Bill Text: FL S2524 | 2022 | Regular Session | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Education
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Passed) 2022-06-03 - Chapter No. 2022-154 [S2524 Detail]
Download: Florida-2022-S2524-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Education
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Passed) 2022-06-03 - Chapter No. 2022-154 [S2524 Detail]
Download: Florida-2022-S2524-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2022 SB 2524 By the Committee on Appropriations 576-02896-22 20222524__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to education; amending s. 1002.394, 3 F.S.; revising the maximum number of students for whom 4 scholarships are established under the Family 5 Empowerment Scholarship Program, beginning in 6 specified school years; repealing s. 1002.411, F.S., 7 relating to reading scholarship accounts; amending s. 8 1002.995, F.S.; requiring the Department of Education 9 to provide incentives to school readiness personnel 10 and prekindergarten instructors who meet specified 11 requirements, subject to the appropriation of funds 12 for that purpose; amending s. 1007.271, F.S.; revising 13 requirements for materials assigned for use within 14 dual enrollment courses; deleting a requirement that 15 certain students be responsible for their own 16 instructional materials as a prerequisite to 17 participation in the dual enrollment program; 18 requiring that private school articulation agreements 19 entered into by public postsecondary institutions 20 eligible to participate in the dual enrollment program 21 include a provision specifying the private school’s 22 payment obligation for certain dual enrollment 23 courses; creating s. 1007.36, F.S.; creating the 24 Inclusive Transition and Employment Management 25 Program; providing the purpose of the program; 26 creating s. 1008.3651, F.S.; providing a legislative 27 finding; creating the Seal of Excellence in Advancing 28 Literacy; providing the purpose of the seal; requiring 29 the State Board of Education to adopt rules by a 30 specified date; establishing the criteria for earning 31 the seal; specifying requirements for such criteria; 32 requiring that schools that meet the criteria receive 33 financial awards, subject to the availability of 34 funds; specifying how awards must be distributed; 35 specifying allowable uses of awards; providing that 36 awards are not subject to collective bargaining; 37 amending s. 1009.30, F.S.; revising the criteria for 38 reimbursement of eligible postsecondary institutions 39 for tuition and related instructional materials costs 40 for dual enrollment courses; revising participating 41 institution reporting requirements under the program; 42 requiring the department to reimburse each 43 participating institution within a specified 44 timeframe; amending s. 1011.48, F.S.; revising the 45 manner in which certain fees charged by educational 46 research centers for child development are determined; 47 amending s. 1011.62, F.S.; revising full-time 48 equivalent student membership amounts for purposes 49 related to the sparsity supplement under the Florida 50 Education Finance Program; revising the requirements 51 of the evidence-based reading instruction allocation 52 under the Florida Education Finance Program; defining 53 the term “supervision”; conforming provisions to 54 changes made by the act; creating s. 1012.5861, F.S.; 55 providing a legislative finding; requiring the 56 department to create a statewide early literacy micro 57 credential focused on certain readers; authorizing 58 district school boards and lab school boards of 59 trustees to use certain programs; providing for 60 reciprocity for micro-credentials; requiring that 61 charter schools are provided access to all approved 62 micro-credentials; requiring the department to make 63 the micro-credential available to certain persons by a 64 specified date; specifying the requirements for the 65 micro-credential; requiring the state board to adopt 66 rules; amending s. 1003.621, F.S.; conforming a cross 67 reference; providing an effective date. 68 69 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 70 71 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (12) of section 72 1002.394, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 73 1002.394 The Family Empowerment Scholarship Program.— 74 (12) SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING AND PAYMENT.