Bill Text: FL S0212 | 2014 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: High School Graduation Requirements
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Failed) 2014-05-02 - Died in Appropriations [S0212 Detail]
Download: Florida-2014-S0212-Comm_Sub.html
Florida Senate - 2014 CS for SB 212 By the Committee on Education; and Senators Hukill, Sachs, Margolis, Simpson, Latvala, Bradley, Braynon, Thompson, Abruzzo, Gibson, and Garcia 581-03140-14 2014212c1 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to high school graduation 3 requirements; amending s. 1003.41, F.S.; revising the 4 requirements for the Next Generation Sunshine State 5 Standards to include standards for financial literacy; 6 amending ss. 1003.428 and 1003.4282, F.S.; revising 7 the required credits for high school graduation and a 8 standard high school diploma to include one-half 9 credit for instruction in personal financial literacy 10 and seven and one-half, rather than eight, credits in 11 electives; providing an effective date. 12 13 WHEREAS, many young people in this state graduate from high 14 school without having a basic knowledge of financial literacy 15 and money management, and 16 WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that, in light of the recent 17 economic challenges nationwide, sound financial management 18 skills are vitally important to all Floridians, particularly 19 high school students, and 20 WHEREAS, the Legislature also finds that requiring 21 educational instruction in financial literacy and money 22 management as a prerequisite to high school graduation in this 23 state will better prepare young people for adulthood by 24 providing them the requisite knowledge to achieve financial 25 stability and independence, and 26 WHEREAS, adoption of this act, which may be cited as the 27 “Personal Financial Literacy Education Act,” will make Florida 28 the sixth state in the nation to require instruction in 29 financial literacy as a prerequisite for high school graduation 30 and a standard high school diploma, NOW, THEREFORE, 31 32 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 33 34 Section 1. Paragraph (f) is added to subsection (2) of 35 section 1003.41, Florida Statutes, to read: 36 1003.41 Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.— 37 (2) Next Generation Sunshine State Standards must meet the 38 following requirements: 39 (f) Beginning with students entering grade 9 in the 2014 40 2015 school year, financial literacy standards must establish 41 specific curricular content for, at a minimum, personal 42 financial literacy and money management. Financial literacy 43 includes instruction in the areas specified in ss. 44 1003.428(2)(a)7. and 1003.4282(3)(h). 45 Section 2. Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (2) of 46 section 1003.428, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 47 1003.428 General requirements for high school graduation.— 48 (2) The 24 credits may be earned through applied, 49 integrated, and career education courses approved by the 50 Department of Education. The 24 credits shall be distributed as 51 follows: 52 (a) Sixteen core curriculum credits: 53 1. Four credits in English, with major concentration in 54 composition, reading for information, and literature. 55 2. Four credits in mathematics, one of which must be 56 Algebra I, a series of courses equivalent to Algebra I, or a 57 higher-level mathematics course. Beginning with students 58 entering grade 9 in the 2010-2011 school year, in addition to 59 the Algebra I credit requirement, one of the four credits in 60 mathematics must be geometry or a series of courses equivalent 61 to geometry as approved by the State Board of Education. 62 Beginning with students entering grade 9 in the 2010-2011 school 63 year, the end-of-course assessment requirements under s. 64 1008.22(3)(c)2.a.(I) must be met in order for a student to earn 65 the required credit in Algebra I. Beginning with students 66 entering grade 9 in the 2011-2012 school year, the end-of-course 67 assessment requirements under s. 1008.22(3)(c)2.a.(I) must be 68 met in order for a student to earn the required credit in 69 geometry. Beginning with students entering grade 9 in the 2012 70 2013 school year, in addition to the Algebra I and geometry 71 credit requirements, one of the four credits in mathematics must 72 be Algebra II or a series of courses equivalent to Algebra II as 73 approved by the State Board of Education. 74 3. Three credits in science, two of which must have a 75 laboratory component. Beginning with students entering grade 9 76 in the 2011-2012 school year, one of the three credits in 77 science must be Biology I or a series of courses equivalent to 78 Biology I as approved by the State Board of Education. Beginning 79 with students entering grade 9 in the 2011-2012 school year, the 80 end-of-course assessment requirements under s. 81 1008.22(3)(c)2.a.(II) must be met in order for a student to earn 82 the required credit in Biology I. Beginning with students 83 entering grade 9 in the 2013-2014 school year, one of the three 84 credits must be Biology I or a series of courses equivalent to 85 Biology I as approved by the State Board of Education, one 86 credit must be chemistry or physics or a series of courses 87 equivalent to chemistry or physics as approved by the State 88 Board of Education, and one credit must be an equally rigorous 89 course, as determined by the State Board of Education. 90 4. Three credits in social studies as follows: one credit 91 in United States history; one credit in world history; one-half 92 credit in economics, which shall include financial literacy; and 93 one-half credit in United States government. 94 5. One credit in fine or performing arts, speech and 95 debate, or a practical arts course that incorporates artistic 96 content and techniques of creativity, interpretation, and 97 imagination. Eligible practical arts courses shall be identified 98 through the Course Code Directory. 