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Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 1590 By the Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education; and Senator Burgess 602-03439-25 20251590c1 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to educator preparation; providing 3 legislative intent; requiring the Department of 4 Education to establish a workgroup to update and 5 revise the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices; 6 requiring the department to submit workgroup findings 7 to the Governor and the Legislature by a certain date; 8 requiring the State Board of Education to consider 9 certain revisions and a specified rule by a certain 10 date; requiring the department to develop a teacher 11 examination; requiring the department to submit to the 12 Governor and the Legislature an implementation plan 13 for teacher preparation programs; creating s. 14 1012.551, F.S.; establishing guidelines for teacher 15 preparation program uniform core curricula; creating 16 s. 1012.552, F.S.; requiring the department to create 17 a specified alternative certification pathway for 18 teachers; amending s. 1012.98, F.S.; updating a 19 reference to educational leadership standards; 20 requiring training on instructional materials; 21 requiring the department to develop criteria for 22 certain mentors training; providing an effective 23 date. 24 25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 26 27 Section 1.(1)It is the intent of the Legislature to 28 ensure all students have access to a well-qualified and prepared 29 teacher at all grade levels. In order to prepare all teachers 30 for success in the classroom, the Legislature intends to revise 31 educator preparation programs, educator certification, and 32 professional learning to modernize teacher training and properly 33 prepare educators to meet the challenges of educating students 34 in the 21st century. 35 (2)No later than September 1, 2025, the Department of 36 Education shall establish a workgroup to update and revise the 37 Florida Educator Accomplished Practices. The workgroup must 38 include, at a minimum, representatives from state-approved 39 initial teacher preparation programs under s. 1004.04, Florida 40 Statutes, educator preparation institutes under s. 1004.85, 41 Florida Statutes, school district personnel, classroom teachers, 42 and other education stakeholders. 43 (a)The department shall submit the workgroups findings 44 and recommendations, including the final version of the revised 45 practices, to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the 46 Speaker of the House of Representatives by July 1, 2026. 47 (b)The revised Florida Educator Accomplished Practices and 48 rule to implement the uniform core curricula pursuant to s. 49 1012.551, Florida Statutes, must be considered by the State 50 Board of Education by August 1, 2026. 51 (3)No later than July 1, 2027, the Department of Education 52 shall begin development of the Florida Teacher Excellence 53 Examination, which must align with the revised Florida Educator 54 Accomplished Practices and serve as a measure of educator 55 readiness for professional certification. 56 (4)Upon approval of the Florida Educator Accomplished 57 Practices and rule implementing the uniform core-curricula, the 58 Department of Education shall submit a report to the Governor, 59 the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of 60 Representatives which includes an implementation plan and 61 schedule for aligning initial teacher preparation programs under 62 s. 1004.04, Florida Statutes, educator preparation institutes 63 under s. 1004.85, Florida Statutes, teacher preparation core 64 courses, and Coaching for Educator Readiness and Teaching (CERT) 65 programs under s. 1012.552, Florida Statutes, to the revised 66 Florida Educator Accomplished Practices and the Florida Teacher 67 Excellence Examination. The report must include any recommended 68 changes to existing statutes necessary to implement such 69 alignment. 70 Section 2.Section 1012.551, Florida Statutes, is created 71 to read: 72 1012.551Teacher preparation core principles, standards, 73 and content. 74 (1)Beginning August 1, 2027, each teacher preparation 75 program approved pursuant to ss. 1004.04, 1004.85, and 1012.552 76 must provide uniform core curricula courses aligned with the 77 Florida Educator Accomplished Practices that establish the 78 foundational standards and expectations for evidence-based 79 instruction and professional responsibility. The State Board of 80 Education shall establish in rule the uniform core curricula. 81 (2)The uniform core curricula for each state-approved 82 teacher preparation program must meet, at a minimum, the 83 following standards: 84 (a)May not distort significant historical events or 85 include curriculum or instruction that teaches identity 86 politics, violates s. 1000.05, or is based on theories that 87 systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent 88 in the institutions of the United States and were created to 89 maintain social, political, and economic inequities. 