FL S7046

State research universities must enter into and maintain formal agreements with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation to offer college-sponsored merit scholarships to qualify as "preeminent" universities and to continue operating institutes for online learning.

Low-performing elementary schools (among the 300 lowest-performing) may provide required additional reading instruction hours through summer programs instead of only during the regular school day for fiscal years 2014-2015 through 2017-2018.

Schools must continue providing additional reading instruction to students with Level 1 or Level 2 reading scores even after the school is no longer classified as one of the 300 lowest-performing elementary schools.

Teacher bonuses for CAPE industry certifications are restructured: $25 for 0.1 weight certifications, $50 for 0.2 weight, $75 for 0.3 weight, and $100 for 0.5 or 1.0 weight certifications, with separate caps of $2,000 and $4,000 depending on certification weight.

Performance-based funding models are created for both the State University System and Florida College System, allocating funds based on metrics like graduation rates, employment outcomes, and student loan defaults, with institutions failing to meet minimum thresholds subject to funding withholding and improvement plans.