Florida Senate - 2024 CS for SB 7038 By the Committees on Appropriations; and Education Pre-K -12; and Senator Yarborough 576-02710-24 20247038c1 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to education; amending s. 1002.321, 3 F.S.; providing legislative findings; authorizing a 4 school district to receive grant funds for specified 5 purposes; requiring grant recipients to select an 6 artificial intelligence platform that meets certain 7 requirements; amending s. 1002.411, F.S.; revising 8 eligibility requirements for a New Worlds Scholarship 9 account; requiring a parent to use the administrators 10 system to make direct purchases of qualifying 11 expenditures; specifying additional qualifying 12 expenditures; requiring that the administrator of a 13 New Worlds Scholarship account be an eligible 14 nonprofit scholarship-funding organization; requiring 15 each school district and prekindergarten provider to 16 notify the parent of each eligible student of the 17 process to request and receive a scholarship when 18 providing certain screening and progress monitoring 19 results; requiring eligible nonprofit scholarship 20 funding organizations to develop a system that allows 21 eligible students to make direct purchases of 22 qualifying expenditures; deleting a requirement for 23 payments to be made on a quarterly basis; amending s. 24 1003.485, F.S.; revising definitions of the terms 25 administrator and micro-credential; deleting 26 responsibilities for the Department of Education 27 relating to the New Worlds Reading Initiative; 28 requiring the department to provide the administrator 29 with progress monitoring data for certain students; 30 revising the information that the administrator must 31 include in an annual financial report; making 32 technical changes; creating s. 1004.561, F.S.; 33 creating the Lastinger Center for Learning at the 34 University of Florida; providing the duties of the 35 center; amending s. 1008.25, F.S.; making technical 36 changes; requiring that the progress monitoring system 37 provide prekindergarten instructors with certain 38 results within a specified timeframe; creating s. 39 1008.366, F.S.; creating the New Worlds Tutoring 40 Program; providing the purpose of the program; 41 providing requirements for the program; requiring the 42 administrator of the program to provide a report to 43 specified entities by a specified date annually; 44 amending ss. 1003.01 and 1003.499, F.S.; conforming 45 cross-references; providing an effective date. 46 47 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 48 49 Section 1.Present subsections (4) and (5) of section 50 1002.321, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (5) 51 and (6), respectively, a new subsection (4) is added to that 52 section, and subsection (3) of that section is amended, to read: 53 1002.321Digital learning. 54 (3)CUSTOMIZED AND ACCELERATED LEARNING.The Legislature 55 finds that artificial intelligence provides opportunities to 56 customize and accelerate learning for students and reduce 57 teacher workload. A school district may receive grant funds for 58 subscription fees and professional learning to support and 59 accelerate learning for students in grades 6 through 12 during 60 the school day. Grant recipients must select an artificial 61 intelligence platform that: 62 (a)Uses large language models based on GPT-4, its 63 equivalent, or a successor, and is on a closed system. 64 (b)Provides professional learning to teachers. 65 (c)Provides one-on-one tutoring aligned to the Benchmarks 66 for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards for reading 67 and mathematics. 68 (d)Provides standards-aligned lesson plans and provides 69 insights on student progress. 70 (e)Provides district and school-level reporting and 71 parental access to artificial intelligence interactions. 72 (4)VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION.A school district must establish 73 multiple opportunities for student participation in part-time 74 and full-time kindergarten through grade 12 virtual instruction. 75 Options include, but are not limited to: 76 (a)School district operated part-time or full-time virtual 77 instruction programs under s. 1002.45(1)(b) for kindergarten 78 through grade 12 students enrolled in the school district. A 79 full-time program shall operate under its own Master School 80 Identification Number. 81 (b)Florida Virtual School instructional services 82 authorized under s. 1002.37. 83 (c)Blended learning instruction provided by charter 84 schools authorized under s. 1002.33. 85 (d)Virtual charter school instruction authorized under s. 86 1002.33. 87 (e)Courses delivered in the traditional school setting by 88 personnel providing direct instruction through virtual 89 instruction or through blended learning courses consisting of 90 both traditional classroom and online instructional techniques 91 pursuant to s. 1003.498. 