Bill > H1159

Introduced Session

An act relating to education; authorizing a parent or guardian to request that his or her K-5 student be retained in a grade level for academic reasons for a specified school year; requiring that such a request be submitted in a specified manner; requiring school principals to consider such requests if they are timely received; authorizing school principals to consider requests that are not timely received; requiring a school principal who considers a request for retention to inform the student's teachers of the request and collaboratively discuss with the parent or guardian any basis for agreement or disagreement with the request; requiring such discussion to disclose that retention may impact the student's eligibility to participate in high school interscholastic or intrascholastic sports; authorizing the principal, teachers, and parent or guardian to collaborate to develop a customized 1-year education plan for the student in lieu of retaining the student; requiring a parent's or guardian's decision regarding retention to control; requiring a parent or guardian to sign a form provided by the principal indicating the parent or guardian's decision and acknowledging the academic and athletic ramifications of their decision; requiring hb1159-03-er ENROLLED , Engrossed 1 2021 Legislature such form to be retained in the student's record; requiring the individual education plan (IEP) team for a retained student to review and revise the student's IEP, as appropriate; requiring school districts to report certain data to the department by a specified date; amending s. 1004.04, F.S.; amending s. 1012.34, F.S.; requiring the Commissioner of Education to provide learning growth data calculated in accordance with a certain formula to each school district by a specified date each year; requiring additional specified strategies to be included in rules establishing uniform core curricula for each state- approved teacher preparation program; requiring that certain teacher preparation programs require students to demonstrate mastery of general knowledge by passing the General Knowledge Test of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination by the time of graduation; deleting a provision authorizing a teacher preparation program to waive certain admissions requirements for up to 10 percent of admitted students; amending s. 1004.85, F.S.; expanding the instruction that an educator preparation institute may provide to include instruction and professional development for part-time and full-time nondegreed teachers of career programs; requiring additional specified strategies be hb1159-03-er ENROLLED , Engrossed 1 2021 Legislature demonstrated before approval; amending s. 1012.39, F.S.; revising the minimum qualifications for part- time and full-time nondegreed teachers of career programs; amending s. 1012.56, F.S.; revising the acceptable means of demonstrating mastery of general knowledge to include documentation of receipt of a master's or higher degree from certain postsecondary institutions; revising the criteria for the Department of Education to issue a professional certificate; amending s. 1012.575, F.S.; expanding the entities authorized to design alternative teacher preparation programs; amending s. 1012.986, F.S.; defining the term "educational leader"; providing that the William Cecil Golden Professional Development Program for School Leaders must consist of a network of specified entities; revising the goals of the program; requiring the department to also offer program components through university or educational leadership academies and through educational leadership coaching and mentoring; making technical changes; providing an effective date.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Demi Busatta Cabrera (R)*,  Stan McClain (R), 

Other Sponsors (1)

Chapter No. 2021-228; companion bill(s) passed, see CS/HB 7011 (Ch. 2021-9), CS/CS/SB 1028 (Ch. 2021-35) (on 07/06/2021)

Official Document