Florida Senate - 2012                                    SB 1314
       
       
       
       By Senator Gaetz
       
       
       
       
       4-01002-12                                            20121314__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to career-themed courses; amending s.
    3         1003.491, F.S.; revising provisions relating to the
    4         Florida Career and Professional Education Act;
    5         requiring that each district school board, in
    6         collaboration with regional workforce boards, economic
    7         development agencies, and postsecondary institutions,
    8         develop a strategic 3-year plan addressing and meeting
    9         local and regional workforce demands; authorizing
   10         school districts to offer career-themed courses;
   11         revising the requirements of the strategic 3-year plan
   12         to include career-themed courses; revising the period
   13         within which newly proposed core courses are to be
   14         approved or denied by the curriculum review committee;
   15         amending s. 1003.492, F.S.; revising provisions
   16         relating to industry-certified career education
   17         programs to conform to changes made by the act;
   18         amending s. 1003.493, F.S.; providing a definition for
   19         the term “career-themed course”; requiring that
   20         students who complete career-themed courses receive a
   21         standard high school diploma, the highest available
   22         industry certification, and opportunities to earn
   23         postsecondary credit if the career-themed course
   24         credits can be articulated to a postsecondary
   25         institution; providing goals of career-themed courses;
   26         providing for career-themed courses to be offered in a
   27         school-within-a-school career academy or a school
   28         providing multiple career-themed courses structured
   29         around an occupational cluster; providing requirements
   30         for career-themed courses; requiring that strategies
   31         to improve the passage rate on an industry
   32         certification examination be included in the strategic
   33         3-year plan under certain circumstances; requiring
   34         that Workforce Florida, Inc., serve in a advisory role
   35         in the development and deployment of newly established
   36         career-themed courses; amending s. 1003.4935, F.S.;
   37         revising provisions relating to middle school career
   38         and professional academy courses to conform to changes
   39         made by the act; amending s. 1011.62, F.S.; revising
   40         provisions relating to the computation of the annual
   41         allocation of funds to each school district for
   42         operation; providing an effective date.
   43  
   44  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   45  
   46         Section 1. Section 1003.491, Florida Statutes, is amended
   47  to read:
   48         1003.491 Florida Career and Professional Education Act.—The
   49  Florida Career and Professional Education Act is created to
   50  provide a statewide planning partnership between the business
   51  and education communities in order to attract, expand, and
   52  retain targeted, high-value industry and to sustain a strong,
   53  knowledge-based economy.
   54         (1) The primary purpose of the Florida Career and
   55  Professional Education Act is to:
   56         (a) Improve middle and high school academic performance by
   57  providing rigorous and relevant curriculum opportunities;
   58         (b) Provide rigorous and relevant career-themed courses
   59  that articulate to postsecondary-level coursework and lead to
   60  industry certification;
   61         (c) Support local and regional economic development;
   62         (d) Respond to Florida’s critical workforce needs; and
   63         (e) Provide state residents with access to high-wage and
   64  high-demand careers.
   65         (2) Each district school board shall develop, in
   66  collaboration with regional workforce boards, economic
   67  development agencies, and postsecondary institutions approved to
   68  operate in the state, a strategic 3-year 5-year plan to address
   69  and meet local and regional workforce demands. If involvement of
   70  a regional workforce board or an economic development agency in
   71  the strategic plan development is not feasible, the local school
   72  board, with the approval of the Department of Economic
   73  Opportunity, shall collaborate with the most appropriate
   74  regional business leadership board. Two or more school districts
   75  may collaborate in the development of the strategic plan and
   76  offer career-themed courses a career and professional academy as
   77  a joint venture. The strategic plan must describe in detail
   78  provisions for the efficient transportation of students, the
   79  maximum use of shared resources, access to courses aligned to
   80  state curriculum standards through virtual education providers
   81  legislatively authorized to provide part-time instruction to
   82  middle school students, and an objective review of career-themed
   83  career and professional academy courses to determine if the
   84  courses will lead to the attainment of industry certifications
   85  included on the Industry Certified Funding List pursuant to
   86  rules adopted by the State Board of Education. Each strategic
   87  plan shall be reviewed, updated, and jointly approved every 3 5
   88  years by the local school district, regional workforce boards,
   89  economic development agencies, and state-approved postsecondary
   90  institutions.
