2024 Florida Statutes
< Back to Statute SearchTitle XLVIII EARLY LEARNING-20 EDUCATION CODE
Chapter 1008
ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
SECTION 25Public school student progression; student support; coordinated screening and progress monitoring; reporting requirements.
1008.25 Public school student progression; student support; coordinated screening and progress monitoring; reporting requirements.—
(1) INTENT.—It is the intent of the Legislature that each student’s progression from one grade to another be determined, in part, upon satisfactory performance in English Language Arts, social studies, science, and mathematics; that district school board policies facilitate student achievement; that each student and his or her parent be informed of that student’s academic progress; and that students have access to educational options that provide academically challenging coursework or accelerated instruction pursuant to s. 1002.3105.
(2) STUDENT PROGRESSION PLAN.—Each district school board shall establish a comprehensive plan for student progression which must provide for a student’s progression from one grade to another based on the student’s mastery of the standards in s. 1003.41, specifically English Language Arts, mathematics, science, and social studies standards. The plan must:
(a) Include criteria that emphasize student reading proficiency in kindergarten through grade 3 and provide targeted instructional support for students with identified deficiencies in English Language Arts, mathematics, science, and social studies, including students who have been referred to the school district from the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program pursuant to paragraph (5)(b). High schools shall use all available assessment results, including the results of statewide, standardized English Language Arts assessments and end-of-course assessments for Algebra I and Geometry, to advise students of any identified deficiencies and to provide appropriate postsecondary preparatory instruction before high school graduation. The results of evaluations used to monitor a student’s progress in grades K-12 must be provided to the student’s teacher in a timely manner and as otherwise required by law. Thereafter, evaluation results must be provided to the student’s parent in a timely manner. When available, instructional personnel must be provided with information on student achievement of standards and benchmarks in order to improve instruction.
(b)1. List the student eligibility and procedural requirements established by the school district for whole-grade promotion, midyear promotion, and subject-matter acceleration that would result in a student attending a different school, pursuant to s. 1002.3105(2)(b).
2. Notify parents and students of the school district’s process by which a parent may request student participation in whole-grade promotion, midyear promotion, or subject-matter acceleration that would result in a student attending a different school, pursuant to s. 1002.3105(4)(b)2.
(c)1. Advise parents and students that additional ACCEL options may be available at the student’s school, pursuant to s. 1002.3105.
2. Advise parents and students to contact the principal at the student’s school for information related to student eligibility requirements for whole-grade promotion, midyear promotion, and subject-matter acceleration when the promotion or acceleration occurs within the principal’s school; virtual instruction in higher grade level subjects; and any other ACCEL options offered by the principal, pursuant to s. 1002.3105(2)(a).
3. Advise parents and students to contact the principal at the student’s school for information related to the school’s process by which a parent may request student participation in whole-grade promotion, midyear promotion, and subject-matter acceleration when the promotion or acceleration occurs within the principal’s school; virtual instruction in higher grade level subjects; and any other ACCEL options offered by the principal, pursuant to s. 1002.3105(4)(b)1.
(d) Advise parents and students of the early graduation options under s. 1003.4281.
(e) List, or incorporate by reference, all dual enrollment courses contained within the dual enrollment articulation agreement established pursuant to s. 1007.271(21).
(f) Provide instructional sequences by which students in kindergarten through high school may attain progressively higher levels of skill in the use of digital tools and applications. The instructional sequences must include participation in curricular and instructional options and the demonstration of competence of standards required pursuant to ss. 1003.41 and 1003.4203 through attainment of industry certifications and other means of demonstrating credit requirements identified under ss. 1002.3105, 1003.4203, and 1003.4282.
(g) Allow the parent of a student with disabilities who is enrolled in prekindergarten at the age of 4 and is fully funded through the Florida Education Finance Program to retain his or her child in consultation with the individual education plan team.
(h) Specify retention requirements for students in kindergarten through grade 2 based upon each student’s performance in English Language Arts and mathematics. For students who are retained in kindergarten through grade 2, the plan must incorporate the parental notification requirements provided in subsections (5) and (6), include an opportunity for parental input on the retention decision, and include information on the importance of students mastering early literacy and communication skills in order to be reading at or above grade level by the end of grade 3.
