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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to education; amending s. 1002.321, 2
F.S.; providing for the award of grants to school 3
districts to implement artificial intelligence in 4
support of students and teachers; providing 5
requirements for the use of such artificial 6
intelligence; amending s. 1002.411, F.S.; expanding 7
eligibility for New Worlds Scholarship Accounts to 8
certain students enrolled in the Voluntary 9
Prekindergarten Education Prog ram; revising program 10
eligibility criteria; revising eligible expenses for 11
students who have an account; requiring parents to use 12
a specified system to make direct purchases if such 13
system is available; providing that certain 14
organizations are administrato rs for purposes of 15
establishing scholarship accounts; revising school 16
district and private prekindergarten provider 17
notification requirements; revising requirements for 18
the Department of Education to release scholarship 19
funds; authorizing certain organizat ions to develop a 20
system for the direct purchase of qualifying 21
expenditures; deleting provisions relating to fund 22
transfers and certain payment methods; deleting a 23
requirement for quarterly payments of scholarships; 24
amending s. 1003.01, F.S.; conforming a cross-25
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reference; amending s. 1003.485, F.S.; providing that 26
the University of Florida Lastinger Center for 27
Learning is the administrator for the New Worlds 28
Reading Initiative; revising definitions; deleting a 29
requirement that the department designate an 30
administrator for the initiative; requiring the 31
department to provide specified data to the 32
administrator within specified timeframe; requiring 33
the administrator to include certain information in a 34
specified annual report; revising eligibility criteria 35
for the initiative; deleting obsolete language; 36
amending s. 1003.499, F.S.; conforming a cross -37
reference; creating s. 1004.646, F.S.; creating the 38
Lastinger Center for Learning at the University of 39
Florida; providing duties and responsibilities of the 40
center; amending s. 1008.25, F.S.; making technical 41
changes; requiring progress monitoring results to be 42
provided to prekindergarten instructors within a 43
specified timeframe; creating s. 1008.366, F.S.; 44
requiring an eligible nonprofit scholarship -funding 45
organization to administer a tutoring program to 46
provide specified academic support for students; 47
providing duties and responsibilities of the 48
organization; requiring the organization to annually 49
provide a report to the Legislature and the 50
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Commissioner of Education by a specified date; 51
providing an effective date. 52
53
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 54
55
Section 1. Subsections (4) and (5) of section 1002.321, 56
Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (5) and (6), 57
respectively, and sub section (3) of that section is amended to 58
read: 59
1002.321 Digital learning. — 60
(3) CUSTOMIZED AND ACCELERATED LEARNING. —Artificial 61
intelligence provides opportunities to customize and accelerate 62
learning for students and reduce teacher workload. A school 63
district may receive grant funds for subscription fees and 64
professional learning to support and accelerate learning for 65
students in grades 6 through 12 during the school day. Grant 66
recipients must select an artificial intelligence platform that: 67
(a) Uses large language models based on GPT -4, its 68
equivalent, or a successor, and is on a closed system. 69
(b) Provides professional learning to teachers. 70
(c) Provides one-on-one tutoring aligned to the Benchmarks 71
for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Stan dards for reading 72
and mathematics. 73
(d) Provides standards -aligned lesson plans and provides 74
insights on student progress. 75
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(e) Provides district and school -level reporting and 76
parental access to artificial intelligence interactions. 77
(4) VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION.—A school district must establish 78
multiple opportunities for student participation in part -time 79
and full-time kindergarten through grade 12 virtual instruction. 80
Options include, but are not limited to: 81
(a) School district operated part -time or full-time 82
virtual instruction programs under s. 1002.45(1)(b) for 83
kindergarten through grade 12 students enrolled in the school 84
district. A full-time program shall operate under its own Master 85
School Identification Number. 86
(b) Florida Virtual School instruc tional services 87
authorized under s. 1002.37. 88
(c) Blended learning instruction provided by charter 89
schools authorized under s. 1002.33. 90
(d) Virtual charter school instruction authorized under s. 91
1002.33. 92
(e) Courses delivered in the traditional school setting by 93
personnel providing direct instruction through virtual 94
instruction or through blended learning courses consisting of 95
both traditional classroom and online instructional techniques 96
pursuant to s. 1003.498. 97
(f) Virtual courses offered in the co urse code directory 98
to students within the school district or to students in other 99