— 75 (b)1. Scholarships for students determined eligible 76 pursuant to paragraph (3)(b) are established for up to 26,500 7720,000students annually beginning in the 2022-20232021-202278 school year. Beginning in the 2023-20242022-2023school year, 79 the maximum number of students participating in the scholarship 80 program under this section shall annually increase by 1.0 81 percent of the state’s total exceptional student education full 82 time equivalent student enrollment, not including gifted 83 students. An eligible student who meets any of the following 84 requirements shall be excluded from the maximum number of 85 students if the student: 86 a. Received specialized instructional services under the 87 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program pursuant to s. 88 1002.66 during the previous school year and the student has a 89 current IEP developed by the local school board in accordance 90 with rules of the State Board of Education; 91 b. Is a dependent child of a member of the United States 92 Armed Forces, a foster child, or an adopted child; 93 c. Spent the prior school year in attendance at a Florida 94 public school or the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. 95 For purposes of this subparagraph, the term “prior school year 96 in attendance” means that the student was enrolled and reported 97 by: 98 (I) A school district for funding during either the 99 preceding October or February Florida Education Finance Program 100 surveys in kindergarten through grade 12, which includes time 101 spent in a Department of Juvenile Justice commitment program if 102 funded under the Florida Education Finance Program; 103 (II) The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind during 104 the preceding October or February student membership surveys in 105 kindergarten through grade 12; 106 (III) A school district for funding during the preceding 107 October or February Florida Education Finance Program surveys, 108 was at least 4 years of age when enrolled and reported, and was 109 eligible for services under s. 1003.21(1)(e); or 110 (IV) Received a John M. McKay Scholarship for Students with 111 Disabilities in the 2021-2022 school year. 112 2. For a student who has a Level I to Level III matrix of 113 services or a diagnosis by a physician or psychologist, the 114 calculated scholarship amount for a student participating in the 115 program must be based upon the grade level and school district 116 in which the student would have been enrolled as the total funds 117 per unweighted full-time equivalent in the Florida Education 118 Finance Program for a student in the basic exceptional student 119 education program pursuant to s. 1011.62(1)(c)1. and (e)1.c., 120 plus a per full-time equivalent share of funds for all 121 categorical programs, as funded in the General Appropriations 122 Act, except that for the exceptional student education 123 guaranteed allocation as provided in s. 1011.62(1)(e)1.c. and 124 2., the funds must be allocated based on the school district’s 125 average exceptional student education guaranteed allocation 126 funds per exceptional student education full-time equivalent 127 student. 128 3. For a student with a Level IV or Level V matrix of 129 services, the calculated scholarship amount must be based upon 130 the school district to which the student would have been 131 assigned as the total funds per full-time equivalent for the 132 Level IV or Level V exceptional student education program 133 pursuant to s. 1011.62(1)(c)2.a. or b., plus a per-full time 134 equivalent share of funds for all categorical programs, as 135 funded in the General Appropriations Act. 136 4. For a student who received a Gardiner Scholarship 137 pursuant to s. 1002.385 in the 2020-2021 school year, the amount 138 shall be the greater of the amount calculated pursuant to 139 subparagraph 2. or the amount the student received for the 2020 140 2021 school year. 141 5. For a student who received a John M. McKay Scholarship 142 pursuant to s. 1002.39 in the 2020-2021 school year, the amount 143 shall be the greater of the amount calculated pursuant to 144 subparagraph 2. or the amount the student received for the 2020 145 2021 school year. 146 6. Upon notification from an organization on July 1, 147 September 1, December 1, and February 1 that an application has 148 been approved for the program, the department shall verify that 149 the student is not prohibited from receiving a scholarship 150 pursuant to subsection (6). The organization must provide the 151 department with the documentation necessary to verify the 152 student’s participation. 153 7. Upon verification, the department shall release, from 154 state funds only, the student’s scholarship funds to the 155 organization, to be deposited into the student’s account in four 156 equal amounts no later than September 1, November 1, February 1, 157 and April 1 of each school year in which the scholarship is in 158 force. 159 8. Accrued interest in the student’s account is in addition 160 to, and not part of, the awarded funds. Program funds include 161 both the awarded funds and accrued interest. 162 9. The organization may develop a system for payment of 163 benefits by funds transfer, including, but not limited to, debit 164 cards, electronic payment cards, or any other means of payment 165 which the department deems to be commercially viable or cost 166 effective. A student’s scholarship award may not be reduced for 167 debit card or electronic payment fees. Commodities or services 168 related to the development of such a system must be procured by 169 competitive solicitation unless they are purchased from a state 170 term contract pursuant to s. 287.056. 