92 (f)Virtual courses offered in the course code directory to 93 students within the school district or to students in other 94 school districts throughout the state pursuant to s. 1003.498. 95 Section 2.Subsection (2), paragraph (a) of subsection (3), 96 subsections (4) and (6), and paragraphs (c) and (e) through (h) 97 of subsection (7) of section 1002.411, Florida Statutes, are 98 amended to read: 99 1002.411New Worlds Scholarship accounts. 100 (2)ELIGIBILITY.Contingent upon available funds, and on a 101 first-come, first-served basis, each student who is enrolled in 102 the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program pursuant to s. 103 1002.53 or a Florida public school in kindergarten through grade 104 5 is eligible for a scholarship account if the student: 105 (a)Exhibits a substantial deficiency in early literacy 106 skills based upon the results of the most recent progress 107 monitoring administered pursuant to s. 1008.25(9), has a 108 substantial reading deficiency or exhibits characteristics of 109 dyslexia as identified under s. 1008.25(5)(a), or scored below a 110 Level 3 on the most recent statewide, standardized English 111 Language Arts (ELA) assessment in the prior school year. An 112 eligible student who is classified as an English Language 113 Learner and is enrolled in a program or receiving services that 114 are specifically designed to meet the instructional needs of 115 English Language Learner students shall receive priority. 116 (b)Exhibits a substantial deficiency in early mathematics 117 skills based upon the results of the most recent progress 118 monitoring administered pursuant to s. 1008.25(9), has a 119 substantial deficiency in mathematics or the characteristics of 120 dyscalculia as identified under s. 1008.25(6)(a), or scored 121 below a Level 3 on the most recent statewide, standardized 122 Mathematics assessment in the prior school year. 123 (3)PARENT AND STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES FOR PARTICIPATION. 124 (a)For an eligible student to receive a scholarship 125 account, the students parent must: 126 1.Submit an application to an eligible nonprofit 127 scholarship-funding organization by the deadline established by 128 such organization; and 129 2.If available, use the administrators system to make 130 direct purchases Submit eligible expenses to the eligible 131 nonprofit scholarship-funding organization for reimbursement of 132 qualifying expenditures, which may include: 133 a.Instructional materials. 134 b.Curriculum. As used in this sub-subparagraph, the term 135 curriculum means a complete course of study for a particular 136 content area or grade level, including any required supplemental 137 materials and associated online instruction. 138 c.Tuition and fees for part-time tutoring services 139 provided by a person who holds a valid Florida educators 140 certificate pursuant to s. 1012.56, a person who holds a 141 baccalaureate or graduate degree in the subject area, a person 142 who holds an adjunct teaching certificate pursuant to s. 143 1012.57, or a person who has demonstrated a mastery of subject 144 area knowledge pursuant to s. 1012.56(5), a person who holds a 145 micro-credential under s. 1003.485, or, for a prekindergarten 146 student, a person who holds a credential under s. 147 1002.55(3)(c)1. or an educational credential under s. 148 1002.55(4)(a) or (b). 149 d.Fees for summer education programs designed to improve 150 reading, literacy, or mathematics skills. 151 e.Fees for after-school education programs designed to 152 improve reading, literacy, or mathematics skills. 153 154 A provider of any services receiving payments pursuant to this 155 subparagraph may not share any moneys from the scholarship with, 156 or provide a refund or rebate of any moneys from such 157 scholarship to, the parent or participating student in any 158 manner. A parent, student, or provider of any services may not 159 bill an insurance company, Medicaid, or any other agency for the 160 same services that are paid for using scholarship funds. 161 (4)ADMINISTRATOR ADMINISTRATION.An eligible nonprofit 162 scholarship-funding organization as defined in s. 1002.395(2) 163 shall be the administrator and participating in the Florida Tax 164 Credit Scholarship Program established by s. 1002.395 may 165 establish scholarship accounts for eligible students in 166 accordance with the requirements of eligible nonprofit 167 scholarship-funding organizations under this chapter. 168 (6)SCHOOL DISTRICT AND PRIVATE PREKINDERGARTEN PROVIDER 169 OBLIGATIONS; PARENTAL OPTIONS. 