school districts throughout the state pursuant to s. 1003.498. 100
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Section 2. Subsection (2), paragraph (a) of subsection 101
(3), subsections (4) and (6), and paragraphs (c) an d (e) through 102
(h) of subsection (7) of section 1002.411, Florida Statutes, are 103
amended to read: 104
1002.411 New Worlds Scholarship Accounts. — 105
(2) ELIGIBILITY.—Contingent upon available funds, and on a 106
first-come, first-served basis, each student who is en rolled in 107
the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program pursuant to s. 108
1002.53 or a Florida public school in kindergarten through grade 109
5 is eligible for a scholarship account if the student: 110
(a) Exhibits a substantial deficiency in early literacy 111
skills based upon the results of the most recent progress 112
monitoring administered pursuant to s. 1008.25(9), has a 113
substantial reading deficiency or exhibits characteristics of 114
dyslexia as identified under s. 1008.25(5)(a) , or scored below a 115
Level 3 on the most recent statewide, standardized English 116
Language Arts (ELA) assessment in the prior school year . An 117
eligible student who is classified as an English Language 118
Learner and is enrolled in a program or receiving services that 119
are specifically designed to meet the instructional needs of 120
English Language Learner students shall receive priority. 121
(b) Exhibits a substantial deficiency in early mathematics 122
skills based upon the results of the most recent progress 123
monitoring administered pursuant to s. 1008.25(9), has a 124
substantial deficiency in mathematics or the characteristics of 125
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dyscalculia as identified under s. 1008.25(6)(a) , or scored 126
below a Level 3 on the most recent statewide, standardized 127
Mathematics assessment in the prior school year . 128
(3) PARENT AND STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES FOR 129
PARTICIPATION.— 130
(a) For an eligible student to receive a scholarship 131
account, the student's parent must: 132
1. Submit an application to an eligible nonprofit 133
scholarship-funding organization by the deadline established by 134
such organization; and 135
2. If available, utilize the administrator's system to 136
make direct purchases Submit eligible expenses to the eligible 137
nonprofit scholarship -funding organization for reimbursement of 138
qualifying expenditures, which may include: 139
a. Instructional materials. 140
b. Curriculum. As used in this sub -subparagraph, the term 141
"curriculum" means a complete course of study for a particular 142
content area or grade level, including any required supplemental 143
materials and associated online instruction. 144
c. Tuition and fees for part -time tutoring services 145
provided by a person who holds a valid Florida educator's 146
certificate pursuant to s. 1012.56, a person who holds a 147
baccalaureate or graduate degree in the subject area, a person 148
who holds an adjunct teachi ng certificate pursuant to s. 149
1012.57, or a person who has demonstrated a mastery of subject 150
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area knowledge pursuant to s. 1012.56(5) , a person who holds a 151
micro-credential under s. 1003.485, or, for a prekindergarten 152
student, a person who holds a credenti al under s. 153
1002.55(3)(c)1. or an educational credential under s. 154
1002.55(4)(a) or (b) . 155
d. Fees for summer education programs designed to improve 156
reading, literacy, or mathematics skills. 157
e. Fees for after-school education programs designed to 158
improve reading, literacy, or mathematics skills. 159
160
A provider of any services receiving payments pursuant to this 161
subparagraph may not share any moneys from the scholarship with, 162
or provide a refund or rebate of any moneys from such 163
scholarship to, the parent or p articipating student in any 164
manner. A parent, student, or provider of any services may not 165
bill an insurance company, Medicaid, or any other agency for the 166
same services that are paid for using scholarship funds. 167
(4) ADMINISTRATOR ADMINISTRATION.—An eligible nonprofit 168
scholarship-funding organization as defined in s. 1002.395(2) 169
shall be the administrator and participating in the Florida Tax 170
Credit Scholarship Program established by s. 1002.395 may 171
establish scholarship accounts for eligible students in 172
accordance with the requirements of eligible nonprofit 173
scholarship-funding organizations under this chapter. 174
(6) SCHOOL DISTRICT AND PRIVATE PREKINDERGARTEN PROVIDER 175
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OBLIGATIONS; PARENTAL OPTIONS. — 176
(a) Each By September 30, the school district and private 177
prekindergarten provider shall notify the parent of each 178
eligible student of the process to request and receive a 179
scholarship, subject to available funds , when providing results 180
from the standardized coordinated screening and progress 181
monitoring pursuant to s. 1008.25(9)(c) . 182
(b) A school district may not prohibit instructional 183
personnel from providing services pursuant to this section on 184
the instructional personnel's school campus outside regular work 185
hours, subject to school district policies for safe ty and 186
security operations to protect students, instructional 187
personnel, and educational facilities. 188
