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. 37 No. 15, April 15, 2011 issue of the Florida Administrative Weekly.

The changes are in response to written material submitted to the agency on April 19, 2011. The changes will be presented to the State Board of Education for consideration at the May 17, 2011, meeting. The changes are as follows: the summary of the proposed rule is expanded to include an adjustment mechanism to the school grading scale; the change to the text in Subsection (8) of the proposed rule is found below.

(8) Planned System Enhancements. As indicated in this subsection, planned enhancements will occur in Florida’s System of School Improvement and Accountability. The Commissioner of Education will periodically recommend additional changes to the system to the State Board of Education as necessary to ensure that continuous improvements are made in the educational programs of the state. Beginning with the 2011-12 school year and annually thereafter, the percentage of “A” and “B” school grades for the year shall be reviewed to determine whether to adjust the school grading scale upward for the following year’s school grades. The first adjustment would occur no earlier than the 2012-13 school year. An adjustment will be made if the percentage of schools earning an “A” or “B” in the current year represents seventy-five (75) percent or more of all graded schools within a particular school type. There are four school types used for accountability: elementary, middle, high, and combination. The adjustment would reset the minimum required percentage of points for each passing grade (A, B, C, D) at the next highest percentage ending in the numeral 5 (five) or 0 (zero), whichever is closest to the current percentage. Annual reviews of the percentage of schools earning an “A” or “B” and adjustments to required points will be suspended when the following grade scale is achieved: 90 percent or more of the points for an “A”; 80 to 89 percent of the points for a “B”; 70 to 79 percent of the points for a “C”; and 60 to 69 percent of the points for a “D.”