Bill Amendment: FL S7038 | 2024 | Regular Session
NOTE: For additional amemendments please see the Bill Drafting List
Bill Title: Education
Status: 2024-02-07 - Laid on Table, refer to CS/HB 1361 [S7038 Detail]
Download: Florida-2024-S7038-Senate_Committee_Amendment_912440.html
Bill Title: Education
Status: 2024-02-07 - Laid on Table, refer to CS/HB 1361 [S7038 Detail]
Download: Florida-2024-S7038-Senate_Committee_Amendment_912440.html
Florida Senate - 2024 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT Bill No. SB 7038 Ì912440qÎ912440 LEGISLATIVE ACTION Senate . House . . . . . ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Committee on Appropriations (Simon) recommended the following: 1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 2 3 Delete everything after the enacting clause 4 and insert: 5 Section 1. Present subsections (4) and (5) of section 6 1002.321, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (5) 7 and (6), respectively, a new subsection (4) is added to that 8 section, and subsection (3) of that section is amended, to read: 9 1002.321 Digital learning.— 10 (3) CUSTOMIZED AND ACCELERATED LEARNING.—The Legislature 11 finds that artificial intelligence provides opportunities to 12 customize and accelerate learning for students and reduce 13 teacher workload. A school district may receive grant funds for 14 subscription fees and professional learning to support and 15 accelerate learning for students in grades 6 through 12 during 16 the school day. Grant recipients must select an artificial 17 intelligence platform that: 18 (a) Uses large language models based on GPT-4, its 19 equivalent, or a successor, and is on a closed system. 20 (b) Provides professional learning to teachers. 21 (c) Provides one-on-one tutoring aligned to the Benchmarks 22 for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards for reading 23 and mathematics. 24 (d) Provides standards-aligned lesson plans and provides 25 insights on student progress. 26 (e) Provides district and school-level reporting and 27 parental access to artificial intelligence interactions. 28 (4) VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION.—A school district must establish 29 multiple opportunities for student participation in part-time 30 and full-time kindergarten through grade 12 virtual instruction. 31 Options include, but are not limited to: 32 (a) School district operated part-time or full-time virtual 33 instruction programs under s. 1002.45(1)(b) for kindergarten 34 through grade 12 students enrolled in the school district. A 35 full-time program shall operate under its own Master School 36 Identification Number. 37 (b) Florida Virtual School instructional services 38 authorized under s. 1002.37. 39 (c) Blended learning instruction provided by charter 40 schools authorized under s. 1002.33. 41 (d) Virtual charter school instruction authorized under s. 42 1002.33. 43 (e) Courses delivered in the traditional school setting by 44 personnel providing direct instruction through virtual 45 instruction or through blended learning courses consisting of 46 both traditional classroom and online instructional techniques 47 pursuant to s. 1003.498. 48 (f) Virtual courses offered in the course code directory to 49 students within the school district or to students in other 50 school districts throughout the state pursuant to s. 1003.498. 51 Section 2. Subsection (2), paragraph (a) of subsection (3), 52 subsections (4) and (6), and paragraphs (c) and (e) through (h) 53 of subsection (7) of section 1002.411, Florida Statutes, are 54 amended to read: 55 1002.411 New Worlds Scholarship accounts.— 56 (2) ELIGIBILITY.—Contingent upon available funds, and on a 57 first-come, first-served basis, each student who is enrolled in 58 the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program pursuant to s. 59 1002.53 or a Florida public school in kindergarten through grade 60 5 is eligible for a scholarship account if the student: 61 (a) Exhibits a substantial deficiency in early literacy 62 skills based upon the results of the most recent progress 63 monitoring administered pursuant to s. 1008.25(9), has a 64 substantial reading deficiency or exhibits characteristics of 65 dyslexia as identified under s. 1008.25(5)(a), or scored below a 66 Level 3 on the most recent statewide, standardized English 67 Language Arts (ELA) assessmentin the prior school year. An 68 eligible student who is classified as an English Language 69 Learner and is enrolled in a program or receiving services that 70 are specifically designed to meet the instructional needs of 71 English Language Learner students shall receive priority. 72 (b) Exhibits a substantial deficiency in early mathematics 73 skills based upon the results of the most recent progress 74 monitoring administered pursuant to s. 1008.25(9), has a 75 substantial deficiency in mathematics or the characteristics of 76 dyscalculia as identified under s. 1008.25(6)(a), or scored 77 below a Level 3 on the most recent statewide, standardized 78 Mathematics assessmentin the prior school year. 79 (3) PARENT AND STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES FOR PARTICIPATION.