(7) ACCOUNT FUNDING AND PAYMENT. — 189
(c) Upon notification from the eligible nonprofit 190
scholarship-funding organization that a student being has been 191
determined eligible for a scholarship, the department shall , 192
within 45 days, release the student's scholarship funds to such 193
organization to be deposited into the student's account. 194
(e) The eligible nonprofit scholarship -funding 195
organization may develop a sy stem that permits eligible students 196
to use program funds to make direct purchases of qualifying 197
expenditures for payment of scholarship funds by funds transfer, 198
including, but not limited to, debit cards, electronic payment 199
cards, or any other means of pay ment that the department deems 200
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to be commercially viable or cost -effective. A student's 201
scholarship award may not be reduced for debit card or 202
electronic payment fees . Commodities or services related to the 203
development of such a system shall be procured by competitive 204
solicitation unless they are purchased from a state term 205
contract pursuant to s. 287.056. 206
(f) Payment of the scholarship shall be made by the 207
eligible nonprofit scholarship -funding organization no less 208
frequently than on a quarterly basis. 209
(f)(g) Moneys received pursuant to this section do not 210
constitute taxable income to the qualified student or his or her 211
parent. 212
(g)(h) A student's scholarship account must be closed and 213
any remaining funds shall revert to the state after: 214
1. Denial or revocation of scholarship eligibility by the 215
commissioner for fraud or abuse, including, but not limited to, 216
the student or student's parent accepting any payment, refund, 217
or rebate, in any manner, from a provider of any services 218
received pursuant to subs ection (3); or 219
2. Three consecutive fiscal years in which an account has 220
been inactive. 221
Section 3. Subsection (5) of section 1003.01, Florida 222
Statutes, is amended to read: 223
1003.01 Definitions. —As used in this chapter, the term: 224
(5) "Core-curricula courses" means: 225
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(a) Courses in language arts/reading, mathematics, social 226
studies, and science in prekindergarten through grade 3, 227
excluding extracurricular courses pursuant to subsection (11); 228
(b) Courses in grades 4 through 8 in subje cts that are 229
measured by state assessment at any grade level and courses 230
required for middle school promotion, excluding extracurricular 231
courses pursuant to subsection (11); 232
(c) Courses in grades 9 through 12 in subjects that are 233
measured by state assess ment at any grade level and courses that 234
are specifically identified by name in statute as required for 235
high school graduation and that are not measured by state 236
assessment, excluding extracurricular courses pursuant to 237
subsection (11); 238
(d) Exceptional student education courses; and 239
(e) English for Speakers of Other Languages courses. 240
241
The term is limited in meaning and used for the sole purpose of 242
designating classes that are subject to the maximum class size 243
requirements established in s. 1, Art. IX o f the State 244
Constitution. This term does not include courses offered under 245
ss. 1002.321(4)(e) 1002.321(3)(e), 1002.33(7)(a)2.c., 1002.37, 246
1002.45, and 1003.499. 247
Section 4. Section 1003.485, Florida Statutes, is amended 248
to read: 249
1003.485 The New World s Reading Initiative. — 250
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(1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 251
(a) "Administrator" means the a state University of 252
Florida Lastinger Center for Learning registered with the 253
department under s. 1002.395(15)(i) and designated to administer 254
the initiative under paragraph (3)(a) . 255
(b) "Annual tax credit amount" means, for any state fiscal 256
year, the sum of the amount of tax credits approved under 257
paragraph (5)(b), including tax credits to be taken under s. 258
211.0252, s. 212.1833, s. 220.1876, s. 561.1212, or s. 259
624.51056, which are approved for taxpayers whose taxable years 260
begin on or after January 1 of the calendar year preceding the 261
start of the applicable state fiscal year. 262
(c) "Department" means the Department of Education. 263
(d) "Division" means the Division of Alcoholic Beverages 264
and Tobacco of the Department of Business and Professional 265
Regulation. 266
(e) "Eligible contribution" means a monetary contribution 267
from a taxpayer, subject to the restrictions provided in this 268
section, to the admi nistrator. 269
(f) "Initiative" means the New Worlds Reading Initiative. 270
(g) "Micro-credential" means evidence -based professional 271
learning development activities grounded in the science of 272
reading which are competency -based, personalized, and on -demand. 273
Educators must demonstrate their competence via evidence 274
submitted and reviewed by trained evaluators. 275
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(2) NEW WORLDS READING INITIATIVE; PURPOSE. —The purpose of 276
the New Worlds Reading Initiative established under the 277
department is to instill a love of rea ding by providing high -278
quality, free books to students in prekindergarten through grade 279
5 who are reading below grade level and to improve the literacy 280