171 10. Moneys received pursuant to this section do not 172 constitute taxable income to the qualified student or the parent 173 of the qualified student. 174 Section 2. Section 1002.411, Florida Statutes, is repealed. 175 Section 3. Paragraph (c) is added to subsection (1) of 176 section 1002.995, Florida Statutes, to read: 177 1002.995 Early learning professional development standards 178 and career pathways.— 179 (1) The department shall: 180 (c) Subject to the appropriation of funds by the 181 Legislature, provide incentives to school readiness personnel 182 who meet the requirements of s. 1002.88(1)(e) and 183 prekindergarten instructors who meet the requirements specified 184 in s. 1002.55, s. 1002.61, or s. 1002.63 and who possess a 185 reading certification or endorsement or an early literacy micro 186 credential as specified in s. 1012.5861 and teach students in 187 the school readiness program or the voluntary prekindergarten 188 education program. 189 Section 4. Subsections (17) and (24) of section 1007.271, 190 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 191 1007.271 Dual enrollment programs.— 192 (17) Instructional materials assigned for use within dual 193 enrollment courses shall be made available to dual enrollment 194 studentsfrom Florida public high schoolsfree of charge. A 195 postsecondary institution may not require payment for 196 instructional materials costs eligible for reimbursement under 197 s. 1009.30This subsection does not prohibit a Florida College198System institution from providing instructional materials at no199cost to a home education student or student from a private200school. Instructional materials purchased by a district school 201 board or Florida College System institution board of trustees on 202 behalf of dual enrollment students shall be the property of the 203 board against which the purchase is charged. 204 (24)(a) The dual enrollment program for a private school 205 student consists of the enrollment of an eligible private school 206 student in a postsecondary course creditable toward an associate 207 degree, a career certificate, or a baccalaureate degree. In 208 addition, a private school in which a student, including, but 209 not limited to, students with disabilities, is enrolled must 210 award credit toward high school completion for the postsecondary 211 course under the dual enrollment program. To participate in the 212 dual enrollment program, an eligible private school student 213 must: 214 1. Provide proof of enrollment in a private school pursuant 215 to subsection (2). 216 2. Be responsible for his or her owninstructional217materials andtransportation unless provided for in the 218 articulation agreement. 219 3. Sign a private school articulation agreement pursuant to 220 paragraph (b). 221 (b) Each public postsecondary institution eligible to 222 participate in the dual enrollment program pursuant to s. 223 1011.62(1)(i) must enter into a private school articulation 224 agreement with each eligible private school in its geographic 225 service area seeking to offer dual enrollment courses to its 226 students, including, but not limited to, students with 227 disabilities. By August 1 of each year, the eligible 228 postsecondary institution shall complete and submit the private 229 school articulation agreement to the Department of Education. 230 The private school articulation agreement must include, at a 231 minimum: 232 1. A delineation of courses and programs available to the 233 private school student. The postsecondary institution may add, 234 revise, or delete courses and programs at any time. 235 2. The initial and continued eligibility requirements for 236 private school student participation, not to exceed those 237 required of other dual enrollment students. 238 3. The student’s responsibilities for providing his or her 239 owninstructional materials andtransportation. 240 4. A provision clarifying that the private school will 241 award appropriate credit toward high school completion for the 242 postsecondary course under the dual enrollment program. 243 5. A provision relating to payment for dual enrollment 244 courses, which must specify that: 245 a. The private school shall pay an amount specified by the 246 postsecondary institution for dual enrollment courses taken 247 during the scheduled school hours of the private school. The 248 amount charged per credit hour may not exceed the postsecondary 249 institution standard tuition rate per credit hour; and 250 b. The private school is not required to pay for dual 251 enrollment courses taken by its students outside of the 252 scheduled school hours of the private school, or during the 253 summer term. 254 6. A provision expressing that costs associated with 255 tuition and fees, including registration, and laboratory fees, 256 will not be passed along to the student. 257 Section 5. Section 1007.36, Florida Statutes, is created to 258 read: 259 1007.36 Inclusive Transition and Employment Management 260 Program.