Florida Senate - 2016 SB 898
By Senator Garcia
38-01344-16 2016898__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to education; creating s. 1003.432,
3 F.S.; defining terms; establishing the State Seal of
4 Biliteracy Program to recognize a high school graduate
5 who has attained a high level of competency in one or
6 more world languages; providing the purpose of the
7 program; specifying criteria to earn the State Seal of
8 Biliteracy; requiring the Commissioner of Education
9 and school districts to perform specified duties to
10 administer the program; prohibiting a school district
11 or the Department of Education from charging a fee for
12 the State Seal of Biliteracy; requiring the State
13 Board of Education to adopt certain rules; amending s.
14 1009.534, F.S.; revising eligibility for the Florida
15 Academic Scholars award to include a student who has
16 been awarded an Advanced Placement Capstone diploma;
17 amending s. 1011.62, F.S.; requiring a specified
18 calculation of additional full-time equivalent student
19 membership for each student who receives an Advanced
20 Placement Capstone diploma in determining the annual
21 operating allocation for each school district;
22 providing a directive to the Division of Law Revision
23 and Information; providing an effective date.
24
25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
26
27 Section 1. Section 1003.432, Florida Statutes, is created
28 to read:
29 1003.432 State Seal of Biliteracy for high school
30 graduates.—
31 (1) As used in this section, the term:
32 (a) “Biliteracy” means attainment of a high level of
33 competency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in one
34 or more world languages in addition to English.
35 (b) “World language” means a language other than English
36 which is spoken internationally and is acquired by many people
37 as a second language.
38 (2) The State Seal of Biliteracy Program is established to
39 recognize a high school graduate who has attained a high level
40 of competency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in
41 one or more world languages in addition to English. The
42 Commissioner of Education shall award the State Seal of
43 Biliteracy upon graduation to a high school student who meets
44 the qualifications in this section.
45 (3) The purpose of the State Seal of Biliteracy Program is
46 to:
47 (a) Encourage students to study world languages.
48 (b) Certify attainment of biliteracy.
49 (c) Provide employers with a method of identifying an
50 individual with biliteracy skills.
51 (d) Provide a postsecondary institution with a method to
52 recognize an applicant with biliteracy skills who is seeking
53 admission to the postsecondary institution and to grant
54 postsecondary credit to a student with biliteracy skills who is
55 attending the institution.
56 (e) Recognize and promote world language instruction in
57 public schools.
58 (f) Affirm the value of diversity, honor multiple cultures
59 and world languages, and strengthen the relationships between
60 multiple cultures in a community.
61 (4) The State Seal of Biliteracy shall be awarded upon
62 graduation to a high school student who:
63 (a) Completed the high school graduation requirements in
64 English Language Arts established under s. 1003.4281, s.
65 1003.4282, or s. 1003.4295 with a cumulative grade point average
66 of 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent.
67 (b)1. Completed four credits of sequential instruction in a
68 high school world language course and attained a cumulative
69 grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale in such
70 course, or the equivalent of these four credits;
71 2. Demonstrated competency in a world language through at
72 least one of the following:
73 a. Passing an International Baccalaureate examination in
74 the world language;
75 b. Passing an Advanced Placement Examination in the world
76 language;
77 c. Passing an SAT Subject Test examination in the world
78 language; or
79 d. Passing the Advanced International Certificate of
80 Education examination in the world language; or
81 3. Demonstrated competency in a world language through
82 means established by State Board of Education rule.
83 (5) The Commissioner of Education shall:
84 (a) Prepare and provide to each school district an
85 appropriate insignia to be affixed to the student’s diploma and
86 transcript indicating that the student has been awarded the
87 State Seal of Biliteracy.
88 (b) Provide information that is necessary for a school
89 district to successfully participate in the program.
90 (6) Each school district shall:
91 (a) Maintain appropriate records to identify a student who
92 has met the requirements to receive the State Seal of
93 Biliteracy.
94 (b) Provide the Commissioner of Education with the name of
95 each student who has met the requirements to receive the State
96 Seal of Biliteracy.
97 (c) Affix the appropriate insignia to the diploma and
98 transcript of each student who earns the State Seal of
99 Biliteracy.
100 (7) A school district or the Department of Education may
101 not charge a fee for the State Seal of Biliteracy.
102 (8) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
103 implement this section. Such rules, at a minimum, must include:
104 (a) A process to provide evidence of a student’s successful
105 completion of the requirements of subsection (4).
106 (b) The passing scores for the examinations listed in
107 subparagraph (4)(b)2.
