FL
Florida House Bill H1079

Florida 2025 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1079 Compare Versions

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1010 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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1414 A bill to be entitled 1
1515 An act relating to students enrolled in dropout 2
1616 retrieval programs; amending s. 1002.45, F.S.; 3
17-revising assessment and accountability requirements 4
18-for a virtual instruction program provider; providing 5
19-that a virtual instruction program provider operating 6
20-exclusively as a dropout retrieval program is exempt 7
21-from specified requirements; amending s. 1003.53, 8
22-F.S.; providing that dropout retrieval programs serve 9
23-specified students; providing that specified 10
24-accountability requirements apply to dropout retrieval 11
25-programs; providing an effective date. 12
26- 13
27-Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 14
28- 15
29- Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (7) of section 16
30-1002.45, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 17
31- 1002.45 Virtual instruction programs. — 18
32- (7) ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY. — 19
33- (a) Each approved virtual instruction program provider 20
34-contracted pursuant to this section must: 21
35- 1. Participate in the statew ide assessment program under 22
36-s. 1008.22 and in the state's education performance 23
37-accountability system under s. 1008.31. 24
38- 2. Receive a school grade under s. 1008.34 or a school 25
17+defining the term "dropout retrieval program"; 4
18+authorizing virtual instruction program providers who 5
19+exclusively provide services through a dropout 6
20+retrieval program to receive a school improvement 7
21+rating; requiring all other virtual instruction 8
22+program providers to receive a school grade; amending 9
23+s. 1008.34, F.S.; revi sing the criteria used to 10
24+determine if certain students are not included in the 11
25+calculation of an alternative school's school grade; 12
26+providing an effective date. 13
27+ 14
28+Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 15
29+ 16
30+ Section 1. Paragraph (a) o f subsection (1) and paragraph 17
31+(a) of subsection (7) of section 1002.45, Florida Statutes, are 18
32+amended to read: 19
33+ 1002.45 Virtual instruction programs. — 20
34+ (1) PROGRAM.— 21
35+ (a) For purposes of this section, the term: 22
36+ 1. "Approved virtual instruction progra m provider" means a 23
37+provider that is approved by the State Board of Education under 24
38+subsection (2), the Florida Virtual School, a franchise of the 25
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4747 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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51-improvement rating under s. 1008.341, as applicable , for each 26
52-district with which it contracts, based on the assessment scores 27
53-of all students served within the school district . The school 28
54-improvement rating received by each approved virtual instruction 29
55-program provider shall be based upon the aggregated assessment 30
56-scores of all students served by the provider statewide. Each 31
57-approved virtual instruction program provider shall receive a 32
58-district grade pursuant to s. 1008.34 based upon the aggregated 33
59-assessment scores of all students served by the provider 34
60-statewide and a separate sch ool grade or school improvement 35
61-rating for each school district with which it contracts based 36
62-upon the assessment scores of all students served within the 37
63-school district. A virtual instruction program provider 38
64-operating exclusively as a dropout retrieval program described 39
65-in s. 1003.53(7) is exempt from the district grade requirement 40
66-of this paragraph. The department shall publish the school grade 41
67-or school improvement rating received by each approved virtual 42
68-instruction program provider on its Internet we bsite. The 43
69-department shall develop an evaluation method for providers of 44
70-part-time programs which includes the percentage of students 45
71-making learning gains, the percentage of students successfully 46
72-passing any required end -of-course assessment, the percent age of 47
73-students taking Advanced Placement examinations, and the 48
74-percentage of students scoring 3 or higher on an Advanced 49
75-Placement examination. 50
51+Florida Virtual School, or a Florida College System institution. 26
52+ 2. "Department" means the Department of Ed ucation. 27
53+ 3. "Dropout retrieval program" means a program serving 28
54+students who have officially withdrawn from high school before 29
55+graduation and who are not engaged in the education system at 30
56+the time of enrollment. 31
57+ 4.3. "Virtual instruction program" mean s a program of 32
58+instruction provided in an interactive learning environment 33
59+created through technology in which students are separated from 34
60+their teachers by time or space, or both. 35
61+ (7) ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY. — 36
62+ (a) Each approved virtual instructi on program provider 37
63+contracted pursuant to this section must: 38
64+ 1. Participate in the statewide assessment program under 39
65+s. 1008.22 and in the state's education performance 40
66+accountability system under s. 1008.31. 41
67+ 2. Receive a school grade under s. 1008.3 4 or a school 42
68+improvement rating under s. 1008.341, as applicable. A virtual 43