— 80 (a) For an eligible student to receive a scholarship 81 account, the student’s parent must: 82 1. Submit an application to an eligible nonprofit 83 scholarship-funding organization by the deadline established by 84 such organization; and 85 2. If available, use the administrator’s system to make 86 direct purchasesSubmit eligible expenses to the eligible87nonprofit scholarship-funding organization for reimbursementof 88 qualifying expenditures, which may include: 89 a. Instructional materials. 90 b. Curriculum. As used in this sub-subparagraph, the term 91 “curriculum” means a complete course of study for a particular 92 content area or grade level, including any required supplemental 93 materials and associated online instruction. 94 c. Tuition and fees for part-time tutoring services 95 provided by a person who holds a valid Florida educator’s 96 certificate pursuant to s. 1012.56, a person who holds a 97 baccalaureate or graduate degree in the subject area, a person 98 who holds an adjunct teaching certificate pursuant to s. 99 1012.57,ora person who has demonstrated a mastery of subject 100 area knowledge pursuant to s. 1012.56(5), a person who holds a 101 micro-credential under s. 1003.485, or, for a prekindergarten 102 student, a person who holds a credential under s. 103 1002.55(3)(c)1. or an educational credential under s. 104 1002.55(4)(a) or (b). 105 d. Fees for summer education programs designed to improve 106 reading, literacy, or mathematics skills. 107 e. Fees for after-school education programs designed to 108 improve reading, literacy, or mathematics skills. 109 110 A provider of any services receiving payments pursuant to this 111 subparagraph may not share any moneys from the scholarship with, 112 or provide a refund or rebate of any moneys from such 113 scholarship to, the parent or participating student in any 114 manner. A parent, student, or provider of any services may not 115 bill an insurance company, Medicaid, or any other agency for the 116 same services that are paid for using scholarship funds. 117 (4) ADMINISTRATORADMINISTRATION.—An eligible nonprofit 118 scholarship-funding organization as defined in s. 1002.395(2) 119 shall be the administrator andparticipating in the Florida Tax120Credit Scholarship Program established by s. 1002.395may 121 establish scholarship accounts for eligible students in 122 accordance with the requirements of eligible nonprofit 123 scholarship-funding organizations under this chapter. 124 (6) SCHOOL DISTRICT AND PRIVATE PREKINDERGARTEN PROVIDER 125 OBLIGATIONS; PARENTAL OPTIONS.— 126 (a) EachBy September 30, theschool district and private 127 prekindergarten provider shall notify the parent of each 128 eligible student of the process to request and receive a 129 scholarship, subject to available funds, when providing results 130 from the standardized coordinated screening and progress 131 monitoring pursuant to s. 1008.25(9)(c). 132 (b) A school district may not prohibit instructional 133 personnel from providing services pursuant to this section on 134 the instructional personnel’s school campus outside regular work 135 hours, subject to school district policies for safety and 136 security operations to protect students, instructional 137 personnel, and educational facilities. 138 (7) ACCOUNT FUNDING AND PAYMENT.— 139 (c) Uponnotification from the eligible nonprofit140scholarship-funding organization thata student beinghas been141 determined eligible for a scholarship, the department shall, 142 within 45 days, release the student’s scholarship funds to such 143 organization to be deposited into the student’s account. 144 (e) The eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization 145 may develop a system that permits eligible students to use 146 program funds to make direct purchases of qualifying 147 expendituresfor payment of scholarship funds by funds transfer,148including, but not limited to, debit cards, electronic payment149cards, or any other means of payment that the department deems150to be commercially viable or cost-effective. A student’s151scholarship award may not be reduced for debit card or152electronic payment fees. Commodities or services related to the 153 development of such a system shall be procured by competitive 154 solicitation unless they are purchased from a state term 155 contract pursuant to s. 287.056. 156 (f)Payment of the scholarship shall be made by the157eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization no less158frequently than on a quarterly basis.159(g)Moneys received pursuant to this section do not 160 constitute taxable income to the qualified student or his or her 161 parent. 