108 (c) Alternative means by which a student may demonstrate
109 equivalent competency in a world language, including the means
110 by which a student whose native language is not English may
111 demonstrate competency in his or her native language to earn the
112 State Seal of Biliteracy.
113 Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 1009.534, Florida
114 Statutes, is amended to read:
115 1009.534 Florida Academic Scholars award.—
116 (1) A student is eligible for a Florida Academic Scholars
117 award if the student meets the general eligibility requirements
118 for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program and the
119 student:
120 (a) Has achieved a 3.5 weighted grade point average as
121 calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, or its equivalent, in high
122 school courses that are designated by the State Board of
123 Education as college-preparatory academic courses; and has
124 attained at least the score pursuant to s. 1009.531(6)(a) on the
125 combined verbal and quantitative parts of the Scholastic
126 Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered
127 Scholastic Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination,
128 or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
129 (b) Has attended a home education program according to s.
130 1002.41 during grades 11 and 12 or has completed the
131 International Baccalaureate curriculum but failed to earn the
132 International Baccalaureate Diploma or has completed the
133 Advanced International Certificate of Education curriculum but
134 failed to earn the Advanced International Certificate of
135 Education Diploma, and has attained at least the score pursuant
136 to s. 1009.531(6)(a) on the combined verbal and quantitative
137 parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment
138 Test, or the recentered Scholastic Assessment Test of the
139 College Entrance Examination, or an equivalent score on the ACT
140 Assessment Program;
141 (c) Has been awarded an Advanced Placement Capstone diploma
142 from the College Board, an International Baccalaureate Diploma
143 from the International Baccalaureate Office, or an Advanced
144 International Certificate of Education Diploma from the
145 University of Cambridge International Examinations Office;
146 (d) Has been recognized by the merit or achievement
147 programs of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a
148 scholar or finalist; or
149 (e) Has been recognized by the National Hispanic
150 Recognition Program as a scholar recipient.
151
152 A student must complete a program of community service work, as
153 approved by the district school board, the administrators of a
154 nonpublic school, or the Department of Education for home
155 education program students, which shall include a minimum of 75
156 hours of service work for high school students graduating in the
157 2010-2011 academic year and 100 hours of service work for high
158 school students graduating in the 2011-2012 academic year and
159 thereafter, and must identify a social problem that interests
160 him or her, develop a plan for his or her personal involvement
161 in addressing the problem, and, through papers or other
162 presentations, evaluate and reflect upon his or her experience.
163 Section 3. Paragraph (n) of subsection (1) of section
164 1011.62, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
165 1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
166 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
167 district for operation of schools is not determined in the
168 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
169 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
170 follows:
171 (1) COMPUTATION OF THE BASIC AMOUNT TO BE INCLUDED FOR
172 OPERATION.—The following procedure shall be followed in
173 determining the annual allocation to each district for
174 operation:
175 (n) Calculation of additional full-time equivalent
176 membership based on college board advanced placement scores of
177 students.—A value of 0.16 full-time equivalent student
178 membership shall be calculated for each student in each advanced
179 placement course who receives a score of 3 or higher on the
180 College Board Advanced Placement Examination. A value of 0.3
181 full-time equivalent student membership shall be calculated for
182 each student who receives an Advanced Placement Capstone
183 diploma. Such values shall be for the prior year and added to
184 the total full-time equivalent student membership in basic
185 programs for grades 9 through 12 in the subsequent fiscal year.
186 Each district must allocate at least 80 percent of the funds
187 provided to the district for advanced placement instruction, in
188 accordance with this paragraph, to the high school that
189 generates the funds. The school district shall distribute to
190 each classroom teacher who provided advanced placement
191 instruction:
192 1. A bonus in the amount of $50 for each student taught by
193 the Advanced Placement teacher in each advanced placement course
194 who receives a score of 3 or higher on the College Board
195 Advanced Placement Examination.
196 2. An additional bonus of $500 to each Advanced Placement
197 teacher in a school designated with a grade of “D” or “F” who
198 has at least one student scoring 3 or higher on the College
199 Board Advanced Placement Examination, regardless of the number
200 of classes taught or of the number of students scoring a 3 or
201 higher on the College Board Advanced Placement Examination.
202
203 Bonuses awarded to a teacher according to this paragraph shall
204 not exceed $2,000 in any given school year. However, the maximum
205 bonus shall be $3,000 if at least 50 percent of the students
206 enrolled in a teacher’s course earn a score of 3 or higher on
207 the examination in a school with a grade of “A,” “B,” or “C” or
208 if at least 25 percent of the students enrolled in a teacher’s
209 course earn a score of 3 or higher on the examination in a
210 school with a grade of “D” or “F.” Bonuses awarded under this
211 paragraph shall be in addition to any regular wage or other
212 bonus the teacher received or is scheduled to receive. For such
213 courses, the teacher shall earn an additional bonus of $50 for
214 each student who has a qualifying score up to the maximum of
215 $3,000 in any given school year.
216 Section 4. The Division of Law Revision and Information is
217 directed to change the term “foreign language” to “world
218 language,” the term “foreign languages” to “world languages,”
219 and the term “foreign-language credits” to “world-language
220 credits” wherever the terms appear in ss. 1001.41-1007.34,
221 Florida Statutes.
222 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.