Florida Senate - 2012                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 1314
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 260108                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: FAV            .                                
                  02/02/2012           .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————




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