162 (g)(h)A student’s scholarship account must be closed and 163 any remaining funds shall revert to the state after: 164 1. Denial or revocation of scholarship eligibility by the 165 commissioner for fraud or abuse, including, but not limited to, 166 the student or student’s parent accepting any payment, refund, 167 or rebate, in any manner, from a provider of any services 168 received pursuant to subsection (3); or 169 2. Three consecutive fiscal years in which an account has 170 been inactive. 171 Section 3. Paragraphs (a) and (g) of subsection (1), 172 paragraph (d) of subsection (2), subsection (3), paragraphs (f), 173 (i), and (j) of subsection (4), and paragraphs (a) and (c) of 174 subsection (6) of section 1003.485, Florida Statutes, are 175 amended to read: 176 1003.485 The New Worlds Reading Initiative.— 177 (1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 178 (a) “Administrator” means thea stateUniversity of Florida 179 Lastinger Center for Learningregistered with thedepartment180under s. 1002.395(15)(i) and designated to administerthe181initiative under paragraph (3)(a). 182 (g) “Micro-credential” means evidence-based professional 183 learningdevelopmentactivities grounded in the science of 184 reading which are competency-based, personalized, and on-demand. 185 Educators must demonstrate their competence via evidence 186 submitted and reviewed by trained evaluators. 187 (2) NEW WORLDS READING INITIATIVE; PURPOSE.—The purpose of 188 the New Worlds Reading Initiative established under the 189 department is to instill a love of reading by providing high 190 quality, free books to students in prekindergarten through grade 191 5 who are reading below grade level and to improve the literacy 192 skills of students in prekindergarten through grade 12. The New 193 Worlds Reading Initiative shall consist of: 194 (d) The New Worlds micro-credential program established 195 under this section which emphasizes strong core instruction and 196 a tiered model of reading interventions for struggling readers. 197 (3) DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBILITIES.—The department shall: 198 (a)Designate an administrator to implement the initiative199and to receive funding as provided in this section. The200administrator must have an academic innovation institution with201extensive experience in:2021.Conducting academic research in early literacy203instruction.2042. Implementing online delivery of early learning and205literacy training for educators nationally.2063. Developing online support materials that assist parents207and caregivers in developing early literacy skills.2084. Conducting fundraising and public awareness campaignsto209support the development and growth of evidence-basededucational210initiatives that support learning at home and inschools.211(b)Publish information about the initiative and tax 212 credits under subsection (5) on its website, including the 213 process for a taxpayer to select the administrator as the 214 recipient of funding through a tax credit. 215 (b)(c)Beginning September 30, 2022, andAnnually 216thereafter,report on its website the number of students 217 participating in the initiative in each school district, 218 information from the annual financial report under paragraph 219 (4)(j), and the academic achievement and learning gains, as 220 applicable, of participating students based on data provided by 221 school districts as permitted under s. 1002.22. The department 222 shall establish a date by which the administrator and each 223 school district must annually provide the data necessary to 224 complete the report. 225 (c) Provide the administrator with progress monitoring data 226 for eligible prekindergarten through grade 12 students within 30 227 days after the close of each progress monitoring period. 228 (4) ADMINISTRATOR RESPONSIBILITIES.—The administrator 229 shall: 230 (f) Provide professional learningdevelopmentand resources 231 to teachers that correlate with the books provided through the 232 initiative. 233 (i) Administer the early literacy micro-credential program 234 established under this section, which must include components on 235 content, student learning, pedagogy, and professional learning 236developmentand must build on a strong foundation of 237 scientifically researched and evidence-based reading 238 instructional and intervention programs that incorporate 239 explicit, systematic, and sequential approaches to teaching 240 phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text 241 comprehension and incorporate decodable or phonetic text 242 instructional strategies, as identified by the Just Read, 243 Florida! Office, pursuant to s. 1001.215(7). 244 1. At a minimum, the micro-credential curriculum must be 245 designed specifically for instructional personnel in 246 prekindergarten through grade 3 based upon the strategies and 247 techniques identified in s. 1002.59 and address foundational 248 literacy skills of students in grades 4 through 12. 