Florida Senate - 2013                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. PCS (688260) for CS for SB 1076
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 834644                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  03/28/2013           .                                
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       The Committee on Appropriations (Bean) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Between lines 603 and 604
    4  insert:
    5         Section 9. Section 1003.4282, Florida Statutes, is created
    6  to read:
    7         1003.4282 Requirements for a standard high school diploma.—
    8         (1) TWENTY-FOUR CREDITS REQUIRED.—
    9         (a) Beginning with students entering grade 9 in the 2013
   10  2014 school year, receipt of a standard high school diploma
   11  requires successful completion of 24 credits, an International
   12  Baccalaureate curriculum, or an Advanced International
   13  Certificate of Education curriculum.
   14         (b) The required credits may be earned through equivalent,
   15  applied, or integrated courses or career education courses as
   16  defined in s. 1003.01(4), including work-related internships
   17  approved by the State Board of Education and identified in the
   18  Course Code Directory. However, any must-pass assessment
   19  requirements must be met. An equivalent course is one or more
   20  courses identified by content-area experts as being a match to
   21  the core curricular content of another course, based upon review
   22  of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for that
   23  subject. An applied course aligns with Next Generation Sunshine
   24  State Standards and includes real-world applications of a career
   25  and technical education standard used in business or industry.
   26  An integrated course includes content from several courses
   27  within a content area or across content areas.
   28         (2) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.—The school district shall
   29  notify students and parents, in writing, of the requirements for
   30  a standard high school diploma, available designations, and the
   31  eligibility requirements for state scholarship programs and
   32  postsecondary admissions. The Department of Education shall
   33  directly and through the school districts notify registered
   34  private schools of public high school course credit and
   35  assessment requirements. Each private school must make this
   36  information available to students and their parents so they are
   37  aware of public high school graduation requirements. The
   38  following credits, courses, and assessments are required for a
   39  standard college and career high school diploma:
   40         (a) Four credits in English Language Arts (ELA).
   41         1. The four credits must be in ELA I, II, III, and IV.
   42         2. A student must pass 10th grade FCAT Reading until the
   43  state transitions to a common core 10th grade ELA assessment
   44  after which time a student must pass the ELA assessment in order
   45  to earn a standard high school diploma.
   46         (b) Four credits in mathematics.
   47         1. A student must earn one credit in Algebra I and one
   48  credit in geometry.
   49         2. A student’s performance on the Algebra I end-of-course
   50  (EOC) assessment or common core assessment, as applicable,
   51  constitutes 30 percent of the student’s final course grade. A
   52  student must pass the Algebra I EOC assessment until the state
   53  transitions to a common core Algebra I assessment after which
   54  time a student must pass the common core assessment in order to
   55  earn a standard high school diploma. A student’s performance on
   56  the geometry EOC assessment or common core assessment, as
   57  applicable, constitutes 30 percent of the student’s final course
   58  grade. When the state administers a common core Algebra II
   59  assessment, a student selecting Algebra II must take the
   60  assessment, and the student’s performance on the assessment
   61  constitutes 30 percent of the student’s final course grade.
   62         3. Industry certification courses that lead to college
   63  credit may substitute for up to two math credits.
   64         (c)Three credits in science.
   65         1. Two of the three required credits must have a laboratory
   66  component.
   67         2. A student must earn one credit in Biology I and two
   68  credits in equally rigorous courses. The Biology I EOC
   69  assessment constitutes 30 percent of the student’s final course
   70  grade.
   71         3. Industry certification courses that lead to college
   72  credit may substitute for up to one science credit.
   73         (d) Three credits in social studies.
   74         1. A student must earn one credit in United States history;
   75  one credit in world history; one-half credit in economics, which
   76  must include financial literacy; and one-half credit in United
   77  States government.
   78         2. The United States history EOC assessment constitutes 30
   79  percent of the student’s final course grade.
   80         (e) One credit in fine or performing arts, speech and
   81  debate, or practical arts.
   82         1. The practical arts course must incorporate artistic
   83  content and techniques of creativity, interpretation, and
   84  imagination.
   85         2. Eligible practical arts courses are identified in the
   86  Course Code Directory.
   87         (f) One credit in physical education. Physical education
   88  must include the integration of health. This requirement is
   89  subject to all of the provisions in s. 1003.428(2)(a)6.
   90         (g)Eight credits in electives.
   91         1. Each school district shall develop and offer coordinated
   92  electives so that a student may develop knowledge and skills in
   93  his or her area of interest, such as electives with a STEM or
   94  liberal arts focus.
