Bill Text: FL S0624 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Career-themed Courses

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-12-11 - Withdrawn prior to introduction [S0624 Detail]

Download: Florida-2024-S0624-Introduced.html

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       Florida Senate - 2024                                     SB 624
       
       
        
       By Senator Simon
       
       
       
       
       
       3-00956-24                                             2024624__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to career-themed courses; amending s.
    3         1003.493, F.S.; revising the number of career-themed
    4         courses that must be offered by a school district;
    5         requiring at least two career-themed courses to meet
    6         certain requirements; amending s. 1008.34, F.S.;
    7         revising the number of clock hours required for a
    8         certain component used to determine a school’s grade;
    9         providing an effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section
   14  1003.493, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   15         1003.493 Career and professional academies and career
   16  themed courses.—
   17         (1)
   18         (b) A “career-themed course” is a course, or a course in a
   19  series of courses, that leads to an industry certification
   20  identified in the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List
   21  pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of Education.
   22  Career-themed courses have industry-specific curriculum aligned
   23  directly to priority workforce needs established by the local
   24  workforce development board or the Department of Economic
   25  Opportunity. School districts shall offer at least four two
   26  career-themed courses, and each secondary school is encouraged
   27  to offer at least one career-themed course. At least one career
   28  themed course offered by a school district must be aligned with
   29  a regional demand occupation field as identified by the school
   30  district’s respective regional demand occupation list published
   31  by CareerSource Florida, Inc. At least one career-themed course
   32  offered by a school district must be in one of the following
   33  areas: agriculture, construction or trades, early childhood
   34  education, health care, or hospitality. The Florida Virtual
   35  School is encouraged to develop and offer rigorous career-themed
   36  courses as appropriate. Students completing a career-themed
   37  course must be provided opportunities to earn postsecondary
   38  credit if the credit for the career-themed course can be
   39  articulated to a postsecondary institution approved to operate
   40  in this the state.
   41         Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section
   42  1008.34, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   43         1008.34 School grading system; school report cards;
   44  district grade.—
   45         (3) DESIGNATION OF SCHOOL GRADES.—
   46         (b)1. A school’s grade shall be based on the following
   47  components, each worth 100 points:
   48         a. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide,
   49  standardized assessments in English Language Arts under s.
   50  1008.22(3).
   51         b. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide,
   52  standardized assessments in mathematics under s. 1008.22(3).
   53         c. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide,
   54  standardized assessments in science under s. 1008.22(3).
   55         d. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide,
   56  standardized assessments in social studies under s. 1008.22(3).
   57         e. The percentage of eligible students who make Learning
   58  Gains in English Language Arts as measured by statewide,
   59  standardized assessments administered under s. 1008.22(3).
   60         f. The percentage of eligible students who make Learning
   61  Gains in mathematics as measured by statewide, standardized
   62  assessments administered under s. 1008.22(3).
   63         g. The percentage of eligible students in the lowest 25
   64  percent in English Language Arts, as identified by prior year
   65  performance on statewide, standardized assessments, who make
   66  Learning Gains as measured by statewide, standardized English
   67  Language Arts assessments administered under s. 1008.22(3).
   68         h. The percentage of eligible students in the lowest 25
   69  percent in mathematics, as identified by prior year performance
   70  on statewide, standardized assessments, who make Learning Gains
   71  as measured by statewide, standardized Mathematics assessments
   72  administered under s. 1008.22(3).
   73         i. For schools comprised of middle grades 6 through 8 or
   74  grades 7 and 8, the percentage of eligible students passing high
   75  school level statewide, standardized end-of-course assessments
   76  or attaining national industry certifications identified in the
   77  CAPE Industry Certification Funding List pursuant to state board
   78  rule.
   79         j. Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, for schools
   80  comprised of grade levels that include grade 3, the percentage
   81  of eligible students who score an achievement level 3 or higher
   82  on the grade 3 statewide, standardized English Language Arts
   83  assessment administered under s. 1008.22(3).
   84  
   85  In calculating Learning Gains for the components listed in sub
   86  subparagraphs e.-h., the State Board of Education shall require
   87  that learning growth toward achievement levels 3, 4, and 5 is
   88  demonstrated by students who scored below each of those levels
   89  in the prior year. In calculating the components in sub
   90  subparagraphs a.-d., the state board shall include the
   91  performance of English language learners only if they have been
   92  enrolled in a school in the United States for more than 2 years.
   93         2. For a school comprised of grades 9, 10, 11, and 12, or
   94  grades 10, 11, and 12, the school’s grade shall also be based on
   95  the following components, each worth 100 points:
   96         a. The 4-year high school graduation rate of the school as
   97  defined by state board rule.
   98         b. The percentage of students who were eligible to earn
   99  college and career credit through an assessment identified
  100  pursuant to s. 1007.27(2), College Board Advanced Placement
  101  examinations, International Baccalaureate examinations, dual
  102  enrollment courses, including career dual enrollment courses
  103  resulting in the completion of 150 300 or more clock hours
  104  during high school which are approved by the state board as
  105  meeting the requirements of s. 1007.271, or Advanced
  106  International Certificate of Education examinations; who, at any
  107  time during high school, earned national industry certification
  108  identified in the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List,
  109  pursuant to rules adopted by the state board; or who earned an
  110  Armed Services Qualification Test score that falls within
  111  Category II or higher on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude
  112  Battery and earned a minimum of two credits in Junior Reserve
  113  Officers’ Training Corps courses from the same branch of the
  114  United States Armed Forces.
  115         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.