Florida 2025 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H0159 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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10	10	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
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14	14	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15	An act relating to statewide, standardized 2
16	16	assessments; amending ss. 1008.22 and 1008.25, F.S.; 3
17	17	requiring the Department of Education to develop 4
18	18	versions of statewide, standardized assessments and 5
19	19	specified portions of the statewide, standardized 6
20	20	coordinated screening and progress monitoring system 7
21	21	in certain languages by a specified date; requiring 8
22	22	the department to establish criteria for the use of 9
23	23	such assessments and portions of the system; 10
24	24	authorizing parents to prohibit the use of such 11
25	25	assessments and portions of the systems in certain 12
26	26	languages; requiring the department to develop a 13
27	27	timetable and action plan for the development and 14
28	28	implementation of such assessments and written 15
29	29	portions of the system; providing an effective date. 16
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31	31	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 18
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33	33	Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of section 20
34	34	1008.22, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 21
35	35	1008.22 Student assessment program for public schools. — 22
36	36	(3) STATEWIDE, STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT PROGRAM. —The 23
37	37	Commissioner of Education shall design and implement a 24
38	38	statewide, standardized assessment program aligned to the core 25
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47	47	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
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49	49
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51	51	curricular content established in t he state academic standards. 26
52	52	The commissioner also must develop or select and implement a 27
53	53	common battery of assessment tools that will be used in all 28
54	54	juvenile justice education programs in the state. These tools 29
55	55	must accurately measure the core curricular content established 30
56	56	in the state academic standards. Participation in the assessment 31
57	57	program is mandatory for all school districts and all students 32
58	58	attending public schools, including adult students seeking a 33
59	59	standard high school diploma under s. 1003.4282 and students in 34
60	60	Department of Juvenile Justice education programs, except as 35
61	61	otherwise provided by law. If a student does not participate in 36
62	62	the assessment program, the school district must notify the 37
63	63	student's parent and provide the parent with informati on 38
64	64	regarding the implications of such nonparticipation. The 39
65	65	statewide, standardized assessment program shall be designed and 40
66	66	implemented as follows: 41
67	67	(d) Students with disabilities; Florida Alternate 42
68	68	Assessment; English language learners .— 43
69	69	1. Each district school board must provide instruction to 44
70	70	prepare students with disabilities in the core content knowledge 45
71	71	and skills necessary for successful grade -to-grade progression 46
72	72	and high school graduation. 47
73	73	2. A student with a disability, as defined in s. 1007 .02, 48
74	74	for whom the individual education plan (IEP) team determines 49
75	75	that the statewide, standardized assessments under this section 50
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84	84	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
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88	88	cannot accurately measure the student's abilities, taking into 51
89	89	consideration all allowable accommodations, shall have 52
90	90	assessment results waived for the purpose of receiving a course 53
91	91	grade and a standard high school diploma. Such waiver shall be 54
92	92	designated on the student's transcript. The statement of waiver 55
93	93	shall be limited to a statement that performance on an 56
94	94	assessment was waived for the purpose of receiving a course 57
95	95	grade or a standard high school diploma, as applicable. 58
96	96	3. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules, based 59
97	97	upon recommendations of the commissioner, for the provision of 60
98	98	assessment accommodations for studen ts with disabilities and for 61
99	99	students who have limited English proficiency. 62
100	100	a. Accommodations that negate the validity of a statewide, 63
101	101	standardized assessment are not allowed during the 64
102	102	administration of the assessment. However, instructional 65
103	103	accommodations are allowed in the classroom if identified in a 66
104	104	student's IEP. Students using instructional accommodations in 67
105	105	the classroom that are not allowed on a statewide, standardized 68
106	106	assessment may have assessment results waived if the IEP team 69
107	107	determines that the assessment cannot accurately measure the 70
108	108	student's abilities. 71
109	109	b. If a student is provided with instructional 72
110	110	accommodations in the classroom that are not allowed as 73
111	111	accommodations for statewide, standardized assessments, the 74
112	112	district must inform the parent in writing and provide the 75
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121	121	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
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125	125	parent with information regarding the impact on the student's 76
126	126	ability to meet expected performance levels. A parent must 77
127	127	provide signed consent for a student to receive classroom 78
128	128	instructional accommodations that would not be available or 79
129	129	permitted on a statewide, standardized assessment and 80
130	130	acknowledge in writing that he or she understands the 81
131	131	implications of such instructional accommodations. 82
132	132	c. If a student's IEP states that online administration of 83
133	133	a statewide, standardized assessment will significantly impair 84