(3) ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES.—District school boards shall allocate remedial and supplemental instruction resources to students in the following priority:
(a) Students in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program who have a substantial deficiency in early literacy skills and students in kindergarten through grade 3 who have a substantial deficiency in reading or the characteristics of dyslexia as determined in paragraph (5)(a).
(b) Students in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program who have a substantial deficiency in early mathematics skills and students in kindergarten through grade 4 who have a substantial deficiency in mathematics or the characteristics of dyscalculia as determined in paragraph (6)(a).
(c) Students who fail to meet performance levels required for promotion consistent with the district school board’s plan for student progression required in subsection (2).
(4) ASSESSMENT AND SUPPORT.—
(a) Each student must participate in the statewide, standardized assessment program required under s. 1008.22 and the coordinated screening and progress monitoring system required under subsection (9). Each student who does not achieve a Level 3 or above on the statewide, standardized English Language Arts assessment; the statewide, standardized Mathematics assessment; or the Algebra I EOC assessment must be evaluated to determine the nature of the student’s difficulty, the areas of academic need, and strategies for providing academic supports to improve the student’s performance.
(b) A student who is not meeting the school district or state requirements for satisfactory performance in English Language Arts and mathematics must be covered by one of the following plans:
1. A federally required student plan such as an individual education plan;
2. A schoolwide system of progress monitoring for all students, except a student who scores Level 4 or above on the English Language Arts and Mathematics assessments may be exempted from participation by the principal; or
3. An individualized progress monitoring plan.
(c) A student who has a substantial reading deficiency as determined in paragraph (5)(a) or a substantial mathematics deficiency as determined in paragraph (6)(a) must be covered by a federally required student plan, such as an individual education plan or an individualized progress monitoring plan, or both, as necessary. The individualized progress monitoring plan must be developed within 45 days after the results of the coordinated screening and progress monitoring system become available. The plan must, at a minimum, include:
1. The student’s specific, identified reading or mathematics skill deficiency.
2. Goals and benchmarks for student growth in reading or mathematics.
3. A description of the specific measures that will be used to evaluate and monitor the student’s reading or mathematics progress.
4. For a substantial reading deficiency, the specific evidence-based literacy instruction grounded in the science of reading which the student will receive.
5. Strategies, resources, and materials that will be provided to the student’s parent to support the student to make reading or mathematics progress.
6. Any additional services the student’s teacher deems available and appropriate to accelerate the student’s reading or mathematics skill development.
(5) READING DEFICIENCY AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION.—
(a) Any student in a Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program provided by a public school who exhibits a substantial deficiency in early literacy skills and any student in kindergarten through grade 3 who exhibits a substantial deficiency in reading or the characteristics of dyslexia based upon screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, or assessment data; statewide assessments; or teacher observations must be provided intensive, explicit, systematic, and multisensory reading interventions immediately following the identification of the reading deficiency or the characteristics of dyslexia to address his or her specific deficiency or dyslexia. For the purposes of this subsection, a Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program student is deemed to exhibit a substantial deficiency in early literacy skills based upon the results of the midyear or final administration of the coordinated screening and progress monitoring under subsection (9).
1. The department shall provide a list of state examined and approved comprehensive reading and intervention programs. The intervention programs shall be provided in addition to the comprehensive core reading instruction that is provided to all students in the general education classroom. Dyslexia-specific interventions, as defined by rule of the State Board of Education, shall be provided to students who have the characteristics of dyslexia. The reading intervention programs must do all of the following:
a. Provide explicit, direct instruction that is systematic, sequential, and cumulative in language development, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, as applicable.
b. Provide daily targeted small group reading interventions based on student need in phonological awareness, phonics, including decoding and encoding, sight words, vocabulary, or comprehension.
c. Be implemented during regular school hours.
