HB 1193 Summary

• Requires parents enrolling children in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program to submit their child for statewide end-of-prekindergarten screening and establishes performance standards for mathematical thinking and executive functioning skills

• Creates a new accountability system under section 1002.68 requiring private providers and public schools to implement evidence-based pre- and post-assessments and participate in program quality assessments measuring teacher-child interactions

• Establishes program scoring methodology including assessment scores, learning gains, and screening results, with minimum performance standards that providers and schools must meet or face probation and potential removal from the program

• Requires early learning coalitions and school districts to verify compliance and remove non-compliant providers or schools from eligibility for 2-5 years, with allowance for good cause exemptions under specified criteria

• Revises kindergarten readiness standards to be based on Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program performance standards, and shifts calculation of readiness rates from the Office of Early Learning to the Department of Education; effective July 1, 2019