Senate Bill sb1232c2

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    Florida Senate - 2007                    CS for CS for SB 1232

    By the Committees on Education Pre-K - 12 Appropriations;
    Education Pre-K - 12; and Senator Gaetz




    602-2083-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to career and professional

  3         education; amending s. 1003.491, F.S.; creating

  4         the Florida Career and Professional Education

  5         Act for the purpose of improving academic

  6         performance and responding to the state's

  7         workforce needs; requiring that district school

  8         boards develop strategic plans to address and

  9         meet local and regional workforce needs;

10         requiring that all school districts establish a

11         career and professional academy by a specified

12         date; providing additional requirements for

13         each school board's strategic plan; requiring

14         that the State Board of Education establish a

15         process to review newly proposed core secondary

16         courses; requiring a curriculum review

17         committee; providing for the membership of the

18         committee; requiring that approved courses be

19         added to the Course Code Directory; providing

20         for an appeal if a proposed core course is

21         denied; amending s. 1003.492, F.S.; providing

22         for coordination between career and

23         professional academies and industry; requiring

24         the State Board of Education to adopt rules

25         using the expertise of Workforce Florida, Inc.,

26         and Enterprise Florida, Inc.; requiring the

27         Department of Education to collect and analyze

28         data concerning student achievement and

29         performance; providing requirements for such

30         analysis; requiring that the department report

31         the results of the analysis annually to the

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 1         Legislature; deleting obsolete provisions

 2         concerning a study by the department; amending

 3         s. 1003.493, F.S.; redefining the term "career

 4         and professional academy" to mean a program

 5         that integrates an academic curriculum with an

 6         industry-specific curriculum; requiring public

 7         schools and school districts to offer career

 8         and professional academies; revising the goals

 9         of and requirements for a career and

10         professional academy; requiring the Department

11         of Education, in consultation with the Board of

12         Governors of the State University System, to

13         establish a mechanism for transferring credits

14         to postsecondary institutions; requiring that a

15         career and professional academy provide

16         opportunities for students to attain the

17         Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award;

18         requiring that career courses lead to industry

19         certification; requiring that specified

20         percentages of students achieve certification

21         or college credit in order for a course to

22         continue to be offered; requiring the Okaloosa

23         County School District CHOICE Institutes to

24         advise and assist newly established career and

25         professional academies; repealing s. 1003.494,

26         F.S., relating to the Career High-Skill

27         Occupational Initiative for Career Education

28         (CHOICE) academies; amending s. 1011.62, F.S.;

29         providing for calculating the value of

30         full-time equivalent student membership for

31  

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 1         students enrolled in a career and professional

 2         academy program; providing an effective date.

 3  

 4  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

 5  

 6         Section 1.  Section 1003.491, Florida Statutes, is

 7  amended to read:

 8         (Substantial rewording of section. See

 9         s. 1003.491, F.S., for present text.)

10         1003.491  Florida Career and Professional Education

11  Act.--The Florida Career and Professional Education Act is

12  created to provide a statewide planning partnership between

13  the business and education communities in order to attract,

14  expand, and retain targeted, high-value industry and to

15  sustain a strong, knowledge-based economy.

16         (1)  The primary purpose of the Florida Career and

17  Professional Education Act is to:

18         (a)  Improve middle and high school academic

19  performance by providing rigorous and relevant curriculum

20  opportunities;

21         (b)  Provide rigorous and relevant career-themed

22  courses that articulate to postsecondary-level coursework and

23  lead to industry certification;

24         (c)  Support local and regional economic development;

25         (d)  Respond to Florida's critical workforce needs; and

26         (e)  Provide state residents with access to high-wage

27  and high-demand careers.

