(1)(a) The department shall develop and adopt performance standards for students in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. The performance standards must address the age-appropriate progress of students in the development of:1. The capabilities, capacities, and skills required under s. 1(b), Art. IX of the State Constitution;
2. Emergent literacy skills grounded in the science of reading, including oral communication, knowledge of print and letters, phonemic and phonological awareness, vocabulary and comprehension development, and foundational background knowledge designed to correlate with the content that students will encounter in grades K-12; and
3. Mathematical thinking and early math skills.