Starting next school year, Florida public elementary-school students who are disappointed in their reading test results may have a new option to help raise their score.
The state Department of Education released a draft rule last week to carry out the state’s new Reading Scholarship Account program.
Students in grades three through five who score below a Level 3 (generally considered a passing score) in reading on their third- or fourth-grade Florida Standards Assessments can apply for the scholarships, worth $500, while supplies last. Lawmakers set aside $9.7 million for the program.
The law allows parents to use the accounts to pay for reading-related expenses, including part-time tutoring, curricular materials and afterschool or summer programs that emphasize reading. The law gives school districts until the end of September to let students know they are eligible for the scholarships. Students who are not native English speakers get priority.
Step Up For Students, which publishes this blog, will help administer the program.
The department’s proposed rule mainly tackles behind-the-scenes administrative issues. It also requires scholarship funding organizations like Step Up to provide quarterly reports with the following information:
1. Demographic information for each student, including name, date of birth, FLEID, English Language Learner status, grade level, gender, race, and public school district attended;
2. Program award amount for each student;
4. Information on providers of services; and,
5. Total year-to-date expenditures on behalf of participating students by purpose type.
For national observers curious about a first-of-its-kind program that will provide mini-education savings accounts to children attending public schools, that could be useful information.
