1

A bill to be entitled

2

An act relating to alternative high school courses and

3

programs; creating s. 1002.375, F.S.; establishing a pilot

4

project for awarding high school credit to students

5

enrolled in industry certification programs; requiring the

6

Commissioner of Education to establish criteria for

7

program participation; requiring that a school district

8

submit a letter of interest by a specified date in order

9

to participate in the pilot project; requiring that the

10

Commissioner of Education submit a report to the Governor

11

and the Legislature; providing for specified courses to be

12

included as alternative credit courses; exempting

13

alternative credit courses from certain requirements;

14

authorizing the Department of Education to approve certain

15

courses for credit by examination; requiring the

16

Department of Education to adopt passing minimum scores on

17

approved assessments and maintain a course directory;

18

requiring the State Board of Education to adopt rules;

19

amending s. 1011.61, F.S., relating to definitions for the

20

Florida Education Finance Program; providing for an

21

alternate method of reporting full-time equivalent

22

membership for credit earned in alternative high school

23

credit courses for the pilot project created under s.

24

1002.375, F.S.; encouraging school districts to enter into

25

partnerships with local businesses for certain purposes;

26

authorizing the Palm Beach County school district to

27

recognize its business partners by displaying such

28

business partners' names on school district property in

29

unincorporated areas if displayed in a manner consistent

30

with certain standards; providing an effective date.

31

32

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

33

34

     Section 1.  Section 1002.375, Florida Statutes, is created

35

to read:

36

     1002.375 Alternative credit for high school courses; pilot

37

project.--

38

     (1) The Commissioner of Education shall implement a pilot

39

project in up to three school districts beginning in the 2008-

40

2009 school year which allows school districts to award

41

alternative course credit for students enrolled in nationally or

42

state-recognized industry certification programs, as defined by

43

the Agency for Workforce Innovation in accordance with the

44

criteria described in s. 1003.492(2). The Commissioner of

45

Education shall establish criteria for districts that participate

46

in the pilot program. School districts interested in

47

participating in the program must submit a letter of interest by

48

July 15, 2008, to the Commissioner of Education identifying up to

49

five nationally or state-recognized industry certification

50

programs, as defined by the Agency for Workforce Innovation in

51

accordance with the criteria described in s. 1003.492(2), under

52

which the district would like to award alternative credit for the

53

eligible courses identified in subsection (2). The Commissioner

54

of Education shall select up to three participating school

55

districts by July 30, 2008. The Commissioner of Education shall

56

submit a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and

57

the Speaker of the House of Representatives identifying the

58

number of students choosing to earn alternative credit, the

59

number of students that received alternative credit, and

60

legislative recommendations for expanding the use of alternative

61

credit for core academic courses required for high school

62

graduation. The report shall be submitted by January 1, 2010.

63

     (2) For purposes of designing and implementing a successful

64

pilot project, eligible alternative credit courses include

65

Algebra 1a, Algebra 1b, Algebra 1, Geometry, and Biology.

66

Alternative credits shall be awarded for courses in which a

67

student is not enrolled, but for which the student may earn

68

academic credit by enrolling in another course or sequence of

69

courses required to earn a nationally or state-recognized

70

industry certificate, as defined by the Agency for Workforce

71

Innovation in accordance with the criteria described in s.

72

1003.492(2), of which the majority of the standards-based content

73

in the course description is consistent with the alternative

74

credit course description approved by the Department of

75

Education.

76

     (3) An alternative credit course is not subject to:

77

     (a) The definition of credit under s. 1003.436;

78

     (b) The time requirements of s. 1011.60(2); or

79

     (c) The net hours of instruction requirements for purposes

80

of determining full-time equivalency pursuant to s.

81

1011.61(1)(a)1. under the Florida Education Finance Program.

82

     (4) The Department of Education may approve a course as an

83

alternative credit course pursuant to this section. In order to

84

earn credit, each participating student must pass an end-of-

85

course assessment that measures proficiency in the Sunshine State

86

Standards addressed by the course. The Department of Education

87

shall approve each end-of-course assessment and the minimum

88

passing score for each assessment. Approved assessments shall be

89

limited to assessments for Algebra 1a, Algebra 1b, Algebra 1,

90

Geometry, and Biology developed by the Florida Virtual School, or

91

end-of-course statewide standardized assessments for these

92

courses which may be adopted or developed by the department. The

93

department shall approve the method of administering end-of-

94

course assessments for alternative credit courses in each

95

participating school district in order to ensure the validity of

96

the assessment results.

