Bill Text: FL S1270 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Alternative High School Course Credit

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-05-07 - Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration [S1270 Detail]

Download: Florida-2011-S1270-Introduced.html

---

       Florida Senate - 2011                                    SB 1270
       
       
       
       By Senator Dean
       
       
       
       
       3-01482A-11                                           20111270__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the alternative high school course
    3         credit pilot project; amending s. 1002.375, F.S.;
    4         revising the pilot project to include up to five
    5         school districts beginning in the 2012-2013 school
    6         year; conforming dates for implementation; providing
    7         additional courses for which alternative credit may be
    8         earned and end-of-course assessments approved;
    9         providing an effective date.
   10  
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Subsections (1), (2), and (4) of section
   14  1002.375, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   15         1002.375 Alternative credit for high school courses; pilot
   16  project.—
   17         (1) The Commissioner of Education shall implement a pilot
   18  project in up to five three school districts beginning in the
   19  2012-2013 2008-2009 school year which allows school districts to
   20  award alternative course credit for students enrolled in
   21  nationally or state-recognized industry certification programs,
   22  as defined by the Agency for Workforce Innovation in accordance
   23  with the criteria described in s. 1003.492(2). The Commissioner
   24  of Education shall establish criteria for districts that
   25  participate in the pilot program. School districts interested in
   26  participating in the program must submit a letter of interest by
   27  January 1, 2012 July 15, 2008, to the Commissioner of Education
   28  identifying up to five nationally or state-recognized industry
   29  certification programs, as defined by the Agency for Workforce
   30  Innovation in accordance with the criteria described in s.
   31  1003.492(2), under which the district would like to award
   32  alternative credit for the eligible courses identified in
   33  subsection (2). The Commissioner of Education shall select up to
   34  five three participating school districts by March 1, 2012 July
   35  30, 2008. The Commissioner of Education shall submit a report to
   36  the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of
   37  the House of Representatives identifying the number of students
   38  choosing to earn alternative credit, the number of students that
   39  received alternative credit, and legislative recommendations for
   40  expanding the use of alternative credit for core academic
   41  courses required for high school graduation. The report shall be
   42  submitted by July 1, 2014 January 1, 2010.
   43         (2) For purposes of designing and implementing a successful
   44  pilot project, eligible alternative credit courses include
   45  Algebra I-A 1a, Algebra I-B 1b, Algebra I 1, Algebra II,
   46  Geometry, and Biology, Anatomy, and Physiology. Alternative
   47  credits shall be awarded for courses in which a student is not
   48  enrolled, but for which the student may earn academic credit by
   49  enrolling in another course or sequence of courses required to
   50  earn a nationally or state-recognized industry certificate, as
   51  defined by the Agency for Workforce Innovation in accordance
   52  with the criteria described in s. 1003.492(2), of which the
   53  majority of the standards-based content in the course
   54  description is consistent with the alternative credit course
   55  description approved by the Department of Education.
   56         (4) The Department of Education may approve a course as an
   57  alternative credit course pursuant to this section. In order to
   58  earn credit, each participating student must pass an end-of
   59  course assessment that measures proficiency in the Next
   60  Generation Sunshine State Standards addressed by the course. The
   61  Department of Education shall approve each end-of-course
   62  assessment and the minimum passing score for each assessment.
   63  Approved assessments shall be limited to assessments for Algebra
   64  I-A 1a, Algebra I-B 1b, Algebra I 1, Algebra II, Geometry, and
   65  Biology, Anatomy, and Physiology developed by the Florida
   66  Virtual School, or end-of-course statewide standardized
   67  assessments for these courses which may be adopted or developed
   68  by the department. The department shall approve the method of
   69  administering end-of-course assessments for alternative credit
   70  courses in each participating school district in order to ensure
   71  the validity of the assessment results.
   72         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.