2. A school may not wait for a student to receive a failing grade at the end of a grading period or wait until a plan under paragraph (4)(b) is developed to identify the student as having a substantial reading deficiency and initiate intensive reading interventions. In addition, a school may not wait until an evaluation conducted pursuant to s. 1003.57 is completed to provide appropriate, evidence-based interventions for a student whose parent submits documentation from a professional licensed under chapter 490 which demonstrates that the student has been diagnosed with dyslexia. Such interventions must be initiated upon receipt of the documentation and based on the student’s specific areas of difficulty as identified by the licensed professional.
3. A student’s reading proficiency must be monitored and the intensive interventions must continue until the student demonstrates grade level proficiency in a manner determined by the district, which may include achieving a Level 3 on the statewide, standardized English Language Arts assessment. The State Board of Education shall identify by rule guidelines for determining whether a student in a Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program has a deficiency in early literacy skills or a student in kindergarten through grade 3 has a substantial deficiency in reading.
(b) A Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program student who exhibits a substantial deficiency in early literacy skills based upon the results of the administration of the midyear or final coordinated screening and progress monitoring under subsection (9) shall be referred to the local school district and may be eligible to receive instruction in early literacy skills before participating in kindergarten. A Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program student who scores below the 10th percentile on the final administration of the coordinated screening and progress monitoring under subsection (9) shall be referred to the local school district and is eligible to receive early literacy skill instructional support through a summer bridge program the summer before participating in kindergarten. The summer bridge program must meet requirements adopted by the department and shall consist of 4 hours of instruction per day for a minimum of 100 total hours. A student with an individual education plan who has been retained pursuant to paragraph (2)(g) and has demonstrated a substantial deficiency in early literacy skills must receive instruction in early literacy skills.
(c) To be promoted to grade 4, a student must score a Level 2 or higher on the statewide, standardized English Language Arts assessment required under s. 1008.22 for grade 3. If a student’s reading deficiency is not remedied by the end of grade 3, as demonstrated by scoring Level 2 or higher on the statewide, standardized assessment required under s. 1008.22 for grade 3, the student must be retained.
1(d) The parent of any student who exhibits a substantial deficiency in reading, as described in paragraph (a), must be immediately notified in writing of the following:
1. That his or her child has been identified as having a substantial deficiency in reading, including a description and explanation, in terms understandable to the parent, of the exact nature of the student’s difficulty in learning and lack of achievement in reading.
2. A description of the current services that are provided to the child.
3. A description of the proposed intensive interventions and supports that will be provided to the child that are designed to remediate the identified area of reading deficiency.
4. The student progression requirements under paragraph (2)(h) and that if the child’s reading deficiency is not remediated by the end of grade 3, the child must be retained unless he or she is exempt from mandatory retention for good cause.
5. Strategies, including multisensory strategies and programming, through a read-at-home plan the parent can use in helping his or her child succeed in reading. The read-at-home plan must provide access to the resources identified in paragraph (e).
6. That the statewide, standardized English Language Arts assessment is not the sole determiner of promotion and that additional evaluations, portfolio reviews, and assessments are available to the child to assist parents and the school district in knowing when a child is reading at or above grade level and ready for grade promotion.
7. The district’s specific criteria and policies for a portfolio as provided in subparagraph (7)(b)4. and the evidence required for a student to demonstrate mastery of Florida’s academic standards for English Language Arts. A school must immediately begin collecting evidence for a portfolio when a student in grade 3 is identified as being at risk of retention or upon the request of the parent, whichever occurs first.
8. The district’s specific criteria and policies for midyear promotion. Midyear promotion means promotion of a retained student at any time during the year of retention once the student has demonstrated ability to read at grade level.
9. Information about the student’s eligibility for the New Worlds Reading Initiative under s. 1003.485 and the New Worlds Scholarship Accounts under s. 1002.411 and information on parent training modules and other reading engagement resources available through the initiative.
After initial notification, the school shall apprise the parent at least monthly of the student’s progress in response to the intensive interventions and supports. Such communications must be in writing and must explain any additional interventions or supports that will be implemented to accelerate the student’s progress if the interventions and supports already being implemented have not resulted in improvement. Upon the request of the parent, the teacher or school administrator shall meet to discuss the student’s progress. The parent may request more frequent notification of the student’s progress, more frequent interventions or supports, and earlier implementation of the additional interventions or supports described in the initial notification.
