Bill Text: FL S1314 | 2012 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Career-themed Courses
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-03-09 - Died on Calendar, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/CS/HB 7059 (Ch. [S1314 Detail]
Download: Florida-2012-S1314-Comm_Sub.html
Florida Senate - 2012 CS for SB 1314
By the Committee on Commerce and Tourism; and Senators Gaetz and
Gardiner
577-02853-12 20121314c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to career-themed courses; amending s.
3 1003.491, F.S.; revising provisions relating to the
4 Florida Career and Professional Education Act;
5 requiring that each district school board, in
6 collaboration with regional workforce boards, economic
7 development agencies, and postsecondary institutions,
8 develop a strategic 3-year plan addressing and meeting
9 local and regional workforce demands; authorizing
10 school districts to offer career-themed courses;
11 revising the requirements of the strategic 3-year plan
12 to include career-themed courses and specified
13 strategies; revising the period within which newly
14 proposed core courses are to be approved or denied by
15 the curriculum review committee; amending s. 1003.492,
16 F.S.; revising provisions relating to industry
17 certified career education programs to conform to
18 changes made by the act; amending s. 1003.493, F.S.;
19 providing a definition for the term “career-themed
20 course”; requiring that a student who enrolls in and
21 completes a career-themed course or a sequence of
22 career-themed courses receive opportunities to earn
23 postsecondary credit if the career-themed course
24 credits can be articulated to a postsecondary
25 institution; providing goals of career-themed courses;
26 providing for career-themed courses to be offered in a
27 school-within-a-school career academy or a school
28 providing multiple career-themed courses structured
29 around an occupational cluster; providing requirements
30 for career-themed courses; requiring that strategies
31 to improve the passage rate on an industry
32 certification examination be included in the strategic
33 3-year plan under certain circumstances; requiring
34 that Workforce Florida, Inc., serve in an advisory
35 role in the development and deployment of newly
36 established career-themed courses; amending s.
37 1003.4935, F.S.; revising provisions relating to
38 middle school career and professional academy courses
39 to conform to changes made by the act; requiring that
40 the Department of Education collect and report student
41 achievement data for students who are enrolled in
42 career-themed courses and who attain a specified
43 industry certification; amending s. 1011.62, F.S.;
44 revising provisions relating to the computation of the
45 annual allocation of funds to each school district for
46 operation; providing an effective date.
47
48 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
49
50 Section 1. Section 1003.491, Florida Statutes, is amended
51 to read:
52 1003.491 Florida Career and Professional Education Act.—The
53 Florida Career and Professional Education Act is created to
54 provide a statewide planning partnership between the business
55 and education communities in order to attract, expand, and
56 retain targeted, high-value industry and to sustain a strong,
57 knowledge-based economy.
58 (1) The primary purpose of the Florida Career and
59 Professional Education Act is to:
60 (a) Improve middle and high school academic performance by
61 providing rigorous and relevant curriculum opportunities;
62 (b) Provide rigorous and relevant career-themed courses
63 that articulate to postsecondary-level coursework and lead to
64 industry certification;
65 (c) Support local and regional economic development;
66 (d) Respond to Florida’s critical workforce needs; and
67 (e) Provide state residents with access to high-wage and
68 high-demand careers.
69 (2) Each district school board shall develop, in
70 collaboration with regional workforce boards, economic
71 development agencies, and postsecondary institutions approved to
72 operate in the state, a strategic 3-year 5-year plan to address
73 and meet local and regional workforce demands. If involvement of
74 a regional workforce board or an economic development agency in
75 the strategic plan development is not feasible, the local school
76 board, with the approval of the Department of Economic
77 Opportunity, shall collaborate with the most appropriate
78 regional business leadership board. Two or more school districts
79 may collaborate in the development of the strategic plan and
80 offer career-themed courses or a career and professional academy
81 as a joint venture. The strategic plan must describe in detail
82 provisions for the efficient transportation of students, the
83 maximum use of shared resources, access to courses aligned to
84 state curriculum standards through virtual education providers
85 legislatively authorized to provide part-time instruction to
86 middle school students, and an objective review of proposed
87 career-themed career and professional academy courses to
88 determine if the courses will lead to the attainment of industry
89 certifications included on the Industry Certified Funding List
90 pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of Education. Each
91 strategic plan shall be reviewed, updated, and jointly approved
92 every 3 5 years by the local school district, regional workforce
93 boards, economic development agencies, and state-approved
94 postsecondary institutions.
