Florida HB 851: Professional Learning for Instructional and School Administrative Personnel

Bill Text

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An act relating to professional learning for 2
instructional and school administrative personnel; 3
amending s. 1012.98, F.S.; requiring certain 4
professional learning systems to provide at least one 5
autism-specific professional learning opportunity; 6
providing requirements for the professional learning; 7
providing an effective date. 8
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 10
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Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of section 12
1012.98, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 13
1012.98 School Community Professional Learning Act.— 14
(5) The Department of Education, school districts, 15
schools, Florida College System institutions, and state 16
universities share the responsibilities described in this 17
section. These responsibilities include the following: 18
(b) Each school district shall develop a professional 19
learning system as specified in subsection (4). The system shall 20
be developed in consultation with teachers, teacher-educators of 21
Florida College System institutions and state universities, 22
business and community representatives, and local education 23
foundations, consortia, and professional organizations. The 24
professional learning system must: 25

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1. Be reviewed and approved by the department for 26
compliance with s. 1003.42(3) and this section. Effective March 27
1, 2024, the department shall establish a calendar for the 28
review and approval of all professional learning systems. A 29
professional learning system must be reviewed and approved every 30
5 years. Any substantial revisions to the system must be 31
submitted to the department for review and approval. The 32
department shall establish a format for the review and approval 33
of a professional learning system. 34
2. Be based on analyses of student achievement data and 35
instructional strategies and methods that support rigorous, 36
relevant, and challenging curricula for all students. Schools 37
and districts, in developing and refining the professional 38
learning system, shall also review and monitor school discipline 39
data; school environment surveys; assessments of parental 40
satisfaction; performance appraisal data of teachers, managers, 41
and administrative personnel; and other performance indicators 42
to identify school and student needs that can be met by improved 43
professional performance. 44
3. Provide inservice activities coupled with follow-up 45
followup support appropriate to accomplish district-level and 46
school-level improvement goals and standards. The inservice 47
activities for instructional and school administrative personnel 48
shall focus on analysis of student achievement data; ongoing 49
formal and informal assessments of student achievement; 50

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identification and use of enhanced and differentiated 51
instructional strategies that emphasize rigor, relevance, and 52
reading in the content areas; enhancement of subject content 53
expertise; integrated use of classroom technology that enhances 54
teaching and learning; classroom management; parent involvement; 55
and school safety. 56
4. Provide inservice activities and support targeted to 57
the individual needs of new teachers participating in the 58
professional learning certification and education competency 59
program under s. 1012.56(8)(a). 60
5. Include a professional learning catalog for inservice 61
activities, pursuant to rules of the State Board of Education, 62
for all district employees from all fund sources. The catalog 63
must be updated annually by September 1, must be based on input 64
from teachers and district and school instructional leaders, and 65
must use the latest available student achievement data and 66
research to enhance rigor and relevance in the classroom. Each 67
district inservice catalog must be aligned to and support the 68
school-based inservice catalog and school improvement plans 69
pursuant to s. 1001.42(18). Each district inservice catalog must 70
provide a description of the training that middle grades 71
instructional personnel and school administrators receive on the 72
district's code of student conduct adopted pursuant to s. 73
1006.07; integrated digital instruction and competency-based 74
instruction and CAPE Digital Tool certificates and CAPE industry 75

ENROLLED
CS/HB 851 2026 Legislature

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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