—As authorized by and consistent with funding 261 appropriated in the General Appropriations Act, the Inclusive 262 Transition and Employment Management Program is created for the 263 purpose of providing young adults with disabilities who are 264 between the ages of 16 years and 28 years with transitional 265 skills, education, and on-the-job experience to allow them to 266 acquire and retain permanent employment. 267 Section 6. Section 1008.3651, Florida Statutes, is created 268 to read: 269 1008.3651 The Seal of Excellence in Advancing Literacy.— 270 (1) The Legislature finds that there is a need for a 271 performance incentive program for outstanding faculty and staff 272 in schools that demonstrate growth in early literacy attainment. 273 (2) The Seal of Excellence in Advancing Literacy is created 274 to provide financial awards to public schools, including charter 275 schools, which demonstrate growth in early literacy. By October 276 1, 2022, the State Board of Education shall adopt rules 277 establishing the criteria for earning the seal. The criteria 278 must include metrics for schools to earn the seal by 279 demonstrating exemplary performance with respect to reading 280 instruction for students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 281 2. The criteria must: 282 (a) Prioritize advancing the abilities of the lowest 283 performing students at least one grade level in each grade; and 284 (b) Allow schools to earn the seal by advancing the 285 abilities of students at least one grade level in each grade. 286 (3) All schools that meet the criteria established under 287 subsection (2) shall receive financial awards depending on the 288 availability of funds as appropriated in the General 289 Appropriations Act. Funds must be distributed to the school’s 290 fiscal agent and placed in the school’s account and must be used 291 for the purposes specified in subsection (4), as determined 292 jointly by the school’s staff and the school advisory council. 293 If the school staff and the school advisory council cannot reach 294 agreement regarding the use of the funds by February 1 of the 295 school year for which they are allocated, the awards must be 296 distributed equally to all instructional personnel, as defined 297 in s. 1012.01(2), teaching in the school at that time. If a 298 school that earned a seal is no longer in existence at the time 299 the award is paid, the district school superintendent must 300 distribute the funds in the form of a bonus to instructional 301 personnel who taught at the school in the previous year. 302 (4) Awards must be used for one or more of the following: 303 (a) Nonrecurring financial incentives to instructional 304 personnel and staff. 305 (b) Nonrecurring expenditures for educational equipment or 306 materials to assist in maintaining and improving student 307 performance. 308 (c) Other personnel for the school to assist in maintaining 309 and improving student performance. 310 311 Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, 312 incentive awards are not subject to collective bargaining. 313 Section 7. Subsection (2), paragraph (a) of subsection (3), 314 and subsections (5), (7), (8), and (9) of section 1009.30, 315 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 316 1009.30 Dual Enrollment Scholarship Program.— 317 (2) The Department of Education shall administer the Dual 318 Enrollment Scholarship Program in accordance with rules adopted 319 by the State Board of Education pursuant to subsection (8)(9). 320 (3)(a)Beginning in the 2021 fall term,The program shall 321 reimburse eligible postsecondary institutions for tuition and 322 related instructional materials costs for dual enrollment 323 courses taken during the fall or spring terms by eligible 324 students, consisting of: 325 1. Private school students who take dual enrollment courses 326 pursuant to s. 1007.271(24)(b)5.b.; or 327 2. Home education program secondary studentsduring the328fall or spring terms. 329 (5)Annually, by March 15,Each participating institution 330 must report to the department any eligible secondary students 331 from private schools or home education programs who were 332 enrolled during thepreviousfall or spring terms within 30 days 333 after the end of regular registration.Annually, by July 15,334 Each participating institution must report to the department any 335 eligible public school, private school, or home education 336 program students who were enrolled during the summer term within 337 30 days after the end of regular registration. For each dual 338 enrollment course in which the student is enrolled, the report 339 must include a unique student identifier, the postsecondary 340 institution name, the postsecondary course number, and the 341 postsecondary course name. The department shall reimburse each 342 participating institution no later than 30 days after the 343 institution has reported enrollment for that term. 344 (7)For dual enrollment courses taken during the fall and345spring terms, the department must reimburse institutions by346April 15 of the same year. For dual enrollment courses taken347during the summer term, the department must reimburse348institutions by August 15 of the same year, before the beginning349of the next academic year.350(8)Reimbursement for dual enrollment courses is contingent 351 upon an appropriation in the General Appropriations Act each 352 year. If the statewide reimbursement amount is greater than the 353 appropriation, the institutional reimbursement amounts specified 354 in subsection (6) shall be prorated among the institutions that 355 have reported eligible students to the department by the 356 deadlines specified in subsection (5). 