July 6, 2020

2020-EO-06: Further Guidance for
Closing Achievement Gaps and
Creating Safe Spaces for Learning
1

 Framing the Next Steps
 We recognize that districts and
schools are working through
challenging questions of optimizing
learning, educational equity,
showing compassion and grace for
students and families with health
concerns, and supporting Florida’s
economic recovery.
2

 Framing the Next Steps
 Typically, education quality and funding is
validated through a mix of inputs like
attendance and learning outcomes.
 Recognizing that many of you are considering
options to support students and families with
health concerns, we must implement a
pathway for adherence to these essential state
laws without sacrificing quality, equity and
opportunity for all students.

3

 Applicability
 Districts and schools that wish to consider
innovative alternatives to supporting their
students’ and families’ unique needs – during this
temporary state of emergency – will need to
submit a plan.
 Districts and schools that wish to open as usual do
NOT need to submit a plan.
 This is temporary for Fall 2020.

4

 Necessity
 Structure to ensure equity in opportunity for:
 Medically vulnerable students;
 Students with disabilities;
 English language learners;
 Migrant students;
 Low-income students;
 Struggling students who represent achievement gaps.
 Ensure controls for quality, students’ direct access to their
teachers and peer-to-peer learning.
 Ensure financial accountability.
 Ensure financial stability for schools and education
professionals.
5

 Summary of the Commissioner’s
Public K-12 Framework
Format
 Live synchronous or asynchronous education
 Ability to interact with teacher and peers
Content
 Same curriculum and instructional hours whether in-person or at
home
 Must address equity for all types of learners: low-income, ESE, ELL and
struggling students
 Must have a focus on narrowing achievement gaps
Progress
 Must maintain automated attendance records by day and hours of
instruction
 Must have a system for monitoring daily engagements in every class
 Conduct progress monitoring
 Provide these results to FDOE
6

 I. Reopening Requirements
a. All schools open
b. Full panoply of services
c. Progress monitoring
d. Students with Disabilities and
English Language Learners
e. Equitable school flexibility
(traditional public, public charter and
private)
7

 Ia. All Schools Open
 All school boards and charter school
governing boards must open brick and
mortar schools in August at least five days
per week for all students, subject to advice
and orders of the Florida Department of
Health, local departments of health,
Executive Order 20-149 and subsequent
executive orders.

8

 Ib. Full Panoply of Services
 School districts and charter school governing boards
must provide the full array of services that are
required by law so that families who wish to educate
their children in a brick and mortar school have the
opportunity to do so.
 These services include in-person instruction (barring
a local health directive to the contrary), specialized
instruction, and services for students with IEPs or
live synchronous or asynchronous instruction with
the same curriculum as in-person instruction and the
ability to interact with a student’s teacher and peers
as approved by the Commissioner of Education.
9

 Ic. Progress Monitoring
 Robust progress monitoring must be extended to all
students in the same district or public charter school;
tiered support must be provided to all students who
are not making adequate progress. Students who are
receiving instruction through innovative teaching
methods must be provided additional support and the
opportunity to transition to another teaching method
if they fail to make adequate progress.
 Progress monitoring data must be shared regularly
with the Department, to help ensure that resources
are rapidly deployed to support students who are
failing to make adequate progress.
10

 Id. Students with Disabilities
 Students with IEPs must be given the services
necessary to ensure they experience a free and
appropriate education. School districts must
immediately begin working with IEP teams to identify
students who may have regressed during school
closures. School districts must ensure that IEP teams
determine needed services, including compensatory
services. IEP teams must follow a student-centered
approach with a commitment to ensure that the
individual needs of each child are met.

11

 Id. English Language Learners
(ELLs)
 If ELLs’ English reading, writing, listening or speaking
skills have regressed during school closures, school
districts should convene an ELL Committee meeting
with appropriate staff and parents to determine if
additional or supplemental English for Speakers of
Other Languages (ESOL) services are needed.
Although ELL Committee meetings may take place
virtually or on-site, school districts should ensure that
appropriate identification of English skills has been
noted and that schools have the resources to
implement additional interventions and strategies.
12

 Ie. Equitable School Flexibility
 School districts must extend the same flexibility in
instructional methods to every charter school that
submits a reopening plan to the sponsoring district
addressing the requirements set forth in this Order.
Charter schools with an approved reopening plan are
authorized to exercise this flexibility provided in this
Order.
 Either a school district or a charter school governing
board may request assistance from the Department to
resolve any disputes over a sponsor’s approval of a
charter school’s reopening plan.
13

 II. Reopening Plans
a.
b.
c.

School districts must submit a reopening
plan that satisfies the requirements of this
Order to the Department.
Charter school governing boards must
submit a reopening plan to the sponsoring
district.
Private schools that accept scholarship
students must submit a reopening plan to
the Department.

Plan format and the review and approval process
will be established by the Department.
14

 Review and Approval Factors
 The Department will consider factors,
including but not limited to, the percentage
of students in the district who are
projected to learn through live synchronous
or asynchronous instruction, and the
quality of proposed progress monitoring
data and efforts to close achievement gaps.

15

 III. Reporting Flexibility and
Financial Continuity
School districts and charter school governing
boards with an approved reopening plan will
receive reporting flexibility that is designed to
provide financial continuity for the 2020 fall
semester.
a. Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP)
funding
b. Full-time Equivalent (FTE) credit
c. October survey and instructional hours
16

 IIIa. FEFP Funding
 School boards and charter school governing
boards will receive the General
Appropriations Act (GAA) funding based on
pre-COVID-19 FTE student membership
forecasts. Rule 6A-1.0452, Florida
Administrative Code, is waived to the
extent that the Department will not reduce
the distribution of funds based on the July
and October 2020 student surveys.
17

 IIIb. FTE Credit for Innovative
Learning Environments
 Although it is anticipated that most students will return to
full-time brick and mortar schools, some parents will
continue their child’s education through innovative learning
environments, often due to the medical vulnerability of the
child or another family member who resides in the same
household.
 As described in this Order, school boards and charter school
governing boards with an approved reopening plan are
authorized to report approved innovative learning students
for full FTE credit.
 However, students receiving virtual education will continue
to receive FTE credit as provided in s. 1011.61(1)(c)1.b.(III)(IV), F.S.

18

 IIIc. October Survey and
Instructional Hours
 The October survey will record students receiving
instruction through traditional as well as innovative
learning environments. The Department will provide
modified instructions for the October survey that will
authorize the reporting of instruction through
traditional and innovative learning environments.
 Sections 1011.61(1)(a) and 1003.23(1), F.S., and Rules
6A-1.0451 and 6A-1.0014, F.A.C., are waived to provide
school districts and charter school governing boards
with additional flexibility in recording and reporting
student attendance and instructional hours, based on
guidance from the Department consistent with this
Order.
19

 IV. Private Schools that
Accept Scholarship Students
 Nonpublic private schools that accept scholarship
students may also be deemed by the Commissioner,
based on the requirements in sections Ia. and Ib. and
by providing progress monitoring data at the conclusion
of the 2020 fall semester for scholarship students to
the Department, to satisfy the requirements for each
student to maintain direct student contact with
teachers under s. 1002.421, F.S., and "actual school
instruction days" for purposes of satisfying the daily
and hourly instructional time as set forth in Rule 6A1.09512, F.A.C., for students participating in scholarship
programs.
20

  

 

Questions?