Bill Text: FL S1138 | 2019 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Voluntary Prekindergarten Education

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2019-05-03 - Died in Education [S1138 Detail]

Download: Florida-2019-S1138-Introduced.html
       Florida Senate - 2019                                    SB 1138
       
       
        
       By Senator Simmons
       
       
       
       
       
       9-01132-19                                            20191138__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to voluntary prekindergarten
    3         education; amending s. 1002.53, F.S.; providing that a
    4         parent may enroll his or her child in a family
    5         engagement computer adaptive prekindergarten program;
    6         conforming a provision to changes made by the act;
    7         creating s. 1002.64, F.S.; authorizing an early
    8         learning coalition to administer the Voluntary
    9         Prekindergarten Education Program to certain students;
   10         providing that a family engagement computer adaptive
   11         prekindergarten program must include a specified
   12         number of academic hours and a specified
   13         individualized curriculum; providing additional
   14         requirements for such programs; requiring private
   15         prekindergarten providers that offer such programs to
   16         students to evaluate the programs; providing
   17         evaluation requirements; requiring early learning
   18         coalitions to reimburse approved private
   19         prekindergarten providers for authorized services;
   20         providing that such reimbursement may not exceed the
   21         amount of a specified allocation; providing that
   22         providers are reimbursed from certain allocated funds;
   23         amending s. 1002.69, F.S.; conforming a provision to
   24         changes made by the act; amending s. 1002.71, F.S.;
   25         providing for the calculation of full-time equivalency
   26         for students participating in a family engagement
   27         computer adaptive prekindergarten program; requiring
   28         the Office of Early Learning to adopt, for funding
   29         purposes, a uniform attendance policy for such
   30         students; amending s. 1002.75, F.S.; conforming
   31         provisions to changes made by the act; providing an
   32         effective date.
   33          
   34  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   35  
   36         Section 1. Subsections (3) and (5) of section 1002.53,
   37  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   38         1002.53 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program;
   39  eligibility and enrollment.—
   40         (3) The parent of each child eligible under subsection (2)
   41  may enroll the child in one of the following programs:
   42         (a) A school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a
   43  private prekindergarten provider under s. 1002.55;
   44         (b) A summer prekindergarten program delivered by a public
   45  school or private prekindergarten provider under s. 1002.61;
   46         (c) A school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a
   47  public school; or
   48         (d) A specialized instructional services program for
   49  children who have disabilities, if the child has been evaluated
   50  and determined as eligible, has a current individual educational
   51  plan developed by the local school board, and is eligible for
   52  the program under s. 1002.66; or
   53         (e) A family engagement computer adaptive prekindergarten
   54  program delivered by a private prekindergarten provider under s.
   55  1002.64.
   56  
   57  Except as provided in s. 1002.71(4), a child may not enroll in
   58  more than one of these programs.
   59         (5) The early learning coalition shall provide each parent
   60  enrolling a child in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
   61  Program with a profile of every private prekindergarten provider
   62  and public school delivering the program within the county where
   63  the child is being enrolled. The profiles shall be provided to
   64  parents in a format prescribed by the Office of Early Learning.
   65  The profiles must include, at a minimum, the following
   66  information about each provider and school:
   67         (a) The provider’s or school’s services, curriculum,
   68  instructor credentials, and instructor-to-student ratio as
   69  applicable; and
   70         (b) The provider’s or school’s kindergarten readiness rate
   71  calculated in accordance with s. 1002.69, based upon the most
   72  recent available results of the statewide kindergarten
   73  screening.
   74         Section 2. Section 1002.64, Florida Statutes, is created to
   75  read:
   76         1002.64 FAMILY ENGAGEMENT COMPUTER ADAPTIVE PREKINDERGARTEN
   77  PROGRAM.—
   78         (1)Each early learning coalition may administer the
   79  Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program at the county or
   80  regional level for students enrolled under s. 1002.53(3)(e) in a
   81  family engagement computer adaptive prekindergarten program.
   82         (2)Each family engagement computer adaptive
   83  prekindergarten program provided by a private prekindergarten
   84  provider must include at least 45 academic hours with an
   85  individualized reading, mathematics, and science curriculum.
   86         (3)Each family engagement computer adaptive
   87  prekindergarten program must meet all of the following
   88  requirements:
   89         (a)Be provided in the home and include a parental
   90  engagement program, with support models provided in English,
   91  Spanish, and, as needed, other languages.
   92         (b)Be designed to improve a child’s transition into
   93  elementary education and include academic content in reading,
   94  mathematics, and science which is aligned with the Florida Early
