Senate Bill 1220 (2020) — Education
SB 1220
Florida Bills
Florida Senate - 2020 SB 1220 By Senator Diaz 36-01326-20 20201220__ Page 1 of 8 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to education; amending s. 1004.04, 2 F.S.; requiring that the rules to establish uniform 3 core curricula for each state-approved teacher 4 preparation program include evidence-based reading 5 instructional strategies and mental health strategies 6 and support; deleting a provision allowing teacher 7 preparation programs to waive admission requirements 8 for up to 10 percent of the students admitted; 9 amending s. 1012.56, F.S.; providing that for a 10 subject requiring only a baccalaureate degree, a 11 baccalaureate degree with a major in the subject area, 12 conferred within the last 10 years, is an acceptable 13 means of demonstrating mastery of subject area 14 knowledge; amending s. 1012.79, F.S.; directing the 15 Commissioner of Education, with the advice and consent 16 of the chair of the Education Practices Commission, to 17 appoint an executive director who is exempt from 18 career service and may be removed by the commissioner; 19 specifying that the executive director will have 20 administrative duties, as determined by the 21 commissioner; making a technical change; amending s. 22 1012.586, F.S.; conforming a cross-reference; 23 providing an effective date. 24 25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 26 27
Section 1. Paragraph (
b) of subsection (2) and paragraph 28 (
b) of subsection (3) of
section 1004.04, Florida Statutes, are 29
Florida Senate - 2020 SB 1220 36-01326-20 20201220__ Page 2 of 8 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. amended to read: 30 1004.04 Public accountability and state approval for 31 teacher preparation programs.— 32
(2) UNIFORM CORE CURRICULA AND CANDIDATE ASSESSMENT.— 33 (
b) The rules to establish uniform core curricula for each 34 state-approved teacher preparation program must include, but are 35 not limited to, the following: 36 1. Candidate instruction and assessment in the Florida 37 Educator Accomplished Practices across content areas. 38 2. The use of state-adopted content standards to guide 39 curricula and instruction. 40 3.
Evidence-based Scientifically researched and evidence-41 based reading instructional strategies that improve reading 42 performance for all students, including explicit, systematic, 43 and sequential approaches to teaching phonemic awareness, 44 phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text comprehension and 45 multisensory intervention strategies. 46 4. Content literacy and mathematics practices. 47 5. Strategies appropriate for the instruction of English 48 language learners. 49 6. Strategies appropriate for the instruction of students 50 with disabilities. 51 7.
Strategies to differentiate instruction based on student 52 needs. 53 8. The use of character-based classroom management. 54 9. Mental health strategies and support. 55
(3) INITIAL STATE PROGRAM APPROVAL.— 56 (
b) Each teacher preparation program approved by the 57 Department of Education, as provided for by this section, shall 58
Florida Senate - 2020 SB 1220 36-01326-20 20201220__ Page 3 of 8 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. require students, at a minimum, to meet, at a minimum, the 59 following as prerequisites for admission into the program: 60 1.
Have a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 61 scale for the general education component of undergraduate 62 studies or have completed the requirements for a baccalaureate 63 degree with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale 64 from any college or university accredited by a regional 65 accrediting association as defined by State Board of Education 66 rule or any college or university otherwise approved pursuant to 67 State Board of Education rule. 68 2.
Demonstrate mastery of general knowledge sufficient for 69 entry into the program, including the ability to read, write, 70 and perform in mathematics, by passing the General Knowledge 71 Test of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination or, for a 72 graduate level program, obtain a baccalaureate degree from an 73 institution that is accredited or approved pursuant to the rules 74 of the State Board of Education. 75 76 Each teacher preparation program may waive these admissions 77 requirements for up to 10 percent of the students admitted. 78 Programs shall implement strategies to ensure that students 79 admitted under a waiver receive assistance to demonstrate 80 competencies to successfully meet requirements for certification 81 and shall annually report to the Department of Education the 82 status of each candidate admitted under such a waiver. 83
Section 2. Subsection (5) of
section 1012.56, Florida 84 Statutes, is amended to read: 85 1012.56 Educator certification requirements.— 86
(5) MASTERY OF SUBJECT AREA KNOWLEDGE.—Acceptable means of 87
Florida Senate - 2020 SB 1220 36-01326-20 20201220__ Page 4 of 8 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. demonstrating mastery of subject area knowledge are: 88 (
a) For a subject requiring only a baccalaureate degree, a 89 baccalaureate degree with a major in the subject area, conferred 90 within the last 10 years from an accredited or approved 91 institution as defined in rule 6A-4.003, Florida Administrative 92 Code; 93 (b)(
a) For a subject requiring only a baccalaureate degree 94 for which a Florida subject area examination has been developed, 95 achievement of a passing score on the Florida-developed subject 96 area examination specified in state board rule; 97 (c)(
b) For a subject for which a Florida subject area 98 examination has not been developed, achievement of a passing 99 score on a standardized examination specified in state board 100 rule, including, but not limited to, passing scores on both the 101 oral proficiency and written proficiency examinations 102 administered by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign 103 Languages; 104 (d)(
c) For a subject for which a Florida subject area 105 examination has not been developed or a standardized examination 106 has not been specified in state board rule, completion of the 107 subject area specialization requirements specified in state 108 board rule and verification of the attainment of the essential 109 subject matter competencies by the district school 110 superintendent of the employing school district or chief 111 administrative officer of the employing state-supported or 112 private school; 113 (e)(