249 2. The micro-credential must be competency based and 250 designed for eligible instructional personnel to complete the 251 credentialing process in no more than 60 hours, in an online 252 format. The micro-credential may be delivered in an in-person 253 format. Eligible instructional personnel may receive the micro 254 credential once competency is demonstrated even if it is before 255prior tothe completion of 60 hours. 256 3. The micro-credential must be available by December 31, 257 2022, at no cost, to instructional personnel as defined in s. 258 1012.01(2); prekindergarten instructors as specified in ss. 259 1002.55, 1002.61, and 1002.63; and child care personnel as 260 defined in ss. 402.302(3) and 1002.88(1)(e). 261 (j) Annually submit to the department an annual financial 262 report that includes, at a minimum, the amount of eligible 263 contributions received by the administrator; the amount spent on 264 each activity required by this subsection, including 265 administrative expenses; the number of micro-credentials and 266 reading endorsements earned; and the number of students and 267 households served under each component of the initiative, by 268 school district, including the means by which additional 269 literacy support was provided to students. 270 (6) ELIGIBILITY; NOTIFICATION; SCHOOL DISTRICT 271 OBLIGATIONS.— 272 (a) A student in prekindergarten through grade 5 must be 273 provided books through the initiative if the student is not yet 274 reading on grade level, has a substantial reading deficiency 275 identified under s. 1008.25(5)(a)or (b), has a substantial 276 deficiency in early literacy skills based upon the results of 277 the coordinated screening and progress monitoring under s. 278 1008.25(9), or scored below a Level 3 on the most recent 279preceding year’sstatewide, standardized English Language Arts 280 assessment under s. 1008.22. 281 (c) Once an eligible student is identified, the school 282 district shall coordinate with the administrator to initiate 283 book delivery on a monthly basis during the school year, which 284 must begin no later than October and continue through at least 285 June.However, for the 2021-2022 school year only, delivery may286begin no later than December 31, 2021, provided that no fewer287than 9 books are delivered to each student before book288deliveries begin for the 2022-2023 school year.289 Section 4. Section 1004.561, Florida Statutes, is created 290 to read: 291 1004.561 University of Florida Lastinger Center for 292 Learning.—There is created at the University of Florida the 293 Lastinger Center for Learning. The center shall: 294 (1) Develop and administer programs to improve student 295 achievement outcomes in early learning, literacy, and 296 mathematics. 297 (2) Provide professional learning for educators to improve 298 the quality of instruction in early learning, literacy, and 299 mathematics. Professional learning includes the development of 300 micro-credentials pursuant to s. 1003.485 and may include the 301 development of other micro-credentials that require educators to 302 demonstrate competency. Micro-credentials must be provided at 303 low or no cost and be personalized, and may be provided online 304 or in person. 305 (3) Provide technical assistance and support to school 306 districts and schools and early learning coalitions in improving 307 student achievement. 308 (4) Conduct and publish research on teaching and learning 309 in early learning, literacy, and mathematics, as well as 310 professional learning for educators. 311 (5) Administer the New Worlds Tutoring Program that 312 supports school districts and schools in improving student 313 achievement in reading and mathematics pursuant to s. 1008.366. 314 Section 5. Paragraph (d) of subsection (5), paragraph (c) 315 of subsection (6), and paragraph (c) of subsection (9) of 316 section 1008.25, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 317 1008.25 Public school student progression; student support; 318 coordinated screening and progress monitoring; reporting 319 requirements.— 320 (5) READING DEFICIENCY AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION.— 321 (d) The parent of any student who exhibits a substantial 322 deficiency in reading, as described in paragraph (a), must be 323 notified in writing of the following: 324 1. That his or her child has been identified as having a 325 substantial deficiency in reading, including a description and 326 explanation, in terms understandable to the parent, of the exact 327 nature of the student’s difficulty in learning and lack of 328 achievement in reading. 329 2. A description of the current services that are provided 330 to the child. 331 3. A description of the proposed intensive interventions 332 and supports that will be provided to the child that are 333 designed to remediate the identified area of reading deficiency. 