skills of students in prekindergarten through grade 12. The New 281
Worlds Reading Initiative shall consist of: 282
(a) The program established under this section to provide 283
high-quality, free books to students. 284
(b) The New Worlds Scholarship Program under s. 1002.411. 285
(c) The New Worlds Scholar program under s. 1008.365, 286
which rewards high school students who instill a love of reading 287
and improve the literacy skills of students in kindergarten 288
through grade 3. 289
(d) The New Worlds micro-credential program established 290
under this section which emphasizes strong core instruction and 291
a tiered model of reading inte rventions for struggling readers. 292
(3) DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBILITIES. —The department shall: 293
(a) Designate an administrator to implement the initiative 294
and to receive funding as provided in this section. The 295
administrator must have an academic innovation i nstitution with 296
extensive experience in: 297
1. Conducting academic research in early literacy 298
instruction. 299
2. Implementing online delivery of early learning and 300
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literacy training for educators nationally. 301
3. Developing online support materials that assist parents 302
and caregivers in developing early literacy skills. 303
4. Conducting fundraising and public awareness campaigns 304
to support the development and growth of evidence -based 305
educational initiatives that support learning at home and in 306
schools. 307
(a)(b) Publish information about the initiative and tax 308
credits under subsection (5) on its website, including the 309
process for a taxpayer to select the administrator as the 310
recipient of funding through a tax credit. 311
(b)(c) Beginning September 30, 2022, and Annually 312
thereafter, report on its website the number of students 313
participating in the initiative in each school district, 314
information from the annual financial report under paragraph 315
(4)(j), and the academic achievement and learning gains, as 316
applicable, of participating students based on data provided by 317
school districts as permitted under s. 1002.22. The department 318
shall establish a date by which the administrator and each 319
school district must annually provide the data necessary to 320
complete the report. 321
(c) Provide the administrator with progress monitoring 322
data for eligible prekindergarten through grade 12 students 323
within 30 days after the close of each progress monitoring 324
period. 325
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(4) ADMINISTRATOR RESPONSIBILITIES. —The administrator 326
shall: 327
(a) Develop, in consultation with the Just Read, Florida! 328
Office under s. 1001.215, a selection of high -quality books 329
encompassing diverse subjects and genres for each grade level to 330
be mailed to students in the initiative. 331
(b) Distribute books at no cost to st udents as provided in 332
paragraph (6)(c) either directly or through an agreement with a 333
book distribution company. 334
(c) Assist local implementation of the initiative by 335
providing marketing materials to school districts and any 336
partnering nonprofit organizat ions to assist with public 337
awareness campaigns and other activities designed to increase 338
family engagement and instill a love of reading in students. 339
(d) Maintain a clearinghouse for information on national, 340
state, and local nonprofit organizations that support efforts to 341
improve literacy and provide books to children. 342
(e) Develop, for parents of students in the initiative, 343
resources and training materials that engage families in reading 344
and support the reading achievement of their students. The 345
administrator shall periodically send to parents hyperlinks to 346
these resources and materials, including video modules, via text 347
message and e-mail. 348
(f) Provide professional learning development and 349
resources to teachers that correlate with the books provided 350
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through the initiative. 351
(g) Develop, in consultation with the Just Read, Florida! 352
Office under s. 1001.215, an online repository of digital 353
science of reading materials and science of reading 354
instructional resources that is accessible to public school 355
teachers, school leaders, parents, and educator preparation 356
programs and associated faculty. 357
(h) Develop a micro -credential that requires teachers to 358
demonstrate competency to: 359
1. Diagnose literacy difficulties and determine the 360
appropriate range of litera cy interventions based upon the age 361
and literacy deficiency of the student; 362
2. Use evidence-based instructional and intervention 363
practices grounded in the science of reading, including 364
strategies identified by the Just Read, Florida! Office pursuant 365
to s. 1001.215(7); and 366
3. Effectively use progress monitoring and intervention 367
materials. 368
(i) Administer the early literacy micro -credential program 369
established under this section, which must include components on 370
content, student learning, pedagogy, and p rofessional learning 371
development and must build on a strong foundation of 372
scientifically researched and evidence -based reading 373
instructional and intervention programs that incorporate 374
