Language in a bill that would have allowed public school districts to buy curriculum developed by the Florida Department of Education has been amended after statewide pushback.
Under an earlier version of a 40-page education bill in the Florida Senate, S.B. 7036 would have allowed districts to use curriculum developed by or in conjunction with the Florida Department of Education.
Last week, education advocates pushed back saying it could open the doors for the state to write its own version of Texas's controversial Bluebonnet curriculum, which uses the Bible to teach math and English language arts.
That curriculum was developed by the Texas Education Agency and has had to correct some 4,200 errors.
As a result of these concerns, Florida State Republican Sen. Corey Simon said that that language has been stricken from the bill.
"With that I think it's a really good bill," said Simon. "I think it will help us strengthen our education system. As always, I ask for your favorable support."
With this change, textbook publishers in the state will remain the primary authors of curriculum in K-12 schools. The wide-ranging education bill is now in the Rules committee.
Simon said other language stricken from the bill would have required schools throughout Florida to change certain types of door locks to be in compliance with new standards.
Language still in the bill would, among other things, make it easier for school boards in Florida to declare an educational emergency for low-performing schools, allow private and public schools to buy and keep EpiPens on campuses, and would update the screening for dyslexia and other learning disabilities to align with more up-to-date educational theory.
Here's what else the bill would do according to the legislative write-up:
Expands district and school operational authority to:
- Expand the circumstances under which a district school board may declare an educational emergency by adding "persistently low-performing schools" as an additional trigger for existing personnel and compensation strategies.
- Clarify that a school district's existing authority to reserve or withhold a portion of Title I funds for allowable districtwide education services includes STEM curricula, instructional materials, and related learning technologies supporting academic achievement in Title I schools, subject to federal allocation requirements.
- Revise charter school renewal and dismissal provisions by clarifying that "exemplary academic programming" for purposes of eligibility for a 15-year renewal may include performance measured by school improvement ratings and by prohibiting academic performance-based dismissal while a charter school is implementing a required improvement plan or corrective action plan.
- Updates student carry, self-administration, and school supply provisions for epinephrine to apply to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved epinephrine delivery devices, rather than limiting the statutes to auto-injectors.
Modifies early learning programs and modifies specified student and provider eligibility provisions to:
- Remove expired, program-year-specific provisions from Voluntary Prekindergarten accountability statutes.
- Refine Gold Seal Quality Care eligibility and termination by limiting which class I violations are disqualifying or terminable to those for which the provider is the primary cause, removing a discretionary exception process, and retaining a two-year reinstatement standard.
- Expand eligibility for supplemental instruction in the VPK summer bridge program by increasing the performance threshold from the 10th percentile to the 25th percentile.
Expands instruction standards, courses, and programs from kindergarten through adult education by:
- Expanding required elementary instruction in the principles of agriculture and directs the Department of Education (DOE), in collaboration with partner agencies and entities, to develop standards, curriculum supports, training, and related resources.
- Establishing a statewide framework for applied, career-relevant mathematics by creating "applied algebra" courses aligned to career clusters and requiring the DOE workgroup to identify and report corresponding mathematics pathways on specified timelines.
- Expanding flexibility in the Graduation Alternative to Traditional Education (GATE) program by authorizing certain online-provider agreements, adjusting age eligibility, and clarifying that adult secondary and career coursework need not be taken simultaneously.
- Expanding eligibility for institutions to receive startup grants to implement the GATE Program.
Provides educators with additional preparation and certificate options by:
- Revising educator preparation institute participation requirements by allowing coursework completion while a participant seeks a statement of eligibility and clarifying what that statement must reflect.
- Requiring the State Board of Education (SBE) to maintain specified computer science subject area coverages and to adopt competencies and examinations, with deadlines for the DOE recommendations and exam availability.
Modifies requirements for students in need of educational interventions to:
- Require a school district, when screening indicates characteristics of dyslexia or dyscalculia, to provide evidence-based interventions with progress monitoring; treat the indication as reasonable suspicion for exceptional student education evaluation purposes and promptly seek parental consent; and conduct screening, intervention, and evaluation activities concurrently as required by SBE rule.
- Require that parent resources included in an individualized progress monitoring plan for a student with a substantial reading deficiency include information about the student's eligibility for the New Worlds Reading Initiative.
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