334 4. That if the child’s reading deficiency is not remediated 335 by the end of grade 3, the child must be retained unless he or 336 she is exempt from mandatory retention for good cause. 337 5. Strategies, including multisensory strategies and 338 programming, through a read-at-home plan the parent can use in 339 helping his or her child succeed in reading. The read-at-home 340 plan must provide access to the resources identified in 341 paragraph (e)(f). 342 6. That the statewide, standardized English Language Arts 343 assessment is not the sole determiner of promotion and that 344 additional evaluations, portfolio reviews, and assessments are 345 available to the child to assist parents and the school district 346 in knowing when a child is reading at or above grade level and 347 ready for grade promotion. 348 7. The district’s specific criteria and policies for a 349 portfolio as provided in subparagraph (7)(b)4. and the evidence 350 required for a student to demonstrate mastery of Florida’s 351 academic standards for English Language Arts. A school must 352 immediately begin collecting evidence for a portfolio when a 353 student in grade 3 is identified as being at risk of retention 354 or upon the request of the parent, whichever occurs first. 355 8. The district’s specific criteria and policies for 356 midyear promotion. Midyear promotion means promotion of a 357 retained student at any time during the year of retention once 358 the student has demonstrated ability to read at grade level. 359 9. Information about the student’s eligibility for the New 360 Worlds Reading Initiative under s. 1003.485 and the New Worlds 361 Scholarship Accounts under s. 1002.411 and information on parent 362 training modules and other reading engagement resources 363 available through the initiative. 364 365 After initial notification, the school shall apprise the parent 366 at least monthly of the student’s progress in response to the 367 intensive interventions and supports. Such communications must 368 be in writing and must explain any additional interventions or 369 supports that will be implemented to accelerate the student’s 370 progress if the interventions and supports already being 371 implemented have not resulted in improvement. 372 (6) MATHEMATICS DEFICIENCY AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION.— 373 (c) The parent of a student who exhibits a substantial 374 deficiency in mathematics, as described in paragraph (a), must 375 be notified in writing of the following: 376 1. That his or her child has been identified as having a 377 substantial deficiency in mathematics, including a description 378 and explanation, in terms understandable to the parent, of the 379 exact nature of the student’s difficulty in learning and lack of 380 achievement in mathematics. 381 2. A description of the current services that are provided 382 to the child. 383 3. A description of the proposed intensive interventions 384 and supports that will be provided to the child that are 385 designed to remediate the identified area of mathematics 386 deficiency. 387 4. Strategies, including multisensory strategies and 388 programming, through a home-based plan the parent can use in 389 helping his or her child succeed in mathematics. The home-based 390 plan must provide access to the resources identified in 391 paragraph (d)(e). 392 393 After the initial notification, the school shall apprise the 394 parent at least monthly of the student’s progress in response to 395 the intensive interventions and supports. Such communications 396 must be in writing and must explain any additional interventions 397 or supports that will be implemented to accelerate the student’s 398 progress if the interventions and supports already being 399 implemented have not resulted in improvement. 400 (9) COORDINATED SCREENING AND PROGRESS MONITORING SYSTEM.— 401 (c) To facilitate timely interventions and supports 402 pursuant to subsection (4), the system must provide results from 403 the first two administrations of the progress monitoring to a 404 student’s teacher or prekindergarten instructor within 1 week 405 and to the student’s parent within 2 weeks afterofthe 406 administration of the progress monitoring. Delivery of results 407 from the comprehensive, end-of-year progress monitoring ELA 408 assessment for grades 3 through 10 and Mathematics assessment 409 for grades 3 through 8 must be in accordance with s. 410 1008.22(7)(h). 411 1. A student’s results from the coordinated screening and 412 progress monitoring system must be recorded in a written, easy 413 to-comprehend individual student report. Each school district 414 shall provide a parent secure access to his or her child’s 415 individual student reports through a web-based portal as part of 416 its student information system. Each early learning coalition 417 shall provide parents the individual student report in a format 418 determined by state board rule. 419 2. In addition to the information under subparagraph (a)5., 420 the report must also include parent resources that explain the 421 purpose of progress monitoring, assist the parent in 422 interpreting progress monitoring results, and support informed 423 parent involvement. Parent resources may include personalized 424 video formats. 