(e) The Department of Education shall compile resources that each school district must incorporate into a read-at-home plan provided to the parent of a student who is identified as having a substantial reading deficiency pursuant to paragraph (d). The resources must be made available in an electronic format that is accessible online and must include the following:
1. Developmentally appropriate, evidence-based strategies and programming, including links to video training modules and opportunities to sign up for at-home reading tips delivered periodically via text and e-mail, which a parent can use to help improve his or her child’s literacy skills.
2. An overview of the types of assessments used to identify reading deficiencies and what those assessments measure or do not measure, the frequency with which the assessments are administered, and the requirements for interventions and supports that districts must provide to students who do not make adequate academic progress.
3. An overview of the process for initiating and conducting evaluations for exceptional education eligibility. The overview must include an explanation that a diagnosis of a medical condition alone is not sufficient to establish exceptional education eligibility but may be used to document how that condition relates to the student’s eligibility determination and may be disclosed in an eligible student’s individual education plan when necessary to inform school personnel responsible for implementing the plan.
4. Characteristics of conditions associated with learning disorders, including dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and developmental aphasia.
5. A list of resources that support informed parent involvement in decisionmaking processes for students who have difficulty in learning.
Upon the request of a parent, resources meeting the requirements of this paragraph must be provided to the parent in a hardcopy format.
(6) MATHEMATICS DEFICIENCY AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION.—
(a) Any student in a Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program provided by a public school who exhibits a substantial deficiency in early mathematics skills and any student in kindergarten through grade 4 who exhibits a substantial deficiency in mathematics or the characteristics of dyscalculia based upon screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, or assessment data; statewide assessments; or teacher observations must:
1. Immediately following the identification of the mathematics deficiency, be provided systematic and explicit mathematics instruction to address his or her specific deficiencies through either:
a. Daily targeted small group mathematics intervention based on student need; or
b. Supplemental, evidence-based mathematics interventions before or after school, or both, delivered by a highly qualified teacher of mathematics or a trained tutor.
2. The performance of a student receiving mathematics instruction under subparagraph 1. must be monitored, and instruction must be adjusted based on the student’s need.
3. The department shall provide a list of state examined and approved mathematics intervention programs, curricula, and high-quality supplemental materials that may be used to improve a student’s mathematics deficiencies. In addition, the department shall work, at a minimum, with the Florida Center for Mathematics and Science Education Research established in s. 1004.86 to disseminate information to school districts and teachers on effective evidence-based explicit mathematics instructional practices, strategies, and interventions.
4. A school may not wait for a student to receive a failing grade at the end of a grading period or wait until a plan under paragraph (4)(b) is developed to identify the student as having a substantial mathematics deficiency and initiate intensive mathematics interventions. In addition, a school may not wait until an evaluation conducted pursuant to s. 1003.57 is completed to provide appropriate, evidence-based interventions for a student whose parent submits documentation from a professional licensed under chapter 490 which demonstrates that the student has been diagnosed with dyscalculia. Such interventions must be initiated upon receipt of the documentation and based on the student’s specific areas of difficulty as identified by the licensed professional.
5. The mathematics proficiency of a student receiving additional mathematics supports must be monitored and the intensive interventions must continue until the student demonstrates grade level proficiency in a manner determined by the district, which may include achieving a Level 3 on the statewide, standardized Mathematics assessment. The State Board of Education shall identify by rule guidelines for determining whether a student in a Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program has a deficiency in early mathematics skills or a student in kindergarten through grade 4 has a substantial deficiency in mathematics.
For the purposes of this subsection, a Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program student is deemed to exhibit a substantial deficiency in mathematics skills based upon the results of the midyear or final administration of the coordinated screening and progress monitoring under subsection (9).
(b) A Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program student who exhibits a substantial deficiency in early math skills based upon the results of the administration of the midyear or final coordinated screening and progress monitoring under subsection (8) shall be referred to the local school district and may be eligible to receive intensive mathematics interventions before participating in kindergarten.