95 (3) The strategic 3-year 5-year plan developed jointly by
96 the local school district, regional workforce boards, economic
97 development agencies, and state-approved postsecondary
98 institutions shall be constructed and based on:
99 (a) Research conducted to objectively determine local and
100 regional workforce needs for the ensuing 3 5 years, using labor
101 projections of the United States Department of Labor and the
102 Department of Economic Opportunity;
103 (b) Strategies to develop and implement career-themed
104 courses career academies based on those careers determined to be
105 in high demand;
106 (c) Strategies to provide shared, maximum use of private
107 sector facilities and personnel;
108 (d) Strategies that ensure instruction by industry
109 certified faculty and standards and strategies to maintain
110 current industry credentials and for recruiting and retaining
111 faculty to meet those standards;
112 (e) Strategies to provide personalized student advisement,
113 including a parent-participation component, and coordination
114 with middle schools to promote and support career-themed courses
115 and education planning as required under s. 1003.4156. As part
116 of the coordination with middle schools, career-themed courses
117 must provide information to middle school students about
118 secondary and postsecondary career education courses that lead
119 to industry certification;
120 (f)(e) Alignment of requirements for middle school and high
121 school career-themed courses career exploration, middle and high
122 school career and professional academies leading to industry
123 certification, postsecondary credit, and high school graduation
124 requirements;
125 (g)(f) Provisions to ensure that career-themed courses
126 offered through career and professional academies are
127 academically rigorous, meet or exceed appropriate state-adopted
128 subject area standards, result in attainment of industry
129 certification, and, when appropriate, result in postsecondary
130 credit;
131 (h) Plans to sustain and improve career-themed courses and
132 career and professional academies;
133 (i)(g) Strategies to improve the passage rate for industry
134 certification examinations if the rate falls below 50 percent;
135 (j)(h) Strategies to recruit students into career-themed
136 courses, Establishment of student eligibility criteria in career
137 and professional academies which include opportunities for
138 students who have been unsuccessful in traditional classrooms
139 but who are interested in enrolling in career-themed courses
140 show aptitude to participate in academies. School boards shall
141 address the analysis of middle school eighth grade student
142 achievement data to provide opportunities for students who may
143 be deemed as potential dropouts to enroll participate in career
144 themed courses career and professional academies;
145 (k)(i) Strategies to provide sufficient space within
146 career-themed courses academies to meet workforce needs and to
147 provide access to all interested and qualified students;
148 (l)(j) Strategies to implement career-themed courses career
149 and professional academy training that lead leads to industry
150 certification in juvenile justice education programs at
151 Department of Juvenile Justice facilities;
152 (m)(k) Opportunities for high school students to earn
153 weighted or dual enrollment credit for higher-level career
154 themed career and technical courses;
155 (n)(l) Promotion of the benefits of the Gold Seal Bright
156 Futures Scholarship;
157 (o)(m) Strategies to ensure the review of district pupil
158 progression plans and to amend such plans to include career
159 themed career and professional courses, and to include courses
160 that may qualify as substitute courses for core graduation
161 requirements and those that may be counted as elective courses;
162 and
163 (p)(n) Strategies to provide professional development for
164 secondary guidance counselors on the benefits of career-themed
165 courses that lead to industry certification; and career and
166 professional academies.
167 (q) Strategies to redirect appropriated career funding to
168 career-themed courses and career and professional academies.
169 (4) The State Board of Education shall establish a process
170 for the continual and uninterrupted review of newly proposed
171 core secondary courses and existing courses requested to be
172 considered as core courses to ensure that sufficient rigor and
173 relevance is provided for workforce skills and postsecondary
174 education and aligned to state curriculum standards. The review
175 of newly proposed core secondary courses shall be the
176 responsibility of a curriculum review committee whose membership
177 is approved by Workforce Florida, Inc., the Workforce Florida
178 Board as described in s. 445.004, and shall include:
179 (a) Three certified high school guidance counselors
180 recommended by the Florida Association of Student Services
181 Administrators.
182 (b) Three assistant superintendents for curriculum and
183 instruction, recommended by the Florida Association of District
184 School Superintendents and who serve in districts that offer
185 career-themed courses operate successful career and professional
186 academies pursuant to s. 1003.492. Committee members in this
187 category shall employ the expertise of appropriate subject area
188 specialists in the review of proposed courses.
189 (c) Three workforce representatives recommended by the
190 Department of Economic Opportunity.
191 (d) Three admissions directors of postsecondary
192 institutions accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges
193 and Schools, representing both public and private institutions.
194 (e) The Deputy Commissioner of Education, or his or her
195 designee, responsible for K-12 curriculum and instruction. The
196 Deputy Commissioner shall employ the expertise of appropriate
197 subject area specialists in the review of proposed courses.