357 (8)(9)The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to 358 implement this section. 359 Section 8. Subsection (3) of section 1011.48, Florida 360 Statutes, is amended to read: 361 1011.48 Establishment of educational research centers for 362 child development.— 363 (3) Each center is authorized to charge fees for the care 364 and services it provides, subject to the fees authorized by s. 365 1009.24(14).Such fees must be approved by the Board of366Governors and may be imposed on a sliding scale based on ability367to pay or any other factors deemed relevant by the board.368 Section 9. Paragraph (d) of subsection (6), paragraphs (a) 369 and (b) of subsection (7), and subsection (8) of section 370 1011.62, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 371 1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual 372 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each 373 district for operation of schools is not determined in the 374 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing 375 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as 376 follows: 377 (6) CATEGORICAL FUNDS.— 378 (d) If a district school board transfers funds from its 379 evidence-based reading instruction allocation, the board must 380 also submit to the Department of Education an amendment 381 describing the changes that the district is making to its 382 reading plan approved pursuant to paragraph (8)(e)(8)(d). 383 (7) DETERMINATION OF SPARSITY SUPPLEMENT.— 384 (a) Annually, in an amount to be determined by the 385 Legislature through the General Appropriations Act, there shall 386 be added to the basic amount for current operation of the FEFP 387 qualified districts a sparsity supplement which shall be 388 computed as follows: 389 390 Sparsity Factor = 1101.8918 – 0.1101 391 2700 + districtsparsityindex 392 except that districts with a sparsity index of 1,000 or less 393 shall be computed as having a sparsity index of 1,000, and 394 districts having a sparsity index of 7,308 and above shall be 395 computed as having a sparsity factor of zero. A qualified 396 district’s full-time equivalent student membership shall equal 397 or be less than that prescribed annually by the Legislature in 398 the appropriations act. The amount prescribed annually by the 399 Legislature shall be no less than 17,000, but no more than 400 30,00024,000. 401 (b) The district sparsity index shall be computed by 402 dividing the total number of full-time equivalent students in 403 all programs in the district by the number of senior high school 404 centers in the district, not in excess of three, which centers 405 are approved as permanent centers by a survey made by the 406 Department of Education. For districts with a full-time 407 equivalent student membership of at least 20,000, but no more 408 than 30,00024,000, the index shall be computed by dividing the 409 total number of full-time equivalent students in all programs by 410 the number of permanent senior high school centers in the 411 district, not in excess of four. 412 (8) EVIDENCE-BASED READING INSTRUCTION ALLOCATION.— 413 (a) The evidence-based reading instruction allocation is 414 created to provide comprehensive reading instruction to students 415 in prekindergartenkindergartenthrough grade 12, with priority 416 given to studentsincluding certain students who have completed417the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program andwho areat 418 risk of being identified as having a substantial deficiency in 419 early literacy skills under s. 1008.25(8)(c).Each school420district that has one or more of the 300 lowest-performing421elementary schools based on a 3-year average of the state422reading assessment data must use the school’s portion of the423allocation to provide an additional hour per day of intensive424reading instruction for the students in each school. The425additional hour may be provided within the school day. Students426enrolled in these schools who earned a level 4 or level 5 score427on the statewide, standardized English Language Arts assessment428for the previous school year may participate in the additional429hour of instruction. Exceptional student education centers may430not be included in the 300 schools.The431 (b) Intensive reading instruction for students who have 432 reading deficiencies mustdelivered in this additional hour433shallinclude:evidence-based reading instructionthat has been434 proven to accelerate progress of students exhibiting a reading 435 deficiency; differentiated instruction based on screening, 436 diagnostic, progress monitoring, or student assessment data to 437 meet students’ specific reading needs; explicit and systematic 438 reading strategies to develop phonemic awareness, phonics, 439 fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, with more extensive 440 opportunities for guided practice, error correction, and 441 feedback; and the coordinated integration of civic literacy, 442 science, and mathematics-text reading, text discussion, and 443 writing in response to reading. 