(c) The parent of a student who exhibits a substantial deficiency in mathematics, as described in paragraph (a), must be immediately notified in writing of the following:
1. That his or her child has been identified as having a substantial deficiency in mathematics, including a description and explanation, in terms understandable to the parent, of the exact nature of the student’s difficulty in learning and lack of achievement in mathematics.
2. A description of the current services that are provided to the child.
3. A description of the proposed intensive interventions and supports that will be provided to the child that are designed to remediate the identified area of mathematics deficiency.
4. Strategies, including multisensory strategies and programming, through a home-based plan the parent can use in helping his or her child succeed in mathematics. The home-based plan must provide access to the resources identified in paragraph (d).
After the initial notification, the school shall apprise the parent at least monthly of the student’s progress in response to the intensive interventions and supports. Such communications must be in writing and must explain any additional interventions or supports that will be implemented to accelerate the student’s progress if the interventions and supports already being implemented have not resulted in improvement. Upon the request of the parent, the teacher or school administrator shall meet to discuss the student’s progress. The parent may request more frequent notification of the student’s progress, more frequent interventions or supports, and earlier implementation of the additional interventions or supports described in the initial notification.
(d) The Department of Education, in collaboration with the Florida Center for Mathematics and Science Education Research established in s. 1004.86, shall compile resources that each school district must incorporate into a home-based plan provided to the parent of a student who is identified as having a substantial mathematics deficiency pursuant to paragraph (a). The resources must be made available in an electronic format that is accessible online and must include the following:
1. Developmentally appropriate, evidence-based strategies and programming, including links to video training modules and opportunities to sign up for family-guided home mathematics activities delivered periodically via text and e-mail, which a parent can use to help improve his or her child’s mathematics skills.
2. An overview of the types of assessments used to identify mathematics deficiencies and what those assessments measure or do not measure, the frequency with which the assessments are administered, and the requirements for interventions and supports that districts must provide to a student who does not make adequate academic progress.
3. An overview of the process for initiating and conducting evaluations for exceptional education eligibility. The overview must include an explanation that a diagnosis of a medical condition alone is not sufficient to establish exceptional education eligibility but may be used to document how that condition relates to the student’s eligibility determination and may be disclosed in an eligible student’s individual education plan when necessary to inform school personnel responsible for implementing the plan.
4. Characteristics of conditions associated with learning disorders, including dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and developmental aphasia.
5. A list of resources that support informed parent involvement in decisionmaking processes for a student who has difficulty in learning.
Upon the request of a parent, resources meeting the requirements of this paragraph must be provided to the parent in a hardcopy format.
(7) ELIMINATION OF SOCIAL PROMOTION.—
(a) No student may be assigned to a grade level based solely on age or other factors that constitute social promotion.
(b) The district school board may only exempt students from mandatory retention, as provided in paragraph (5)(c), for good cause. A student promoted to grade 4 with a good cause exemption shall be provided intensive reading instruction and intervention that include specialized diagnostic information and specific reading strategies to meet the needs of each student so promoted. The school district shall assist schools and teachers with the implementation of explicit, systematic, and multisensory reading instruction and intervention strategies for students promoted with a good cause exemption which research has shown to be successful in improving reading among students who have reading difficulties. Upon the request of the parent, the teacher or school administrator shall meet to discuss the student’s progress. The parent may request more frequent notification of the student’s progress, more frequent interventions or supports, and earlier implementation of the additional interventions or supports described in the initial notification. Good cause exemptions are limited to the following:
1. Limited English proficient students who have had less than 2 years of instruction in an English for Speakers of Other Languages program based on the initial date of entry into a school in the United States.
2. Students with disabilities whose individual education plan indicates that participation in the statewide assessment program is not appropriate, consistent with the requirements of s. 1008.212.
3. Students who demonstrate an acceptable level of performance on an alternative standardized reading or English Language Arts assessment approved by the State Board of Education.
4. Students who demonstrate through a student portfolio that they are performing at least at Level 2 on the statewide, standardized English Language Arts assessment.
5. Students with disabilities who take the statewide, standardized English Language Arts assessment and who have an individual education plan or a Section 504 plan that reflects that the student has received intensive instruction in reading or English Language Arts for more than 2 years but still demonstrates a deficiency and was previously retained in prekindergarten, kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2, or grade 3.