28         (2)  Beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, each

29  district school board shall develop, in collaboration with

30  local workforce boards and postsecondary institutions approved

31  to operate in the state, a strategic 5-year plan to address

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 1  and meet local and regional workforce demands. If involvement

 2  of the local workforce board in the strategic plan development

 3  is not feasible, the local school board, with the approval of

 4  the Agency for Workforce Innovation, shall collaborate with

 5  the most appropriate local business leadership board. Two or

 6  more school districts may collaborate in the development of

 7  the strategic plan and offer a career and professional academy

 8  as a joint venture. Such plans must describe in detail

 9  provisions for efficient transportation of students, maximum

10  use of shared resources, and access to courses through the

11  Florida Virtual School when appropriate. Each strategic plan

12  shall be completed no later than June 30, 2008, and shall

13  include provisions to have in place at least one operational

14  career and professional academy, pursuant to s. 1003.492, no

15  later than the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year.

16         (3)  The strategic 5-year plan developed jointly

17  between the local school district, local workforce boards, and

18  state-approved postsecondary institutions shall be constructed

19  and based on:

20         (a)  Research conducted to objectively determine local

21  and regional workforce needs for the ensuing 5 years, using

22  labor projections of the United States Department of Labor and

23  the Agency for Workforce Innovation;

24         (b)  Strategies to develop and implement career

25  academies based on those careers determined to be in high

26  demand;

27         (c)  Maximum use of private-sector facilities and

28  personnel;

29         (d)  Strategies that ensure instruction by

30  industry-certified faculty and standards and strategies to

31  

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 1  maintain current industry credentials and for recruiting and

 2  retaining faculty to meet those standards;

 3         (e)  Alignment to requirements for middle school career

 4  exploration and high school redesign;

 5         (f)  Provisions to ensure that courses offered through

 6  career and professional academies are academically rigorous,

 7  meet or exceed appropriate state-adopted subject area

 8  standards, result in attainment of industry certification,

 9  and, when appropriate, result in postsecondary credit;

10         (g)  Establishment of student eligibility criteria in

11  career and professional academies which include opportunities

12  for students who have been unsuccessful in traditional

13  classrooms but who show aptitude to participate in academies.

14  School boards shall address the analysis of eighth grade

15  student achievement data to provide opportunities for students

16  who may be deemed as potential dropouts to participate in

17  career and professional academies;

18         (h)  Strategies to provide sufficient space within

19  academies to meet workforce needs and to provide access to all

20  interested and qualified students;

21         (i)  Strategies to engage Department of Juvenile

22  Justice students in career and professional academy training

23  that leads to industry certification;

24         (j)  Strategies to review existing career and technical

25  programs and to eliminate programs, by a date certain, which

26  do not result in industry certification and do not lead to

27  careers in high workforce demand;

28         (k)  Opportunities for high school students to earn

29  weighted or dual enrollment credit for higher-level career and

30  technical courses;

31  

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 1         (l)  Promotion of the benefits of the Gold Seal Bright

 2  Futures Scholarship; and

 3         (m)  Strategies to ensure the review of district

 4  pupil-progression plans and to amend such plans to include

 5  career and professional courses and to include courses that

 6  may qualify as substitute courses for core graduation

 7  requirements and those that may be counted as elective

 8  courses.

 9         (4)  The State Board of Education shall establish a

10  process for the continual and uninterrupted review of newly

11  proposed core secondary courses and existing courses requested

12  to be considered as core courses to ensure that sufficient

13  rigor and relevance is provided for workforce skills and

14  postsecondary education and aligned to state curriculum

15  standards. The review of newly proposed core secondary courses

16  shall be the responsibility of a curriculum review committee

17  whose membership is approved by the Workforce Florida Board as

18  described in s. 445.004, and shall include:

19         (a)  Three certified high school guidance counselors

20  recommended by the Florida Association of Student Services

21  Administrators.

22         (b)  Three assistant superintendents for curriculum and

23  instruction, recommended by the Florida Association of

24  District School Superintendents and who serve in districts

25  that operate successful career and professional academies

26  pursuant to s. 1003.492. Committee members in this category

27  shall employ the expertise of appropriate subject area

28  specialists in the review of proposed courses.

29         (c)  Three workforce representatives recommended by the

30  Agency for Workforce Innovation.

31  

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 1         (d)  Three admissions directors of postsecondary

 2  institutions accredited by the Southern Association of

 3  Colleges and Schools, representing both public and private

 4  institutions.