198 (5) The curriculum review committee shall review submission
199 and review of newly proposed core courses shall be conducted
200 electronically, and approve or deny each proposed core course
201 shall be approved or denied within 30 60 days. All courses
202 approved as core courses for purposes of middle school promotion
203 and high school graduation shall be immediately added to the
204 Course Code Directory. Approved core courses shall also be
205 reviewed and considered for approval for dual enrollment credit.
206 The Board of Governors and the Commissioner of Education shall
207 jointly recommend an annual deadline for approval of new core
208 courses to be included for purposes of postsecondary admissions
209 and dual enrollment credit the following academic year. The
210 State Board of Education shall establish an appeals process in
211 the event that a proposed course is denied which shall require a
212 consensus ruling by the Department of Economic Opportunity and
213 the Commissioner of Education within 15 days.
214 Section 2. Section 1003.492, Florida Statutes, is amended
215 to read:
216 1003.492 Industry-certified career-themed courses career
217 education programs.—
218 (1) Career-themed courses must Career and professional
219 academies shall be coordinated with the relevant and appropriate
220 industry indicating that all components of the program are
221 relevant and appropriate to prepare a the student for further
222 education or for employment in that industry.
223 (2) The State Board of Education shall use the expertise of
224 Workforce Florida, Inc., to develop and adopt rules pursuant to
225 ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 for implementing an industry
226 certification process. Industry certification shall be defined
227 by the Department of Economic Opportunity, based upon the
228 highest available national standards for specific industry
229 certification, to ensure student skill proficiency and to
230 address emerging labor market and industry trends. A regional
231 workforce board or a school principal career and professional
232 academy may apply to Workforce Florida, Inc., to request
233 additions to the approved list of industry certifications based
234 on high-demand job requirements in the regional economy. The
235 list of industry certifications approved by Workforce Florida,
236 Inc., and the Department of Education shall be published and
237 updated annually by a date certain, to be included in the
238 adopted rule.
239 (3) The Department of Education shall collect student
240 achievement and performance data in industry-certified career
241 themed courses career education programs and shall work with
242 Workforce Florida, Inc., in the analysis of collected data. The
243 data collection and analyses shall examine the performance of
244 participating students over time. Performance factors shall
245 include, but not be limited to, graduation rates, retention
246 rates, Florida Bright Futures Scholarship awards, additional
247 educational attainment, employment records, earnings, and
248 industry certification, and employer satisfaction. The results
249 of this study shall be submitted to the President of the Senate
250 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives annually by
251 December 31.
252 Section 3. Section 1003.493, Florida Statutes, is amended
253 to read:
254 1003.493 Career-themed courses Career and professional
255 academies.—
256 (1) A “career-themed course” “career and professional
257 academy” is a course in an research-based program that
258 integrates a rigorous academic curriculum with an industry
259 specific curriculum aligned directly to priority workforce needs
260 established by the regional workforce board or the Department of
261 Economic Opportunity. Career and professional academies shall be
262 offered by Public schools and school districts shall offer
263 career-themed courses. The Florida Virtual School is encouraged
264 to develop and offer rigorous career-themed career and
265 professional courses as appropriate. A student who enrolls in
266 and completes a career-themed course or a sequence of career
267 themed courses Students completing career and professional
268 academy programs must receive a standard high school diploma,
269 the highest available industry certification, and opportunities
270 to earn postsecondary credit if the credits for career-themed
271 courses can be articulated to academy partners with a
272 postsecondary institution approved to operate in the state.
273 (2) The goals of career-themed courses a career and
274 professional academy are to:
275 (a) Increase student academic achievement and graduation
276 rates through integrated academic and career curricula.
277 (b) Prepare graduating high school students to make
278 appropriate choices relative to employment and future
279 educational experiences.
280 (c) Focus on career preparation through rigorous academics
281 and industry certification.
282 (d) Raise student aspiration and commitment to academic
283 achievement and work ethics through relevant coursework.
284 (e) Promote acceleration mechanisms, such as dual
285 enrollment and, articulated credits credit, or occupational
286 completion points, so that students may earn postsecondary
287 credit while in high school.
288 (f) Support the state’s economy by meeting industry needs
289 for skilled employees in high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand
290 occupations.
291 (3) A career-themed course may be offered in one of the
292 following Existing career education courses may serve as a
293 foundation for the creation of a career and professional
294 academy. A career and professional academy may be offered as one
295 of the following small learning communities:
296 (a) A school-within-a-school career academy, as part of an
297 existing high school, which that provides courses in one
298 occupational cluster. Students who attend in the high school are
299 not required to attend be students in the academy.
