CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.House Bill 1797
Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1797
By Representative Warner
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to education; amending s.
3 232.246, F.S.; revising provisions relating to
4 high school graduation credit requirements;
5 correcting cross references; amending s.
6 236.081, F.S., relating to funds for operation
7 of schools; providing for calculation of
8 full-time equivalent student membership for
9 students who graduate early; providing an
10 effective date.
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12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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14 Section 1. Subsections (1), (4), and (9) of section
15 232.246, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
16 232.246 General requirements for high school
17 graduation.--
18 (1) Graduation requires successful completion of
19 either a minimum of 24 academic credits in grades 9 through 12
20 or shall be required for graduation, provided that student
21 completion of an International Baccalaureate curriculum shall
22 be deemed to meet the curricular requirements of this
23 subsection. Upon meeting either of these requirements, a
24 student shall be awarded a diploma pursuant to this section.
25 However, meeting the credit or curriculum requirements shall
26 not preclude a student from remaining in school to earn
27 additional credits. The 24 credits shall be distributed as
28 follows:
29 (a) Four credits in English, with major concentration
30 in composition and literature.
31 (b) Three credits in mathematics.
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1 (c) Three credits in science, two of which must have a
2 laboratory component. The State Board of Education may grant
3 an annual waiver of the laboratory requirement to a school
4 district that certifies that its laboratory facilities are
5 inadequate, provided the district submits a capital outlay
6 plan to provide adequate facilities and makes the funding of
7 this plan a priority of the school board.
8 (d) One credit in American history.
9 (e) One credit in world history, including a
10 comparative study of the history, doctrines, and objectives of
11 all major political systems.
12 (f) One-half credit in economics, including a
13 comparative study of the history, doctrines, and objectives of
14 all major economic systems. The Florida Council on Economic
15 Education shall provide technical assistance to the department
16 and local school boards in developing curriculum materials for
17 the study of economics.
18 (g) One-half credit in American government.
19 (h)1. One credit in practical arts career education or
20 exploratory career education. Any vocational course as
21 defined in s. 228.041(22) may be taken to satisfy the high
22 school graduation requirement for one credit in practical arts
23 or exploratory career education provided in this subparagraph;
24 2. One credit in performing fine arts to be selected
25 from music, dance, drama, painting, or sculpture. A course in
26 any art form, in addition to painting or sculpture, that
27 requires manual dexterity, or a course in speech and debate,
28 may be taken to satisfy the high school graduation requirement
29 for one credit in performing arts pursuant to this
30 subparagraph; or
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1 3. One-half credit each in practical arts career
2 education or exploratory career education and performing fine
3 arts, as defined in this paragraph.
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5 Such credit for practical arts career education or exploratory
6 career education or for performing fine arts shall be made
7 available in the 9th grade, and students shall be scheduled
8 into a 9th grade course as a priority.
9 (i) One-half credit in life management skills to
10 include consumer education, positive emotional development,
11 nutrition, prevention of human immunodeficiency virus
12 infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome and other
13 sexually transmissible diseases, benefits of sexual abstinence
14 and consequences of teenage pregnancy, information and
15 instruction on breast cancer detection and breast
16 self-examination, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, drug
17 education, and the hazards of smoking. Such credit shall be
18 given for a course to be taken by all students in either the
19 9th or 10th grade.
20 (j) One-half credit in physical education to include
21 assessment, improvement, and maintenance of personal fitness.
22 (k) Nine elective credits.
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24 School boards may award a maximum of one-half credit in social
25 studies and one-half elective credit for student completion of
26 nonpaid voluntary community or school service work. Students
27 choosing this option shall complete a minimum of 75 hours of
28 service in order to earn the one-half credit in either
29 category of instruction. Credit may not be earned for service
30 provided as a result of court action. School boards that
31 approve the award of credit for student volunteer service
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1 shall develop guidelines regarding the award of such credit
2 and school principals shall be responsible for approving
3 specific volunteer activities.
4 (4)(a) A district school board may require specific
5 courses and programs of study within the minimum credit
6 requirements for high school graduation and shall modify basic
7 courses, as necessary, to assure exceptional students the
8 opportunity to meet the graduation requirements for a standard
9 diploma, using one of the following strategies:
10 1. Assignment of the exceptional student to an
11 exceptional education class for instruction in a basic course
12 with the same student performance standards as those required
13 of nonexceptional students in the district pupil progression
14 plan; or
15 2. Assignment of the exceptional student to a basic
16 education class for instruction which is modified to
17 accommodate the student's exceptionality.
18 (b) The district shall determine which of these
19 strategies to employ based upon an assessment of the student's
20 needs and shall reflect this decision in the student's
21 individual educational plan.
22 (c) District school boards are authorized and
23 encouraged to establish a grade point average requirement
24 requirements for high school graduation in excess of the
25 minimum requirement requirements; however, an increase in the
26 academic credit or minimum grade point average requirement
27 requirements shall not apply to those students enrolled in
28 grades 9 through 12 at the time the district school board
29 increases the requirement requirements.
30 (9) A student who meets all requirements prescribed in
31 subsections (1), (4) (5), and (5) (6) shall be awarded a
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1 standard diploma in a form prescribed by the state board. A
2 school board may attach the Florida gold seal vocational
3 endorsement to a standard diploma pursuant to s. 239.217 or,
4 in lieu of the standard diploma, award differentiated diplomas
5 to those exceeding the prescribed requirements minimums. A
6 student who completes the minimum number of credits and other
7 requirements prescribed by subsections (1) and (4) (5), but
8 who is unable to meet the standards of paragraph (5)(6)(a),
9 paragraph (5)(6)(b), or paragraph (5)(c) (6)(d), shall be
10 awarded a certificate of completion in a form prescribed by
11 the state board. However, any student who is otherwise
12 entitled to a certificate of completion may elect to remain in
13 the secondary school either as a full-time student or a
14 part-time student for up to 1 additional year and receive
15 special instruction designed to remedy his or her identified
16 deficiencies. This special instruction shall be funded from
17 the state compensatory education funds of the district.
18 Section 2. Paragraph (u) is added to subsection (1) of
19 section 236.081, Florida Statutes, 1996 Supplement, to read:
20 236.081 Funds for operation of schools.--If the annual
21 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
22 district for operation of schools is not determined in the
23 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
24 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
25 follows:
26 (1) COMPUTATION OF THE BASIC AMOUNT TO BE INCLUDED FOR
27 OPERATION.--The following procedure shall be followed in
28 determining the annual allocation to each district for
29 operation:
30 (u) Calculation of full-time equivalent student
31 membership for students who graduate early.--Public schools
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1 shall assist any student who is academically talented and
2 motivated to graduate early from high school. Additional
3 full-time equivalent student membership shall be calculated
4 for each student who graduates early. A value of 0.25
5 full-time equivalent student membership shall be calculated
6 for each student who graduates at the end of the first
7 semester of 12th grade and a value of 0.50 full-time
8 equivalent student membership shall be calculated for each
9 student who graduates at the end of 11th grade. The additional
10 full-time equivalent student membership shall be added to the
11 school district's full-time equivalent student membership and
12 funded as regular full-time equivalent students.
13 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 1997.
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16 HOUSE SUMMARY
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Provides that a student shall be awarded a high school
18 diploma upon successful completion of either 24 academic
credits or an International Baccalaureate curriculum.
19 Provides that a student shall not be prevented from
remaining in school to earn additional credits. Provides
20 for calculation of full-time equivalent student
membership for students who graduate early. Provides for
21 funding to school districts for such membership.
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