444 (c)(b)Funds for comprehensive, evidence-based reading 445 instruction shall be allocated annually to each school district 446 in the amount provided in the General Appropriations Act. Each 447 eligible school district shall receive the same minimum amount 448 as specified in the General Appropriations Act, and any 449 remaining funds shall be distributed to eligible school 450 districts based on each school district’s proportionate share of 451 K-12 base funding. 452 (d)(c)Funds allocated under this subsection must be used 453 to provide a system of comprehensive reading instruction to 454 students enrolled in the K-12 programs and certain students who 455 exhibit a substantial deficiency in early literacyand completed456the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program pursuant to s.4571008.25(5)(b), which may include the following: 458 1. Additional timeAn additional hourper day of evidence 459 based intensive reading instruction to students, which may be 460 delivered during or outside of the regular school dayin the 300461lowest-performing elementary schools by teachers and reading462specialists who have demonstrated effectiveness in teaching463reading as required in paragraph (a). 464 2. Kindergarten through grade 125evidence-based intensive 465 reading interventionsprovided by reading intervention teachers466during the school day and in the required extra hour for467students identified as having a substantial reading deficiency. 468 3. Highly qualified reading coaches, who must be certified 469 or endorsed in reading, to specifically support teachers in 470 making instructional decisions based on student data, and 471 improve teacher delivery of effective reading instruction, 472 intervention, and reading in the content areas based on student 473 need. 474 4. Professional developmentfor school district teachers in475scientifically researched and evidence-based reading476instruction, including strategies to teach reading in content477areas and with an emphasis on technical and informational text,478 to help instructional personnel and certified prekindergarten 479 teachers funded in the Florida Education Finance Programschool480districtteachersearn a certification, a credential,oran 481 endorsement, or an advanced degree in scientifically researched 482 and evidence-based reading instruction. 483 5. Summer reading camps, using only teachers or other 484 district personnel who possess an early literacy micro 485 credential as specified in s. 1012.5861 or are certified or 486 endorsed in reading consistent with s. 1008.25(7)(b)3., for all 487 students in kindergarten through grade 52who demonstrate a 488 reading deficiency as determined by district and state 489 assessments, students in grades 3 through 5 who score at Level 1490on the statewide, standardized English Language Arts assessment,491and certain students who exhibit a substantial deficiency in492early literacy and completed the Voluntary Prekindergarten493Education Program under s. 1008.25(5)(b). 494 6. Scientifically researched and evidence-based 495 supplemental instructional materialsas identified by the Just496Read, Florida! Office pursuant to s. 1001.215(8). 497 7. Incentives for instructional personnel and certified 498 prekindergarten teachers funded in the Florida Education Finance 499 Program who possess a reading certification or endorsement or an 500 early literacy micro-credential as specified in s. 1012.5861 and 501 provide educational support to improve student literacy 502Evidence-based intensive reading interventions for students in503kindergarten through grade 12 who have been identified as having504a substantial reading deficiencyor who are reading below grade505level as determined by the statewide, standardized English506Language Arts assessment or for certain students who exhibit a507substantial deficiency in early literacy and completed the508Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program under s.5091008.25(5)(b). 510 8. Tutoring in reading. 511 (e)1.