The Florida Senate

¹239.229  Vocational standards.--

(1)  The purpose of career education is to enable students who complete vocational programs to attain and sustain employment and realize economic self-sufficiency. The purpose of this section is to identify issues related to career education for which school boards and community college boards of trustees are accountable. It is the intent of the Legislature that the standards articulated in subsection (2) be considered in the development of accountability standards for public schools pursuant to ss. 229.591, 229.592, and 230.23(16) and for community colleges pursuant to s. 240.324.

(2)(a)  School board, superintendent, and school accountability for career education within elementary and secondary schools includes, but is not limited to:

1.  Student exposure to a variety of careers and provision of instruction to explore specific careers in greater depth.

2.  Student awareness of available vocational programs and the corresponding occupations into which such programs lead.

3.  Student development of individual career plans.

4.  Integration of academic and vocational skills in the secondary curriculum.

5.  Student preparation to enter the workforce and enroll in postsecondary education without being required to complete college-preparatory or vocational-preparatory instruction.

6.  Student retention in school through high school graduation.

7.  Vocational curriculum articulation with corresponding postsecondary programs in the local area technical center or community college, or both.

(b)  School board, superintendent, and area technical center, and community college board of trustees and president, accountability for certificate career education and diploma programs includes, but is not limited to:

1.  Student demonstration of the academic skills necessary to enter an occupation.

2.  Student preparation to enter an occupation in an entry-level position or continue postsecondary study.

3.  Vocational program articulation with other corresponding postsecondary programs and job training experiences.

4.  Employer satisfaction with the performance of students who complete workforce development education or reach occupational completion points.

5.  Student completion, placement, and retention rates as defined in s. 239.233.

(c)  Department of Education accountability for career education includes, but is not limited to:

1.  The provision of timely, accurate technical assistance to school districts and community colleges.

2.  The provision of timely, accurate information to the State Board for Career Education, the Legislature, and the public.

3.  The development of policies, rules, and procedures that facilitate institutional attainment of the accountability standards and coordinate the efforts of all divisions within the department.

4.  The development of program standards and industry-driven benchmarks for vocational, adult, and community education programs, which must be updated every 3 years. The standards must include technical, academic, and workplace skills; viability of distance learning for instruction; and work/learn cycles that are responsive to business and industry.

5.  Overseeing school district and community college compliance with the provisions of this chapter.

6.  Ensuring that the educational outcomes for the technical component of workforce development programs and secondary vocational job-preparatory programs are uniform and designed to provide a graduate of high quality who is capable of entering the workforce on an equally competitive basis regardless of the institution of choice.

7.  No school board or public school shall require a student to participate in any school-to-work or job training program. A school board or school shall not require a student to meet occupational standards for grade level promotion or graduation unless the student is voluntarily enrolled in a job training program.

(3)  Each area technical center operated by a school board shall establish a center advisory council pursuant to s. 229.58. The center advisory council shall assist in the preparation and evaluation of center improvement plans required pursuant to s. 230.23(16) and may provide assistance, upon the request of the center director, in the preparation of the center's annual budget and plan as required by s. 229.555(1).

History.--s. 18, ch. 92-136; s. 64, ch. 97-190; s. 28, ch. 97-246; s. 21, ch. 97-307; s. 11, ch. 98-58; ss. 25, 41, ch. 99-398; s. 67, ch. 2000-165; s. 3(7), ch. 2000-321.

¹Note.--Repealed January 7, 2003, by s. 3(7), ch. 2000-321, and shall be reviewed by the Legislature prior to that date.