Senate Bill sb0364e1
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1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to options for accelerated high
3 school graduation; amending s. 1003.429, F.S.;
4 amending requirements applicable to the
5 selection of such an accelerated option;
6 amending required courses for the 3-year
7 standard college preparatory program; deleting
8 provisions authorizing a student to select a
9 3-year standard career preparatory program;
10 revising requirements for grades that must be
11 earned to participate in the accelerated
12 program; providing for default to the standard
13 graduation requirements in certain
14 circumstances; providing an effective date.
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16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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18 Section 1. Section 1003.429, Florida Statutes, is
19 amended to read:
20 1003.429 Accelerated high school graduation options.--
21 (1) Students who enter the 9th grade in the 2004-2005
22 school year Beginning with the 2003-2004 school year, all
23 students scheduled to graduate in 2004 and thereafter may
24 select, upon receipt of each consent required by this section,
25 one of the following two three high school graduation options:
26 (a) Completion of the general requirements for high
27 school graduation pursuant to s. 1003.43; or
28 (b) Completion of a 3-year standard college
29 preparatory program requiring successful completion of a
30 minimum of 18 academic credits in grades 9 through 12. At
31 least 6 of the 18 credits required for completion of this
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1 program must be received in classes offered pursuant to the
2 International Baccalaureate Program administered by the
3 International Baccalaureate Office or the Advanced Placement
4 Program administered by the College Board. The 18 credits
5 required for completion of this program shall be primary
6 requirements and shall be distributed as follows:
7 1. Four credits in English, with major concentration
8 in composition and literature;
9 2. Three credits in mathematics at the Algebra I level
10 or higher from the list of courses that qualify for state
11 university admission;
12 3. Three credits in natural science, two of which must
13 have a laboratory component;
14 4. Three credits in social sciences, including one
15 credit in American history, one credit in world history,
16 one-half credit in American government, and one-half credit in
17 economics;
18 5. Two credits in the same second language unless the
19 student is a native speaker of or can otherwise demonstrate
20 competency in a language other than English. If the student
21 demonstrates competency in another language, the student may
22 replace the language requirement with two credits in other
23 academic courses; and
24 6. Three credits in electives.; or
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26 Prior to selecting the program described in this paragraph, a
27 student and the student's parent must meet with designated
28 school personnel to receive an explanation of the relative
29 requirements, advantages, and disadvantages of each program
30 option, and the student must also receive the written consent
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1 of the student's high school principal, high school guidance
2 counselor, and parent.
3 (c) Completion of a 3-year career preparatory program
4 requiring successful completion of a minimum of 18 academic
5 credits in grades 9 through 12. The 18 credits shall be
6 primary requirements and shall be distributed as follows:
7 1. Four credits in English, with major concentration
8 in composition and literature;
9 2. Three credits in mathematics, one of which must be
10 Algebra I;
11 3. Three credits in natural science, two of which must
12 have a laboratory component;
13 4. Three credits in social sciences;
14 5. Two credits in the same second language unless the
15 student is a native speaker of or can otherwise demonstrate
16 competency in a language other than English. If the student
17 demonstrates competency in another language, the student may
18 replace the language requirement with two credits in other
19 academic courses; and
20 6. Three credits in electives.
21 (2) Beginning with the 2004-2005 2003-2004 school
22 year, each district school board shall provide each student in
23 grades 6 through 9 12 and their parents with information
24 concerning the 3-year and 4-year high school graduation
25 options listed in subsection (1), including the respective
26 curriculum requirements for those options, so that with
27 curriculum for the students and their parents may to select
28 the program postsecondary education or career plan that best
29 fits their needs. The information must options shall include a
30 timeframe for achieving each graduation option. Any student
31 who selected an accelerated graduation program before July 1,
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1 2004, may continue that program, and all statutory program
2 requirements that were applicable when the student made the
3 program choice shall remain applicable to the student as long
4 as the student continues that program.
5 (3) Selection of one of the graduation options listed
6 in subsection (1) must be completed prior to the end of a
7 student's 9th-grade year and is exclusively up to the student
8 and parent, subject to the receipt of each consent required
9 from school personnel. Each district school board shall
10 establish policies for extending this deadline to the end of a
11 student's first semester of 10th grade for a student who
12 entered a Florida public school after the 9th grade upon
13 transfer from a private school or another state or who was
14 prevented from choosing a graduation option due to illness
15 during the 9th grade. If the student and parent fail to select
16 a graduation option, the student shall be considered to have
17 selected the general requirements for high school graduation
18 pursuant to paragraph (1)(a).
19 (4) District school boards may shall not establish
20 requirements for the accelerated 3-year high school graduation
21 option options in excess of the requirements in paragraph
22 paragraphs (1)(b) and (c).
23 (5) Students pursuing the accelerated 3-year high
24 school graduation option options pursuant to paragraph (1)(b)
25 or paragraph (1)(c) are required to:
26 (a) Earn passing scores on the FCAT as defined in s.
27 1008.22(3)(c).
28 (b)1. Achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.5
29 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent, in the courses required
30 for the by the chosen accelerated 3-year standard college
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1 preparatory program under high school graduation option
2 pursuant to paragraph (1)(b); and or paragraph (1)(c).
3 2. Receive a grade no lower than a "B" or its
4 equivalent, representing at least 3.0 points on a 4.0 scale,
5 in any course taken in connection with the accelerated 3-year
6 standard college preparatory program under paragraph (1)(b).
7 If any student participating in the accelerated 3-year
8 standard college preparatory program does not meet this
9 requirement, the student shall be required to complete the
10 general requirements for high school graduation pursuant to s.
11 1003.43.
12 (6) A student who selects the accelerated 3-year
13 standard college preparatory graduation program may change at
14 any time to the 4-year program set forth in s. 1003.43.
15 (7) If, at the end of the 10th grade, a student is not
16 on track to meet the course, testing, grade, or
17 grade-point-average requirements of the accelerated graduation
18 option, the student shall default to the standard 4-year
19 graduation option.
20 (8)(6) A student who meets all requirements prescribed
21 in subsections (1) and (5) shall be awarded a standard diploma
22 in a form prescribed by the State Board of Education.
23 (9) A student who seeks academic graduation honors
24 such as being named valedictorian or salutatorian of a high
25 school graduating class must select the option set forth in
26 paragraph (1)(a) and complete the general requirements for
27 high school graduation pursuant to s. 1003.43.
28 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.
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