DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
State Board of EducationRULE NO.: RULE TITLE:
6A-1.09981: Implementation of Florida's System of School Improvement and AccountabilityNOTICE OF CHANGE
Notice is hereby given that the following changes have been made to the proposed rule in accordance with subparagraph 120.54(3)(d)1., F.S., published in Vol. 38, No. 5, February 3, 2012 issue of the Florida Administrative Weekly.
Sub-subparagraph (1)(a)1. b. and d. ; subparagraph (1)(a)3. and 5.; paragraph (2)(a); subparagraph (3)(a)1. and 2.; sub-subparagraphs (4)(a)2.e and g; subparagraph (4)(b)6.; sub-subparagraphs (4)(c)1. d. and e.; and paragraph (6)(e) are amended to read:
6A-1.09981 Implementation of Florida’s System of School Improvement and Accountability.
(1) No change.
(a) No change.
1. School grades shall be based on a combination of:
a. No change.
b. Annual student learning gains as measured by FCAT 2.0 Reading and Mathematics (including Algebra 1 and Geometry EOC) and Florida Alternate Assessment assessments in applicable grades; and
c. No change.
d. For high schools, when data for the elements described in paragraph (4)(c) of this rule is available to meet the cell size requirements for the elements described in paragraph (4)(c) of this rule, for ten (10) or more students, the accountability system will also include graduation rates as measured by the federal uniform graduation rate according to 34 CFR § 200.19, which rate calculation is incorporated herein by reference, a five-year federal uniform rate, modified to include special diploma graduates, an at-risk graduation rate, participation and performance in accelerated mechanisms, and college readiness as measured by the SAT, ACT, CPT, and Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (P.E.R.T.), or other common placement tests authorized under Rule 6A-10.0315, F.A.C., which is incorporated by reference herein.
2. No change.
3. Reading Performance Threshold. Beginning in the 2012-13 school year, a school that would otherwise qualify for a school grade of “D” or higher must have at least twenty-five (25) percent of their students’ scoring at or above Achievement Acheivement Level 3 on FCAT 2.0 Reading. A school that does not meet this requirements will have its grade reduced by one letter grade.
4. No change.
5. Adequate Progress Requirement for At-Risk Students for a High School Grade. A high school that would otherwise earn a grade of “A” must meet an additional requirement for adequate progress of at-risk students in order to be assigned a grade of “A” rather than one (1) letter grade lower (“B”). For such schools, the federal uniform graduation rate for academically at-risk students, according to 34 CFR § 200.19(b) as described in sub-subparagraph (4)(c)1.a. of this rule, must meet one or more of the following criteria to satisfy this requirement:
a. through c. No change.
(2) No change.
(a) The reading and mathematics assessment (FCAT, FCAT 2.0, statewide EOC assessment, and FAA) scores of all students, except English language learners (ELLs) who have been enrolled in school in the United States for less than one (1) year. Achievement data for Science and Writing (and, when available, Civics and U.S. History) will be based on scores on the FCAT, FCAT 2.0, FAA, and statewide EOC assessments for all students except English language learners (ELLs) who have been enrolled in school in the United States for less than one (1) year.
(b) through (c) No change.
(3) School Grades. The measure of school accountability shall be the school grade.
(a) The Commissioner is authorized to designate a school grade for each school that:
1. Has at least thirty (30) eligible students with valid FCAT 2.0 or Florida Alternate Assessment assessment scores in reading in both the current and the previous years, and
2. Has at least thirty (30) eligible students with valid FCAT 2.0 or EOC or Florida Alternate Assessment assessment scores in mathematics in the current and previous years, if the school is an accountability school type other than a high school. High schools must have at least ten (10) eligible students with valid Algebra 1 EOC or Florida Alternate Assessment assessment scores and beginning in 2012-13, at least ten (10) eligible students with valid Geometry 1 EOC assessment scores in mathematics in the current and previous years in order to receive a school grade. Performance designations shall be made using school grades A, B, C, D, and F, as specified in Section 1008.34(2), F.S. School grades shall be based on the assessments and criteria as specified in subsection (4) of this rule.
(b) through (c) No change.
(4) Criteria for Designating School Grades. School grades shall be based on a combination of the following components:
(a) Components that apply to all school types:
1. through d. No change.
e. Learning gains for students with disabilities who have maintained the same FAA Performance Level below Performance Level 4 are established for students if their current-year score increases relative to their prior-year score by five (5) or more points more than the statewide standard error of the difference of the two scores.
f. No change.
3. No change.
g. Additional learning gains weighting is established for students who score at levels 1 and 2 on FCAT or levels 1, 2, and 3 on FAA and improve their scores by more than the minimum required to make a learning gain as described in sub-subparagraphs (4)(a)2.c. or e. Students whose score increases by 33% more than the required learning gain will be weighted as 1.1 in the numerator of the learning gains calculation.
