The Florida Senate

240.61  College reach-out program.--

(1)  There is established a college reach-out program to increase the number of low-income educationally disadvantaged students in grades 6-12 who, upon high school graduation, are admitted to and successfully complete postsecondary education. Participants should be students who otherwise would be unlikely to seek admission to a community college, state university, or independent postsecondary institution without special support and recruitment efforts. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules which provide for the following:

(a)  Definition of "low-income educationally disadvantaged student."

(b)  Specific criteria and guidelines for selection of college reach-out participants.

(2)  In developing the definition for "low-income educationally disadvantaged student," the State Board of Education shall include such factors as: the family's taxable income; family receipt of temporary assistance under the WAGES Program in the preceding year; family receipt of public assistance in the preceding year; the student's cumulative grade point average; the student's promotion and attendance patterns; the student's performance on state standardized tests; the student's enrollment in mathematics and science courses; and the student's participation in a dropout prevention program.

(3)  To participate in the college reach-out program, a community college, a public university, or an independent postsecondary institution may submit a proposal to the Department of Education. The State Board of Education shall consider the proposals and determine which proposals to implement as programs that will strengthen the educational motivation and preparation of low-income educationally disadvantaged students.

(4)  Community colleges, universities, and independent postsecondary institutions that participate in the program must provide procedures for continuous contact with students from the point at which they are selected for participation until they enroll in a postsecondary education institution. These procedures must assist students in selecting courses required for graduation from high school and admission to a postsecondary institution and ensure that students continue to participate in program activities. Institutions that participate must provide on-campus academic and advisory activities during summer vacation and provide opportunities for interacting with college and university students as mentors, tutors, or role models. Proposals submitted by universities and consortia involving universities must provide students with an opportunity to live on campus.

(5)  In selecting proposals for approval, the State Board of Education shall give preference to:

(a)  Proposals submitted jointly by two or more eligible postsecondary institutions;

(b)  A program that will use institutional, federal, or private resources to supplement state appropriations;

(c)  An applicant that has demonstrated success in conducting similar programs;

(d)  A program that includes innovative approaches, provides a great variety of activities, and includes a large percentage of low-income educationally disadvantaged minority students in the college reach-out program;

(e)  An applicant that demonstrates commitment to the program by proposing to match the grant funds at least one-to-one in cash or services, with cash being the preferred match;

(f)  An applicant that demonstrates an interest in cultural diversity and that addresses the unmet regional needs of varying communities; and

(g)  A program that identifies participants for the college reach-out program from among students who are not already enrolled in similar programs that assist low-income educationally disadvantaged students.

(6)  A participating college or university is encouraged to use its resources to meet program objectives. A participating college, university, or independent postsecondary institution must establish an advisory committee composed of high school and junior high school personnel, as well as community leaders, to provide advice and assistance in implementing its program.

(7)  A proposal must contain the following information:

(a)  A statement of purpose which includes a description of the need for, and the results expected from, the proposed program;

(b)  An identification of the service area which names the schools to be served, provides community and school demographics, and sets forth the postsecondary enrollment rates of high school graduates within the area;

(c)  An identification of existing programs for enhancing the academic performance of minority and low-income educationally disadvantaged students for enrollment in postsecondary education;

(d)  A description of the proposed program which describes criteria to be used to identify schools for participation in the program. At least 60 percent of the students recruited in any one year must be in grades 6-9;

(e)  A description of the program activities which must support the following goals:

1.  Motivate students to pursue a postsecondary education;

2.  Develop students' basic learning skills;

3.  Strengthen students' and parents' understanding of the benefits of postsecondary education;

4.  Foster academic, personal, and career development through supplemental instruction; and

(f)  An evaluation component that provides for the collection, maintenance, retrieval, and analysis of the data required by this paragraph. The data must be used to assess the extent to which programs have accomplished specific objectives and achieved the goals of the college reach-out program. The Postsecondary Education Planning Commission, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall develop specifications and procedures for the collection and transmission of the data. The annual project evaluation component must contain:

1.  The student identification number and social security number, if available; the name of the public school attended; gender; ethnicity; grade level; and grade point average of each participant at the time of entry into the program;

2.  The grade point average, grade, and promotion status of each of the participants in the program at the end of the academic year and any suspension or expulsion of a participant, if applicable;

3.  The number and percentage of high school participants who satisfactorily complete 2 sequential years of a foreign language and Level 2 and 3 mathematics and science courses;

4.  The number and percentage of participants eligible for high school graduation who receive a standard high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma, pursuant to s. 229.814;

5.  The number and percentage of 12th grade participants who are accepted for enrollment and who enroll in a postsecondary institution;

6.  The number of participants who receive scholarships, grant aid, and work-study awards;

7.  The number and percentage of participants who enroll in a public postsecondary institution and who fail to achieve a passing score, as defined in State Board of Education rule, on college placement tests pursuant to s. 240.117;

8.  The number and percentage of participants who enroll in a postsecondary institution and have a minimum cumulative 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale by the end of the second semester; and

9.  The number of disabled students participating in the project and the nature of their disabilities.

(8)  Proposals must be funded competitively in accordance with the following methodology:

(a)  Eighty percent of the appropriations must be distributed to projects on the basis of minimum standards that include:

1.  A summer residency program of at least 1 week in duration; and

2.  A minimum number of hours of academic instructional and developmental activities, career counseling, and personal counseling.