170 (a)Each By September 30, the school district and private 171 prekindergarten provider shall notify the parent of each 172 eligible student of the process to request and receive a 173 scholarship, subject to available funds, when providing results 174 from the standardized coordinated screening and progress 175 monitoring pursuant to s. 1008.25(9)(c). 176 (b)A school district may not prohibit instructional 177 personnel from providing services pursuant to this section on 178 the instructional personnels school campus outside regular work 179 hours, subject to school district policies for safety and 180 security operations to protect students, instructional 181 personnel, and educational facilities. 182 (7)ACCOUNT FUNDING AND PAYMENT. 183 (c)Upon notification from the eligible nonprofit 184 scholarship-funding organization that a student being has been 185 determined eligible for a scholarship, the department shall, 186 within 45 days, release the students scholarship funds to such 187 organization to be deposited into the students account. 188 (e)The eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization 189 may develop a system that permits eligible students to use 190 program funds to make direct purchases of qualifying 191 expenditures for payment of scholarship funds by funds transfer, 192 including, but not limited to, debit cards, electronic payment 193 cards, or any other means of payment that the department deems 194 to be commercially viable or cost-effective. A students 195 scholarship award may not be reduced for debit card or 196 electronic payment fees. Commodities or services related to the 197 development of such a system shall be procured by competitive 198 solicitation unless they are purchased from a state term 199 contract pursuant to s. 287.056. 200 (f)Payment of the scholarship shall be made by the 201 eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization no less 202 frequently than on a quarterly basis. 203 (g)Moneys received pursuant to this section do not 204 constitute taxable income to the qualified student or his or her 205 parent. 206 (g)(h)A students scholarship account must be closed and 207 any remaining funds shall revert to the state after: 208 1.Denial or revocation of scholarship eligibility by the 209 commissioner for fraud or abuse, including, but not limited to, 210 the student or students parent accepting any payment, refund, 211 or rebate, in any manner, from a provider of any services 212 received pursuant to subsection (3); or 213 2.Three consecutive fiscal years in which an account has 214 been inactive. 215 Section 3.Paragraphs (a) and (g) of subsection (1), 216 paragraph (d) of subsection (2), subsection (3), paragraphs (f), 217 (i), and (j) of subsection (4), and paragraphs (a) and (c) of 218 subsection (6) of section 1003.485, Florida Statutes, are 219 amended to read: 220 1003.485The New Worlds Reading Initiative. 221 (1)DEFINITIONS.As used in this section, the term: 222 (a)Administrator means the a state University of Florida 223 Lastinger Center for Learning registered with the department 224 under s. 1002.395(15)(i) and designated to administer the 225 initiative under paragraph (3)(a). 226 (g)Micro-credential means evidence-based professional 227 learning development activities grounded in the science of 228 reading which are competency-based, personalized, and on-demand. 229 Educators must demonstrate their competence via evidence 230 submitted and reviewed by trained evaluators. 231 (2)NEW WORLDS READING INITIATIVE; PURPOSE.The purpose of 232 the New Worlds Reading Initiative established under the 233 department is to instill a love of reading by providing high 234 quality, free books to students in prekindergarten through grade 235 5 who are reading below grade level and to improve the literacy 236 skills of students in prekindergarten through grade 12. The New 237 Worlds Reading Initiative shall consist of: 238 (d)The New Worlds micro-credential program established 239 under this section which emphasizes strong core instruction and 240 a tiered model of reading interventions for struggling readers. 241 (3)DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBILITIES.The department shall: 242 (a)Designate an administrator to implement the initiative 243 and to receive funding as provided in this section. The 244 administrator must have an academic innovation institution with 245 extensive experience in: 246 1.Conducting academic research in early literacy 247 instruction. 248 2.Implementing online delivery of early learning and 249 literacy training for educators nationally. 250 3.Developing online support materials that assist parents 251 and caregivers in developing early literacy skills. 252 4.Conducting fundraising and public awareness campaigns to 253 support the development and growth of evidence-based educational 254 initiatives that support learning at home and in schools. 