(b) Additional components that apply to middle schools:
1. through 5. No change.
6. The school grading measures and requirements described in subparagraphs (4)(b)2., 3., and 5. of this rule shall be applied to middle schools for which there are at least ten (10) students included in the denominator of each component. For middle schools in which there are fewer than ten (10) students in the denominator of any one of these components, the school grade shall be determined using the components described in paragraph (4)(a) of this rule and shall not include any of the components described in subparagraphs (4)(b)2., 3., and 5. of this rule.
(c) Additional components that apply to high schools:
1. No change.
a. through c. No change.
d. Performance in accelerated coursework, defined as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), dual enrollment, Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), and industry certification courses. Performance shall be calculated for the school by dividing the weighted number of grade 9-12 students with successful completions in accelerated coursework (numerator) by the count of all students in grades 9 through 12 who took an accelerated course or subject area examination during the academic year. For AP, IB, and AICE successful completion is defined as earning a passing score and qualifying for credit for specific postsecondary course(s) as determined by the Articulation Coordinating Committee’s Credit by Exam Equivalencies list, initially adopted November 14, 2001 2011, with subsection revisions in 2010-2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference and may be obtained at http://www.fldoe.org/articulation/pdf/ACC-CBE.pdf. For dual enrollment successful completion is defined as a passing grade of “C” or higher in a dual enrollment course for college credit. For industry certification successful completion is defined as passing an industry certification examination on the Industry Certification Funding List adopted in Rule 6A-6.0573, F.A.C. Schools can earn additional successful completions for students who achieve industry certifications listed on the (Gold Standard Career Pathways Articulation Agreement that result in credit for more than one (1) college course), which is incorporated by reference herein and can be accessed at: http:// www.fldoe.org/workforce/dwdframe/aeticindcert2aas.asp that result in credit for more than one (1) college course through statewide articulation agreements. Those agreements can be accessed at http://www.fldoe.org/workforce/ dwdframe/artic_frame.asp. Weighting of counts for students with successful completions. For each student identified as having successfully completed accelerated coursework, the weighted count that is assigned to the student is established at 1.0 for a student with one successful completion in accelerated coursework and is increased incrementally by 0.1 for each additional successful completion credited to the student. The weighted counts for all successful completers are summed to produce the numerator described in sub-subparagraph (4)(c)1.d. of this rule.
e. Postsecondary readiness. This measure consists of two separate components, one for reading and one for mathematics. For each subject area component, postsecondary readiness shall be calculated by dividing the count of on-time (within 4 years) high school graduates scoring “college ready” on the SAT, ACT, the Common Placement Test (CPT), or the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (P.E.R.T), or any college placement test authorized under Rule 6A-10.0315, F.A.C., at any time during their high school careers by the count of all on-time high school graduates in the federal uniform graduation rate. Readiness cutoff scores by subject area on the ACT, SAT, CPT, and P.E.R.T., and other authorized common placement tests are established in Rule 6A-10.0315, F.A.C. For students who have taken multiple tests among the ACT, SAT, CPT, and P.E.R.T., and other authorized common placement tests, the student’s highest score by subtest shall be used to determine postsecondary readiness for the applicable subject area component.
f. No change.
2. No change.
(5) No change.
(6) School Grading Scale. The school grading scale shall be determined separately for elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and combination schools with graduating seniors.
(a) through (d) No change.
(e) If the 2011-12 school grade preliminarily calculated for a school based on the points earned in paragraph (5) and the grade scale in paragraph (6) is more than one (1) letter grade below the school’s grade in 2010-11, the points assigned based on subparagraphs (5)(a)1., 2., and 3. shall be adjusted such that the school’s letter grade for the 2011-2012 school year is reduced by no more than one (1) letter grade. The difference between 2011-12 points earned and the points necessary to receive a one (1) letter grade reduction will be allocated evenly across the components in subparagraphs (5)(a)1., 2., and 3. in order to ensure that a school’s grade is based upon the components of student achievement, learning gains and the improvement of the lowest 25th percentile as set forth in Section 1008.34, F.S. This adjustment shall be limited to the 2011-12 year. Any points added to a school’s grade as described in this paragraph shall not be used for any purpose when determining school grades in the school years subsequent to 2011-2012.
(7) through (9) No change.
Rulemaking Authority 1001.02, 1008.22, 1008.34, 1008.345 FS. Law Implemented 1008.22, 1008.34, 1008.345, 1008.36 FS. History–New 10-11-93, Amended 12-19-95, 3-3-97, 1-24-99, 2-2-00, 2-11-02, 12-23-03, 5-15-06, 6-19-08, 11-26-08, 11-12-09, 6-21-11,________.