   91         (3) The strategic 3-year 5-year plan developed jointly by
   92  the local school district, regional workforce boards, economic
   93  development agencies, and state-approved postsecondary
   94  institutions shall be constructed and based on:
   95         (a) Research conducted to objectively determine local and
   96  regional workforce needs for the ensuing 3 5 years, using labor
   97  projections of the United States Department of Labor and the
   98  Department of Economic Opportunity;
   99         (b) Strategies to develop and implement career-themed
  100  courses career academies based on those careers determined to be
  101  in high demand;
  102         (c) Maximum use of private sector facilities and personnel;
  103         (d) Strategies that ensure instruction by industry
  104  certified faculty and standards and strategies to maintain
  105  current industry credentials and for recruiting and retaining
  106  faculty to meet those standards;
  107         (e) Alignment of requirements for middle school and high
  108  school career-themed courses career exploration, middle and high
  109  school career and professional academies leading to industry
  110  certification, postsecondary credit, and high school graduation
  111  requirements;
  112         (f) Provisions to ensure that career-themed courses offered
  113  through career and professional academies are academically
  114  rigorous, meet or exceed appropriate state-adopted subject area
  115  standards, result in attainment of industry certification, and,
  116  when appropriate, result in postsecondary credit;
  117         (g) Strategies to improve the passage rate for industry
  118  certification examinations if the rate falls below 50 percent;
  119         (h) Establishment of student eligibility criteria for
  120  enrollment in career-themed courses in career and professional
  121  academies which include opportunities for students who have been
  122  unsuccessful in traditional classrooms but who are interested in
  123  enrolling in career-themed courses show aptitude to participate
  124  in academies. School boards shall address the analysis of middle
  125  school eighth grade student achievement data to provide
  126  opportunities for students who may be deemed as potential
  127  dropouts to enroll participate in career-themed courses career
  128  and professional academies;
  129         (i) Strategies to provide sufficient space within career
  130  themed courses academies to meet workforce needs and to provide
  131  access to all interested and qualified students;
  132         (j) Strategies to implement career-themed courses career
  133  and professional academy training that lead leads to industry
  134  certification at Department of Juvenile Justice facilities;
  135         (k) Opportunities for high school students to earn weighted
  136  or dual enrollment credit for higher-level career and technical
  137  courses;
  138         (l) Promotion of the benefits of the Gold Seal Bright
  139  Futures Scholarship;
  140         (m) Strategies to ensure the review of district pupil
  141  progression plans and to amend such plans to include career
  142  themed career and professional courses and to include courses
  143  that may qualify as substitute courses for core graduation
  144  requirements and those that may be counted as elective courses;
  145  and
  146         (n) Strategies to provide professional development for
  147  secondary guidance counselors on the benefits of career-themed
  148  courses that lead to industry certification career and
  149  professional academies.
  150         (4) The State Board of Education shall establish a process
  151  for the continual and uninterrupted review of newly proposed
  152  core secondary courses and existing courses requested to be
  153  considered as core courses to ensure that sufficient rigor and
  154  relevance is provided for workforce skills and postsecondary
  155  education and aligned to state curriculum standards. The review
  156  of newly proposed core secondary courses shall be the
  157  responsibility of a curriculum review committee whose membership
  158  is approved by a regional workforce board the Workforce Florida
  159  Board as described in s. 445.004, and shall include:
  160         (a) Three certified high school guidance counselors
  161  recommended by the Florida Association of Student Services
  162  Administrators.
  163         (b) Three assistant superintendents for curriculum and
  164  instruction, recommended by the Florida Association of District
  165  School Superintendents and who serve in districts that offer
  166  career-themed courses operate successful career and professional
  167  academies pursuant to s. 1003.492. Committee members in this
  168  category shall employ the expertise of appropriate subject area
  169  specialists in the review of proposed courses.
  170         (c) Three workforce representatives recommended by the
  171  Department of Economic Opportunity.
  172         (d) Three admissions directors of postsecondary
  173  institutions accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges
  174  and Schools, representing both public and private institutions.
  175         (e) The Deputy Commissioner of Education, or his or her
  176  designee, responsible for K-12 curriculum and instruction. The
  177  Deputy Commissioner shall employ the expertise of appropriate
  178  subject area specialists in the review of proposed courses.