explicit, systematic, and sequential approaches to teaching 375
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phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text 376
comprehension and incorporate decodable or phonetic text 377
instructional strategies, as identified by the Just Read, 378
Florida! Office, pursuant to s. 1001.215(7). 379
1. At a minimum, the micro -credential curriculu m must be 380
designed specifically for instructional personnel in 381
prekindergarten through grade 3 based upon the strategies and 382
techniques identified in s. 1002.59 and address foundational 383
literacy skills of students in grades 4 through 12. 384
2. The micro-credential must be competency based and 385
designed for eligible instructional personnel to complete the 386
credentialing process in no more than 60 hours, in an online 387
format. The micro-credential may be delivered in an in -person 388
format. Eligible instructional pe rsonnel may receive the micro -389
credential once competency is demonstrated even if it is before 390
prior to the completion of 60 hours. 391
3. The micro-credential must be available by December 31, 392
2022, at no cost, to instructional personnel as defined in s. 393
1012.01(2); prekindergarten instructors as specified in ss. 394
1002.55, 1002.61, and 1002.63; and child care personnel as 395
defined in ss. 402.302(3) and 1002.88(1)(e). 396
(j) Annually submit to the department an annual financial 397
report that includes, at a minimum, the amount of eligible 398
contributions received by the administrator; the amount spent on 399
each activity required by this subsection, including 400
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administrative expenses; the number of micro-credentials and 401
reading endorsements earned; and the number of studen ts and 402
households served under each component of the initiative, by 403
school district, including the means by which additional 404
literacy support was provided to students . 405
(k) Maintain separate accounts for operating funds and 406
funds for the purchase and deli very of books. 407
(l) Expend eligible contributions received only for the 408
purchase and delivery of books and to implement the requirements 409
of this section, as well as for administrative expenses not to 410
exceed 2 percent of total eligible contributions. 411
Notwithstanding s. 1002.395(6)(l)2., the administrator may carry 412
forward up to 25 percent of eligible contributions made before 413
January 1 of each state fiscal year and 100 percent of eligible 414
contributions made on or after January 1 of each state fiscal 415
year to the following state fiscal year for purposes authorized 416
by this subsection. Any eligible contributions in excess of the 417
allowable carry forward not used to provide additional books 418
throughout the year to eligible students shall revert to the 419
state treasury. 420
(m) Upon receipt of a contribution, provide the taxpayer 421
that made the contribution with a certificate of contribution. A 422
certificate of contribution must include the taxpayer's name 423
and, if available, its federal employer identification number; 424
the amount contributed; the date of contribution; and the name 425
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of the administrator. 426
(6) ELIGIBILITY; NOTIFICATION; SCHOOL DISTRICT 427
OBLIGATIONS.— 428
(a) A student in prekindergarten through grade 5 must be 429
provided books through the initiative if the student i s not yet 430
reading on grade level, has a substantial reading deficiency 431
identified under s. 1008.25(5)(a) or (b), has a substantial 432
deficiency in early literacy skills based upon the results of 433
the coordinated screening and progress monitoring under s. 434
1008.25(9), or scored below a Level 3 on the most recent 435
preceding year's statewide, standardized English Language Arts 436
assessment under s. 1008.22. 437
(b) Each school district shall notify the parent of a 438
student who meets the criteria under paragraph (a) that the 439
student is eligible to receive books at no cost through the New 440
Worlds Reading Initiative and provide the parent with the 441
application form developed by the administrator, which must 442
allow for the selection of specific book topics or genres for 443
the student. 444
(c) Once an eligible student is identified, the school 445
district shall coordinate with the administrator to initiate 446
book delivery on a monthly basis during the school year, which 447
must begin no later than October and continue through at least 448
June. However, for the 2021 -2022 school year only, delivery may 449
begin no later than December 31, 2021, provided that no fewer 450
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than 9 books are delivered to each student before book 451
deliveries begin for the 2022 -2023 school year. 452
(d) Upon enrollment and at the beginning of each school 453
year, students must be provided options for specific book topics 454
or genres in order to maximize student interest in reading. 455
(e) A student's eligibility for the initiative continues 456
until promotion to grade 6 or until the student 's parent opts 457
out of the initiative. 458
(f) Each school district shall participate in the 459
initiative by partnering with local nonprofit organizations, 460
raising awareness of the initiative using marketing materials 461