425 3. The department shall annually update school districts 426 and early learning coalitions on new system features and 427 functionality and collaboratively identify with school districts 428 and early learning coalitions strategies for meaningfully 429 reporting to parents results from the coordinated screening and 430 progress monitoring system. The department shall develop ways to 431 increase the utilization, by instructional staff and parents, of 432 student assessment data and resources. 433 4. An individual student report must be provided in a 434 printed format upon a parent’s request. 435 Section 6. Section 1008.366, Florida Statutes, is created 436 to read: 437 1008.366 The New Worlds Tutoring Program.— 438 (1) The New Worlds Tutoring Program is created to support 439 school districts and schools in improving student achievement in 440 reading and mathematics by: 441 (a) Providing best practice science of reading guidelines 442 for districts in consultation with the Just Read, Florida! 443 Office. 444 (b) Providing best practice guidelines for mathematics 445 tutoring in alignment with Florida’s Benchmarks for Excellent 446 Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards for mathematics. 447 (c) Establishing minimum standards that each school 448 district must meet to participate in the program. The minimum 449 standards must address: 450 1. Appropriate group sizes for tutoring sessions. 451 2. The frequency and duration of tutoring sessions. 452 3. Minimum staffing qualifications for tutors. 453 4. The use of ongoing, informal and formal assessments to 454 target instructional interventions. 455 5. Prioritization strategies for tutoring students. 456 (d) Providing access during the school day to additional 457 literacy or mathematics support through evidence-based automated 458 literacy tutoring software that provides each student with real 459 time interventions that are based in science of reading 460 principles or mathematics instructional best practices and 461 individually tailored to the needs and ability of each student. 462 Access must be provided to students in kindergarten through 463 grade 5 enrolled in a public school who have a substantial 464 deficiency in reading or mathematics in accordance with s. 465 1008.25. The term “evidence-based” has the same meaning as in s. 466 1003.4201(6). 467 (e) Awarding grants to school districts which may be used 468 for stipends for in-person tutoring during the school day, 469 before and after school, or during a summer program. In-person 470 tutoring may be provided to, at a minimum, kindergarten through 471 grade 5 students enrolled in a public school who have a 472 substantial deficiency in reading or mathematics in accordance 473 with s. 1008.25. To identify eligible students, the department 474 shall provide the administrator with mathematics and reading 475 progress monitoring data for eligible kindergarten through grade 476 12 students within 30 days after the close of each progress 477 monitoring period. 478 (f) Providing technical assistance and professional 479 learning to school districts, including: 480 1. Advising district staff on tutoring program design and 481 intervention selection upon request. 482 2. Assisting districts in reviewing tutoring programs, 483 professional learning programs, curriculum, and resources to 484 ensure that they adhere to the science of reading or best 485 practices in mathematics. 486 3. Providing professional learning to district staff to 487 build their knowledge and skills around the science of reading 488 or best practices in mathematics. 489 (2) Annually, by July 1, the administrator of the New 490 Worlds Tutoring Program shall provide to the President of the 491 Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the 492 Commissioner of Education a report summarizing school district 493 use of program funds and student academic outcomes as a result 494 of the additional literacy or mathematics support provided under 495 this section. 496 Section 7. Subsection (5) of section 1003.01, Florida 497 Statutes, is amended to read: 498 1003.01 Definitions.