Florida Senate - 2025 SB 1402 By Senator Yarborough 4-00842C-25 20251402__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to students enrolled in dropout 3 retrieval programs; amending s. 1002.45, F.S.; 4 defining the term dropout retrieval program; 5 authorizing virtual instruction program providers who 6 exclusively provide services through a dropout 7 retrieval program to receive a school improvement 8 rating; requiring all other virtual instruction 9 program providers to receive a school grade; amending 10 s. 1008.34, F.S.; revising the criteria used to 11 determine if certain students are not included in the 12 calculation of an alternative schools school grade; 13 providing an effective date. 14 15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 16 17 Section 1.Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) and paragraph 18 (a) of subsection (7) of section 1002.45, Florida Statutes, are 19 amended to read: 20 1002.45Virtual instruction programs. 21 (1)PROGRAM. 22 (a)For purposes of this section, the term: 23 1.Approved virtual instruction program provider means a 24 provider that is approved by the State Board of Education under 25 subsection (2), the Florida Virtual School, a franchise of the 26 Florida Virtual School, or a Florida College System institution. 27 2.Department means the Department of Education. 28 3.Dropout retrieval program means a program serving 29 students who have officially withdrawn from high school before 30 graduation and who are not engaged in the education system at 31 the time of enrollment. 32 4.3.Virtual instruction program means a program of 33 instruction provided in an interactive learning environment 34 created through technology in which students are separated from 35 their teachers by time or space, or both. 36 (7)ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY. 37 (a)Each approved virtual instruction program provider 38 contracted pursuant to this section must: 39 1.Participate in the statewide assessment program under s. 40 1008.22 and in the states education performance accountability 41 system under s. 1008.31. 42 2.Receive a school grade under s. 1008.34 or a school 43 improvement rating under s. 1008.341, as applicable. A virtual 44 instruction program provider that exclusively provides services 45 as a dropout retrieval program may choose to receive a school 46 improvement rating. The school improvement rating received by an 47 each approved virtual instruction program provider shall be 48 based upon the aggregated assessment scores of all students 49 served by the provider statewide. All other Each approved 50 virtual instruction program providers provider shall receive a 51 district grade pursuant to s. 1008.34 based upon the aggregated 52 assessment scores of all students served by the provider 53 statewide and a separate school grade for each school district 54 with which it contracts based upon the assessment scores of all 55 students served within the school district. The department shall 56 publish the school grade or school improvement rating received 57 by each approved virtual instruction program provider on its 58 Internet website. The department shall develop an evaluation 59 method for providers of part-time programs which includes the 60 percentage of students making learning gains, the percentage of 61 students successfully passing any required end-of-course 62 assessment, the percentage of students taking Advanced Placement 63 examinations, and the percentage of students scoring 3 or higher 64 on an Advanced Placement examination. 65 Section 2.Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of section 66 1008.34, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 67 1008.34School grading system; school report cards; 68 district grade. 69 (3)DESIGNATION OF SCHOOL GRADES. 70 (d)The data of students attending alternative schools, 71 students designated as hospital or homebound, and students who 72 transfer to a private school shall be factored into a school 73 grade as follows: 74 1.a.The student performance data for eligible students 75 attending alternative schools that provide dropout prevention 76 and academic intervention services pursuant to s. 1003.53 shall 77 be included in the calculation of the home schools grade. The 78 term eligible students in this subparagraph does not include 79 students: 80 (I)Attending an alternative school who are subject to 81 district school board policies for expulsion for repeated or 82 serious offenses. 83 (II),Who are in dropout retrieval programs serving 84 students who have officially withdrawn from high school before 85 graduation and who are not engaged in the education system at 86 the time of enrollment. been designated as dropouts, or 87 (III)Who are in programs operated or contracted by the 88 Department of Juvenile Justice. 89 b.As used in this subparagraph, the term home school 90 means the school to which the student would be assigned if the 91 student were not assigned to an alternative school. If an 92 alternative school chooses to be graded under this section, 93 student performance data for eligible students identified in 94 this subparagraph shall not be included in the home schools 95 grade but shall be included only in the calculation of the 96 alternative schools grade. A school district that fails to 97 assign statewide, standardized end-of-course assessment scores 98 of each of its students to his or her home school or to the 99 alternative school that receives a grade shall forfeit Florida 100 School Recognition Program funds for one fiscal year. School 101 districts must require collaboration between the home school and 102 the alternative school in order to promote student success. This 103 collaboration must include an annual discussion between the 104 principal of the alternative school and the principal of each 105 students home school concerning the most appropriate school 106 assignment of the student. 107 2.Student performance data for students designated as 108 hospital or homebound shall be assigned to their home school for 109 the purposes of school grades. As used in this subparagraph, the 110 term home school means the school to which a student would be 111 assigned if the student were not assigned to a hospital or 112 homebound program. 113 3.A high school must include a student in its graduation 114 rate if the student transfers from the high school to a private 115 school with which the school district has a contractual 116 relationship. 117 Section 3.This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.