developed by the administrator, coordinatin g book delivery, and 462
identifying students and notifying parents pursuant to this 463
subsection. 464
(g) Each school district shall coordinate with each 465
charter school it sponsors for purposes of identifying eligible 466
students, notifying parents, coordinating boo k delivery, 467
providing the opportunity to annually select book topics and 468
genres, and raising awareness of the initiative as provided by 469
this section. 470
(h) School districts and partnering nonprofit 471
organizations shall raise awareness of the initiative, inc luding 472
information on eligibility and video training modules under 473
paragraph (4)(e), through, at least, the following: 474
1. The student handbook and the read -at-home plan under s. 475
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1008.25(5)(d). 476
2. A parent or curriculum night or separate initiative 477
awareness event at each elementary school. 478
3. Partnering with the county library to host awareness 479
events, which should coincide with other initiatives such as 480
library card drives, family library nights, summer access 481
events, and other family engagement prog ramming. 482
(i) Each school district shall establish a data sharing 483
agreement with the initiative's administrator which allows for a 484
streamlined student verification and enrollment process. 485
(7) ADMINISTRATION; RULES. — 486
(a) The Department of Revenue, the division, and the 487
Department of Education may develop a cooperative agreement to 488
assist in the administration of this section, as needed. 489
(b) The Department of Revenue may adopt rules necessary to 490
administer this section and ss. 211.0252, 212.1833, 220.1 876, 491
561.1212, and 624.51056, including rules establishing 492
application forms, procedures governing the approval of tax 493
credits and carryforward tax credits under subsection (5), and 494
procedures to be followed by taxpayers when claiming approved 495
tax credits on their returns. 496
(c) The division may adopt rules necessary to administer 497
its responsibilities under this section and s. 561.1212. 498
(d) The Department of Education may adopt rules necessary 499
to administer this section. 500
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(e) Notwithstanding any provisio n of s. 213.053 to the 501
contrary, sharing information with the division related to this 502
tax credit is considered the conduct of the Department of 503
Revenue's official duties as contemplated in s. 213.053(8)(c), 504
and the Department of Revenue and the division a re specifically 505
authorized to share information as needed to administer this 506
section. 507
Section 5. Subsection (2) of section 1003.499, Florida 508
Statutes, is amended to read: 509
1003.499 Florida Approved Courses and Tests (FACT) 510
Initiative.— 511
(2) FLORIDA APPROVED COURSES.—The Department of Education 512
shall annually publish online a list of providers approved to 513
offer Florida approved courses which shall be listed in the 514
online catalog pursuant to s. 1002.321(6) s. 1002.321(5). 515
(a) As used in this section, the term "Florida approved 516
courses" means online courses provided by individuals which 517
include, but are not limited to, massive open online courses or 518
remedial education associated with the courses that are measured 519
pursuant to s. 1008.22. Massive open onl ine courses may be 520
authorized in the following subject areas: Algebra I, biology, 521
geometry, and civics. Courses may be applied toward requirements 522
for promotion or graduation in whole, in subparts, or in a 523
combination of whole and subparts. A student may n ot be required 524
to repeat subparts that are satisfactorily completed. 525
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(b) A Florida approved course must be annually identified, 526
approved, published, and shared for consideration by interested 527
students and school districts. The Commissioner of Education 528
shall approve each Florida approved course for application in K -529
12 public schools in accordance with rules of the State Board of 530
Education. 531
Section 6. Section 1004.646, Florida Statutes, is created 532
to read: 533
1004.646 University of Florida Lastinger Cen ter For 534
Learning.—There is created at the University of Florida, the 535
Lastinger Center for Learning. The center shall: 536
(1) Develop and administer programs to improve student 537
achievement outcomes in early learning, literacy, and 538
mathematics. 539
(2) Provide professional learning for educators to improve 540
the quality of instruction in early learning, literacy, and 541
mathematics. Professional learning shall include the development 542
of micro-credentials that require educators to demonstrate 543
competency. Micro-credentials must be provided at low or no cost 544
and be personalized, and may be provided online or in person. 545
(3) Provide technical assistance and support to school 546
districts and schools in improving student achievement. 547
(4) Conduct and publish research on tea ching and learning 548
in early learning, literacy, and mathematics as well as 549
professional learning for educators. 550
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Section 7. Paragraph (d) of subsection (5), paragraph (c) 551
of subsection (6), and paragraph (c) of subsection (9) of 552