255 (b)Publish information about the initiative and tax 256 credits under subsection (5) on its website, including the 257 process for a taxpayer to select the administrator as the 258 recipient of funding through a tax credit. 259 (b)(c)Beginning September 30, 2022, and Annually 260 thereafter, report on its website the number of students 261 participating in the initiative in each school district, 262 information from the annual financial report under paragraph 263 (4)(j), and the academic achievement and learning gains, as 264 applicable, of participating students based on data provided by 265 school districts as permitted under s. 1002.22. The department 266 shall establish a date by which the administrator and each 267 school district must annually provide the data necessary to 268 complete the report. 269 (c)Provide the administrator with progress monitoring data 270 for eligible prekindergarten through grade 12 students within 30 271 days after the close of each progress monitoring period. 272 (4)ADMINISTRATOR RESPONSIBILITIES.The administrator 273 shall: 274 (f)Provide professional learning development and resources 275 to teachers that correlate with the books provided through the 276 initiative. 277 (i)Administer the early literacy micro-credential program 278 established under this section, which must include components on 279 content, student learning, pedagogy, and professional learning 280 development and must build on a strong foundation of 281 scientifically researched and evidence-based reading 282 instructional and intervention programs that incorporate 283 explicit, systematic, and sequential approaches to teaching 284 phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text 285 comprehension and incorporate decodable or phonetic text 286 instructional strategies, as identified by the Just Read, 287 Florida! Office, pursuant to s. 1001.215(7). 288 1.At a minimum, the micro-credential curriculum must be 289 designed specifically for instructional personnel in 290 prekindergarten through grade 3 based upon the strategies and 291 techniques identified in s. 1002.59 and address foundational 292 literacy skills of students in grades 4 through 12. 293 2.The micro-credential must be competency based and 294 designed for eligible instructional personnel to complete the 295 credentialing process in no more than 60 hours, in an online 296 format. The micro-credential may be delivered in an in-person 297 format. Eligible instructional personnel may receive the micro 298 credential once competency is demonstrated even if it is before 299 prior to the completion of 60 hours. 300 3.The micro-credential must be available by December 31, 301 2022, at no cost, to instructional personnel as defined in s. 302 1012.01(2); prekindergarten instructors as specified in ss. 303 1002.55, 1002.61, and 1002.63; and child care personnel as 304 defined in ss. 402.302(3) and 1002.88(1)(e). 305 (j)Annually submit to the department an annual financial 306 report that includes, at a minimum, the amount of eligible 307 contributions received by the administrator; the amount spent on 308 each activity required by this subsection, including 309 administrative expenses; the number of micro-credentials and 310 reading endorsements earned; and the number of students and 311 households served under each component of the initiative, by 312 school district, including the means by which additional 313 literacy support was provided to students. 314 (6)ELIGIBILITY; NOTIFICATION; SCHOOL DISTRICT 315 OBLIGATIONS. 316 (a)A student in prekindergarten through grade 5 must be 317 provided books through the initiative if the student is not yet 318 reading on grade level, has a substantial reading deficiency 319 identified under s. 1008.25(5)(a) or (b), has a substantial 320 deficiency in early literacy skills based upon the results of 321 the coordinated screening and progress monitoring under s. 322 1008.25(9), or scored below a Level 3 on the most recent 323 preceding years statewide, standardized English Language Arts 324 assessment under s. 1008.22. 325 (c)Once an eligible student is identified, the school 326 district shall coordinate with the administrator to initiate 327 book delivery on a monthly basis during the school year, which 328 must begin no later than October and continue through at least 329 June. However, for the 2021-2022 school year only, delivery may 330 begin no later than December 31, 2021, provided that no fewer 331 than 9 books are delivered to each student before book 332 deliveries begin for the 2022-2023 school year. 333 Section 4.Section 1004.561, Florida Statutes, is created 334 to read: 335 1004.561University of Florida Lastinger Center for 336 Learning.There is created at the University of Florida the 337 Lastinger Center for Learning. The center shall: 338 (1)Develop and administer programs to improve student 339 achievement outcomes in early learning, literacy, and 340 mathematics. 