(b)  Subject to legislative appropriations, continuation projects that satisfy the minimum requirements should have their funds increased each year by the same percentage as the rate of inflation. Projects funded for 3 consecutive years should have a cumulative institutional cash match of not less than 50 percent of the total cost of the project over the 3-year period. Any college reach-out program project operating for 3 years which does not provide the minimum 50-percent institutional cash match must not be considered for continued funding.

(c)  The remaining 20 percent of the appropriations should be distributed to projects for their initiatives and performances. Projects that exceed the minimum standards should be awarded financial incentives when they demonstrate one or a combination of the following:

1.  Improvement in the success rate in preventing dropouts from the college reach-out program project;

2.  An increase in the number of participants who are admitted to colleges and universities;

3.  At least 50 percent of the parents participate in project activities;

4.  Provision of innovative services;

5.  Provision of summer residency for more than 1 week; and

6.  Provision of transportation for students and parents.

(9)  An advisory council shall review the proposals and recommend to the State Board of Education an order of priority for funding the proposals. The advisory council shall consist of 10 members:

(a)  The two equal opportunity coordinators for the Community College System and the State University System;

(b)  Two representatives of private or community-based associations that have similar programs, appointed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively;

(c)  One representative of the State University System, appointed by the Chair of the Board of Regents;

(d)  One representative of the Community College System, appointed by the Chair of the State Board of Community Colleges;

(e)  One representative of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, appointed by the President of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida;

(f)  One representative of a public school district, appointed by the Commissioner of Education;

(g)  One representative of the Postsecondary Education Planning Commission, appointed by the chair of the commission; and

(h)  One layperson, appointed by the Governor.

(10)  Except for the equal opportunity coordinators for the community college and state university systems, who shall continue to serve on the council, the terms of all initial committee members holding office on September 1, 1994, expire on that date. Of those persons who are appointed to the council after that date: three members shall be appointed for 2-year terms; three members shall be appointed for 3-year terms; and two members shall be appointed for 4-year terms. Thereafter, each member shall be appointed for a 4-year term of office. Members may be reappointed to the council. A vacancy must be filled with a person of the same status as the original appointee and must be filled for the remainder of the term. Members are entitled to per diem and travel expenses as provided in s. 112.061 while performing council duties.

(11)  On or before February 15 of each year, each participating institution shall submit to the Postsecondary Education Planning Commission an interim report containing program expenditures and participant information as required in State Board of Education rules.

(12)  On or before October 15 of each year, universities, independent postsecondary institutions, and community colleges participating in the program shall submit to the Postsecondary Education Planning Commission an end-of-the-year report on the effectiveness of their participation in the program. The end-of-the-year report must include, without limitation:

(a)  A copy of the certificate-of-expenditures form showing expenditures by category; state grant funds; and institutional matching, in cash and in-kind services;

(b)  A listing of students participating in the program by grade level, sex, and race;

(c)  A statement of how the program addresses the four program goals identified in paragraph (7)(e);

(d)  A brief description and analysis of program characteristics and activities critical to program success;

(e)  A description of the cooperation received from other units or organizations; and

(f)  An explanation of the program's outcomes, including data related to student performance on the measures provided for in paragraph (7)(f).

(13)  By February 15 of each year, the Postsecondary Education Planning Commission shall submit to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Commissioner of Education, and the Governor a report that evaluates the effectiveness of the college reach-out program. The report must be based upon information provided by participating institutions, the Division of Universities, the Division of Community Colleges, and the Division of Workforce Development pursuant to subsections (7) and (12). To the extent feasible, the performance of college reach-out program participants must be compared to the performance of comparable cohorts of students in public school and postsecondary education.

(14)  Funding for the college reach-out program shall be provided in the General Appropriations Act. From these funds, an annual allocation shall be provided to the Postsecondary Education Planning Commission to conduct the annual program evaluation required by subsection (13).

History.--s. 30, ch. 89-207; s. 10, ch. 90-302; ss. 1, 2, 3, ch. 94-246; s. 833, ch. 95-148; s. 65, ch. 96-175; s. 33, ch. 97-100; s. 30, ch. 97-307; s. 43, ch. 98-421; s. 1, ch. 99-180.