in the Early Childhood Music Education Incentive Program in adopting music-
based supplemental materials to support STEM courses for middle school students.
The bill requires the use of music-based supplemental materials at least twice per week to supplement
mathematics instruction by teachers who are certified to teach mathematics. Participating districts are
required to annually certify to the DOE that they are complying with this requirement and also class size
requirements. Subject to legislative appropriation, participating school districts receive $6 per FTE
student participating in the pilot program. Participating middle schools must be in the same attendance
zone as an elementary school that participated in the Early Childhood Music Education Incentive
Program.
7
Section 1003.481, F.S.
8
Specific Appropriation 96, s. 2, ch. 2023-239, L.O.F.
9
Email, Florida Department of Education (January 2, 2024), with attachment, on file with the Education Quality Subcommittee.
10
Rule 6A-4.0261, F.A.C.
11
Florida Department of Education, Identification of High Demand Teacher Needs for 2023-2024, available at
https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/20562/urlt/16-2.pdf, at 4 (last visited Mar. 12, 2024).
12
Section 1003.03(1), F.S.
13
University of South Florida, Center for PAInT, Mission, Belief Statement, and Definition of Arts Integration,
https://www.sarasotamanatee.usf.edu/academics/center-for-
paint/#:~:text=The%20Florida%20Center%20for%20Partnerships,for%20the%20A rts%20in%20Florida (last visited Mar. 12, 2024).
14
Section 1004.344, F.S.
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The bill authorizes the school districts in Alachua, Marion, and Miami-Dade counties to participate in the
pilot program. To participate, the school district superintendent must contact the DOE.
The bill authorizes the DOE to select school districts for participation in the pilot program if sufficient
funding is available as appropriated by the Legislature. The DOE is required to prescribe application
forms and forms for districts to certify they are meeting the requirements of the pilot program.
The bill requires the College of Education at the University of Florida (UF) to continuously evaluate the
program’s effectiveness and annually share findings of its evaluations with the DOE and the
Legislature. UF’s College of Education must prepare a comprehensive report of the program’s overall
effectiveness. The report must be presented, no later than October 1, 2026, to the DOE, the
Legislature, and the University of South Florida Center for Partnerships in Art-Integrated Teaching
(PAInT).
The mSCALES pilot program expires June 30, 2026.
II. FISCAL ANALYSIS & ECONOMIC IMPACT STATEMENT
A. FISCAL IMPACT ON STATE GOVERNMENT:
1. Revenues:
None.
2. Expenditures:
None.
B. FISCAL IMPACT ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
1. Revenues:
None.
2. Expenditures:
None.
C. DIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACT ON PRIVATE SECTOR:
None.
D. FISCAL COMMENTS:
The pilot program created by the bill is subject to appropriation. The General Appropriation Act for the
2024-2025 Fiscal Year (HB 5001) includes $400,000 for the implementation of the mSCALES pilot
program.