6. Students who have received intensive reading intervention for 2 or more years but still demonstrate a deficiency in reading and who were previously retained in kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2, or grade 3 for a total of 2 years. A student may not be retained more than once in grade 3.
(c) Requests for good cause exemptions for students from the mandatory retention requirement as described in subparagraphs (b)3. and 4. shall be made consistent with the following:
1. Documentation shall be submitted from the student’s teacher to the school principal that indicates that the promotion of the student is appropriate and is based upon the student’s academic record. In order to minimize paperwork requirements, such documentation shall consist only of the existing progress monitoring plan, individual educational plan, if applicable, report card, or student portfolio.
2. The school principal shall review and discuss such recommendation with the teacher and make the determination as to whether the student should be promoted or retained. If the school principal determines that the student should be promoted, the school principal shall make such recommendation in writing to the district school superintendent. The district school superintendent shall accept or reject the school principal’s recommendation in writing.
(8) SUCCESSFUL PROGRESSION FOR RETAINED THIRD GRADE STUDENTS.—
(a) Students retained under paragraph (5)(c) must be provided intensive interventions in reading to ameliorate the student’s specific reading deficiency and prepare the student for promotion to the next grade. These interventions must include:
1. Evidence-based, explicit, systematic, and multisensory reading instruction grounded in the science of reading, in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension and other strategies prescribed by the school district.
2. Participation in the school district’s summer reading camp, which must incorporate the instructional and intervention strategies under subparagraph 1. that place rigor and grade-level learning at the forefront.
3. A minimum of 90 minutes of daily, uninterrupted reading instruction incorporating the instructional and intervention strategies under subparagraph 1. This instruction may include:
a. Coordinated integration of content-rich texts in science and civic literacy within the 90-minute block.
b. Targeted small group instruction.
c. Explicit and systematic instruction with more detailed explanations, more extensive opportunities for guided practice, and more opportunities for error correction and feedback.
d. Reduced teacher-student ratios.
e. More frequent progress monitoring of the reading skills of each student throughout the school year and the adjustment of instruction according to student need.
f. Tutoring or mentoring.
g. Transition classes containing 3rd and 4th grade students.
h. Extended school day, week, or year.
i. Before school or after school, or both, supplemental evidence-based reading interventions grounded in the science of reading delivered by a teacher who is certified or endorsed in reading and is rated highly effective as determined by the teacher’s performance evaluation under s. 1012.34.
The primary instructional strategy for teaching word reading is phonics instruction for decoding and encoding. Instructional strategies may not employ the three-cueing system model of reading or visual memory as a basis for teaching word reading. Such instruction may include visual information and strategies which improve background and experiential knowledge, add context, and increase oral language and vocabulary to support comprehension, but may not be used to teach word reading.
(b) Each school district shall:
1. Provide written notification to the parent of a student who is retained under paragraph (5)(c) that his or her child has not met the achievement level required for promotion and the reasons the child is not eligible for a good cause exemption as provided in paragraph (7)(b). The notification must comply with paragraph (5)(d) and must include a description of proposed interventions and supports that will be provided to the child to remediate the identified areas of reading deficiency.
2. Implement a policy for the midyear promotion of a student retained under paragraph (5)(c) who can demonstrate that he or she is a successful and independent reader and performing at or above grade level in reading or, upon implementation of English Language Arts assessments, performing at or above grade level in English Language Arts. Tools that school districts may use in reevaluating a student retained may include subsequent assessments, alternative assessments, and portfolio reviews, in accordance with rules of the State Board of Education. Students promoted during the school year after November 1 must demonstrate achievement levels in reading equivalent to the level necessary for the beginning of grade 4. The rules adopted by the State Board of Education must include standards that provide a reasonable expectation that the student’s progress is sufficient to master appropriate grade 4 level reading skills.
3. Provide students who are retained under paragraph (5)(c), including students participating in the school district’s summer reading camp under subparagraph (a)2., with a teacher who is certified or endorsed in reading and is rated highly effective as determined by the teacher’s performance evaluation under s. 1012.34.
