Florida Senate - 2019                                    SB 1308
       
       
        
       By Senator Perry
       
       
       
       
       
       8-01457B-19                                           20191308__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to pathways to college and career
    3         success; creating s. 1004.991, F.S.; requiring the
    4         Commissioner of Education to conduct an annual review
    5         of career and technical education offerings in the K
    6         12 education system and the Florida College System;
    7         providing requirements for the annual review;
    8         requiring the commissioner to annually provide a
    9         report summarizing the annual review to the Governor
   10         and the Legislature; providing requirements for the
   11         report; requiring the State Board of Education to
   12         adopt rules; amending s. 1007.23, F.S.; requiring the
   13         statewide articulation agreement to provide for a
   14         reverse transfer agreement; providing requirements for
   15         the reverse transfer agreement; amending s. 1007.25,
   16         F.S.; requiring state universities to annually notify
   17         their students of a specified provision of law;
   18         amending s. 1009.26, F.S.; authorizing state
   19         universities or Florida College System institutions to
   20         waive tuition and fees for students who meet specified
   21         requirements; providing an effective date.
   22          
   23  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   24  
   25         Section 1. Section 1004.991, Florida Statutes, is created
   26  to read:
   27         1004.991 Duties of the commissioner in reviewing career and
   28  technical education offerings.—
   29         (1)The Commissioner of Education shall conduct an annual
   30  review of career and technical education offerings in the K-12
   31  education system and the Florida College System, in consultation
   32  with the Department of Economic Opportunity, CareerSource
   33  Florida, Inc., leaders of business and industry, the Board of
   34  Governors of the State University System, the Florida College
   35  System, school districts, and other education stakeholders, to
   36  determine the alignment of existing offerings with employer
   37  demand, postsecondary degree or certificate programs, and
   38  professional industry certifications. The review must identify
   39  career and technical education offerings that are linked to
   40  occupations that are in high demand by employers, require high
   41  level skills, and provide middle-level and high-level wages. The
   42  review must include analyses of:
   43         (a)Participating students and their educational outcomes,
   44  including the following:
   45         1.Academic achievement;
   46         2.Attainment of industry certifications;
   47         3.Program completion;
   48         4.Applied learning experiences;
   49         5.College credit attainment through the career and
   50  technical education program, including dual enrollment or
   51  articulation;
   52         6.Postsecondary enrollment and credential attainment,
   53  including enrollment in 4-year degree programs for Florida
   54  College System students; and
   55         7.Employment outcomes, including wages;
   56         (b)Demographics of participating students by pathway and
   57  credential attainment;
   58         (c)Educational settings of the courses;
   59         (d)Alignment with high-growth, high-demand, and high-wage
   60  employment opportunities;
   61         (e)Current and projected economic, labor, and wage data on
   62  the needs of the state, regional and global economies, and
   63  workforce;
   64         (f)Alignment with certificate or degree programs offered
   65  at the postsecondary level or professional industry
   66  certifications;
   67         (g)Employment outcomes, including wages, by career and
   68  technical education program offerings;
   69         (h)Apprenticeship and preapprenticeship offerings;
   70         (i)Qualifications and specialized knowledge and expertise
   71  of instructors and the opportunities for these educators to
   72  upskill in the latest in-demand skills of employers; and
   73         (j)The extent to which federal, state, and local funding
   74  is used to foster career and technical education program success
   75  and program efficiency.
   76         (2)Using the findings from the annual review as provided
   77  in subsection (1), the commissioner shall phase out K-12 career
   78  and technical education offerings that are not aligned with the
   79  needs of employers or do not provide program completers with
   80  middle- or higher-wage jobs. Additionally, the commissioner
   81  shall encourage school districts and Florida College System
   82  institutions to offer new programs that are currently in demand
   83  by employers but are not offered by school districts or Florida
   84  College System institutions.
   85         (3)By December 1 of each year, the commissioner shall
   86  provide to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
   87  Speaker of the House of Representatives a report summarizing the
   88  following:
   89         (a)The review’s findings pursuant to subsection (1);
   90         (b)A list of existing career and technical education
   91  programs by school or institution which are not aligned with
   92  employer demand or do not provide students with an opportunity
   93  to earn a living wage;
   94         (c)A list of knowledge areas, skills, and competencies
   95  employers demand which are not being provided through existing
   96  career and technical education program offerings; and
   97         (d)The commissioner’s recommendations to improve the
   98  operational efficiency and student success in the state’s career
   99  and technical education program offerings.
  100         (4)The State Board of Education shall adopt rules pursuant
  101  to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement this section.
  102         Section 2. Subsection (7) is added to section 1007.23,
  103  Florida Statutes, to read:
  104         1007.23 Statewide articulation agreement.—
  105         (7) The articulation agreement must specifically provide
  106  for a reverse transfer agreement for Florida College System
  107  associate in arts degree-seeking students who transfer to a
  108  state university before earning an associate in arts degree. The
  109  agreement must include, but is not limited to, the following
  110  provisions:
  111         (a)The state universities’ annual identification of
  112  students, described under this subsection, who have completed
  113  requirements for an associate in arts degree.
  114         (b)The transfer of credits earned at the state university
  115  back to the Florida College System institution.
  116         (c)Provisions for the annual notification to students,
  117  described under this subsection, of the reverse transfer policy.
  118         Section 3. Subsection (11) of section 1007.25, Florida
  119  Statutes, is amended to read:
  120         1007.25 General education courses; common prerequisites;
  121  other degree requirements.—
  122         (11) Students at state universities may request associate
  123  in arts certificates if they have successfully completed the
  124  minimum requirements for the degree of associate in arts (A.A.).
  125  The university must grant the student an associate in arts
  126  degree if the student has successfully completed minimum
  127  requirements for college-level communication and computation
  128  skills adopted by the State Board of Education and 60 academic
  129  semester hours or the equivalent within a degree program area,
  130  including 36 semester hours in general education courses in the
  131  subject areas of communication, mathematics, social sciences,
  132  humanities, and natural sciences, consistent with the general
  133  education requirements specified in the articulation agreement
  134  pursuant to s. 1007.23. Universities must annually notify their
  135  students of this provision.
  136         Section 4. Subsection (16) is added to section 1009.26,
  137  Florida Statutes, to read:
  138         1009.26 Fee waivers.—
  139         (16) A state university or Florida College System
  140  institution may waive tuition and fees for a student who was
  141  enrolled in a state university or Florida College System
  142  institution within the past 10 years or earlier, but who has not
  143  reenrolled in the preceding 5 years and who successfully
  144  completed all but the equivalent of 10 percent of the required
  145  coursework for an associate or bachelor’s degree.
  146         Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.