Current through Reg. 50, No. 187; September 24, 2024
(1) Probation. A provider remains on
probation until it meets the minimum rate adopted by the Office as satisfactory
under Section 1002.69(6),
F.S. An early learning coalition or school district, as applicable, shall place
on first year probation any Voluntary Prekindergarten Education (VPK) provider
which fails to meet the minimum kindergarten readiness rate for a program type
(school-year or summer) adopted by the Office of Early Learning as satisfactory
under Section 1002.69(6),
F.S, and require such provider to submit and implement an approved improvement
plan designed to improve the provider's kindergarten readiness rate. An
improvement plan shall include:
(a) Use of
Approved Curriculum or Staff Development Plan. A VPK provider on probation must
select either an approved curriculum from the list of approved curricula for
providers on probation on the Office's website per Rule
6M-8.604, F.A.C., or a staff
development plan available from the Office of Early Learning per Rule
6M-8.605, F.A.C., as a target
area in its improvement plan. An early learning coalition or school district,
as applicable, shall require a VPK provider on probation to use an approved
curriculum or staff development plan in accordance with Section
1002.67(4)(c),
F.S. The Office's website is:
http://www.floridaearlylearning.com/providers/provider_resources/vpk_curriculum.aspx.
(b) Additional Target Areas. A VPK provider
on probation must select a minimum of one of the following additional areas in
its improvement plan:
1. Administrative and
management practices, including training, educational level, and retention of
prekindergarten instructors;
2.
Classroom learning environment;
3.
Child developmental screenings and assessments;
4. Social-emotional interactions among
prekindergarten instructors and students;
5. Students' ability to make age appropriate
progress in the development of language and cognitive capabilities and
emotional, social, regulatory and moral capacities;
6. Percentage of students attending seventy
(70%) percent or more of the instructional hours offered by the VPK provider;
or
7. Family involvement in the
early childhood program.
(c) Strategies for Improvement. A description
of strategies for improvement of the provider's VPK program which includes the
following and, at the discretion of the provider, any other additional areas:
1. A list of target areas for the VPK
provider's improvement identified under paragraphs (1)(a) and (b) and any
additional areas a provider deems important to its improvement;
2. A list of specific actions already taken,
and proposed to be taken, by the VPK provider for improvement of target areas;
and,
3. An implementation schedule
or timeline for the VPK provider to implement the proposed
actions.
(2)
Submission and Approval of Improvement Plan.
(a) A VPK provider on probation must submit
its improvement plan electronically through the website https://vpk.fldoe.org/.
The provider must have an approved improvement plan in place for at least 30
days prior to receiving an advance payment and for at least 30 days prior to
offering VPK instruction for the program type for which the provider must
submit an improvement plan, as applicable. A VPK provider on probation may
submit an improvement plan any time after the Office posts the final readiness
rates.
(b) An early learning
coalition or school district, as applicable, shall approve a VPK provider's
improvement plan within 14 days following receipt of the improvement plan if
the plan is submitted with a list of target areas and specific actions for
improvement as described in this rule.
(c) If the improvement plan does not address
the criteria established in paragraphs (1)(a)-(c), the early learning coalition
or school district, as applicable, shall disapprove the improvement plan with
suggestions for revision. The VPK provider on probation shall submit an amended
improvement plan within 14 days following the receipt of notification of
disapproval of its improvement plan with suggestions for revision. The early
learning coalition or school district, as applicable, shall offer to work with
the VPK provider on probation to revise the initial disapproved improvement
plan to address the criteria in paragraphs (1)(a)-(c).
(3) Prior to offering the VPK program, a
provider on probation must demonstrate that it is implementing its improvement
plan by using an approved curriculum or a staff development plan in accordance
with Section 1002.67(4)(c),
F.S., including all program materials and professional development elements
associated with the approved curriculum or staff development plan, and by
submitting the following to the early learning coalition or school district, as
applicable.
(a) For use of an approved
curriculum:
1. A receipt or invoice
demonstrating that the VPK provider has purchased an approved curriculum and
has scheduled instructor trainings developed by the curriculum publisher on use
of the curriculum; or
2. An
acknowledgement that the VPK provider has received the complete approved
curriculum through a donation and has scheduled instructor trainings developed
by the curriculum publisher on use of the curriculum.
(b) For use of a staff development plan:
1. Copy of Department of Children and
Families (DCF) transcripts evidencing successful training completion for VPK
staff consistent with the staff development plan in accordance with Section
1002.67(4)(c),
F.S; and,
2. An acknowledgement
that the VPK provider has implemented its staff development
plan.
(4) On
Form OEL-VPK 05A (January 2016), Provider Acknowledgement, the provider must
acknowledge being placed on probation and that if the provider remains on
probation for two (2) consecutive years or more and subsequently fails to meet
the minimum readiness rate, the provider will be required to apply for a good
cause exemption. The provider must complete the acknowledgement within
twenty-one (21) days of the posting of the final VPK readiness rates by the
Office of Early Learning on the VPK readiness rate website,
http://vpk.fldoe.org. Form OEL-VPK 05A (January 2016) is hereby incorporated by
reference. A copy of the form may be obtained as provided in Rule
6M-8.900, F.A.C. or at
https://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-06524.
Rulemaking Authority
1001.213,
1002.79 FS. Law Implemented
1002.67(4)(c),
1002.75(3)(a)-(b)
FS.
New 3-26-13, Amended 2-2-15,
6-23-16.