300 (b) A total school configuration providing multiple career
301 themed courses that are academies, each structured around an
302 occupational cluster. The majority of students attending Every
303 student in the school also attend the is in an academy.
304 (4) A career-themed course Each career and professional
305 academy must:
306 (a) Consider Provide a rigorous standards-based academic
307 curriculum integrated with a career curriculum. The curriculum
308 must take into consideration multiple styles of student
309 learning; promote learning by doing through application and
310 adaptation; maximize relevance of the subject matter; enhance
311 each student’s capacity to excel; and include an emphasis on
312 work habits and work ethics.
313 (b) Include one or more partnerships with postsecondary
314 institutions, businesses, industry, employers, economic
315 development organizations, or other appropriate partners from
316 the local community. These Such partnerships shall be delineated
317 in articulation agreements to provide for career-themed career
318 based courses that earn postsecondary credit. The Such
319 agreements may include articulation between the career-themed
320 courses academy and public or private 2-year and 4-year
321 postsecondary institutions and technical centers. The Department
322 of Education, in consultation with the Board of Governors, shall
323 establish a mechanism to ensure articulation and transfer of
324 credits to postsecondary institutions in this state. The Such
325 partnerships must provide opportunities for:
326 1. Instruction from highly skilled professionals who
327 possess industry-certification credentials for courses they are
328 teaching.
329 2. Internships, externships, and on-the-job training.
330 3. A postsecondary degree, diploma, or certificate.
331 4. The highest available level of industry certification.
332 5. Maximum articulation of credits pursuant to s. 1007.23
333 upon program completion.
334 (c) Provide shared, maximum use of private sector
335 facilities and personnel.
336 (d) Provide personalized student advisement, including a
337 parent-participation component, and coordination with middle
338 schools to promote and support career exploration and education
339 planning as required under s. 1003.4156. Coordination with
340 middle schools must provide information to middle school
341 students about secondary and postsecondary career education
342 programs and academies.
343 (c)(e) Promote and provide opportunities for students
344 enrolled in career-themed courses career and professional
345 academy students to attain, at minimum, the Florida Gold Seal
346 Vocational Scholars award pursuant to s. 1009.536.
347 (d)(f) Provide instruction in careers designated as high
348 growth, high demand, and high pay by the regional workforce
349 development board, the chamber of commerce, economic development
350 agencies, or the Department of Economic Opportunity.
351 (e)(g) Deliver academic content through instruction
352 relevant to the career, including intensive reading and
353 mathematics intervention required by s. 1003.428, with an
354 emphasis on strengthening reading for information skills.
355 (f)(h) Offer applied courses that combine academic content
356 with technical skills.
357 (g)(i) Provide instruction resulting in competency,
358 certification, or credentials in workplace skills, including,
359 but not limited to, communication skills, interpersonal skills,
360 decisionmaking skills, the importance of attendance and
361 timeliness in the work environment, and work ethics.
362 (j) Include a plan to sustain career and professional
363 academies.
364 (k) Redirect appropriated career funding to career and
365 professional academies.
366 (5) All career-themed career courses offered in a career
367 and professional academy must lead to industry certification or
368 college credit linked directly to the career theme of the
369 course. If the passage rate on an industry certification
370 examination that is associated with a career-themed course the
371 career and professional academy falls below 50 percent,
372 strategies to improve the passage rate must be included in the
373 strategic 3-year plan the academy must discontinue enrollment of
374 new students the following school year and each year thereafter
375 until such time as the passage rate is above 50 percent or the
376 academy is discontinued.
377 (6) Workforce Florida, Inc., through the secondary career
378 academies initiatives, shall serve in an advisory role and offer
379 technical assistance in the development and deployment of newly
380 established career-themed courses career and professional
381 academies.
382 Section 4. Section 1003.4935, Florida Statutes, is amended
383 to read:
384 1003.4935 Middle school career-themed career and
385 professional academy courses.—
386 (1) Beginning with the 2012-2013 2011-2012 school year,
387 each district school board, in collaboration with regional
388 workforce boards, economic development agencies, and state
389 approved postsecondary institutions, shall include plans to
390 implement career-themed courses a career and professional
391 academy in at least one middle school in the district as part of
392 the strategic 3-year 5-year plan pursuant to s. 1003.491(2). The
393 middle school career and professional academy component of the
394 strategic plan must ensure the transition of middle school
395 career and professional academy students enrolled in career
396 themed courses to a high school career-themed courses career and
397 professional academy currently operating within the school
398 district. Students who complete a middle school career-themed
399 courses career and professional academy must have the
400 opportunity to earn an industry certificate and high school
401 credit and participate in career planning, job shadowing, and
402 business leadership development activities.
