Florida Senate - 2016 SB 1638
By Senator Lee
24-01476A-16 20161638__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to postsecondary education for
3 veterans; amending s. 1004.096, F.S.; directing the
4 Department of Education to award postsecondary course
5 credit for specified examinations and tests; amending
6 s. 1009.26, F.S.; revising the residency requirement
7 for certain tuition waivers for recipients of
8 specified military decorations; conforming provisions;
9 amending s. 1012.56, F.S.; providing that specified
10 programs and test scores meet certain educator
11 certification requirements; providing an effective
12 date.
13
14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. Section 1004.096, Florida Statutes, is amended
17 to read:
18 1004.096 College credit for military training, and
19 education courses, and subject examinations.—
20 (1) The Board of Governors shall adopt regulations and the
21 State Board of Education shall adopt rules that enable eligible
22 servicemembers or honorably discharged veterans members of the
23 United States Armed Forces to earn academic college credit at
24 public postsecondary educational institutions for college-level
25 training and education acquired in the military. The regulations
26 and rules shall include procedures for credential evaluation and
27 the award of academic college credit, including, but not limited
28 to, equivalency and alignment of military coursework with
29 appropriate college courses, course descriptions, type and
30 amount of college credit that may be awarded, and transfer of
31 credit.
32 (2) The department shall annually identify and publish the
33 minimum scores, maximum credit, and course or courses for which
34 credit is to be awarded for each Excelsior College subject
35 examination, Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education
36 Support (DANTES) subject standardized test, and Defense Language
37 Proficiency Test (DLPT). The department shall identify such
38 courses in the general education core curriculum of each state
39 university and Florida College System institution.
40 Section 2. Subsection (8) of section 1009.26, Florida
41 Statutes, is amended to read:
42 1009.26 Fee waivers.—
43 (8) A state university, a Florida College System
44 institution, a career center operated by a school district under
45 s. 1001.44, or a charter technical career center shall waive
46 tuition for undergraduate college credit programs and career
47 certificate programs for each recipient of a Purple Heart or
48 another combat decoration superior in precedence who:
49 (a) Is enrolled as a full-time, part-time, or summer-school
50 student in a program that terminates in an associate or a
51 baccalaureate degree, a college credit certificate, or a career
52 certificate;
53 (b) Physically resides in Is currently, and was at the time
54 of the military action that resulted in the awarding of the
55 Purple Heart or other combat decoration superior in precedence,
56 a resident of this state while enrolled in the university,
57 institution, or center; and
58 (c) Submits to the state university, the Florida College
59 System institution, or the career center operated by a school
60 district under s. 1001.44, or the charter technical career
61 center the DD-214 form issued at the time of separation from
62 service as documentation that the student has received a Purple
63 Heart or another combat decoration superior in precedence. If
64 the DD-214 is not available, other documentation may be
65 acceptable if recognized by the United States Department of
66 Defense or the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as
67 documenting the award.
68
69 Such a waiver for a Purple Heart recipient or recipient of
70 another combat decoration superior in precedence shall be
71 applicable for 110 percent of the number of required credit
72 hours of the degree or certificate program for which the student
73 is enrolled.
74 Section 3. Subsection (5) of section 1012.56, Florida
75 Statutes, is amended to read:
76 1012.56 Educator certification requirements.—
77 (5) MASTERY OF SUBJECT AREA KNOWLEDGE.—Acceptable means of
78 demonstrating mastery of subject area knowledge are:
79 (a) For a subject requiring only a baccalaureate degree for
80 which a Florida subject area examination has been developed,
81 achievement of a passing score on the Florida-developed subject
82 area examination specified in state board rule;
83 (b) For a subject for which a Florida subject area
84 examination has not been developed, achievement of a passing
85 score on a standardized examination specified in state board
86 rule, including, but not limited to, passing scores on both the
87 oral proficiency and written proficiency examinations
88 administered by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign
89 Languages;
90 (c) For a subject for which a Florida subject area
91 examination has not been developed or a standardized examination
92 has not been specified in state board rule, completion of the
93 subject area specialization requirements specified in state
94 board rule and verification of the attainment of the essential
95 subject matter competencies by the district school
96 superintendent of the employing school district or chief
97 administrative officer of the employing state-supported or
98 private school;
99 (d) For a subject requiring a master’s or higher degree,
100 completion of the subject area specialization requirements
101 specified in state board rule and achievement of a passing score
102 on the Florida-developed subject area examination or a
103 standardized examination specified in state board rule;
104 (e) Documentation of a valid professional standard teaching
105 certificate issued by another state; or
106 (f) Documentation of a valid certificate issued by the
107 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or a national
108 educator credentialing board approved by the State Board of
109 Education;
110 (g) Documentation of successful completion of a United
111 States Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center
112 program; or
113 (h) Documentation of a passing score on the Defense
114 Language Proficiency Test (DLPT).
115
116 School districts are encouraged to provide mechanisms for middle
117 grades teachers holding only a K-6 teaching certificate to
118 obtain a subject area coverage for middle grades through
119 postsecondary coursework or district add-on certification.
120 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.