 5         (e)  The Deputy Commissioner of Education responsible

 6  for K-12 curriculum and instruction. The Deputy Commissioner

 7  shall employ the expertise of appropriate subject area

 8  specialists in the review of proposed courses.

 9         (5)  The submission and review of newly proposed core

10  courses shall be conducted electronically and each proposed

11  core course shall be approved or denied within 60 days. All

12  courses approved as core courses for high school graduation

13  purposes shall be immediately added to the Course Code

14  Directory. Approved core courses shall also be reviewed and

15  considered for approval for dual enrollment credit. The Board

16  of Governors and the Commissioner of Education shall jointly

17  recommend an annual deadline for approval of new core courses

18  to be included for purposes of postsecondary admissions and

19  dual enrollment credit the following academic year. The State

20  Board of Education shall establish an appeals process in the

21  event that a proposed course is denied which shall require a

22  consensus ruling by the Agency for Workforce Innovation and

23  the Commissioner of Education within 15 days. The curriculum

24  review committee must be established and operational no later

25  than September 1, 2007.

26         Section 2.  Section 1003.492, Florida Statutes, is

27  amended to read:

28         1003.492  Industry-certified career education

29  programs.--

30         (1)  A Career and professional academies education

31  program within a comprehensive high school program of study

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 1  shall be coordinated with the appropriate industry indicating

 2  that all components of the program are relevant and

 3  appropriate to prepare the student for further education or

 4  for employment in that industry.

 5         (2)  The State Board of Education shall use the

 6  expertise of Workforce Florida, Inc., and Enterprise Florida,

 7  Inc., to develop and adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1)

 8  and 120.54 for implementing an industry certification process,

 9  which rules must establish any necessary procedures for

10  obtaining appropriate business partners and requirements for

11  business and industry involvement in curriculum oversight and

12  equipment procurement. Industry certification shall be defined

13  by the Agency for Workforce Innovation, based upon the highest

14  available national standards for specific industry

15  certification, to ensure student skill proficiency and to

16  address emerging labor-market and industry trends. A regional

17  workforce board or a career and professional academy may apply

18  to Workforce Florida, Inc., to request additions to the

19  approved list of industry certifications based on high-demand

20  job requirements in the regional economy. The list of industry

21  certifications approved by Workforce Florida, Inc., shall be

22  published and updated annually by a date certain, to be

23  included in the adopted rule.

24         (3)  The Department of Education shall collect study

25  student achievement and performance data in industry-certified

26  career education programs and shall work with Workforce

27  Florida, Inc., and Enterprise Florida, Inc., in the analysis

28  of collected data. The department shall identify districts

29  that currently operate industry-certified career education

30  programs. The data collection and analyses study shall examine

31  the performance of participating students over time.

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 1  Performance factors shall include, but not be limited to,

 2  graduation rates, retention rates, Florida Bright Futures

 3  Scholarship awards, additional educational attainment,

 4  employment records, earnings, and industry certification, and

 5  employer satisfaction. The results of this study shall be

 6  submitted to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of

 7  the House of Representatives annually by December 31, 2004.

 8         (4)  The Department of Education shall conduct a study

 9  to determine if a cost factor should be applied to

10  industry-certified career education programs and review the

11  need for startup funding for the programs. The study shall be

12  completed by December 31, 2004, and shall be submitted to the

13  President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of

14  Representatives.

15         Section 3.  Section 1003.493, Florida Statutes, is

16  amended to read:

17         1003.493  Career and professional academies.--

18         (1)  A "career and professional academy" is a

19  research-based program that integrates a rigorous academic

20  curriculum with an industry-specific industry-driven career

21  curriculum aligned directly to priority workforce needs

22  established by the regional workforce board. Career and

23  professional academies shall may be offered by public schools

24  and, school districts., or The Florida Virtual School is

25  encouraged to develop and offer rigorous career and

26  professional courses as appropriate. Students completing

27  career and professional academy programs must receive a

28  standard high school diploma, the highest available industry

29  certification, and opportunities to earn postsecondary credit

30  if the academy partners with a postsecondary institution

31  approved to operate in the state.

