Florida Senate - 2015 SB 1546
By Senator Flores
37-00837B-15 20151546__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Florida Bright Futures
3 Scholarship Program; amending s. 1009.531, F.S.;
4 reducing the minimum SAT and ACT scores required for
5 certain students to be eligible for a Florida Academic
6 Scholars award or a Florida Medallion Scholars award;
7 amending ss. 1009.534 and 1009.535, F.S.; increasing
8 the minimum weighted grade point average required for
9 certain students to be eligible for a Florida Academic
10 Scholars award or a Florida Medallion Scholars award;
11 providing an effective date.
12
13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
14
15 Section 1. Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (6) of
16 section 1009.531, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
17 1009.531 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program;
18 student eligibility requirements for initial awards.—
19 (6)(a) The State Board of Education shall publicize the
20 examination score required for a student to be eligible for a
21 Florida Academic Scholars award, pursuant to s. 1009.534(1)(a)
22 or (b), as follows:
23 1. For high school students graduating in the 2010-2011 and
24 2011-2012 academic years, the student must earn an SAT score of
25 1270 or a concordant ACT score of 28.
26 2. For high school students graduating in the 2012-2013
27 academic year, the student must earn an SAT score of 1280 which
28 corresponds to the 88th SAT percentile rank or a concordant ACT
29 score of 28.
30 3. For high school students graduating in the 2013-2014 and
31 2014-2015 academic years year and thereafter, the student must
32 earn an SAT score of 1290 which corresponds to the 89th SAT
33 percentile rank or a concordant ACT score of 29.
34 4. For high school students graduating in the 2015-2016
35 academic year and thereafter, the student must earn an SAT score
36 of 1250 which corresponds to the 85th SAT percentile rank or a
37 concordant ACT score of 28.
38 (b) The State Board of Education shall publicize the
39 examination score required for a student to be eligible for a
40 Florida Medallion Scholars award, pursuant to s. 1009.535(1)(a)
41 or (b), as follows:
42 1. For high school students graduating in the 2010-2011
43 academic year, the student must earn an SAT score of 970 or a
44 concordant ACT score of 20 or the student in a home education
45 program whose parent cannot document a college-preparatory
46 curriculum must earn an SAT score of 1070 or a concordant ACT
47 score of 23.
48 2. For high school students graduating in the 2011-2012
49 academic year, the student must earn an SAT score of 980 which
50 corresponds to the 44th SAT percentile rank or a concordant ACT
51 score of 21 or the student in a home education program whose
52 parent cannot document a college-preparatory curriculum must
53 earn an SAT score of 1070 or a concordant ACT score of 23.
54 3. For high school students graduating in the 2012-2013
55 academic year, the student must earn an SAT score of 1020 which
56 corresponds to the 51st SAT percentile rank or a concordant ACT
57 score of 22 or the student in a home education program whose
58 parent cannot document a college-preparatory curriculum must
59 earn an SAT score of 1070 or a concordant ACT score of 23.
60 4. For high school students graduating in the 2013-2014 and
61 2014-2015 academic years year and thereafter, the student must
62 earn an SAT score of 1170 which corresponds to the 75th SAT
63 percentile rank or a concordant ACT score of 26 or the student
64 in a home education program whose parent cannot document a
65 college-preparatory curriculum must earn an SAT score of 1220 or
66 a concordant ACT score of 27.
67 5. For high school students graduating in the 2015-2016
68 academic year and thereafter, the student must earn an SAT score
69 of 1090 which corresponds to the 64th SAT percentile rank or a
70 concordant ACT score of 24 or the student in a home education
71 program whose parents cannot document a college-preparatory
72 curriculum must earn an SAT score of 1140 or a concordant ACT
73 score of 25.
74 Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 1009.534, Florida
75 Statutes, is amended to read:
76 1009.534 Florida Academic Scholars award.—
77 (1) A student is eligible for a Florida Academic Scholars
78 award if the student meets the general eligibility requirements
79 for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program and the
80 student:
81 (a) Has achieved a 3.5 weighted grade point average and has
82 graduated before, or during, the 2014-2015 academic year or has
83 achieved a 3.7 weighted grade point average and graduated in the
84 2015-2016 academic year or thereafter, as calculated pursuant to
85 s. 1009.531, or its equivalent, in high school courses that are
86 designated by the State Board of Education as college
87 preparatory academic courses; and has attained at least the
88 score pursuant to s. 1009.531(6)(a) on the combined verbal and
89 quantitative parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the
90 Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered Scholastic
91 Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination, or an
92 equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
93 (b) Has attended a home education program according to s.