403 (2) Each middle school career-themed course career and
404 professional academy must be aligned with at least one high
405 school career-themed course career and professional academy
406 offered in the district and maintain partnerships with local
407 business and industry and economic development boards. Middle
408 school career-themed courses career and professional academies
409 must:
410 (a) Lead Provide instruction in courses leading to careers
411 in occupations designated as high growth, high demand, and high
412 wage pay in the Industry Certification Funding List approved
413 under rules adopted by the State Board of Education;
414 (b) Offer career and professional academy courses that
415 Integrate content from core subject areas;
416 (c) Offer courses that Integrate career-themed course
417 career and professional academy content with intensive reading
418 and mathematics pursuant to s. 1003.428;
419 (d) Coordinate with high schools to Maximize opportunities
420 for middle school career and professional academy students
421 enrolled in career-themed courses to earn high school credit;
422 (e) Be offered Provide access to virtual instruction
423 courses provided by virtual education providers legislatively
424 authorized to provide part-time instruction to middle school
425 students. The virtual instruction courses must be aligned to
426 state curriculum standards for middle school career and
427 professional academy students, with priority given to students
428 who have required course deficits;
429 (f) Be taught by Provide instruction from highly skilled
430 professionals who hold industry certificates in the career area
431 in which they teach;
432 (g) Offer externships; and
433 (h) Provide personalized student advisement that includes a
434 parent-participation component.
435 (3) Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, if a school
436 district implements a middle school career-themed courses career
437 and professional academy, the Department of Education shall
438 collect and report student achievement data pursuant to
439 performance factors identified under s. 1003.492(3) for academy
440 students who are enrolled in career-themed courses and who
441 attain an industry certification identified in the Industry
442 Certified Funding List pursuant to rules adopted by the State
443 Board of Education.
444 Section 5. Paragraph (o) of subsection (1) of section
445 1011.62, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
446 1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
447 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
448 district for operation of schools is not determined in the
449 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
450 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
451 follows:
452 (1) COMPUTATION OF THE BASIC AMOUNT TO BE INCLUDED FOR
453 OPERATION.—The following procedure shall be followed in
454 determining the annual allocation to each district for
455 operation:
456 (o) Calculation of additional full-time equivalent
457 membership based on certification of successful completion of
458 career-themed courses industry-certified career and professional
459 academy programs pursuant to ss. 1003.491, 1003.492, 1003.493,
460 and 1003.4935 and attainment of the highest level of industry
461 certification identified in the Industry Certified Funding List
462 pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of Education.—A
463 value of 0.1, 0.2, or 0.3 full-time equivalent student
464 membership shall be calculated for each student who completes
465 career-themed courses an industry-certified career and
466 professional academy program under ss. 1003.491, 1003.492,
467 1003.493, and 1003.4935 and who is issued the highest level of
468 industry certification identified annually in the Industry
469 Certification Funding List approved under rules adopted by the
470 State Board of Education and a high school diploma. The maximum
471 full-time equivalent student membership value for any student is
472 0.3. The Department of Education shall assign the appropriate
473 full-time equivalent value for each certification, 50 percent of
474 which is based on rigor and the remaining 50 percent on
475 employment value. The State Board of Education shall include the
476 assigned values in the Industry Certification Funding List under
477 rules adopted by the state board. Rigor shall be based on the
478 number of instructional hours, including work experience hours,
479 required to earn the certification, with a bonus for industry
480 certifications that have a statewide articulation agreement for
481 college credit approved by the State Board of Education.
482 Employment value shall be based on the entry wage, growth rate
483 in employment for each occupational category, and average annual
484 openings for the primary occupation linked to the industry
485 certification. The Such value shall be added to the total full
486 time equivalent student membership in secondary career education
487 programs for grades 9 through 12 in the subsequent year for
488 courses that were not funded through dual enrollment. The
489 additional full-time equivalent membership authorized under this
490 paragraph may not exceed 0.3 per student. Each district must
491 allocate at least 80 percent of the funds provided for industry
492 certification, in accordance with this paragraph, to the program
493 that generated the funds. Unless a different amount is specified
494 in the General Appropriations Act, the appropriation for this
495 calculation is limited to $30 $15 million annually. If the
496 appropriation is insufficient to fully fund the total
497 calculation, the appropriation shall be prorated.
498 Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.