section 1008.25, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 553
1008.25 Public school student progression; student 554
support; coordinated screening and progress monitoring; 555
reporting requirements. — 556
(5) READING DEFICIENCY AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION. — 557
(d) The parent of any student who exhibits a substantial 558
deficiency in reading, as described in paragraph (a), must be 559
notified in writing of the following: 560
1. That his or her child has been identified as having a 561
substantial deficiency in reading, including a description and 562
explanation, in terms understandable to the parent, of the exact 563
nature of the student's difficulty in learning and lack of 564
achievement in reading. 565
2. A description of the current services that are provided 566
to the child. 567
3. A description of the proposed intensive interventions 568
and supports that will be provided to the child that are 569
designed to remediate the identified area of reading deficiency. 570
4. That if the child's reading deficiency is not 571
remediated by the end of grade 3, the child must be retained 572
unless he or she is exempt from mandatory retention for good 573
cause. 574
5. Strategies, including multisensory strategies and 575
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programming, through a read -at-home plan the parent can use in 576
helping his or her child succeed in reading. The read -at-home 577
plan must provide access to the resources identified in 578
paragraph (e)(f). 579
6. That the statewide, standardized English Language Arts 580
assessment is not the sole determiner of promotion and that 581
additional evaluations, portfolio reviews, and assessments are 582
available to the child to assist parents and the school district 583
in knowing when a child is reading at or above grade level and 584
ready for grade promotion. 585
7. The district's specific criteria and policies for a 586
portfolio as provided in subparagraph (7)(b)4. and the evi dence 587
required for a student to demonstrate mastery of Florida's 588
academic standards for English Language Arts. A school must 589
immediately begin collecting evidence for a portfolio when a 590
student in grade 3 is identified as being at risk of retention 591
or upon the request of the parent, whichever occurs first. 592
8. The district's specific criteria and policies for 593
midyear promotion. Midyear promotion means promotion of a 594
retained student at any time during the year of retention once 595
the student has demonstrated ability to read at grade level. 596
9. Information about the student's eligibility for the New 597
Worlds Reading Initiative under s. 1003.485 and the New Worlds 598
Scholarship Accounts under s. 1002.411 and information on parent 599
training modules and other reading engagement resources 600
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available through the initiative. 601
602
After initial notification, the school shall apprise the parent 603
at least monthly of the student's progress in response to the 604
intensive interventions and supports. Such communications must 605
be in writing and must explain any additional interventions or 606
supports that will be implemented to accelerate the student's 607
progress if the interventions and supports already being 608
implemented have not resulted in improvement. 609
(6) MATHEMATICS DEFICIENCY AND PAREN TAL NOTIFICATION.— 610
(c) The parent of a student who exhibits a substantial 611
deficiency in mathematics, as described in paragraph (a), must 612
be notified in writing of the following: 613
1. That his or her child has been identified as having a 614
substantial deficiency in mathematics, including a description 615
and explanation, in terms understandable to the parent, of the 616
exact nature of the student's difficulty in learning and lack of 617
achievement in mathematics. 618
2. A description of the current services that are pr ovided 619
to the child. 620
3. A description of the proposed intensive interventions 621
and supports that will be provided to the child that are 622
designed to remediate the identified area of mathematics 623
deficiency. 624
4. Strategies, including multisensory strategies and 625
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programming, through a home -based plan the parent can use in 626
helping his or her child succeed in mathematics. The home -based 627
plan must provide access to the resources identified in 628
paragraph (d)(e). 629
630
After the initial notification, the school shall ap prise the 631
parent at least monthly of the student's progress in response to 632
the intensive interventions and supports. Such communications 633
must be in writing and must explain any additional interventions 634
or supports that will be implemented to accelerate the student's 635
progress if the interventions and supports already being 636
implemented have not resulted in improvement. 637
(9) COORDINATED SCREENING AND PROGRESS MONITORING SYSTEM. — 638
(c) To facilitate timely interventions and supports 639
pursuant to subsection (4), the system must provide results from 640
the first two administrations of the progress monitoring to a 641
student's teacher or prekindergarten instructor within 1 week 642
and to the student's parent within 2 weeks after of the 643
administration of the progress monitor ing. Delivery of results 644
