Implementation of Florida's System of School Improvement and Accountability  

  • State Board of Education

    RULE NO.: RULE TITLE:

    6A-1.09981 Implementation of Florida’s System of School Improvement and Accountability.

    NOTICE OF CHANGE

    Notice is hereby given that the following amendments have been made to the proposed rule in accordance with subparagraph 120.54(3)(d)1., F.S., published in Vol. 32, No. 3, of the January 20, 2006, issue of the Florida Administrative Weekly. The Amendments contained herein result from additional considerations by the Department of Education and State Board of Education. Please note that language shown as struck through in the notice of proposed rulemaking as published on January 20, 2006, does not appear in the following text. Language shown as underlined in the initial notice appears in the following text without underlining. The changes being hereby noticed are indicated by striking through deleted language and underlining added language.

    The amendment to Rule 6A-1.09981 is amended to read:

    Subsection (3), paragraph (5)(a), (6)(c), and (7)(a) through (d), and subsection (8) of Rule 6A-1.09981 are amended to read:

    6A-1.09981 Implementation of Florida’s System of School Improvement and Accountability.

    (1) through (2) no change.

    (3) Reporting Student Achievement Data for School Accountability. Student achievement data shall be reported for all students in a school as specified by Section 1008.22, Florida Statutes. Each year reports of achievement data for all students shall be prepared for each school, the district, and the state. For the purpose of assigning school performance grades, each school’s aggregate achievement data shall be based on:

    (a) The scores of all students enrolled in standard curriculum courses including the scores of students who are speech impaired, gifted, hospital homebound, and Limited English Proficient (LEP) students who have been in an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program for more than two (2) years.

    (b) All students, regardless of disability or limited English proficiency classification, with valid FCAT assessment scores in reading in both the current year and the previous year are included in paragraphs (6)(d)(e), and (f), and (g) of this rule, regarding the determination of student learning gains, of this rule. In addition, the inclusion of these students will be applied to subparagraph (1)(a)4., regarding the percent tested.

    (c) In addition, only the scores of those students who are enrolled in the second period and the third period full-time equivalent student membership survey as specified in Rule 6A-1.0451, F.A.C., shall be included.

    (d) The Commissioner is authorized to designate a single school performance grade for schools that serve multiple levels: elementary and/or middle and/or high school grade levels.

    (e) The Commissioner will issue guidelines regarding which school types shall receive school performance grades. The accountability contact person, as specified in paragraph (9) of this rule, is responsible for verifying that each school is appropriately classified by type before the issuance of school grades. The Commissioner shall periodically review the criteria for including students in the calculation of School Performance Grades, including students in alternative and Department of Juvenile Justice facilities.

    (4) No change.

    (5) Criteria for Designating School Performance Grades. School performance grades shall be designated in the summer of each year and shall be based on a combination of the following three components, as specified in Section 1008.34(3), Florida Statutes:

    (a) Student achievement scores, aggregated for each school, which indicate the percent of eligible students who score at or above FCAT Achievement Level 3 in reading and math and the percent of students who score “3.5" or higher on the FCAT writing assessment;

    (b) through (c) No change.

    (6) Procedures for Calculating School Performance Grades. The overall Performance Grade of A, B, C, D or F for school years 2001-2002 and thereafter, as designated in Section 1008.34(2), Florida Statutes, shall be based on the sum of the following six (6) school grade point elements:

    (a) One (1) point for each percent of students who score at or above FCAT Achievement Level 3 in reading;

    (b) One (1) point for each percent of students who score at or above FCAT Achievement Level 3 in mathematics;

    (c) One (1) point for each percent of students who score 3.5" or higher on the FCAT writing assessment;

    (d) through (f) No change.

    (7) School Performance Grading Scale. The School Performance Grade shall be based on the sum of the six (6) grade point elements as defined in paragraphs (6)(a) through (f) of this rule and shall be scaled to reflect school performance, learning gains and improvement of the lowest twenty-five (25) percent beginning with the 2001-2002 school year, as required by Section 1008.34(1), Florida Statutes. In addition to the requirements in subsection (5) of this rule for minimum percent of students tested, the following scale shall be applied:

    (a) At least 410 school grade points shall be required for a School Performance Grade of A.

    (b) At least 380 school grade points shall be required for a School Performance Grade of B.

    (c) At least 320 school grade points shall be required for a School Performance Grade of C.

    (d) At least 280 school grade points shall be required for a School Performance Grade of D.