   95  Learning and Developmental Standards published by the Office of
   96  Early Learning.
   97         (c)Provide for the installation of a computer and Internet
   98  service in homes that do not have access to such equipment or
   99  service.
  100         (d)Include pre-program and post-program assessments to
  101  evaluate growth in early literacy skills, including measures of
  102  letter recognition, letter sound and initial sound recognition,
  103  blending, real and non-word reading, reading comprehension,
  104  listening comprehension, sight words, and vocabulary.
  105         (e)Demonstrate a record of past success through
  106  independent, valid, and reliable evaluations, such as a
  107  randomized controlled trial or a longitudinal study.
  108         (4)The private prekindergarten provider that offers the
  109  program to students shall evaluate the family engagement
  110  computer adaptive prekindergarten program. At a minimum, the
  111  evaluation must include all of the following information:
  112         (a)The number of families:
  113         1. Volunteering to participate in the program;
  114         2. Selected to participate in the program;
  115         3. That requested computers; and
  116         4. That were furnished computers.
  117         (b) The frequency of use of the instructional software.
  118         (c) Obstacles encountered with software usage, hardware, or
  119  technical assistance to families.
  120         (d) Parental feedback on the program.
  121         (e) Student growth on assessments over the course of the
  122  program, including interim outcomes for stakeholders.
  123         (5)An early learning coalition shall reimburse an approved
  124  private prekindergarten provider for authorized services
  125  provided to an eligible child; however, the cumulative total of
  126  services reimbursed for a child may not exceed the amount of the
  127  base student allocation provided in the General Appropriations
  128  Act for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. Private
  129  prekindergarten providers must be reimbursed from funds
  130  allocated to the early learning coalition for the Voluntary
  131  Prekindergarten Education Program.
  132         Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (7) of section
  133  1002.69, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  134         1002.69 Statewide kindergarten screening; kindergarten
  135  readiness rates; state-approved prekindergarten enrollment
  136  screening; good cause exemption.—
  137         (7)
  138         (b) A private prekindergarten provider’s or public school’s
  139  request for a good cause exemption, or renewal of such an
  140  exemption, must be submitted to the office in the manner and
  141  within the timeframes prescribed by the office and must include
  142  the following:
  143         1. Submission of data by the private prekindergarten
  144  provider or public school which documents the achievement and
  145  progress of the children served as measured by the state
  146  approved prekindergarten enrollment screening and the
  147  standardized postassessment approved by the office pursuant to
  148  subparagraph (c)1.
  149         2. Submission and review of data available from the
  150  respective early learning coalition or district school board,
  151  the Department of Children and Families, local licensing
  152  authority, or an accrediting association, as applicable,
  153  relating to the private prekindergarten provider’s or public
  154  school’s compliance with applicable state and local health and
  155  safety standards.
  156         3. Submission and review of data available to the office on
  157  the performance of the children served and the calculation of
  158  the private prekindergarten provider’s or public school’s
  159  kindergarten readiness rate.
  160         Section 4. Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (2) of
  161  section 1002.71, Florida Statutes, present paragraph (d) of
  162  subsection (6) of that section is redesignated as paragraph (e),
  163  and a new paragraph (d) is added to that subsection, to read:
  164         1002.71 Funding; financial and attendance reporting.—
  165         (2) A full-time equivalent student in the Voluntary
  166  Prekindergarten Education Program shall be calculated as
  167  follows:
  168         (d) For a student in a family engagement computer adaptive
  169  prekindergarten program delivered by a private prekindergarten
  170  provider: 45 academic hours with an individualized reading,
  171  mathematics, and science curriculum.
  172  
  173  Except as provided in subsection (4), a student may not be
  174  reported for funding purposes as more than one full-time
  175  equivalent student.
  176         (6)
  177         (d) Notwithstanding paragraph (e), the Office of Early
  178  Learning shall adopt, for funding purposes, a uniform attendance
  179  policy for students who participate in a family engagement
  180  computer adaptive prekindergarten program under s. 1002.64.
  181         Section 5. Paragraphs (c) and (d) of subsection (2) of
  182  section 1002.75, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
  183         1002.75 Office of Early Learning; powers and duties.—
  184         (2) The Office of Early Learning shall adopt procedures
  185  governing the administration of the Voluntary Prekindergarten
  186  Education Program by the early learning coalitions and school
  187  districts for:
  188         (c) Registering private prekindergarten providers and
  189  public schools to deliver the program under ss. 1002.55,
  190  1002.61, and 1002.63, and 1002.64.
  191         (d) Determining the eligibility of private prekindergarten
  192  providers to deliver the program under ss. 1002.55, and 1002.61,
  193  and 1002.64 and streamlining the process of provider eligibility
  194  whenever possible.
  195         Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.

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