Florida Senate - 2025 SB 1204
By Senator DiCeglie
18-01070-25 20251204__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to career-themed courses; amending s.
3 1003.493, F.S.; revising the number of career-themed
4 courses that must be offered by a school district;
5 requiring at least two career-themed courses to meet
6 certain requirements; amending s. 1008.34, F.S.;
7 revising the number of clock hours required for a
8 certain component used to determine a school’s grade;
9 providing additional components used to determine a
10 school’s grade; providing an effective date.
11
12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section
15 1003.493, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
16 1003.493 Career and professional academies and career
17 themed courses.—
18 (1)
19 (b) A “career-themed course” is a course, or a course in a
20 series of courses, that leads to an industry certification
21 identified in the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List
22 pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of Education.
23 Career-themed courses have industry-specific curriculum aligned
24 directly to priority workforce needs established by the local
25 workforce development board or the Department of Commerce.
26 School districts shall offer at least four two career-themed
27 courses, and each secondary school is encouraged to offer at
28 least one career-themed course. At least one career-themed
29 course offered by a school district must be aligned with a
30 regional demand occupation field as identified by the school
31 district’s respective regional demand occupations list published
32 by CareerSource Florida, Inc. At least one career-themed course
33 offered by a school district must be in one of the following
34 areas: agriculture, construction or trades, early childhood
35 education, health care, or hospitality. The Florida Virtual
36 School is encouraged to develop and offer rigorous career-themed
37 courses as appropriate. Students completing a career-themed
38 course must be provided opportunities to earn postsecondary
39 credit if the credit for the career-themed course can be
40 articulated to a postsecondary institution approved to operate
41 in this the state.
42 Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section
43 1008.34, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
44 1008.34 School grading system; school report cards;
45 district grade.—
46 (3) DESIGNATION OF SCHOOL GRADES.—
47 (b)1. A school’s grade is shall be based on the following
48 components, each worth 100 points:
49 a. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide,
50 standardized assessments in English Language Arts under s.
51 1008.22(3).
52 b. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide,
53 standardized assessments in mathematics under s. 1008.22(3).
54 c. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide,
55 standardized assessments in science under s. 1008.22(3).
56 d. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide,
57 standardized assessments in social studies under s. 1008.22(3).
58 e. The percentage of eligible students who make Learning
59 Gains in English Language Arts as measured by statewide,
60 standardized assessments administered under s. 1008.22(3).
61 f. The percentage of eligible students who make Learning
62 Gains in mathematics as measured by statewide, standardized
63 assessments administered under s. 1008.22(3).
64 g. The percentage of eligible students in the lowest 25
65 percent in English Language Arts, as identified by prior year
66 performance on statewide, standardized assessments, who make
67 Learning Gains as measured by statewide, standardized English
68 Language Arts assessments administered under s. 1008.22(3).
69 h. The percentage of eligible students in the lowest 25
70 percent in mathematics, as identified by prior year performance
71 on statewide, standardized assessments, who make Learning Gains
72 as measured by statewide, standardized Mathematics assessments
73 administered under s. 1008.22(3).
74 i. For schools comprised of middle grades 6 through 8 or
75 grades 7 and 8, the percentage of eligible students passing high
76 school level statewide, standardized end-of-course assessments
77 or attaining national industry certifications identified in the
78 CAPE Industry Certification Funding List pursuant to state board
79 rule.
80 j. Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, for schools
81 comprised of grade levels that include grade 3, the percentage
82 of eligible students who score an achievement level 3 or higher
83 on the grade 3 statewide, standardized English Language Arts
84 assessment administered under s. 1008.22(3).
85
86 In calculating Learning Gains for the components listed in sub
87 subparagraphs e.-h., the State Board of Education shall require
88 that learning growth toward achievement levels 3, 4, and 5 is
89 demonstrated by students who scored below each of those levels
90 in the prior year. In calculating the components in sub
91 subparagraphs a.-d., the state board shall include the
92 performance of English language learners only if they have been
93 enrolled in a school in the United States for more than 2 years.
94 2. For a school comprised of grades 9, 10, 11, and 12, or
95 grades 10, 11, and 12, the school’s grade shall also be based on
96 the following components, each worth 100 points, except as
97 provided in sub-subparagraph c.:
98 a. The 4-year high school graduation rate of the school as
99 defined by state board rule.
100 b. The percentage of students who were eligible to earn
101 college and career credit through an assessment identified
102 pursuant to s. 1007.27(2), College Board Advanced Placement
103 examinations, International Baccalaureate examinations, dual
104 enrollment courses, including career dual enrollment courses
105 resulting in the completion of 150 300 or more clock hours
106 during high school which are approved by the state board as
107 meeting the requirements of s. 1007.271, or Advanced
108 International Certificate of Education examinations; who, at any
109 time during high school, earned national industry certification
110 identified in the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List,
111 pursuant to rules adopted by the state board; or who earned an
112 Armed Services Qualification Test score that falls within
113 Category II or higher on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude
114 Battery and earned a minimum of two credits in Junior Reserve
115 Officers’ Training Corps courses from the same branch of the
116 United States Armed Forces.
117 c. For the percentage of students who earned a national
118 industry certification identified in the CAPE Industry
119 Certification Funding List, the component is worth 200 points to
120 calculate a school’s grade.
121 3. When calculating a school grade for a school comprised
122 of grades 9, 10, 11, and 12, or grades 10, 11, and 12, or a
123 district grade, the following apply for courses that lead to a
124 national industry certification identified in the CAPE Industry
125 Certification Funding List:
126 a. Courses totaling 150 or more clock hours do not have to
127 be included in the same program, as designated by the name and
128 program number.
129 b. Courses totaling 50 or more clock hours must align with
130 an occupation field on the Local Targeted Occupations List for
131 the school district published by CareerSource Florida, Inc.
132 c. Courses totaling 50 or more clock hours that are
133 included on the Credentials of Value listing do not have to be
134 included in the same program, as designated by the name and
135 program number.
136 d. Courses totaling 50 or more clock hours that are
137 included in the College and Career Acceleration component in one
138 of the following areas do not have to be included in the same
139 program, as designated by the name and program number:
140 agriculture, construction or trades, early childhood education,
141 health care, or hospitality.
142 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.