(d)1.Annually, by a date determined by the Department 512 of Educationbut before May 1, school districts shall submit a 513 comprehensive reading plan, approved by the applicable district 514 school board, charter school governing board, or lab school 515 board of trustees, for the specific use of the evidence-based 516 reading instruction allocationin the format prescribed by the517departmentfor reviewand approval by the Just Read, Florida!518Office created pursuant to s. 1001.215.The plan format shall be519developed with input from school district personnel, including520teachers and principals, and shall provide for intensive reading521interventions identified through a root-cause analysis of522student performance data and reflection tool developed by the523department to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions524implemented in the prior year.525 2. Intensive reading interventions must be delivered by 526 instructional personnel who possess the early literacy 527 intervention micro-credential as provided in s. 1012.5861 or are 528 certified or endorsed in reading and must incorporate evidence 529 based strategies identified by the Just Read, Florida! Office 530 pursuant to s. 1001.215(8). Instructional personnel who possess 531 an early literacy micro-credential as specified in s. 1012.5861 532 and are delivering intensive reading interventions must be 533 supervised by an individual certified or endorsed in reading. 534 For the purposes of this subsection, the term “supervision” 535 means the ability to communicate by way of telecommunication 536 with or physical presence of the certified or endorsed personnel 537 for consultation and direction of the actions of the personnel 538 with the micro-credential. 539 3.2.By July 1 of each year, the department shall release 540 to each school districtwith an approved planits allocation of 541 appropriated funds.If a school district and the Just Read,542Florida! Office cannot reach agreement on the contents of the543plan, the school district may appeal to the State Board of544Education for resolution.School districts shall be allowed545reasonable flexibility in designing their plans and shall be546encouraged to offer reading intervention through innovative547methods, including career academies.The department shall548withhold funds upon a determination that reading instruction549allocation funds are not being used to implement the approved550plan.The department shall evaluate the implementation of each 551 district plan, including conducting site visits and collecting 552 specific data on expenditures and reading improvement results. 553 By February 1 of each year, the department shall report its 554 findings to the Legislature and the State Board of Education, 555 including any recommendations for improving implementation of 556 evidence-based reading and intervention strategies in 557 classrooms. 5583. Each school district that has a school designated as one559of the 300 lowest-performing elementary schools as specified in560paragraph (a) shall specifically delineate in the comprehensive561reading plan, or in an addendum to the comprehensive reading562plan, the implementation design and reading intervention563strategies that will be used for the required additional hour of564reading instruction. The term “reading intervention” includes565evidence-based strategies frequently used to remediate reading566deficiencies and also includes individual instruction, tutoring,567mentoring, or the use of technology that targets specific568reading skills and abilities.569 570 For purposes of this subsection, the term “evidence-based” means 571 demonstrating a statistically significant effect on improving 572 student outcomes or other relevant outcomes as provided in 20 573 U.S.C. s. 8101(21)(A)(i). 574 Section 10. Section 1012.5861, Florida Statutes, is created 575 to read: 576 1012.5861 Early Literacy Micro-Credential.— 577 (1) The Legislature finds that providing academically 578 rigorous early literacy instruction that prepares all students 579 to be analytical readers, skillful writers, and effective 580 communicators is paramount for student success. Therefore, 581 district school boards and lab school boards of trustees may 582 establish an early literacy micro-credential as an instructional 583 model that emphasizes strong core instruction and a tiered model 584 of reading interventions for struggling prekindergarten through 585 grade 3 readers. 586 (2) The Department of Education shall create a statewide 587 early literacy micro-credential focused on prekindergarten 588 through grade 3 readers. District school boards and lab school 589 boards of trustees may use their own micro-credential or the 590 micro-credential created by another district school board, lab 591 school board of trustees, or the department. Reciprocity for 592 micro-credentials created by district school boards, lab school 593 boards, and the department is required across all 67 districts. 594 Charter schools must be provided access to all approved micro 595 credentials. By December 31, 2022, the department shall make the 596 micro-credential available, at no cost, to instructional 597 personnel as defined in s. 1012.01(2); prekindergarten 598 instructors as specified in ss. 1002.55, 1002.61, and 1002.63; 599 and child care personnel as defined in ss. 1002.88(1)(e) and 600 402.302(3). 