The purpose of the amendment is to adopt procedures for the Department to calculate each Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) provider’s 2006-07 kindergarten readiness rate. These rates must be based exclusively upon the results of the statewide ...

 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
State Board of Education

RULE NO: RULE TITLE
6A-1.099821: Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rate

PURPOSE AND EFFECT: The purpose of the amendment is to adopt procedures for the Department to calculate each Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) provider’s 2006-07 kindergarten readiness rate. These rates must be based exclusively upon the results of the statewide kindergarten screening for students completing the VPK Education Program during 2006-07 and who are administered the statewide kindergarten screening during the 2007-08 school year. The effect is to implement the requirements of Section 1002.69, Florida Statutes, and continued implementation of the calculation of the kindergarten readiness rates.

SUMMARY: This rule describes the procedures for the Department of Education to use for calculating each Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) provider’s 2006-07 kindergarten readiness rate.

SUMMARY OF STATEMENT OF ESTIMATED REGULATORY COSTS: No Statement of Estimated Regulatory Cost was prepared.

Any person who wishes to provide information regarding a statement of estimated regulatory costs, or provide a proposal for a lower cost regulatory alternative must do so in writing within 21 days of this notice.

SPECIFIC AUTHORITY: 1002.73(2)(d) FS.

LAW IMPLEMENTED: 1002.69(5), (6) FS.

A HEARING WILL BE HELD AT THE DATE, TIME AND PLACE SHOWN BELOW:

DATE AND TIME: December 11, 2007, 10:00 a.m.

PLACE: Tampa Airport Marriott, Tampa, Florida

THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE IS: Shan Goff, Executive Director, Office of Early Learning, Department of Education, 325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 1524, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400, [phone]

THE FULL TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE IS:

 

6A-1.099821 Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rate.

(1) Purpose. The purpose of this rule is to implement the requirements of Section 1002.69, F.S.

(2) Kindergarten Screening. In addition to the administration of the kindergarten screening measures, adopted by the Department of Education, school districts shall also administer the Letter Naming Fluency Measure of the Indicadores Dinamicos del Exito en la Lectura (IDEL) to public school kindergarten students whose native language is Spanish and who answered “yes” to at least two (2) questions on the Home Language Survey.

(3)(2) Accuracy of Data.

(a) Prior to the calculation of the VPK Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rate, as described in subsection (4) of this rule, private and public school VPK providers shall have the opportunity to review a cumulative list of all of the children served in their program and the total number of hours enrolled, including allowable absences.

(b) If a private or public provider disputes the accuracy of any figures comprising the cumulative list, the provider may submit corrective information to the Office of Early Learning of the Department of Education within 14 days after publication of the cumulative list on the Department’s website (vpk.fldoe.org). The Department, in collaboration with the Agency for Workforce Innovation and the respective Early Learning Coalition, shall review the corrective information and accept or reject the requested corrective information within 28 days after publication of the cumulative list on the Department’s website. Upon completion of the corrective process, the Department shall calculate a preliminary VPK Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rate in accordance with the method described in subsection (4) of this rule.

(c) If a private or public school provider disputes the accuracy of the preliminary VPK Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rate as published on the Department’s website or if a private provider disputes ownership at the time of the 2006-07 VPK program, the provider may submit documentation to the Department for its review and consideration within 14 days after publication of the preliminary rate. The Department shall review and accept or reject any changes to the data within 28 days after publication. The VPK Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rate will be recalculated in accordance with the method described in subsection (4) of this rule and submitted to the State Board of Education for the purpose of adopting a minimum readiness rate, as required by Section 1002.69(6), F.S.

(4)(3) Criteria for Inclusion in the VPK Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rate for 2006-07 2005-06.

(a) After the conclusion of the review of the data described in subsection (2) of this rule, the Department shall calculate the Kindergarten Readiness Rate for each private or public school VPK provider of either the school year (five hundred forty (540) hour) or summer (three hundred (300) hour) program that served at least four (4) children who:

1. Enrolled in the VPK program for seventy (70) eighty-five (85) percent or more of the total number of instructional hours, including the allowable absences, and

2. Participated in each of the kindergarten screening measures.

(b) If a private or public school provider does not meet the criteria described above, information as to why the provider was not included in the VPK Provider Readiness Rate calculation shall be displayed on the VPK Provider Profile required by Section 1002.53(5), F.S.

(5)(4) Procedures for Calculating the VPK Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rate for 2006-07 2005-06.

(a) The “Percent of Children Ready for Kindergarten” shall be calculated as the number “Children Ready for Kindergarten” on each screening measure divided by the total number of “Children Screened” on that measure.

(b) One point is assigned for each percent of “Children Ready for Kindergarten” on each screening measure.

(c) The VPK Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rate shall be the sum of the “Percent of Children Ready for Kindergarten” on each screening measure with a maximum of three hundred (300) points.

(d) The Kindergarten Readiness Rate for private and public school VPK Providers will be displayed as follows:

 

	Screening	Screening	Screening
	Measure #1	Measure #2	Measure #3
Children Ready for Kindergarten	22	15	12
Children Screened	22	20	20
Percent of Children Ready for Kindergarten	100	75	60
VPK Provider Readiness Rate		235

 

(e) For children who also participated in the Letter Naming Fluency Measure of the Indicadores Dinamicos del Exito en la Lectura (IDEL), as described in subsection (2) of this rule, the higher of the two (2) Letter Naming Fluency Measures shall be used to calculate the “Percent of Children Ready for Kindergarten” as described in paragraph (5)(d) of this rule.

(f)(e) All providers shall be ranked according to their final score.

(6) VPK Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rates.

(a) A change in ownership of a private VPK provider, which occurred at a point in time in which less than seventy (70) percent of the VPK school-year or summer program remained, shall be noted on the Department’s website. For the purpose of this rule, a change of ownership does not include the sale or transfer to family members or persons with a pre-existing ownership interest in the business.

(b) VPK Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rates shall be binding on new private VPK owners if the change of ownership occurred at a point in time in which seventy (70) percent or more of the VPK school-year or summer program remained.

(7)(5) Low Performing VPK Providers. If the readiness rate of a private or public VPK provider falls below the minimum rate adopted by the State Board, the provider shall be designated as a low performing VPK provider and acknowledge such designation on the Department’s website within 21 days of the State Board of Education’s adoption of the minimum readiness rate.

Specific Authority 1002.73(2)(d) FS. Law Implemented 1002.69(5), (6) FS. History–New 6-3-07, Amended_________.

 

NAME OF PERSON ORIGINATING PROPOSED RULE: Shan Goff, Executive Director, Office of Early Learning, Department of Education, 325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 1524, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400, [phone]

NAME OF SUPERVISOR OR PERSON WHO APPROVED THE PROPOSED RULE: Commissioner Jeanine Blomberg

DATE PROPOSED RULE APPROVED BY AGENCY HEAD: November 1, 2007

DATE NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT PUBLISHED IN FAW: August 17, 2007