    (e) If a school accumulates fewer than 280 school grade points, it shall be assigned a School Performance Grade of F.

    (8) Planned System Enhancements. As indicated in this subsection, planned enhancements will occur in Floridas System of School Improvement and Accountability. The Commissioner of Education will periodically recommend additional changes to the system to the State Board of Education as necessary to ensure that continuous improvements are made in the educational programs of the state.

    (a) The points earned for writing defined in paragraph (6)(c) of this rule will be based on the percent of students who score “4.0" or higher on the FCAT writing assessment for School Performance Grades determined in 2006-07 and beyond.

    (a)(c) Science will be added as an additional category of performance beginning in 2006-07. For this category of achievement, schools will earn one (1) point for each percent of students who score at or above Achievement Level 3, proficient, as will be recommended by committees of educators and approved by the State Board of Education during 2005-06.

    (b) Math lowest twenty-five (25) percent will be added as an additional category of performance beginning in 2006-07. For this category of achievement, one (1) point for each percent of students in the lowest twenty-five (25) percent in reading in the school as defined in paragraph (5)(c) of this rule who make learning gains as defined in paragraph (5)(b) of this rule.

    1. Schools designated as Performance Grade “C” or above shall be required to demonstrate that adequate progress in mathematics, defined as annual learning gains in paragraph (5)(b) of this rule, has been made by the lowest twenty-five (25) percent of students in the school who scored at or below FCAT Achievement Level 3, based on their previous year’s FCAT score. The minimum requirement for adequate progress is deemed to be met when at least fifty (50) percent of such students make learning gains as defined in paragraph (5)(b) of this rule. If the minimum requirement for adequate progress in mathematics among the lowest twenty-five (25) percent of students in the school is not met, the School Advisory Council shall amend its School Improvement Plan to include a component for improving learning gains of the lowest performing students. If a school otherwise designated as Performance Grade “B” or “C” does not make adequate progress, demonstrate learning gains for at least half of the lowest performing students, in a least one (1) of two (2) consecutive years, the final Performance Grade designation shall be reduced by one (1) letter grade. No school shall be designated as Performance Grade “A” unless the adequate progress criterion in mathematics, learning gains for at least half of the lowest performing students, is met each year.

    2. In the event that a school does not have at least thirty (30) students in the lowest twenty-five (25) percent in mathematics as defined in paragraph (8)(b) of this rule, the lowest performing thirty (30) students at or below proficiency, defined as FCAT Achievement Levels 1, 2, and 3, will be used. In the event there are still not thirty (30) qualified students in the lowest achieving group, the grade point element defined in paragraph (6)(e) of this rule shall be substituted for the grade point element defined in paragraph (8)(b) of this rule.

    (c) School Performance Grading Scale. The School Performance Grade shall be based on the sum of the eight (8) grade point elements as defined in paragraphs (6)(a) through (f) and (8)(a) and (b) of this rule as required by Section 1008.34(1), Florida Statutes, and shall be scaled to reflect school performance, learning gains and improvement of the lowest twenty-five (25) percent beginning with the 2006-2007 school year. In addition to the requirements in subsection (5) of this rule for minimum percent of students tested, the following scale shall be applied:

    1. At least 525 school grade points shall be required for a School Performance Grade of A.

    2. At least 495 school grade points shall be required for a School Performance Grade of B.

    3. At least 435 school grade points shall be required for a School Performance Grade of C.

    4. At least 395 school grade points shall be required for a School Performance Grade of D.

    5. If a school accumulates fewer than 395 school grade points, it shall be assigned a School Performance Grade of F.

    (d) High schools will be eligible for ten (10) bonus points added to their total school grade points accumulated through the eight (8) components if at least half of the 11th and 12th grade students in the school retaking the grade 10 FCAT meet the graduation requirement. At least fifty (50) percent of students retaking the grade 10 reading and fifty (50) percent of the students retaking grade 10 math must meet the graduation requirement for a school to receive the ten (10) bonus points.

    (9) through (15) No change.

    Specific Authority 1001.02 FS., 1008.22 FS., 1008.33 FS., 1008.345 FS. Law Implemented 1000.03 FS., 1001.42 FS., 1003.63 FS., 1008.33 FS., 1008.34 FS., 1008.345 FS., 1008.36 FS. HistoryNew 10-11-93, Amended 12-19-95, 3-3-97, 1-24-99, 2-2-00, 2-11-02, 12-23-03,