97

     (5) School districts shall report all enrollments and

98

credits awarded for alternative education courses pursuant to

99

this section under procedures prescribed by the Department of

100

Education.

101

     (6) The Department of Education shall maintain a list of

102

approved assessments and minimum passing scores for each approved

103

course. The approved list must be incorporated into the Course

104

Code Directory. The department shall prescribe the information a

105

district must provide in order to have a course considered for

106

inclusion in the directory listing for the approved courses used

107

in the pilot program. A properly completed request by a district

108

to have a course included in the directory must be approved or

109

denied by the department within 30 days after receipt. When a

110

request is denied, the department must provide the district with

111

its reason for denial in writing within 10 days after the denial.

112

     (7) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules pursuant

113

to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement the pilot program

114

created in this section.

115

     Section 2.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section

116

1011.61, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

117

     1011.61  Definitions.--Notwithstanding the provisions of s.

118

1000.21, the following terms are defined as follows for the

119

purposes of the Florida Education Finance Program:

120

     (1)  A "full-time equivalent student" in each program of the

121

district is defined in terms of full-time students and part-time

122

students as follows:

123

     (c)1.  A "full-time equivalent student" is:

124

     a.  A full-time student in any one of the programs listed in

125

s. 1011.62(1)(c); or

126

     b.  A combination of full-time or part-time students in any

127

one of the programs listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c) which is the

128

equivalent of one full-time student based on the following

129

calculations:

130

     (I)  A full-time student, except a postsecondary or adult

131

student or a senior high school student enrolled in adult

132

education when such courses are required for high school

133

graduation, in a combination of programs listed in s.

134

1011.62(1)(c) shall be a fraction of a full-time equivalent

135

membership in each special program equal to the number of net

136

hours per school year for which he or she is a member, divided by

137

the appropriate number of hours set forth in subparagraph (a)1.

138

or subparagraph (a)2. The difference between that fraction or sum

139

of fractions and the maximum value as set forth in subsection (4)

140

for each full-time student is presumed to be the balance of the

141

student's time not spent in such special education programs and

142

shall be recorded as time in the appropriate basic program.

143

     (II)  A prekindergarten handicapped student shall meet the

144

requirements specified for kindergarten students.

145

     (III)  A Florida Virtual School full-time equivalent student

146

shall consist of six full credit completions in the programs

147

listed in s. 1011.62(1)(c)1. and 4. Credit completions can be a

148

combination of either full credits or half credits.

149

     (IV) Each successfully completed credit earned under the

150

alternative high school course credit requirements authorized in

151

s. 1002.375, which is not reported as a portion of the 900 net

152

hours of instruction pursuant to subparagraph (1)(a)1., shall be

153

calculated as 1/6 FTE.

154

     2.  A student in membership in a program scheduled for more

155

or less than 180 school days is a fraction of a full-time

156

equivalent membership equal to the number of instructional hours

157

in membership divided by the appropriate number of hours set

158

forth in subparagraph (a)1.; however, for the purposes of this

159

subparagraph, membership in programs scheduled for more than 180

160

days is limited to students enrolled in juvenile justice

161

education programs and the Florida Virtual School.

162

163

The department shall determine and implement an equitable method

164

of equivalent funding for experimental schools and for schools

165

operating under emergency conditions, which schools have been

166

approved by the department to operate for less than the minimum

167

school day.

168

     Section 3. (1) School districts are encouraged to enter

169

into partnerships with local businesses for purposes of

170

mentorship opportunities, the development of employment options

171

and additional funding sources, and other mutual benefits.

172

     (2) As a pilot program through June 30, 2011, the Palm

173

Beach County school district may recognize its business partners

174

by publicly displaying such business partners' names on school

175

district property in the unincorporated areas. "Project

176

Graduation" and athletic sponsorships are examples of appropriate

177

recognition. The district shall make every effort to display its

178

business partners' names in a manner that is consistent with the

179

county standards for uniformity in size, color, and placement of

180

signs. If the provisions of this section are inconsistent with

181

the county ordinances or regulations relating to signs in the

182

unincorporated areas or inconsistent with chapter 125, chapter

183

166, or chapter 479, Florida Statutes, the provisions of this

184

section prevail.

185

     Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2008.