The Foundation for Florida’s Future Responds to the Passage of House Bill 1361

“We’re pleased to see the House pass HB 1361, which will unlock new opportunities to support students and teachers.

“By expanding access to learning supports, including tutoring, and expanding credentialing programs to equip teachers with essential skills, Florida continues to strive toward education excellence, ensuring every student can read and do math on grade level.

“We are particularly excited about the inclusion of a new grant program to provide districts with access to safe and secure artificial intelligence-enabled education platforms. These resources provide professional learning support for teachers and personalized tutoring for students. Florida is wisely leveraging AI technology in a responsible way to help educators and students.

“We applaud the leadership of Speaker Paul Renner, Education and Workforce Committee Chair Ralph Massulo and the bill’s sponsor, Rep. John Temple.”

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House Bill 1361:

• Expands access to the New Worlds Scholarship to include students enrolled in a Voluntary Prekindergarten Program who exhibit substantial deficiencies in literacy or math skills, based on the student’s progress monitoring assessment results.
• Designates the University of Florida Lastinger Center for Learning as the administrator of the New Worlds Reading Initiative and codifies new duties for the Center, including developing programs to improve student outcomes in early learning, literacy and math.
• Establishes a tutoring program to be administered by a scholarship funding organization for students in kindergarten through fifth grade who have a substantial deficiency in reading or math.
• Establishes a grant program for personalized tutoring for students in grades 6 through 12 and professional learning for teachers, provided by artificial intelligence platforms.

* The Senate passed a companion bill, SB 7038, out of committee this week.

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