Florida Senate - 2016 SB 890
By Senator Flores
37-00229A-16 2016890__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to education; creating s. 1003.432,
3 F.S.; defining terms; establishing the State Seal of
4 Biliteracy Program to recognize a high school graduate
5 who has attained a high level of competency in a world
6 language; providing the purpose of the program;
7 specifying criteria to earn a State Seal of
8 Biliteracy; requiring the Commissioner of Education
9 and school districts to perform specific duties to
10 administer the State Seal of Biliteracy Program;
11 prohibiting a school district or the Department of
12 Education from charging fees to a student who earns
13 the State Seal of Biliteracy; requiring the State
14 Board of Education to adopt certain rules; amending s.
15 1009.534, F.S.; revising eligibility for the Florida
16 Academic Scholars award to include a student who has
17 been awarded an Advanced Placement Capstone diploma;
18 amending s. 1011.62, F.S.; requiring a specified
19 calculation of additional full-time equivalent student
20 membership for a student who receives an Advanced
21 Placement Capstone diploma in determining the annual
22 operating allocation for each school district;
23 providing a directive to the Division of Law Revision
24 and Information; providing an effective date.
25
26 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
27
28 Section 1. Section 1003.432, Florida Statutes, is created
29 to read:
30 1003.432 State Seal of Biliteracy for high school
31 graduates.—
32 (1) As used in this section, the term:
33 (a) “Biliteracy” means attainment of a high level of
34 competency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in one
35 or more languages in addition to English.
36 (b) “World language” means a language other than English
37 which is spoken internationally and is acquired by many people
38 as a second language.
39 (2) The State Seal of Biliteracy Program is established to
40 recognize a high school graduate who has attained a high level
41 of competency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in
42 one or more languages in addition to English. The Commissioner
43 of Education shall award the State Seal of Biliteracy upon
44 graduation to a high school student who meets the qualifications
45 in this section.
46 (3) The purpose of the State Seal of Biliteracy is to:
47 (a) Encourage students to study world languages;
48 (b) Certify attainment of biliteracy;
49 (c) Provide employers with a method of identifying an
50 individual with biliteracy skills;
51 (d) Provide a postsecondary institution with a method to
52 recognize an applicant with biliteracy skills who is seeking
53 admission to the postsecondary institution and to grant
54 postsecondary credit to a student with biliteracy skills who is
55 attending the institution;
56 (e) Recognize and promote world language instruction in
57 public schools; and
58 (f) Affirm the value of diversity, honor multiple cultures
59 and world languages, and strengthen the relationships between
60 multiple cultures in a community.
61 (4) The State Seal of Biliteracy shall be awarded upon
62 graduation to a high school student who:
63 (a) Completed the English requirements for graduation in
64 the courses required under s. 1003.4281, s. 1003.4282, or s.
65 1003.4295 with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or above
66 on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent;
67 (b) Passed a statewide, standardized assessment in English
68 Language Arts administered pursuant to s. 1008.22;
69 (c) Completed four credits of sequential instruction in a
70 high school world language course and attained a cumulative
71 grade point average of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale in such
72 course, or the equivalent of these four credits; and
73 (d) Demonstrated competency in a world language through at
74 least one of the following:
75 1. Passing an International Baccalaureate examination in
76 the world language.
77 2. Passing an Advanced Placement Examination in the world
78 language.
79 3. Passing an SAT Subject Test examination in the world
80 language.
81 4. Passing the Advanced International Certificate of
82 Education Diploma examination.
83 (5) The Commissioner of Education shall:
84 (a) Prepare and provide to each school district an
85 appropriate insignia to be affixed to the student’s diploma and
86 transcript indicating that the student has been awarded a State
87 Seal of Biliteracy; and
88 (b) Provide other information that is necessary for a
89 school district to successfully participate in the program.
90 (6) Each school district shall:
91 (a) Maintain appropriate records in order to identify a
92 student who has met the requirements to receive a State Seal of
93 Biliteracy;
94 (b) Provide the Commissioner of Education with the name of
95 each student who has met the requirements to receive a State
96 Seal of Biliteracy; and
97 (c) Affix the appropriate insignia to the diploma and
98 transcript of each student who earns a State Seal of Biliteracy.
99 (7) A school district or the Department of Education may
100 not charge a fee for the State Seal of Biliteracy.
101 (8) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
102 implement this section. Such rules, at a minimum, must include:
103 (a) Evidence of the student’s successful completion of four
104 credits of sequential instruction in a high school world
105 language course and attainment of a cumulative grade point
106 average of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale in such course, or its
107 equivalent as demonstrated by earning a score provided in
108 paragraph (b) on one of the examinations listed in paragraph
109 (4)(d);
110 (b) The score that a student must receive on each of the
111 examinations listed in paragraph (4)(d); and
112 (c) Alternative means by which a student may demonstrate
113 equivalent world language competency, including the means by
114 which a student whose native language is not English may
115 demonstrate competency in the native language in order to earn
116 the State Seal of Biliteracy.