601 (a) The micro-credential must include components on 602 content, student learning, pedagogy, and professional 603 development and must build on a strong foundation of 604 scientifically researched and evidence-based reading 605 instructional and intervention programs that incorporate 606 explicit, systematic, and sequential approaches to teaching 607 phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text 608 comprehension and incorporate decodable or phonetic text 609 instructional strategies, as identified by the Just Read, 610 Florida! Office, pursuant to s. 1001.215(8). 611 (b) The micro-credential curriculum must be designed 612 specifically for instructional personnel in prekindergarten 613 through grade 3 and must be transferable through all grades from 614 prekindergarten through grade 3. 615 (c) The micro-credential must require teachers to 616 demonstrate competency to: 617 1. Diagnose reading difficulties and determine the 618 appropriate range of reading interventions; 619 2. Use evidence-based instructional and intervention 620 practices, including strategies identified by the Just Read, 621 Florida! Office pursuant to s. 1001.215(8); and 622 3. Effectively use progress monitoring and intervention 623 materials. 624 (d) The credentialing process must employ a professional 625 development model that requires participants to engage in a job 626 embedded credentialing process, which must include: 627 1. A combination of virtual and face-to-face sessions 628 focused on building content knowledge, instructional pedagogy, 629 data analysis, and reflective practice. 630 2. Professional learning modules implemented over multiple 631 cycles, during which participants will engage in planning and 632 implementing instruction based on course content, followed by a 633 period of data collection, data analysis, and reflection. 634 (e) The micro-credential must be designed for eligible 635 instructional personnel to complete the credentialing process 636 through a maximum of 40 hours in an online format. The 637 department may also provide for the micro-credential to be 638 delivered in an in-person format. 639 (f) The department must collaborate with, at a minimum, 640 school district reading experts and the early learning 641 coalitions in the development of the micro-credential. The 642 Lastinger Center at the University of Florida and the Florida 643 Center for Reading Research created under s. 1004.645 shall 644 provide technical assistance to the department and district 645 school boards in developing micro-credentials. 646 (g) Each district school board, lab school board of 647 trustees, charter school, school readiness provider, and 648 voluntary prekindergarten education program provider must 649 annually complete and submit to the department a notarized 650 compliance statement certifying that the micro-credential in use 651 in the district or lab school meets the requirements of this 652 section and specifying the agency that developed and approved 653 the micro-credential. 654 (3) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to 655 implement this section. 656 Section 11. Paragraph (g) of subsection (2) of section 657 1003.621, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 658 1003.621 Academically high-performing school districts.—It 659 is the intent of the Legislature to recognize and reward school 660 districts that demonstrate the ability to consistently maintain 661 or improve their high-performing status. The purpose of this 662 section is to provide high-performing school districts with 663 flexibility in meeting the specific requirements in statute and 664 rules of the State Board of Education. 665 (2) COMPLIANCE WITH STATUTES AND RULES.—Each academically 666 high-performing school district shall comply with all of the 667 provisions in chapters 1000-1013, and rules of the State Board 668 of Education which implement these provisions, pertaining to the 669 following: 670 (g) Those statutes pertaining to planning and budgeting, 671 including chapter 1011, except s. 1011.62(8)(e)s.6721011.62(8)(d), relating to the requirement for a comprehensive 673 reading plan. A district that is exempt from submitting a 674 comprehensive reading plan shall be deemed approved to receive 675 the evidence-based reading instruction allocation. Each 676 academically high-performing school district may provide up to 2 677 days of virtual instruction as part of the required 180 actual 678 teaching days or the equivalent on an hourly basis each school 679 year, as specified by rules of the State Board of Education. 680 Virtual instruction that is conducted in accordance with the 681 plan approved by the department, is teacher-developed, and is 682 aligned with the standards for enrolled courses complies with s. 683 1011.60(2). The day or days must be indicated on the calendar 684 approved by the school board. The district shall submit a plan 685 for each day of virtual instruction to the department for 686 approval, in a format prescribed by the department, with 687 assurances of alignment to statewide student standards as 688 described in s. 1003.41 before the start of each school year. 689 Section 12. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.