90 (b)Must afford candidates the opportunity to think 91 critically, achieve mastery of academic program content, learn 92 instructional strategies, and demonstrate competence. 93 (c)Must use state-approved academic standards to guide 94 instruction. 95 (d)Must provide training on the use of evidence-based 96 instructional materials included on the state-adopted 97 instructional materials list pursuant to s. 1006.28, materials 98 evaluated and identified pursuant to s. 1001.215(4), materials 99 developed pursuant to s. 1006.39, and materials posted online by 100 the department, including when and how to use intervention 101 materials. 102 (e)Must include scientifically researched and evidence 103 based reading instructional strategies grounded in the science 104 of reading which improve reading performance for all students, 105 including explicit, systematic, and sequential approaches to 106 teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and 107 text comprehension and multisensory intervention strategies. The 108 primary instructional strategy for teaching word reading is 109 phonics instruction for decoding and encoding. Instructional 110 strategies for foundational skills may not employ the three 111 cueing system model of reading or visual memory as a basis for 112 teaching word reading. Instructional strategies may include 113 visual information and strategies that improve background and 114 experiential knowledge, add context, and increase oral language 115 and vocabulary to support comprehension, but may not be used to 116 teach word reading. 117 (f)Must include content literacy and mathematics 118 practices. 119 (g)Must include strategies for differentiated instruction 120 to meet student needs, including English language learners and 121 students with disabilities, while maintaining grade-level 122 expectations. 123 (h)Must include strategies and practices to support 124 effective, evidence-based assessment and grading practices 125 aligned to the states academic standards. 126 (i)Must require the completion of a mastery-based clinical 127 experience in classroom settings to provide direct application 128 of program content and instruction and mastery of the components 129 of teaching as outlined in the Florida Educator Accomplished 130 Practices. These clinical experiences must allow candidates to 131 demonstrate mastery of curriculum and pedagogy through 132 observable performance evaluations aligned with instructional 133 personnel evaluation systems approved pursuant to s. 1012.34. 134 Mastery must be assessed through in-classroom performance, with 135 candidate feedback provided for growth and refinement, rather 136 than solely through written assignments or project-based 137 assessments. Clinical experience may only be provided by 138 individuals who meet the requirements of s. 1012.56(7). 139 Section 3.Section 1012.552, Florida Statutes, is created 140 to read: 141 1012.552The Coaching for Educator Readiness and Teaching 142 Certification (CERT) Program. 143 (1)OBJECTIVE.The Department of Education shall create the 144 Coaching for Educator Readiness and Teaching (CERT) 145 Certification Program as an alternative pathway for teachers to 146 enter the teaching profession. School districts, charter 147 schools, and charter management organizations may implement the 148 CERT program to provide a cohesive, competency-based training 149 and certification pathway for teachers who have a state-issued 150 temporary certificate to earn their professional certificate 151 through an on-the-job mentorship and learning program. 152 (2)PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.A CERT program must include all 153 of the following: 154 (a)A teacher mentorship and induction component. Mentors 155 must meet the requirements of s. 1012.56(7). 156 (b)An assessment of teaching performance aligned to the 157 district, charter school, or charter management organization 158 system for personnel evaluation under s. 1012.34 which provides 159 for: 160 1.An initial evaluation of each educators competencies to 161 determine an appropriate individualized professional learning 162 plan. 163 2.A summative evaluation to assure successful completion 164 of the program. 165 (c)Professional learning, in accordance with s. 1012.98, 166 tailored to each educators growth and learning needs, according 167 to observational data and feedback. 168 (d)Required achievement of passing scores on the subject 169 area examination required by State Board of Education rule. 170 (e)Required successful completion of all competencies for 171 a reading endorsement, including completion of the endorsement 172 practicum, for a candidate certification in a coverage area 173 identified pursuant to s. 1012.585(3)(f). 174 (f)Provide guidance and on-the-job training in the 175 classroom on mastering Florida Educator Accomplished Practices. 