4. Establish at each school, when applicable, an intensive reading acceleration course for any student retained in grade 3 who was previously retained in kindergarten, grade 1, or grade 2. The intensive reading acceleration course must provide the following:
a. Uninterrupted reading instruction grounded in the science of reading for the majority of student contact time each day and opportunities to master the grade 4 state academic standards in other core subject areas through content-rich texts.
b. Explicit and systematic instruction with more detailed explanations, more extensive opportunities for guided practice, and more opportunities for error correction and feedback.
c. Targeted small group instruction.
d. Reduced teacher-student ratios.
e. The use of explicit, systematic, and multisensory reading interventions grounded in the science of reading, including intensive language, phonics, and vocabulary instruction, and use of a speech-language therapist if necessary, that have proven results in accelerating student reading achievement within the same school year.
f. A read-at-home plan.
(9) COORDINATED SCREENING AND PROGRESS MONITORING SYSTEM.—
(a) The Department of Education, in collaboration with the Office of Early Learning, shall procure and require the use of a statewide, standardized coordinated screening and progress monitoring system for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program and public schools. The system must:
1. Measure student progress in meeting the appropriate expectations in early literacy and mathematics skills and in English Language Arts and mathematics standards as required by ss. 1002.67(1)(a) and 1003.41 and identify the educational strengths and needs of students.
2. For students in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program through grade 3, measure student performance in oral language development, phonological and phonemic awareness, knowledge of print and letters, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, as applicable by grade level, and, at a minimum, provide interval level and norm-referenced data that measures equivalent levels of growth.
3. Be a valid, reliable, and developmentally appropriate computer-based direct instrument that provides screening and diagnostic capabilities for monitoring student progress; identifies students who have a substantial deficiency in reading or mathematics, including identifying students with characteristics of dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other learning disorders; and informs instruction. Any student identified by the system as having characteristics of dyslexia or dyscalculia shall undergo further screening. Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, the coordinated screening and progress monitoring system must be computer-adaptive.
4. Provide data for Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program accountability as required under s. 1002.68.
5. Provide Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program providers, school districts, schools, teachers, and parents with data and resources that enhance differentiated instruction and parent communication.
6. Provide baseline data to the department of each student’s readiness for kindergarten. The determination of kindergarten readiness must be based on the results of each student’s initial progress monitoring assessment in kindergarten. The methodology for determining a student’s readiness for kindergarten must be developed by the department and aligned to the methodology adopted pursuant to s. 1002.68(4).
7. Assess how well educational goals and curricular standards are met at the provider, school, district, and state levels and provide information to the department to aid in the development of educational programs, policies, and supports for providers, districts, and schools.
(b) Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, private Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program providers and public schools must participate in the coordinated screening and progress monitoring system pursuant to this paragraph.
1. For students in the school-year Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program through grade 2, the coordinated screening and progress monitoring system must be administered at least three times within a school year, with the first administration occurring no later than the first 30 instructional days after a student’s enrollment or the start of the school year, the second administration occurring midyear, and the third administration occurring within the last 30 days of the school year pursuant to state board rule. The state board may adopt alternate timeframes to address nontraditional school year calendars to ensure the coordinated screening and progress monitoring program is administered a minimum of three times within a year.
2. For students in the summer prekindergarten program, the coordinated screening and progress monitoring system must be administered two times, with the first administration occurring no later than the first 10 instructional days after a student’s enrollment or the start of the summer prekindergarten program, and the final administration occurring within the last 10 days of the summer prekindergarten program pursuant to state board rule.
3. For grades 3 through 10 English Language Arts and grades 3 through 8 Mathematics, the coordinated screening and progress monitoring system must be administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year pursuant to state board rule. The end-of-year administration of the coordinated screening and progress monitoring system must be a comprehensive progress monitoring assessment administered in accordance with the scheduling requirements under s. 1008.22(7)(c).
(c) To facilitate timely interventions and supports pursuant to subsection (4), the system must provide results from the first two administrations of the progress monitoring to a student’s teacher or prekindergarten instructor within 1 week and to the student’s parent within 2 weeks after the administration of the progress monitoring. Delivery of results from the comprehensive, end-of-year progress monitoring ELA assessment for grades 3 through 10 and Mathematics assessment for grades 3 through 8 must be in accordance with s. 1008.22(7)(h).