117 Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 1009.534, Florida
118 Statutes, is amended to read:
119 1009.534 Florida Academic Scholars award.—
120 (1) A student is eligible for a Florida Academic Scholars
121 award if the student meets the general eligibility requirements
122 for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program and the
123 student:
124 (a) Has achieved a 3.5 weighted grade point average as
125 calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, or its equivalent, in high
126 school courses that are designated by the State Board of
127 Education as college-preparatory academic courses; and has
128 attained at least the score pursuant to s. 1009.531(6)(a) on the
129 combined verbal and quantitative parts of the Scholastic
130 Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered
131 Scholastic Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination,
132 or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
133 (b) Has attended a home education program according to s.
134 1002.41 during grades 11 and 12 or has completed the
135 International Baccalaureate curriculum but failed to earn the
136 International Baccalaureate Diploma or has completed the
137 Advanced International Certificate of Education curriculum but
138 failed to earn the Advanced International Certificate of
139 Education Diploma, and has attained at least the score pursuant
140 to s. 1009.531(6)(a) on the combined verbal and quantitative
141 parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment
142 Test, or the recentered Scholastic Assessment Test of the
143 College Entrance Examination, or an equivalent score on the ACT
144 Assessment Program;
145 (c) Has been awarded an Advanced Placement Capstone diploma
146 from the College Board, an International Baccalaureate Diploma
147 from the International Baccalaureate Office, or an Advanced
148 International Certificate of Education Diploma from the
149 University of Cambridge International Examinations Office;
150 (d) Has been recognized by the merit or achievement
151 programs of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a
152 scholar or finalist; or
153 (e) Has been recognized by the National Hispanic
154 Recognition Program as a scholar recipient.
155
156 A student must complete a program of community service work, as
157 approved by the district school board, the administrators of a
158 nonpublic school, or the Department of Education for home
159 education program students, which shall include a minimum of 75
160 hours of service work for high school students graduating in the
161 2010-2011 academic year and 100 hours of service work for high
162 school students graduating in the 2011-2012 academic year and
163 thereafter, and must identify a social problem that interests
164 him or her, develop a plan for his or her personal involvement
165 in addressing the problem, and, through papers or other
166 presentations, evaluate and reflect upon his or her experience.
167 Section 3. Paragraph (n) of subsection (1) of section
168 1011.62, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
169 1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
170 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
171 district for operation of schools is not determined in the
172 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
173 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
174 follows:
175 (1) COMPUTATION OF THE BASIC AMOUNT TO BE INCLUDED FOR
176 OPERATION.—The following procedure shall be followed in
177 determining the annual allocation to each district for
178 operation:
179 (n) Calculation of additional full-time equivalent
180 membership based on college board advanced placement scores of
181 students.—A value of 0.16 full-time equivalent student
182 membership shall be calculated for each student in each advanced
183 placement course who receives a score of 3 or higher on the
184 College Board Advanced Placement Examination. A value of 0.3
185 full-time equivalent student membership shall be calculated for
186 each student who receives an Advanced Placement Capstone
187 diploma. Such values shall be for the prior year and added to
188 the total full-time equivalent student membership in basic
189 programs for grades 9 through 12 in the subsequent fiscal year.
190 Each district must allocate at least 80 percent of the funds
191 provided to the district for advanced placement instruction, in
192 accordance with this paragraph, to the high school that
193 generates the funds. The school district shall distribute to
194 each classroom teacher who provided advanced placement
195 instruction:
196 1. A bonus in the amount of $50 for each student taught by
197 the Advanced Placement teacher in each advanced placement course
198 who receives a score of 3 or higher on the College Board
199 Advanced Placement Examination.
200 2. An additional bonus of $500 to each Advanced Placement
201 teacher in a school designated with a grade of “D” or “F” who
202 has at least one student scoring 3 or higher on the College
203 Board Advanced Placement Examination, regardless of the number
204 of classes taught or of the number of students scoring a 3 or
205 higher on the College Board Advanced Placement Examination.
206
207 Bonuses awarded to a teacher according to this paragraph shall
208 not exceed $2,000 in any given school year. However, the maximum
209 bonus shall be $3,000 if at least 50 percent of the students
210 enrolled in a teacher’s course earn a score of 3 or higher on
211 the examination in a school with a grade of “A,” “B,” or “C” or
212 if at least 25 percent of the students enrolled in a teacher’s
213 course earn a score of 3 or higher on the examination in a
214 school with a grade of “D” or “F.” Bonuses awarded under this
215 paragraph shall be in addition to any regular wage or other
216 bonus the teacher received or is scheduled to receive. For such
217 courses, the teacher shall earn an additional bonus of $50 for
218 each student who has a qualifying score up to the maximum of
219 $3,000 in any given school year.
220 Section 4. The Division of Law Revision and Information is
221 directed to change the term “foreign language” to “world
222 language,” the term “foreign languages” to “world languages,”
223 and the term “foreign-language credits” to “world-language
224 credits” wherever the terms appear in ss. 1001.41-1007.34,
225 Florida Statutes.
226 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.