99 6. One credit in physical education to include integration 100 of health. Participation in an interscholastic sport at the 101 junior varsity or varsity level for two full seasons shall 102 satisfy the one-credit requirement in physical education if the 103 student passes a competency test on personal fitness with a 104 score of “C” or better. The competency test on personal fitness 105 must be developed by the Department of Education. A district 106 school board may not require that the one credit in physical 107 education be taken during the 9th grade year. Completion of one 108 semester with a grade of “C” or better in a marching band class, 109 in a physical activity class that requires participation in 110 marching band activities as an extracurricular activity, or in a 111 dance class shall satisfy one-half credit in physical education 112 or one-half credit in performing arts. This credit may not be 113 used to satisfy the personal fitness requirement or the 114 requirement for adaptive physical education under an individual 115 education plan (IEP) or 504 plan. Completion of 2 years in a 116 Reserve Officer Training Corps (R.O.T.C.) class, a significant 117 component of which is drills, shall satisfy the one-credit 118 requirement in physical education and the one-credit requirement 119 in performing arts. This credit may not be used to satisfy the 120 personal fitness requirement or the requirement for adaptive 121 physical education under an individual education plan (IEP) or 122 504 plan. 123 7. One-half credit in personal financial literacy. 124 Beginning with students entering grade 9 in the 2014-2015 school 125 year, each student shall take one-half credit in instruction 126 regarding personal financial literacy and money management. This 127 instruction must include discussion of all of the following 128 areas: 129 a. Types of bank accounts offered, opening an account, and 130 assessing the quality of a depository institution’s services. 131 b. Balancing a checkbook. 132 c. Basic principles of money management, such as spending, 133 credit, credit scores, and managing debt, including retail and 134 credit card debt. 135 d. Completing a loan application. 136 e. Receiving an inheritance and related implications. 137 f. Basic principles of personal insurance policies. 138 g. Computing federal income taxes. 139 h. Local tax assessments. 140 i. Computing interest rates by various mechanisms. 141 j. Simple contracts. 142 k. Contesting an incorrect billing statement. 143 l. Types of savings and investments. 144 m. State and federal laws concerning finance. 145 (b) Seven and one-halfEightcredits in electives, 146 beginning with students entering grade 9 in the 2014-2015 school 147 year. 148 1. For each year in which a student scores Level 1 on FCAT 149 Reading, the student must be enrolled in and complete an 150 intensive reading course the following year. Placement of Level 151 2 readers in either an intensive reading course or a content 152 area course in which reading strategies are delivered shall be 153 determined by diagnosis of reading needs. The department shall 154 provide guidance on appropriate strategies for diagnosing and 155 meeting the varying instructional needs of students reading 156 below grade level. Reading courses shall be designed and offered 157 pursuant to the comprehensive reading plan required by s. 158 1011.62(9). A high school student who scores Level 1 or Level 2 159 on FCAT Reading but who did not score below Level 3 in the 160 previous 3 years may be granted a 1-year exemption from the 161 reading remediation requirement; however, the student must have 162 an approved academic improvement plan already in place, signed 163 by the appropriate school staff and the student’s parent, for 164 the year for which the exemption is granted. 165 2. For each year in which a student scores Level 1 or Level 166 2 on FCAT Mathematics, the student must receive remediation the 167 following year. These courses may be taught through applied, 168 integrated, or combined courses and are subject to approval by 169 the department for inclusion in the Course Code Directory. 170 Section 3. Paragraphs (d) and (g) of subsection (3) of 171 section 1003.4282, Florida Statutes, are amended, and paragraph 172 (h) is added to that subsection, to read: 173 1003.4282 Requirements for a standard high school diploma.— 174 (3) STANDARD HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA; COURSE AND ASSESSMENT 175 REQUIREMENTS.— 176 (d) Three credits in social studies.—A student must earn 177 one credit in United States History; one credit in World 178 History; one-half credit in economics, which must include179financial literacy; and one-half credit in United States 180 Government. The United States History EOC assessment constitutes 181 30 percent of the student’s final course grade. 182 (g) Seven and one-halfEightcredits in electives.—Each 183 school district shallSchool districts mustdevelop and offer 184 coordinated electives so that a student may develop knowledge 185 and skills in his or her area of interest, such as electives 186 with a STEM or liberal arts focus. Such electives must include 187 opportunities for students to earn college credit, including 188 industry-certified career education programs or series of 189 career-themed courses that result in industry certification or 190 articulate into the award of college credit, or career education 191 courses for which there is a statewide or local articulation 192 agreement and which lead to college credit. 193 (h) One-half credit in personal financial literacy. 194 Beginning with students entering grade 9 in the 2014-2015 school 195 year, each student shall take one-half credit in instruction 196 regarding personal financial literacy and money management. This 197 instruction must include discussion of all of the following 198 areas: 199 1. Types of bank accounts offered, opening an account, and 200 assessing the quality of a depository institution’s services. 201 2. Balancing a checkbook. 202 3. Basic principles of money management, such as spending, 203 credit, credit scores, and managing debt, including retail and 204 credit card debt. 205 4. Completing a loan application. 206 5. Receiving an inheritance and related implications. 207 6. Basic principles of personal insurance policies. 208 7. Computing federal income taxes. 209 8. Local tax assessments. 210 9. Computing interest rates by various mechanisms. 211 10. Simple contracts. 212 11. Contesting an incorrect billing statement. 213 12. Types of savings and investments. 214 13. State and federal laws concerning finance. 215 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.