341 (2)Provide professional learning for educators to improve 342 the quality of instruction in early learning, literacy, and 343 mathematics. Professional learning includes the development of 344 micro-credentials pursuant to s. 1003.485 and may include the 345 development of other micro-credentials that require educators to 346 demonstrate competency. Micro-credentials must be provided at 347 low or no cost and be personalized, and may be provided online 348 or in person. 349 (3)Provide technical assistance and support to school 350 districts and schools and early learning coalitions in improving 351 student achievement. 352 (4)Conduct and publish research on teaching and learning 353 in early learning, literacy, and mathematics, as well as 354 professional learning for educators. 355 (5)Administer the New Worlds Tutoring Program that 356 supports school districts and schools in improving student 357 achievement in reading and mathematics pursuant to s. 1008.366. 358 Section 5.Paragraph (d) of subsection (5), paragraph (c) 359 of subsection (6), and paragraph (c) of subsection (9) of 360 section 1008.25, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 361 1008.25Public school student progression; student support; 362 coordinated screening and progress monitoring; reporting 363 requirements. 364 (5)READING DEFICIENCY AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION. 365 (d)The parent of any student who exhibits a substantial 366 deficiency in reading, as described in paragraph (a), must be 367 notified in writing of the following: 368 1.That his or her child has been identified as having a 369 substantial deficiency in reading, including a description and 370 explanation, in terms understandable to the parent, of the exact 371 nature of the students difficulty in learning and lack of 372 achievement in reading. 373 2.A description of the current services that are provided 374 to the child. 375 3.A description of the proposed intensive interventions 376 and supports that will be provided to the child that are 377 designed to remediate the identified area of reading deficiency. 378 4.That if the childs reading deficiency is not remediated 379 by the end of grade 3, the child must be retained unless he or 380 she is exempt from mandatory retention for good cause. 381 5.Strategies, including multisensory strategies and 382 programming, through a read-at-home plan the parent can use in 383 helping his or her child succeed in reading. The read-at-home 384 plan must provide access to the resources identified in 385 paragraph (e) (f). 386 6.That the statewide, standardized English Language Arts 387 assessment is not the sole determiner of promotion and that 388 additional evaluations, portfolio reviews, and assessments are 389 available to the child to assist parents and the school district 390 in knowing when a child is reading at or above grade level and 391 ready for grade promotion. 392 7.The districts specific criteria and policies for a 393 portfolio as provided in subparagraph (7)(b)4. and the evidence 394 required for a student to demonstrate mastery of Floridas 395 academic standards for English Language Arts. A school must 396 immediately begin collecting evidence for a portfolio when a 397 student in grade 3 is identified as being at risk of retention 398 or upon the request of the parent, whichever occurs first. 399 8.The districts specific criteria and policies for 400 midyear promotion. Midyear promotion means promotion of a 401 retained student at any time during the year of retention once 402 the student has demonstrated ability to read at grade level. 403 9.Information about the students eligibility for the New 404 Worlds Reading Initiative under s. 1003.485 and the New Worlds 405 Scholarship Accounts under s. 1002.411 and information on parent 406 training modules and other reading engagement resources 407 available through the initiative. 408 409 After initial notification, the school shall apprise the parent 410 at least monthly of the students progress in response to the 411 intensive interventions and supports. Such communications must 412 be in writing and must explain any additional interventions or 413 supports that will be implemented to accelerate the students 414 progress if the interventions and supports already being 415 implemented have not resulted in improvement. 