The State Board of Education is soliciting feedback on the proposed amendment to Rule 6A-1.09422, F.A.C., which will address assessment graduation requirements for students who have been enrolled in an English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program for less than two years. In compliance with s. 1003.433(3)(b), F.S., as amended during the 2021 Legislative Session, this proposed rule amendment will provide guidance for selecting alternative methods available for students who have been enrolled in an ESOL program for less than two years to meet the grade 10 English Language Arts (ELA) assessment graduation requirement

Please use the survey below to record your comments and recommendations regarding the proposed amendment. Your input will be summarized with others received and provided to the Commissioner of Education and the State Board of Education for further consideration.

We appreciate you taking the time to complete this survey. If you have any questions or concerns regarding these questions or the development of this rule, please contact the Office of Assessment at Assessment@fldoe.org.

Statutory Reference

The statutory language being implemented is provided below to use as a reference when providing feedback on the proposed amendment.
 
1003.433 Learning opportunities for out-of-state and out-of-country transfer students and students needing additional instruction to meet high school graduation requirements.—

(3) Students who have been enrolled in an ESOL program for less than 2 school years and have met all requirements for the standard high school diploma except for passage of any must-pass assessment under s. 1003.4282 or s. 1008.22 or alternate assessment may:

(a) Receive immersion English language instruction during the summer following their senior year. Students receiving such instruction are eligible to take the required assessment or alternate assessment and receive a standard high school diploma upon passage of the required assessment or alternate assessment. This paragraph shall be implemented to the extent funding is provided in the General Appropriations Act.

(b) Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, meet the requirement to pass the statewide, standardized grade 10 English Language Arts assessment by satisfactorily demonstrating grade-level expectations on formative assessments, in accordance with state board rule.
Proposed Rule Language

The proposed Rule language to be added to Rule 6A-1.09422, F.A.C., is below.

6A-1.09422 Statewide, Standardized Assessment Program Requirements.

(1) through (11) No change.

(12) Pursuant to s. 1003.433(3), F.S., students who have been enrolled in an English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program for less than 2 school years and have met all requirements for the standard high school diploma except for passage of any assessment required for graduation as specified by ss. 1003.4282 or 1008.22, F.S., or alternate assessment is eligible for a standard high school diploma if the student:

(a)   Passes  the required assessment or alternate assessment after having received immersion English Language instruction during the summer following the student’s senior year; or .

(b)  Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, meets the requirement to pass the statewide, standardized grade 10 ELA assessment by satisfactorily demonstrating grade-level expectations on a formative assessment that generates a score or metric which can be interpreted as a measure of grade 10 level achievement in ELA.

(c) Formative assessments that may be used for this purpose are:

1. Benchmark assessments included as part of an instructional materials adoption;

2. Portfolios of independently-produced student work; and

3. Assessments developed or purchased by districts in order to monitor academic progress,

(d) A portfolio used to meet the requirements of this subsection must meet the following criteria:

1. Be selected by the student’s teacher;

2. Be an accurate picture of the student’s ability and only include student work that has been independently produced in the classroom;

3. Include evidence that the standards assessed by the grade 10 statewide, standardized assessment in English Language Arts have been met., and such evidence may include chapter or unit tests from the district’s/school’s adopted core reading curriculum that are aligned with the Language Arts content standards, or teacher-prepared assessments;

4. Be an organized collection of evidence of the student’s mastery of the Language Arts content standards that are assessed by the grade 10 statewide, standardized assessment in English Language Arts; and

5. Be signed by the teacher and the principal as an accurate assessment of the required skills.

(e) By October 1st of each year, districts must report to the Department of Education the formative assessments they are using for this purpose and the score or metric that is used on the assessment to demonstrate that grade-level expectations have been met. 

Question Title

* Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, students who have been enrolled in an ESOL program for less than two years and have met all requirements for the standard high school diploma except for passage of the grade 10 ELA assessment graduation requirement specified by ss. 1003.4282 or 1008.22, F.S., or alternate assessment, may meet the requirements to pass the assessment by demonstrating grade-level expectations on formative assessments, in accordance with state board rule. The proposed rule language outlines what types of formative assessments may be used. Do you agree that the proposed amendment meets the expectations outlined in s. 1003.433(3)(b), F.S.?

Question Title

* Please provide any additional comments or concerns you may have below.

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