   95         2. Such electives must include opportunities for students
   96  to earn college credit, including industry-certified career
   97  education programs or series of career-themed courses that
   98  result in industry certification or articulate into the award of
   99  college credit or career education courses for which there is a
  100  statewide or local articulation agreement and which lead to
  101  college credit.
  102         (3) ONLINE COURSE REQUIREMENT.—Excluding a driver education
  103  course, at least one course within the 24 credits required under
  104  this section must be completed through online learning. A school
  105  district may not require a student to take the online course
  106  outside the school day or in addition to a student’s courses for
  107  a given semester. An online course taken in grade 6, grade 7, or
  108  grade 8 fulfills this requirement. This requirement is met
  109  through an online course offered by the Florida Virtual School,
  110  a virtual education provider approved by the State Board of
  111  Education, a high school, or an online dual enrollment course. A
  112  student who is enrolled in a full-time or part-time virtual
  113  instruction program under s. 1002.45 meets this requirement.
  114  This requirement does not apply to a student who has an
  115  individual education plan under s. 1003.57 which indicates that
  116  an online course would be inappropriate or to an out-of-state
  117  transfer student who is enrolled in a Florida high school and
  118  has 1 academic year or less remaining in high school.
  119         (4) REMEDIATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.—
  120         (a) Each year a student scores Level 1 or Level 2 on 9th
  121  grade or 10th grade FCAT Reading or, when implemented, 9th
  122  grade, 10th grade, or 11th grade common core English Language
  123  Arts (ELA) assessments, the student must be enrolled in and
  124  complete an intensive remedial course the following year or be
  125  placed in a content area course that includes remediation of
  126  skills not acquired by the student.
  127         (b) Each year a student scores Level 1 or Level 2 on the
  128  Algebra I EOC assessment, or upon transition to the common core
  129  Algebra I assessment, the student must be enrolled in and
  130  complete an intensive remedial course the following year or be
  131  placed in a content area course that includes remediation of
  132  skills not acquired by the student.
  133         (5) GRADE FORGIVENESS POLICY.—Each district school board
  134  shall adopt policies designed to assist students in meeting
  135  graduation requirements including grade forgiveness policies.
  136  Forgiveness policies for required courses shall be limited to
  137  replacing a grade of “D” or “F” with a grade of “C” or higher
  138  earned subsequently in the same or a comparable course.
  139  Forgiveness policies for elective courses shall be limited to
  140  replacing a grade of “D” or “F” with a grade of “C” or higher
  141  earned subsequently in another course. The only exception to
  142  these forgiveness policies shall be made for a student in the
  143  middle grades who takes a high school course for high school
  144  credit and earns a grade of “C,” “D,” or “F.” In such case, the
  145  district forgiveness policy must allow the replacement of the
  146  grade with a grade of “C” or higher earned subsequently in the
  147  same or comparable course. In all cases of grade forgiveness,
  148  only the new grade shall be used in the calculation of the
  149  student’s grade point average. Any course grade not replaced
  150  according to a district school board forgiveness policy shall be
  151  included in the calculation of the cumulative grade point
  152  average required for graduation.
  153         (6) AWARD OF A STANDARD HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA.—A student who
  154  earns a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 on a 4.0
  155  scale and meets the requirements of this section shall be
  156  awarded a standard high school diploma in a form prescribed by
  157  the State Board of Education. Notwithstanding any other law to
  158  the contrary, all students enrolled in high school as of the
  159  2012-2013 school year who earned a passing grade in Biology I or
  160  geometry before the 2013-2014 school year shall be awarded a
  161  credit in that course if the student passed the course. The
  162  student’s performance on the EOC assessment is not required to
  163  constitute 30 percent of the student’s final course grade. A
  164  student who fails to earn the required credits or achieve a 2.0
  165  GPA shall be awarded a certificate of completion in a form
  166  prescribed by the State Board of Education.
  167         (7) UNIFORM TRANSFER OF HIGH SCHOOL CREDITS.—
  168         (a) Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, if a student
  169  transfers to a Florida public high school from out of country,
  170  out of state, a private school, or a home education program and
  171  the student’s transcript shows a mathematics credit in a course
  172  that requires passage of a statewide, standardized assessment in
  173  order to earn a standard high school diploma, the student must
  174  pass the assessment unless the student earned a comparative
  175  score pursuant to s. 1008.22, passed a statewide assessment in
  176  that subject administered by the transferring entity, or passed
  177  the statewide assessment the transferring entity uses to satisfy
  178  the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
  179  (ESEA), 20 U.S.C. s. 6301 et seq. If a student’s transcript
  180  shows a credit in high school reading or English Language Arts
  181  II or III, the student must take and pass grade 10 FCAT Reading
  182  or earn a concordant score on the SAT or ACT as specified by
  183  state board rule or, when the state transitions to common core
  184  English Language Arts assessments, earn a passing score on the
  185  English Language Arts assessment as required under the standard
  186  high school diploma designation selected under this section.