134	134	the student's ability to perform, the assessment shall be 85
135	135	administered in hard copy. 86
136	136	d.(I) By the 2027-2028 school year, the Department of 87
137	137	Education shall develop a version of each statewide, 88
138	138	standardized assessment in the three most prevalent languages 89
139	139	represented in the English language learner population within 90
140	140	the state. The department must establish criteria for when the 91
141	141	use of such assessments in a language other than English is 92
142	142	appropriate. A parent of a student who is an English language 93
143	143	learner may prohibit his or her student from being administered 94
144	144	an assessment in a language other than English. 95
145	145	(II) The department shall develop a timetable and action 96
146	146	plan to develop and implement the assessments in t he additional 97
147	147	languages as required under sub -sub-subparagraph (I) in addition 98
148	148	to such assessments in additional languages, as feasible. 99
149	149	4. For students with significant cognitive disabilities, 100
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158	158	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
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162	162	the Department of Education shall provide for implementation of 101
163	163	the Florida Alternate Assessment to accurately measure the core 102
164	164	curricular content established in the state academic standards. 103
165	165	Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (9) of section 104
166	166	1008.25, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 105
167	167	1008.25 Public school student progression; student 106
168	168	support; coordinated screening and progress monitoring; 107
169	169	reporting requirements. — 108
170	170	(9) COORDINATED SCREENING AND PROGRESS MONITORING SYSTEM. — 109
171	171	(a) The Department of Education, in collaboration with the 110
172	172	Office of Early Learning, shall procure and require the use of a 111
173	173	statewide, standardized coordinated screening and progress 112
174	174	monitoring system for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education 113
175	175	Program and public schools. The system must: 114
176	176	1. Measure student progress in meeting the appropriate 115
177	177	expectations in early literacy and mathematics skills and in 116
178	178	English Language Arts and mathematics standards as required by 117
179	179	ss. 1002.67(1)(a) and 1003.41 and identify the educational 118
180	180	strengths and needs of students. 119
181	181	2. For students in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education 120
182	182	Program through grade 3, measure student performance in oral 121
183	183	language development, phonological and phonemic awareness, 122
184	184	knowledge of print and letters, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, 123
185	185	and comprehension, as applic able by grade level, and, at a 124
186	186	minimum, provide interval level and norm -referenced data that 125
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195	195	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
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199	199	measures equivalent levels of growth. 126
200	200	3. Be a valid, reliable, and developmentally appropriate 127
201	201	computer-based direct instrument that provides screening and 128
202	202	diagnostic capabilities for monitoring student progress; 129
203	203	identifies students who have a substantial deficiency in reading 130
204	204	or mathematics, including identifying students with 131
205	205	characteristics of dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other learning 132
206	206	disorders; and informs ins truction. Any student identified by 133
207	207	the system as having characteristics of dyslexia or dyscalculia 134
208	208	shall undergo further screening. Beginning with the 2023 -2024 135
209	209	school year, the coordinated screening and progress monitoring 136
210	210	system must be computer -adaptive. 137
211	211	4. Provide data for Voluntary Prekindergarten Education 138
212	212	Program accountability as required under s. 1002.68. 139
213	213	5. Provide Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program 140
214	214	providers, school districts, schools, teachers, and parents with 141
215	215	data and resources t hat enhance differentiated instruction and 142
216	216	parent communication. 143
217	217	6. Provide baseline data to the department of each 144
218	218	student's readiness for kindergarten. The determination of 145
219	219	kindergarten readiness must be based on the results of each 146
220	220	student's initial progress monitoring assessment in 147
221	221	kindergarten. The methodology for determining a student's 148
222	222	readiness for kindergarten must be developed by the department 149
223	223	and aligned to the methodology adopted pursuant to s. 150
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236	236	1002.68(4). 151
237	237	7. Assess how well educational goa ls and curricular 152
238	238	standards are met at the provider, school, district, and state 153
239	239	levels and provide information to the department to aid in the 154
240	240	development of educational programs, policies, and supports for 155
241	241	providers, districts, and schools. 156
242	242	8.a. For any written portions of the system and by the 157
243	243	2027-2028 school year, be available in the three most prevalent 158
244	244	languages represented in the English language learner population 159
245	245	within the state. The department must establish criteria for 160
246	246	when the use of such p ortions of the system in a language other 161
247	247	than English is appropriate. A parent of a student who is an 162
248	248	English language learner may prohibit his or her student from 163
249	249	being administered such portions of the system in a language 164
250	250	other than English. 165
251	251	b. The department shall develop a timetable and action 166
252	252	plan to develop and implement the written portions of the system 167
253	253	in such languages as required by sub -subparagraph a. in addition 168
254	254	to additional languages, as feasible. 169
255	255	Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 170