1. A student’s results from the coordinated screening and progress monitoring system must be recorded in a written, easy-to-comprehend individual student report. Each school district shall provide a parent secure access to his or her child’s individual student reports through a web-based portal as part of its student information system. Each early learning coalition shall provide parents the individual student report in a format determined by state board rule.
2. In addition to the information under subparagraph (a)5., the report must also include parent resources that explain the purpose of progress monitoring, assist the parent in interpreting progress monitoring results, and support informed parent involvement. Parent resources may include personalized video formats.
3. The department shall annually update school districts and early learning coalitions on new system features and functionality and collaboratively identify with school districts and early learning coalitions strategies for meaningfully reporting to parents results from the coordinated screening and progress monitoring system. The department shall develop ways to increase the utilization, by instructional staff and parents, of student assessment data and resources.
4. An individual student report must be provided in a printed format upon a parent’s request.
(d) Screening and progress monitoring system results, including the number of students who demonstrate characteristics of dyslexia and dyscalculia, shall be reported to the department pursuant to state board rule and maintained in the department’s Education Data Warehouse. Results must be provided to a student’s teacher and parent in a timely manner as required in s. 1008.22(7)(g).
(e) The department, in collaboration with the Office of Early Learning, shall provide training and support for effective implementation of the screening and progress monitoring system.
(10) ANNUAL REPORT.—
(a) In addition to the requirements in paragraph (5)(c), each district school board must annually report to the parent of each student the progress of the student toward achieving state and district expectations for proficiency in English Language Arts, science, social studies, and mathematics. The district school board must report to the parent the student’s results on each statewide, standardized assessment and the coordinated screening and progress monitoring system under subsection (9). The evaluation of each student’s progress must be based upon the student’s classroom work, observations, tests, district and state assessments, response to intensive interventions provided under paragraph (5)(a), and other relevant information. Progress reporting must be provided to the parent in writing in a format adopted by the district school board and must be accessible through secure, web-based options.
(b) Each district school board must annually publish on the district website the following information on the prior school year:
1. The provisions of this section relating to public school student progression and the district school board’s policies and procedures on student retention and promotion.
2. By grade, the number and percentage of all students in grades 3 through 10 performing at Levels 1 and 2 on the statewide, standardized English Language Arts assessment.
3. By grade, the number and percentage of all students retained in kindergarten through grade 10.
4. Information on the total number of students who were promoted for good cause, by each category of good cause as specified in paragraph (7)(b).
5. Any revisions to the district school board’s policies and procedures on student retention and promotion from the prior year.
History.—s. 371, ch. 2002-387; s. 8, ch. 2003-118; s. 6, ch. 2004-42; s. 6, ch. 2004-255; s. 119, ch. 2006-1; s. 42, ch. 2006-74; s. 186, ch. 2008-4; s. 9, ch. 2010-22; s. 23, ch. 2012-191; s. 34, ch. 2013-27; s. 72, ch. 2014-39; s. 22, ch. 2014-184; s. 116, ch. 2015-2; s. 9, ch. 2015-6; s. 55, ch. 2017-116; s. 15, ch. 2021-9; s. 66, ch. 2021-10; s. 11, ch. 2021-193; s. 82, ch. 2022-4; s. 13, ch. 2022-16; s. 1, ch. 2023-91; s. 15, ch. 2023-108; s. 34, ch. 2023-245; s. 85, ch. 2024-2; s. 22, ch. 2024-160; s. 8, ch. 2024-162; s. 20, ch. 2024-230.
1Note.—Section 12, ch. 2021-193, provides that “[t]he Department of Revenue is authorized, and all conditions are deemed met, to adopt emergency rules under s. 120.54(4), Florida Statutes, for the purpose of implementing provisions related to the New Worlds Reading Initiative Tax Credit created by this act. Notwithstanding any other law, emergency rules adopted under this section are effective for 6 months after adoption and may be renewed during the pendency of procedures to adopt permanent rules addressing the subject of the emergency rules.”