d) For a subject requiring a master’s or higher degree, 114 completion of the subject area specialization requirements 115 specified in state board rule and achievement of a passing score 116
Florida Senate - 2020 SB 1220 36-01326-20 20201220__ Page 5 of 8 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. on the Florida-developed subject area examination or a 117 standardized examination specified in state board rule; 118 (f)(
e) Documentation of a valid professional standard 119 teaching certificate issued by another state; 120 (g)(
f) Documentation of a valid certificate issued by the 121 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or a national 122 educator credentialing board approved by the State Board of 123 Education; 124 (h)(
g) Documentation of successful completion of a United 125 States Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center 126 program; or 127 (i)(
h) Documentation of a passing score on the Defense 128 Language Proficiency Test (DLPT). 129 130 School districts are encouraged to provide mechanisms for middle 131 grades teachers holding only a K-6 teaching certificate to 132 obtain a subject area coverage for middle grades through 133 postsecondary coursework or district add-on certification. 134
Section 3. Subsections (5), (6), and (9) of
section 135 1012.79, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 136 1012.79 Education Practices Commission; organization.— 137
(5) The Commissioner of Education, with the advice and 138 consent of the commission chair, is responsible for appointing, 139 and may remove, commission, by a vote of three-fourths of the 140 membership, shall employ an executive director, who shall be 141 exempt from career service. The executive director shall have 142 administrative duties, as determined by the Commissioner of 143 Education. The executive director may not impact or influence 144 decisions of the commission. The executive director may be 145
Florida Senate - 2020 SB 1220 36-01326-20 20201220__ Page 6 of 8 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. dismissed by a majority vote of the membership. 146 (6)(
a) The commission shall be assigned to the Department 147 of Education for administrative and fiscal accountability 148 purposes. The commission, in the performance of its powers and 149 duties, shall not be subject to control, supervision, or 150 direction by the Department of Education. 151 (
b) The property, personnel, and appropriations related to 152 the specified authority, powers, duties, and responsibilities of 153 the commission shall be provided to the commission by the 154 Department of Education. 155
(9) The commission shall make such expenditures as may be 156 necessary in exercising its authority and powers and carrying 157 out its duties and responsibilities, including expenditures for 158 personal services, legal services general counsel or access to 159 counsel, and rent at the seat of government and elsewhere; for 160 books of reference, periodicals, furniture, equipment, and 161 supplies; and for printing and binding. The expenditures of the 162 commission shall be subject to the powers and duties of the 163 Department of Financial Services as provided in s. 17.03. 164
Section 4. Subsection (1) of
section 1012.586, Florida 165 Statutes, is amended to read: 166 1012.586 Additions or changes to certificates; duplicate 167 certificates.—A school district may process via a Department of 168 Education website certificates for the following applications of 169 public school employees: 170
(1) Addition of a subject coverage or endorsement to a 171 valid Florida certificate on the basis of the completion of the 172 appropriate subject area testing requirements of s. 173 1012.56(5)(
b) s. 1012.56(5)(
a) or the completion of the 174
Florida Senate - 2020 SB 1220 36-01326-20 20201220__ Page 7 of 8 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. requirements of an approved school district program or the 175 inservice components for an endorsement. 176 (
a) To reduce duplication, the department may recommend the 177 consolidation of endorsement areas and requirements to the State 178 Board of Education. 179 (
b) By July 1, 2018, and at least once every 5 years 180 thereafter, the department shall conduct a review of existing 181 subject coverage or endorsement requirements in the elementary, 182 reading, and exceptional student educational areas. The review 183 must include reciprocity requirements for out-of-state 184 certificates and requirements for demonstrating competency in 185 the reading instruction professional development topics listed 186 in s. 1012.98(4)(b)11.
The review must also consider the award 187 of an endorsement to an individual who holds a certificate 188 issued by an internationally recognized organization that 189 establishes standards for providing evidence-based interventions 190 to struggling readers or who completes a postsecondary program 191 that is accredited by such organization. Any such certificate or 192 program must require an individual who completes the certificate 193 or program to demonstrate competence in reading intervention 194 strategies through clinical experience.
At the conclusion of 195 each review, the department shall recommend to the state board 196 changes to the subject coverage or endorsement requirements 197 based upon any identified instruction or intervention strategies 198 proven to improve student reading performance. This paragraph 199 does not authorize the state board to establish any new 200 certification subject coverage. 201 202 The employing school district shall charge the employee a fee 203
Florida Senate - 2020 SB 1220 36-01326-20 20201220__ Page 8 of 8 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. not to exceed the amount charged by the Department of Education 204 for such services. Each district school board shall retain a 205 portion of the fee as defined in the rules of the State Board of 206 Education. The portion sent to the department shall be used for 207 maintenance of the technology system, the web application, and 208 posting and mailing of the certificate. 209