416 (6)MATHEMATICS DEFICIENCY AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION. 417 (c)The parent of a student who exhibits a substantial 418 deficiency in mathematics, as described in paragraph (a), must 419 be notified in writing of the following: 420 1.That his or her child has been identified as having a 421 substantial deficiency in mathematics, including a description 422 and explanation, in terms understandable to the parent, of the 423 exact nature of the students difficulty in learning and lack of 424 achievement in mathematics. 425 2.A description of the current services that are provided 426 to the child. 427 3.A description of the proposed intensive interventions 428 and supports that will be provided to the child that are 429 designed to remediate the identified area of mathematics 430 deficiency. 431 4.Strategies, including multisensory strategies and 432 programming, through a home-based plan the parent can use in 433 helping his or her child succeed in mathematics. The home-based 434 plan must provide access to the resources identified in 435 paragraph (d) (e). 436 437 After the initial notification, the school shall apprise the 438 parent at least monthly of the students progress in response to 439 the intensive interventions and supports. Such communications 440 must be in writing and must explain any additional interventions 441 or supports that will be implemented to accelerate the students 442 progress if the interventions and supports already being 443 implemented have not resulted in improvement. 444 (9)COORDINATED SCREENING AND PROGRESS MONITORING SYSTEM. 445 (c)To facilitate timely interventions and supports 446 pursuant to subsection (4), the system must provide results from 447 the first two administrations of the progress monitoring to a 448 students teacher or prekindergarten instructor within 1 week 449 and to the students parent within 2 weeks after of the 450 administration of the progress monitoring. Delivery of results 451 from the comprehensive, end-of-year progress monitoring ELA 452 assessment for grades 3 through 10 and Mathematics assessment 453 for grades 3 through 8 must be in accordance with s. 454 1008.22(7)(h). 455 1.A students results from the coordinated screening and 456 progress monitoring system must be recorded in a written, easy 457 to-comprehend individual student report. Each school district 458 shall provide a parent secure access to his or her childs 459 individual student reports through a web-based portal as part of 460 its student information system. Each early learning coalition 461 shall provide parents the individual student report in a format 462 determined by state board rule. 463 2.In addition to the information under subparagraph (a)5., 464 the report must also include parent resources that explain the 465 purpose of progress monitoring, assist the parent in 466 interpreting progress monitoring results, and support informed 467 parent involvement. Parent resources may include personalized 468 video formats. 469 3.The department shall annually update school districts 470 and early learning coalitions on new system features and 471 functionality and collaboratively identify with school districts 472 and early learning coalitions strategies for meaningfully 473 reporting to parents results from the coordinated screening and 474 progress monitoring system. The department shall develop ways to 475 increase the utilization, by instructional staff and parents, of 476 student assessment data and resources. 477 4.An individual student report must be provided in a 478 printed format upon a parents request. 479 Section 6.Section 1008.366, Florida Statutes, is created 480 to read: 481 1008.366The New Worlds Tutoring Program. 482 (1)The New Worlds Tutoring Program is created to support 483 school districts and schools in improving student achievement in 484 reading and mathematics by: 485 (a)Providing best practice science of reading guidelines 486 for districts in consultation with the Just Read, Florida! 487 Office. 488 (b)Providing best practice guidelines for mathematics 489 tutoring in alignment with Floridas Benchmarks for Excellent 490 Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards for mathematics. 491 (c)Establishing minimum standards that each school 492 district must meet to participate in the program. The minimum 493 standards must address: 494 1.Appropriate group sizes for tutoring sessions. 495 2.The frequency and duration of tutoring sessions. 496 3.Minimum staffing qualifications for tutors. 497 4.The use of ongoing, informal and formal assessments to 498 target instructional interventions. 499 5.Prioritization strategies for tutoring students. 500 (d)Providing access during the school day to additional 501 literacy or mathematics support through evidence-based automated 502 literacy tutoring software that provides each student with real 503 time interventions that are based in science of reading 504 principles or mathematics instructional best practices and 505 individually tailored to the needs and ability of each student. 