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 1         (2)  The goals of a career and professional academy are

 2  to:

 3         (a)  Increase student academic achievement and

 4  graduation rates through integrated academic and career

 5  curricula.

 6         (b)  Prepare graduating high school students to make

 7  appropriate choices relative to employment and future

 8  educational experiences.

 9         (c)(b)  Focus on career preparation through rigorous

10  academics and industry certification.

11         (d)(c)  Raise student aspiration and commitment to

12  academic achievement and work ethics through relevant

13  coursework.

14         (e)(d)  Support graduation requirements pursuant to s.

15  1003.428 by providing creative, applied major areas of

16  interest by providing creative, applied majors as provided by

17  law.

18         (f)(e)  Promote acceleration mechanisms, such as dual

19  enrollment, articulated credit, or occupational completion

20  points, so that students may earn postsecondary credit while

21  in high school.

22         (g)(f)  Support the state's economy by meeting industry

23  needs for skilled employees in high-demand occupations.

24         (3)  Existing career education courses may serve as a

25  foundation for the creation of a career and professional

26  academy. A career and professional academy may be offered as

27  one of the following small learning communities:

28         (a)  A school-within-a-school career academy, as part

29  of an existing high school, that provides courses in one

30  occupational cluster. Students in the high school are not

31  required to be students in the academy.

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 1         (b)  A total school configuration providing multiple

 2  academies, each structured around an occupational cluster.

 3  Every student in the school is in an academy.

 4         (4)  Each career and professional academy must:

 5         (a)  Provide a rigorous standards-based academic

 6  curriculum integrated with a career curriculum. The curriculum

 7  must take into consideration multiple styles of student

 8  learning; promote learning by doing through application and

 9  adaptation; maximize relevance of the subject matter; enhance

10  each student's capacity to excel; and include an emphasis on

11  work habits and work ethics.

12         (b)  Include one or more partnerships with

13  postsecondary institutions, businesses, industry, employers,

14  economic development organizations, or other appropriate

15  partners from the local community. Such partnerships shall be

16  delineated in articulation agreements to provide for

17  career-based courses that earn postsecondary credit. Such

18  agreements may include articulation between the academy and

19  public or private 2-year and 4-year postsecondary institutions

20  and technical centers. The Department of Education, in

21  consultation with the Board of Governors, shall establish a

22  mechanism to ensure articulation and transfer of credits to

23  postsecondary institutions in this state. Such partnerships

24  must provide opportunities for:

25         1.  Instruction from highly skilled professionals who

26  possess industry-certification credentials for courses they

27  are teaching.

28         2.  Internships, externships, and on-the-job training.

29         3.  A postsecondary degree, diploma, or certificate.

30         4.  The highest available level of industry

31  certification. Where no national or state certification

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 1  exists, school districts may establish a local certification

 2  in conjunction with the local workforce development board, the

 3  chamber of commerce, or the Agency for Workforce Innovation.

 4         5.  Maximum articulation of credits pursuant to s.

 5  1007.23 upon program completion.

 6         (c)  Provide shared, maximum use of private-sector

 7  facilities and personnel.

 8         (d)(c)  Provide personalized creative and tailored

 9  student advisement, including a parent-participation

10  component, parent participation and coordination with middle

11  schools to promote and support provide career exploration and

12  education planning as required under s. 1003.4156.

13  Coordination with middle schools must provide information to

14  middle school students about secondary and postsecondary

15  career education programs and academies.

16         (e)(d)  Promote and provide opportunities for career

17  and professional academy students to attain, at minimum, the

18  Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award pursuant to s.

19  1009.536 a career education certification on the high school

20  diploma pursuant to s. 1003.431.

21         (f)(e)  Provide instruction in careers designated as

22  high growth, high demand, and high pay by the local workforce

23  development board, the chamber of commerce, or the Agency for

24  Workforce Innovation.

25         (g)(f)  Deliver academic content through instruction

26  relevant to the career, including intensive reading and

27  mathematics intervention required by s. 1003.428, with an

28  emphasis on strengthening reading for information skills.

