FL H0587

District school boards are authorized to create year-round school programs for any school within their district that ranks among the 300 lowest-performing schools in the state, as determined by the Department of Education.

School districts with one or more of the 300 lowest-performing elementary schools must provide either an additional hour of instruction beyond the normal school day for each day of the entire school year, or an equivalent number of hours in a summer program or year-round school program for intensive reading instruction.

Intensive reading instruction must be provided by teachers or reading specialists who have demonstrated effectiveness in teaching reading, or by a K-5 mentoring reading program supervised by an effective reading teacher.

Categorical funds for supplemental academic instruction are allocated to districts with low-performing elementary schools based on per-student funding levels and total full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment in those schools.

The act takes effect July 1, 2018.