Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Curriculum Approval Process

 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Florida’s Office of Early Learning

RULE NO.:RULE TITLE:

6M-8.604Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Curriculum Approval Process

NOTICE 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. 44 No. 95, May 15, 2018 issue of the Florida Administrative Register.

6M-8.604 Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Curriculum Approval Process

The specifications, policies and procedures for the VPK curriculum approval process are contained in the documents, Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Program: Curriculum Approval Specifications for Providers on Probation 2018 (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref- ) and Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Program: Policies and Procedures for Curriculum Approval 2018 (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-_____) which are hereby incorporated by reference in this rule. Copies of the publications may be obtained by contacting the Office of Early Learning, Department of Education, 250 Marriott Drive, Tallahassee, Florida or from the Department’s website at http://www.fldoe.org/earlylearning/. Included in Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Program: Policies and Procedures for Curriculum Approval and incorporated by reference are the following forms:  In addition, to the Curriculum Approval Specifications and the Polieics and Procedures for Curriculum Approval 2018, the following forma are incorporated by reference to become effective August 2018: VPK-Curr1, Committee Member Agreement (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-_____); VPK-Curr2, Publisher’s Intent to Submit Form (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-_____); VPK-Curr3, Publisher Registration Form (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-_____); VPK-Curr4, Publisher Agreement (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-_____). and Included in Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Program: Curriculum Approval Specifications for Providers on Probation and incorporated by reference is: VPK-Curr5, Curriculum Evaluation Form ( http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-_____).

Rulemaking Authority 1002.67, 1002.79 FS. Law Implemented 1002.67 FS. History–New 11-22-12, Formerly 6A-1.099825, Amended ______

Additional changes have been made to the following forms:

Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education: Curriculum Approval Specifications for Providers on Probation

p. 1 I. B. The last sentence of the first full paragraph shall read: The current Standards: 4 Years Old to Kindergarten were approved by the Florida State Board of Education in December 2017 (form OEL-VPK 15) for use in fall 2018 and are incorporated by reference in Rule 6M-8.602, F.A.C. and may be found at https://www.flrules.ord/gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-8828.

p. 9 A.2. Scope and Sequence—At the end of the first full paragraph the following sentence is added: The What Works Clearinghouse and IES practice guides may be utilized as a curriculum development resource.

p. 9 A.2. Scope and Sequence—The second paragraph shall read as follows: Reviewers will review the following four elements to determine if the curriculum’s scope and sequence relates fully to the skills outlined when compared to the Standards: 4 Years Old to Kindergarten and recommendations by the What Works Clearinghouse and the IES, https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/18 .

p. 10 Mathematical Thinking is revised to read as follows:

Curriculum utilized in the VPK program must align to the Standards: 4 Years Old to Kindergarten in the Domain of Mathematical Thinking, ensure that children are introduced to mathematical skills and provide significant opportunity for practicing skills and discussing mathematics in developmentally appropriate ways.

The What Works Clearinghouse sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), have worked in conjunction with a panel of experts to develop the Teaching Math to Young Children Practice Guide. This guide provides five recommendations for teaching math to young children in preschool, prekindergarten and kindergarten. Curriculum utilized in the VPK program must align to the Standards: 4 Years Old to Kindergarten in the Domain of Mathematical Thinking, ensure that children are introduced to mathematical skills and provide significant opportunity for practicing skills and discussing mathematics in developmentally appropriate ways. You may access the Teaching Math to Young Children Practice Guide at https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/18. The Teaching Math to Young Children Practice Guide may be utilized as a curriculum development resource.

Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education: Policies and Procedures for Curriculum Approval

p. 1 I. Introduction The third full paragraph, first sentence shall read: The Office of Early Learning has developed curriculum specifications that align with the Florida Early Learning and Development Standards: 4 Years Old to Kindergarten (2017) (also known as Standards: 4 Years Old to Kindergarten) for use in VPK programs beginning in fall 2018 and are incorporated by reference in rule 6M-8.602, F.A.C.