69+instruction program provider that exclusively provides services 44
70+as a dropout retrieval program may choose to receive a school 45
71+improvement rating. The school improvement rating rec eived by an 46
72+each approved virtual instruction program provider shall be 47
73+based upon the aggregated assessment scores of all students 48
74+served by the provider statewide. All other Each approved 49
75+virtual instruction program providers provider shall receive a 50
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8484 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- Section 2. Subsection (7) of section 1003.53, Florida 51
89-Statutes, is renumbered as subsection (8), and a new subsection 52
90-(7) is added to that section, to read: 53
91- 1003.53 Dropout prevention and academic intervention. — 54
92- (7) Dropout retrieval programs serve students who have 55
93-officially withdrawn from high school before graduation and who 56
94-are not engaged in the educa tion system at the time of 57
95-enrollment in the program. Each dropout retrieval program shall 58
96-choose to receive a school grade under s. 1008.34 or a school 59
97-improvement rating under s. 1008.341. 60
98- Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 61
88+district grade pursuant to s. 1008.34 based upon the aggregated 51
89+assessment scores of all students served by the provider 52
90+statewide and a separate school grade for each school district 53
91+with which it contracts based upon the assessment scores of all 54
92+students served within the school district. The department shall 55
93+publish the school grade or school improvement rating received 56
94+by each approved virtual instruction program provider on its 57
95+Internet website. The department shall develop an evaluation 58
96+method for providers of part-time programs which includes the 59
97+percentage of students making learning gains, the percentage of 60
98+students successfully passing any required end -of-course 61
99+assessment, the percentage of students taking Advanced Placement 62
100+examinations, and the per centage of students scoring 3 or higher 63
101+on an Advanced Placement examination. 64
102+ Section 2. Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of section 65
103+1008.34, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 66
104+ 1008.34 School grading system; school report cards; 67
105+district grade.— 68
106+ (3) DESIGNATION OF SCHOOL GRADES. — 69
107+ (d) The data of students attending alternative schools, 70
108+students designated as hospital or homebound, and students who 71
109+transfer to a private school shall be factored into a school 72
110+grade as follows: 73
111+ 1.a. The student performance data for eligible students 74
112+attending alternative schools that provide dropout prevention 75
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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+and academic intervention services pursuant to s. 1003.53 shall 76
126+be included in the calculation of the home school's grade. The 77
127+term "eligible students" in t his subparagraph does not include 78
128+students: 79
129+ (I) Attending an alternative school who are subject to 80
130+district school board policies for expulsion for repeated or 81
131+serious offenses. 82
132+ (II), Who are in dropout retrieval programs serving 83
133+students who have offi cially withdrawn from high school before 84
134+graduation and who are not engaged in the education system at 85
135+the time of enrollment. been designated as dropouts, or 86
136+ (III) Who are in programs operated or contracted by the 87
137+Department of Juvenile Justice. 88
138+ b. As used in this subparagraph, the term "home school" 89
139+means the school to which the student would be assigned if the 90
140+student were not assigned to an alternative school. If an 91
141+alternative school chooses to be graded under this section, 92
142+student performance dat a for eligible students identified in 93
143+this subparagraph shall not be included in the home school's 94
144+grade but shall be included only in the calculation of the 95
145+alternative school's grade. A school district that fails to 96
146+assign statewide, standardized end -of-course assessment scores 97
147+of each of its students to his or her home school or to the 98
148+alternative school that receives a grade shall forfeit Florida 99
149+School Recognition Program funds for one fiscal year. School 100
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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+districts must require collaboration between th e home school and 101
163+the alternative school in order to promote student success. This 102
164+collaboration must include an annual discussion between the 103
165+principal of the alternative school and the principal of each 104
166+student's home school concerning the most appropria te school 105
167+assignment of the student. 106
168+ 2. Student performance data for students designated as 107
169+hospital or homebound shall be assigned to their home school for 108
170+the purposes of school grades. As used in this subparagraph, the 109
171+term "home school" means the sch ool to which a student would be 110
172+assigned if the student were not assigned to a hospital or 111
173+homebound program. 112
174+ 3. A high school must include a student in its graduation 113
175+rate if the student transfers from the high school to a private 114
176+school with which the school district has a contractual 115
177+relationship. 116
178+ Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 117