506 Access must be provided to students in kindergarten through 507 grade 5 enrolled in a public school who have a substantial 508 deficiency in reading or mathematics in accordance with s. 509 1008.25. The term evidence-based has the same meaning as in s. 510 1003.4201(6). 511 (e)Awarding grants to school districts which may be used 512 for stipends for in-person tutoring during the school day, 513 before and after school, or during a summer program. In-person 514 tutoring may be provided to, at a minimum, kindergarten through 515 grade 5 students enrolled in a public school who have a 516 substantial deficiency in reading or mathematics in accordance 517 with s. 1008.25. To identify eligible students, the department 518 shall provide the administrator with mathematics and reading 519 progress monitoring data for eligible kindergarten through grade 520 12 students within 30 days after the close of each progress 521 monitoring period. 522 (f)Providing technical assistance and professional 523 learning to school districts, including: 524 1.Advising district staff on tutoring program design and 525 intervention selection upon request. 526 2.Assisting districts in reviewing tutoring programs, 527 professional learning programs, curriculum, and resources to 528 ensure that they adhere to the science of reading or best 529 practices in mathematics. 530 3.Providing professional learning to district staff to 531 build their knowledge and skills around the science of reading 532 or best practices in mathematics. 533 (2)Annually, by July 1, the administrator of the New 534 Worlds Tutoring Program shall provide to the President of the 535 Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the 536 Commissioner of Education a report summarizing school district 537 use of program funds and student academic outcomes as a result 538 of the additional literacy or mathematics support provided under 539 this section. 540 Section 7.Subsection (5) of section 1003.01, Florida 541 Statutes, is amended to read: 542 1003.01Definitions.As used in this chapter, the term: 543 (5)Core-curricula courses means: 544 (a)Courses in language arts/reading, mathematics, social 545 studies, and science in prekindergarten through grade 3, 546 excluding extracurricular courses pursuant to subsection (11); 547 (b)Courses in grades 4 through 8 in subjects that are 548 measured by state assessment at any grade level and courses 549 required for middle school promotion, excluding extracurricular 550 courses pursuant to subsection (11); 551 (c)Courses in grades 9 through 12 in subjects that are 552 measured by state assessment at any grade level and courses that 553 are specifically identified by name in statute as required for 554 high school graduation and that are not measured by state 555 assessment, excluding extracurricular courses pursuant to 556 subsection (11); 557 (d)Exceptional student education courses; and 558 (e)English for Speakers of Other Languages courses. 559 560 The term is limited in meaning and used for the sole purpose of 561 designating classes that are subject to the maximum class size 562 requirements established in s. 1, Art. IX of the State 563 Constitution. This term does not include courses offered under 564 ss. 1002.321(4)(e) 1002.321(3)(e), 1002.33(7)(a)2.c., 1002.37, 565 1002.45, and 1003.499. 566 Section 8.Subsection (2) of section 1003.499, Florida 567 Statutes, is amended to read: 568 1003.499Florida Approved Courses and Tests (FACT) 569 Initiative. 570 (2)FLORIDA APPROVED COURSES.The Department of Education 571 shall annually publish online a list of providers approved to 572 offer Florida approved courses which shall be listed in the 573 online catalog pursuant to s. 1002.321(6) s. 1002.321(5). 574 (a)As used in this section, the term Florida approved 575 courses means online courses provided by individuals which 576 include, but are not limited to, massive open online courses or 577 remedial education associated with the courses that are measured 578 pursuant to s. 1008.22. Massive open online courses may be 579 authorized in the following subject areas: Algebra I, biology, 580 geometry, and civics. Courses may be applied toward requirements 581 for promotion or graduation in whole, in subparts, or in a 582 combination of whole and subparts. A student may not be required 583 to repeat subparts that are satisfactorily completed. 584 (b)A Florida approved course must be annually identified, 585 approved, published, and shared for consideration by interested 586 students and school districts. The Commissioner of Education 587 shall approve each Florida approved course for application in K 588 12 public schools in accordance with rules of the State Board of 589 Education. 590 Section 9.This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.