—As used in this chapter, the term: 499 (5) “Core-curricula courses” means: 500 (a) Courses in language arts/reading, mathematics, social 501 studies, and science in prekindergarten through grade 3, 502 excluding extracurricular courses pursuant to subsection (11); 503 (b) Courses in grades 4 through 8 in subjects that are 504 measured by state assessment at any grade level and courses 505 required for middle school promotion, excluding extracurricular 506 courses pursuant to subsection (11); 507 (c) Courses in grades 9 through 12 in subjects that are 508 measured by state assessment at any grade level and courses that 509 are specifically identified by name in statute as required for 510 high school graduation and that are not measured by state 511 assessment, excluding extracurricular courses pursuant to 512 subsection (11); 513 (d) Exceptional student education courses; and 514 (e) English for Speakers of Other Languages courses. 515 516 The term is limited in meaning and used for the sole purpose of 517 designating classes that are subject to the maximum class size 518 requirements established in s. 1, Art. IX of the State 519 Constitution. This term does not include courses offered under 520 ss. 1002.321(4)(e)1002.321(3)(e), 1002.33(7)(a)2.c., 1002.37, 521 1002.45, and 1003.499. 522 Section 8. Subsection (2) of section 1003.499, Florida 523 Statutes, is amended to read: 524 1003.499 Florida Approved Courses and Tests (FACT) 525 Initiative.— 526 (2) FLORIDA APPROVED COURSES.—The Department of Education 527 shall annually publish online a list of providers approved to 528 offer Florida approved courses which shall be listed in the 529 online catalog pursuant to s. 1002.321(6)s. 1002.321(5). 530 (a) As used in this section, the term “Florida approved 531 courses” means online courses provided by individuals which 532 include, but are not limited to, massive open online courses or 533 remedial education associated with the courses that are measured 534 pursuant to s. 1008.22. Massive open online courses may be 535 authorized in the following subject areas: Algebra I, biology, 536 geometry, and civics. Courses may be applied toward requirements 537 for promotion or graduation in whole, in subparts, or in a 538 combination of whole and subparts. A student may not be required 539 to repeat subparts that are satisfactorily completed. 540 (b) A Florida approved course must be annually identified, 541 approved, published, and shared for consideration by interested 542 students and school districts. The Commissioner of Education 543 shall approve each Florida approved course for application in K 544 12 public schools in accordance with rules of the State Board of 545 Education. 546 Section 9. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 547 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================ 548 And the title is amended as follows: 549 Delete everything before the enacting clause 550 and insert: 551 A bill to be entitled 552 An act relating to education; amending s. 1002.321, 553 F.S.; providing legislative findings; authorizing a 554 school district to receive grant funds for specified 555 purposes; requiring grant recipients to select an 556 artificial intelligence platform that meets certain 557 requirements; amending s. 1002.411, F.S.; revising 558 eligibility requirements for a New Worlds Scholarship 559 account; requiring a parent to use the administrator’s 560 system to make direct purchases of qualifying 561 expenditures; specifying additional qualifying 562 expenditures; requiring that the administrator of a 563 New Worlds Scholarship account be an eligible 564 nonprofit scholarship-funding organization; requiring 565 each school district and prekindergarten provider to 566 notify the parent of each eligible student of the 567 process to request and receive a scholarship when 568 providing certain screening and progress monitoring 569 results; requiring eligible nonprofit scholarship 570 funding organizations to develop a system that allows 571 eligible students to make direct purchases of 572 qualifying expenditures; deleting a requirement for 573 payments to be made on a quarterly basis; amending s. 574 1003.485, F.S.; revising definitions of the terms 575 “administrator” and “micro-credential”; deleting 576 responsibilities for the Department of Education 577 relating to the New Worlds Reading Initiative; 578 requiring the department to provide the administrator 579 with progress monitoring data for certain students; 580 revising the information that the administrator must 581 include in an annual financial report; making 582 technical changes; creating s. 1004.561, F.S.; 583 creating the Lastinger Center for Learning at the 584 University of Florida; providing the duties of the 585 center; amending s. 1008.25, F.S.; making technical 586 changes; requiring that the progress monitoring system 587 provide prekindergarten instructors with certain 588 results within a specified timeframe; creating s. 589 1008.366, F.S.; creating the New Worlds Tutoring 590 Program; providing the purpose of the program; 591 providing requirements for the program; requiring the 592 administrator of the program to provide a report to 593 specified entities by a specified date annually; 594 amending ss. 1003.01 and 1003.499, F.S.; conforming 595 cross-references; providing an effective date.