176 Section 4.Subsections (3) and (4) and paragraph (b) of 177 subsection (5) of section 1012.98, Florida Statutes, are amended 178 to read: 179 1012.98School Community Professional Learning Act. 180 (3)Professional learning activities must be linked to 181 student learning, provide and professional growth for 182 instructional and administrative staff, and meet the following 183 criteria: 184 (a)For instructional personnel, utilize materials aligned 185 to the states academic standards. 186 (b)For school administrators, utilize materials aligned to 187 the Florida Educational Leadership Standards adopted in rule by 188 the State Board of Education states educational leadership 189 standards. 190 (c)Have clear, defined, and measurable outcomes for both 191 individual inservice activities and multiple day sessions. 192 (d)Employ multiple measurement tools for data on teacher 193 growth, participants use of new knowledge and skills, student 194 learning outcomes, instructional growth outcomes, and leadership 195 growth outcomes, as applicable. 196 (e)Utilize active learning and engage participants 197 directly in designing and trying out strategies, providing 198 participants with the opportunity to engage in authentic 199 teaching and leadership experiences. 200 (f)Utilize artifacts, interactive activities, and other 201 strategies to provide deeply embedded and highly contextualized 202 professional learning. 203 (g)Create opportunities for collaboration. 204 (h)Utilize coaching and expert support to involve the 205 sharing of expertise about content and evidence-based practices, 206 focused directly on instructional personnel and school 207 administrator needs. 208 (i)Provide opportunities for instructional personnel and 209 school administrators to think about, receive input on, and make 210 changes to practice by facilitating reflection and providing 211 feedback. 212 (j)Provide sustained duration with follow-up followup for 213 instructional personnel and school administrators to have 214 adequate time to learn, practice, implement, and reflect upon 215 new strategies that facilitate changes in practice. 216 (k)Provide training, when such training is available, on 217 the use of instructional materials included on the state-adopted 218 instructional materials list pursuant to s. 1006.28, materials 219 evaluated and identified pursuant to s. 1001.215(4), materials 220 developed pursuant to s. 1006.39, and materials posted online by 221 the department, including when and how to use intervention 222 materials. 223 (4)The inservice activities designed to implement this 224 section must: 225 (a)Support and increase the success of educators through 226 collaboratively developed school improvement plans that focus 227 on: 228 1.Enhanced and differentiated instructional strategies to 229 engage students in a rigorous and knowledge-based relevant 230 curriculum based on the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices 231 state and local educational standards, goals, and initiatives; 232 and 233 2.Increased opportunities to provide meaningful 234 relationships between teachers and all students; and 235 2.3.Increased opportunities for professional collaboration 236 among and between teachers, certified school counselors, 237 instructional leaders, postsecondary educators engaged in 238 preservice training for new teachers, and the workforce 239 community. 240 (b)Assist the school community in providing stimulating, 241 scientific research-based educational activities that encourage 242 and motivate students to achieve at the highest levels and to 243 participate as active learners and that prepare students for 244 success at subsequent educational levels and the workforce. 245 (c)Provide continuous support for all education 246 professionals as well as temporary intervention for education 247 professionals who need improvement in knowledge, skills, and 248 performance. 249 (d)Provide instructional personnel and school 250 administrators with the knowledge, skills, and best practices 251 necessary to support excellence in classroom instruction and 252 educational leadership. 253 (e)Provide training to individuals who serve as mentors or 254 clinical educators teacher mentors as part of the professional 255 learning certification program under s. 1012.56(8) and the 256 professional education competency program under s. 1012.56(9). 257 The department shall develop criteria for the initial review and 258 continued approval of clinical educator and mentor training that 259 must include, at a minimum: 260 1.Instruction and assessment in the Florida Educator 261 Accomplished Practices. 262 2.Effective communication strategies to guide reflection 263 and personal growth. 264 3.Effective modeling of evidence-based teaching practices 265 and skills. 266 4.Fostering resilience in educators components on teacher 267 development, peer coaching, time management, and other related 268 topics as determined by the Department of Education. 269 Section 5.This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.
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