  187         (b) Credits and grades earned and offered for acceptance by
  188  a transferring student shall be based on official transcripts
  189  and shall be accepted at face value subject to validation, as
  190  provided by State Board of Education rule, if required by the
  191  receiving school’s accreditation.
  192         (8) CAREER EDUCATION COURSES THAT SATISFY HIGH SCHOOL
  193  CREDIT REQUIREMENTS.—
  194         (a) Participation in career education courses engages
  195  students in their high school education, increases academic
  196  achievement, enhances employability, and increases postsecondary
  197  success. By July 1, 2014, the department shall develop, for
  198  approval by the State Board of Education, multiple, additional
  199  career education courses or a series of courses that meet the
  200  requirements set forth in s. 1003.493(2), (4), and (5) and this
  201  subsection and allow students to earn credit in both the career
  202  education course and courses required for high school graduation
  203  under ss. 1003.428, 1003.4281, and 1003.4282.
  204         1. The state board must determine if sufficient academic
  205  standards are covered to warrant the award of academic credit.
  206         2. Career education courses must include workforce and
  207  digital literacy skills and the integration of required course
  208  content with practical applications and designated rigorous
  209  coursework that results in one or more industry certifications
  210  or clearly articulated credit or advanced standing in a 2-year
  211  or 4-year certificate or degree program, which may include high
  212  school junior- and senior-year work-related internships or
  213  apprenticeships. The department shall negotiate state licenses
  214  for material and testing for industry certifications. The
  215  instructional methodology used in these courses must be
  216  comprised of authentic projects, problems, and activities for
  217  contextually learning the academics.
  218         3. The state board shall identify an industry certification
  219  or multiple certifications from the Industry Certification
  220  Funding List or the Postsecondary Industry Certification Funding
  221  List which demonstrate attainment of standards associated with
  222  digital composition, word processing, and presentation skills,
  223  and which satisfy at least one credit in English Language Arts
  224  required to fulfill high school graduation requirements.
  225         (b) Each school district may take the initiative to work
  226  with local workforce boards, local business and industry
  227  leaders, and postsecondary institutions to establish
  228  partnerships for the purpose of creating career education
  229  courses or a series of courses that meet the requirements set
  230  forth in s. 1003.493(2), (4), and (5) which students can take to
  231  earn required high school course credits. Emphasis should be
  232  placed on online course work and digital literacy. School
  233  districts shall submit their recommended career education
  234  courses to the department for state board approval. School
  235  district-recommended career education courses must meet the same
  236  rigorous standards as department-developed career education
  237  courses in order to be approved by the state board. School
  238  districts participating in the development of rigorous career
  239  education courses will be able to better address local workforce
  240  needs and allow students the opportunity to acquire the
  241  knowledge and skills that are needed not only for academic
  242  advancement but also for employability purposes.
  243         (c) Regional consortium service organizations established
  244  pursuant to s. 1001.451 shall work with school districts, local
  245  workforce boards, postsecondary institutions, and local business
  246  and industry leaders to create career education courses that
  247  meet the requirements set forth in s. 1003.493(2), (4), and (5)
  248  and this subsection which students may take to earn required
  249  high school course credits. The regional consortium shall submit
  250  course recommendations to the department, on behalf of the
  251  consortium member districts, for state board approval. A strong
  252  emphasis should be placed on online course work, digital
  253  literacy, and workforce literacy as defined in s. 1004.02(27).
  254  For purposes of providing students the opportunity to earn
  255  industry certifications, consortiums must secure the necessary
  256  site licenses and testing contracts for use by member districts.
  257         (9) RULES.—The State Board of Education shall adopt rules
  258  to implement this section.
  259  
  260  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  261         And the title is amended as follows:
  262         Delete line 56
  263  and insert:
  264         high school graduation; creating s. 1003.4282, F.S.;
  265         providing requirements for a standard high school
  266         diploma; establishing a 24-credit requirement;
  267         providing course and assessment requirements;
  268         providing requirements relating to online courses,
  269         remediation, grade forgiveness, award of a standard
  270         high school diploma, transfer of high school credits,
  271         and career education courses that earn high school
  272         credits; requiring the State Board of Education to
  273         adopt rules; amending s. 1003.429, F.S.;