29         (h)(g)  Offer applied courses that combine academic

30  content with technical skills. Such courses must be submitted

31  to the Department of Education no later than 5 months before

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 1  the beginning of the school term in which such courses are

 2  planned to be offered. The State Board of Education must

 3  approve or disapprove courses no later than 3 months before

 4  the beginning of the school term in which such courses are

 5  planned to be offered. The department shall present new

 6  courses to the state board for approval a minimum of three

 7  times annually.

 8         (i)(h)  Provide instruction resulting in competency,

 9  certification, or credentials in workplace skills, including,

10  but not limited to, communication skills, interpersonal

11  skills, decisionmaking skills, the importance of attendance

12  and timeliness in the work environment, and work ethics.

13         (j)(i)  Provide opportunities for students to obtain

14  the Florida Ready to Work Certification pursuant to s.

15  1004.99.

16         (k)(j)  Include an evaluation plan developed jointly

17  with the Department of Education and the local workforce

18  board. The evaluation plan must include an assessment a

19  self-assessment tool based on national industry standards,

20  such as the Career Academy National Standards of Practice, and

21  outcome measures, including, but not limited to, achievement

22  of industry certifications, graduation rates, enrollment in

23  postsecondary education, business and industry satisfaction,

24  employment and earnings, achievement of industry

25  certification, awards of postsecondary credit and

26  scholarships, and FCAT achievement levels and learning gains.

27  The Department of Education shall use Workforce Florida, Inc.,

28  and Enterprise Florida, Inc., in identifying industry experts

29  to participate in developing and implementing such

30  assessments.

31  

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 1         (l)  Include a plan to sustain career and professional

 2  academies.

 3         (m)  Redirect appropriated career funding to career and

 4  professional academies.

 5         (5)  All career courses offered in a career and

 6  professional academy must lead to industry certification or

 7  college credit linked directly to the career theme of the

 8  course. At least 50 percent of students enrolled in a career

 9  course must achieve industry certifications or college credits

10  during the second year the course is offered in order for the

11  course to be offered a third year. At least 66 percent of

12  students enrolled in such a course must achieve industry

13  certifications or college credits during the third year the

14  course is offered in order for it to be offered a fourth year

15  and thereafter.

16         (6)  The Okaloosa County School District CHOICE

17  Institutes shall serve in an advisory role and shall offer

18  technical assistance in the development of newly established

19  career and professional academies for a 3-year period

20  beginning July 1, 2007.

21         Section 4.  Section 1003.494, Florida Statutes, is

22  repealed.

23         Section 5.  Present paragraphs (p) through (t) of

24  subsection (1) of section 1011.62, Florida Statutes, are

25  redesignated as paragraphs (q) through (u), respectively, and

26  a new paragraph (p) is added to that subsection, to read:

27         1011.62  Funds for operation of schools.--If the annual

28  allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each

29  district for operation of schools is not determined in the

30  annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing

31  

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 1  the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as

 2  follows:

 3         (1)  COMPUTATION OF THE BASIC AMOUNT TO BE INCLUDED FOR

 4  OPERATION.--The following procedure shall be followed in

 5  determining the annual allocation to each district for

 6  operation:

 7         (p)  Calculation of additional full-time equivalent

 8  membership based on certification of successful completion of

 9  industry-certified career and professional academy programs

10  pursuant to s. 1003.492.--A value of 0.3 full-time equivalent

11  student membership shall be calculated for each student who is

12  enrolled in an industry-certified career and professional

13  academy program pursuant to s. 1003.492 and who is awarded a

14  certificate of successful completion. Such value shall be

15  added to the total full-time equivalent student membership in

16  secondary career education programs for grades 9 through 12 in

17  the subsequent year for courses that were not funded through

18  dual enrollment. Unless a different amount is specified in the

19  General Appropriations Act, the appropriation for this

20  calculation is limited to $30 million annually. If the

21  appropriation is insufficient to fully fund the total

22  calculation, the appropriation shall be prorated.

23         Section 6.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

24  

25          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
26                          CS for SB 1232

27                                 

28  The Committee Substitute:

29  Limits the funding for the school district FTE bonus for
    students who complete career academy industry-certified
30  training to $30 million annually if not otherwise specified in
    the General Appropriations Act.
31  

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