94 1002.41 during grades 11 and 12 or has completed the
95 International Baccalaureate curriculum but failed to earn the
96 International Baccalaureate Diploma or has completed the
97 Advanced International Certificate of Education curriculum but
98 failed to earn the Advanced International Certificate of
99 Education Diploma, and has attained at least the score pursuant
100 to s. 1009.531(6)(a) on the combined verbal and quantitative
101 parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment
102 Test, or the recentered Scholastic Assessment Test of the
103 College Entrance Examination, or an equivalent score on the ACT
104 Assessment Program;
105 (c) Has been awarded an International Baccalaureate Diploma
106 from the International Baccalaureate Office or an Advanced
107 International Certificate of Education Diploma from the
108 University of Cambridge International Examinations Office;
109 (d) Has been recognized by the merit or achievement
110 programs of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a
111 scholar or finalist; or
112 (e) Has been recognized by the National Hispanic
113 Recognition Program as a scholar recipient.
114
115 A student must complete a program of community service work, as
116 approved by the district school board, the administrators of a
117 nonpublic school, or the Department of Education for home
118 education program students, which shall include a minimum of 75
119 hours of service work for high school students graduating in the
120 2010-2011 academic year and 100 hours of service work for high
121 school students graduating in the 2011-2012 academic year and
122 thereafter, and must identify a social problem that interests
123 him or her, develop a plan for his or her personal involvement
124 in addressing the problem, and, through papers or other
125 presentations, evaluate and reflect upon his or her experience.
126 Section 3. Subsection (1) of section 1009.535, Florida
127 Statutes, is amended to read:
128 1009.535 Florida Medallion Scholars award.—
129 (1) A student is eligible for a Florida Medallion Scholars
130 award if the student meets the general eligibility requirements
131 for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program and the
132 student:
133 (a) Has achieved a weighted grade point average of 3.0 and
134 has graduated before, or during, the 2014-2015 academic year or
135 has achieved a weighted grade point average of 3.3 and has
136 graduated in the 2015-2016 academic year or thereafter, as
137 calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, or the equivalent, in high
138 school courses that are designated by the State Board of
139 Education as college-preparatory academic courses; and has
140 attained at least the score pursuant to s. 1009.531(6)(b) on the
141 combined verbal and quantitative parts of the Scholastic
142 Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered
143 Scholastic Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination,
144 or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
145 (b) Has completed the International Baccalaureate
146 curriculum but failed to earn the International Baccalaureate
147 Diploma or has completed the Advanced International Certificate
148 of Education curriculum but failed to earn the Advanced
149 International Certificate of Education Diploma, and has attained
150 at least the score pursuant to s. 1009.531(6)(b) on the combined
151 verbal and quantitative parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test,
152 the Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered Scholastic
153 Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination, or an
154 equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
155 (c) Has attended a home education program according to s.
156 1002.41 during grades 11 and 12 and has attained at least the
157 score pursuant to s. 1009.531(6)(b) on the combined verbal and
158 quantitative parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the
159 Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered Scholastic
160 Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination, or an
161 equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program, if the student’s
162 parent cannot document a college-preparatory curriculum as
163 described in paragraph (a);
164 (d) Has been recognized by the merit or achievement program
165 of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a scholar or
166 finalist but has not completed a program of community service as
167 provided in s. 1009.534; or
168 (e) Has been recognized by the National Hispanic
169 Recognition Program as a scholar, but has not completed a
170 program of community service as provided in s. 1009.534.
171
172 A high school student graduating in the 2011-2012 academic year
173 and thereafter must complete a program of community service work
174 approved by the district school board, the administrators of a
175 nonpublic school, or the Department of Education for home
176 education program students, which shall include a minimum of 75
177 hours of service work, and must identify a social problem that
178 interests him or her, develop a plan for his or her personal
179 involvement in addressing the problem, and, through papers or
180 other presentations, evaluate and reflect upon his or her
181 experience.
182 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.