from the comprehensive, end -of-year progress monitoring ELA 645
assessment for grades 3 through 10 and Mathematics assessment 646
for grades 3 through 8 must be in accordance with s. 647
1008.22(7)(h). 648
1. A student's results from the coordin ated screening and 649
progress monitoring system must be recorded in a written, easy -650
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to-comprehend individual student report. Each school district 651
shall provide a parent secure access to his or her child's 652
individual student reports through a web -based portal as part of 653
its student information system. Each early learning coalition 654
shall provide parents the individual student report in a format 655
determined by state board rule. 656
2. In addition to the information under subparagraph 657
(a)5., the report must also inc lude parent resources that 658
explain the purpose of progress monitoring, assist the parent in 659
interpreting progress monitoring results, and support informed 660
parent involvement. Parent resources may include personalized 661
video formats. 662
3. The department shal l annually update school districts 663
and early learning coalitions on new system features and 664
functionality and collaboratively identify with school districts 665
and early learning coalitions strategies for meaningfully 666
reporting to parents results from the coo rdinated screening and 667
progress monitoring system. The department shall develop ways to 668
increase the utilization, by instructional staff and parents, of 669
student assessment data and resources. 670
4. An individual student report must be provided in a 671
printed format upon a parent's request. 672
Section 8. Section 1008.366, Florida Statutes, is created 673
to read: 674
1008.366 Academic support for students. — 675
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(1) An eligible nonprofit scholarship -funding organization 676
as defined in s. 1002.395(2) shall administer a tutoring program 677
that supports school districts and schools in improving student 678
achievement in reading and mathematics by: 679
(a) Providing best practice science of reading guidelines 680
for districts in consultation with the Just Read, Florida! 681
Office. 682
(b) Providing best practice guidelines for mathematics 683
tutoring in alignment with Florida's Benchmarks for Excellent 684
Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards for mathematics. 685
(c) Establishing minimum standards that each school 686
district must meet to participate in the program. The minimum 687
standards must address: 688
1. Appropriate group sizes for tutoring sessions. 689
2. The frequency and duration of tutoring sessions. 690
3. Minimum staffing qualifications for tutors. 691
4. The use of ongoing, informal and formal ass essments to 692
target instructional interventions. 693
5. Prioritization strategies for tutoring students. 694
(d) Providing access during the school day to additional 695
literacy or mathematics support through evidence -based automated 696
literacy tutoring software tha t provides each student with real -697
time interventions that are based in science of reading 698
principles or mathematics instructional best practices and 699
individually tailored to the needs and ability of each student. 700
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Access shall be provided to students in kin dergarten through 701
grade 5 enrolled in a public school who have a substantial 702
deficiency in reading or mathematics in accordance with s. 703
1008.25. The term "evidence -based" has the same meaning as in s. 704
1003.4201(6). 705
(e) Awarding grants to school districts that may be used 706
for stipends for in-person tutoring during the school day, 707
before and after school, or during a summer program. In -person 708
tutoring may be provided to, at a minimum, kindergarten through 709
grade 5 students enrolled in a public school who hav e a 710
substantial deficiency in reading or mathematics in accordance 711
with s. 1008.25. To identify eligible students, the department 712
shall provide the administrator with mathematics and reading 713
progress monitoring data for eligible kindergarten through grade 714
12 students within 30 days after the close of each progress 715
monitoring period. 716
(f) Providing technical assistance and professional 717
learning to school districts, including: 718
1. Advising district staff on tutoring program design and 719
intervention selecti on upon request. 720
2. Assisting districts in reviewing tutoring programs, 721
professional learning programs, curriculum, and resources to 722
ensure that they adhere to the science of reading or best 723
practices in mathematics. 724
3. Providing professional learning to district staff to 725
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build their knowledge and skills around the science of reading 726
or best practices in mathematics. 727
(2) Annually, by July 1, the organization shall provide to 728
the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of 729
Representatives, and the Commissioner of Education a report 730
summarizing school district use of program funds and student 731
academic outcomes as a result of the additional literacy or 732
mathematics support provided under this section. 733
Section 9. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 734