  179         (5) The curriculum review committee shall submit and review
  180  submission and review of newly proposed core courses shall be
  181  conducted electronically, and approve or deny each proposed core
  182  course shall be approved or denied within 30 60 days. All
  183  courses approved as core courses for purposes of middle school
  184  promotion and high school graduation shall be immediately added
  185  to the Course Code Directory. Approved core courses shall also
  186  be reviewed and considered for approval for dual enrollment
  187  credit. The Board of Governors and the Commissioner of Education
  188  shall jointly recommend an annual deadline for approval of new
  189  core courses to be included for purposes of postsecondary
  190  admissions and dual enrollment credit the following academic
  191  year. The State Board of Education shall establish an appeals
  192  process in the event that a proposed course is denied which
  193  shall require a consensus ruling by the Department of Economic
  194  Opportunity and the Commissioner of Education within 15 days.
  195         Section 2. Section 1003.492, Florida Statutes, is amended
  196  to read:
  197         1003.492 Industry-certified career-themed courses career
  198  education programs.—
  199         (1) Career-themed courses must Career and professional
  200  academies shall be coordinated with the relevant and appropriate
  201  industry indicating that all components of the program are
  202  relevant and appropriate to prepare a the student for further
  203  education or for employment in that industry.
  204         (2) The State Board of Education shall use the expertise of
  205  Workforce Florida, Inc., to develop and adopt rules pursuant to
  206  ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 for implementing an industry
  207  certification process. Industry certification shall be defined
  208  by the Department of Economic Opportunity, based upon the
  209  highest available national standards for specific industry
  210  certification, to ensure student skill proficiency and to
  211  address emerging labor market and industry trends. A regional
  212  workforce board or a school principal career and professional
  213  academy may apply to Workforce Florida, Inc., to request
  214  additions to the approved list of industry certifications based
  215  on high-demand job requirements in the regional economy. The
  216  list of industry certifications approved by Workforce Florida,
  217  Inc., and the Department of Education shall be published and
  218  updated annually by a date certain, to be included in the
  219  adopted rule.
  220         (3) The Department of Education shall collect student
  221  achievement and performance data in industry-certified career
  222  themed courses career education programs and shall work with
  223  Workforce Florida, Inc., in the analysis of collected data. The
  224  data collection and analyses shall examine the performance of
  225  participating students over time. Performance factors shall
  226  include, but not be limited to, graduation rates, retention
  227  rates, Florida Bright Futures Scholarship awards, additional
  228  educational attainment, employment records, earnings, and
  229  industry certification, and employer satisfaction. The results
  230  of this study shall be submitted to the President of the Senate
  231  and the Speaker of the House of Representatives annually by
  232  December 31.
  233         Section 3. Section 1003.493, Florida Statutes, is amended
  234  to read:
  235         1003.493 Career-themed courses Career and professional
  236  academies.—
  237         (1) A “career-themed course” “career and professional
  238  academy” is a course in an research-based program that
  239  integrates a rigorous academic curriculum with an industry
  240  specific curriculum aligned directly to priority workforce needs
  241  established by the regional workforce board or the Department of
  242  Economic Opportunity. Career and professional academies shall be
  243  offered by Public schools and school districts shall offer
  244  career-themed courses. The Florida Virtual School is encouraged
  245  to develop and offer rigorous career-themed career and
  246  professional courses as appropriate. A student who completes a
  247  career-themed course Students completing career and professional
  248  academy programs must receive a standard high school diploma,
  249  the highest available industry certification, and opportunities
  250  to earn postsecondary credit if the credits for career-themed
  251  courses can be articulated to academy partners with a
  252  postsecondary institution approved to operate in the state.
  253         (2) The goals of a career-themed course career and
  254  professional academy are to:
  255         (a) Increase student academic achievement and graduation
  256  rates through integrated academic and career curricula.
  257         (b) Prepare graduating high school students to make
  258  appropriate choices relative to employment and future
  259  educational experiences.
  260         (c) Focus on career preparation through rigorous academics
  261  and industry certification.
  262         (d) Raise student aspiration and commitment to academic
  263  achievement and work ethics through relevant coursework.
  264         (e) Promote acceleration mechanisms, such as dual
  265  enrollment and, articulated credits credit, or occupational
  266  completion points, so that students may earn postsecondary
  267  credit while in high school.
  268         (f) Support the state’s economy by meeting industry needs
  269  for skilled employees in high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand
  270  occupations.
  271         (3) A career-themed course may be offered in one of the
  272  following Existing career education courses may serve as a
  273  foundation for the creation of a career and professional
  274  academy. A career and professional academy may be offered as one
  275  of the following small learning communities:
  276         (a) A school-within-a-school career academy, as part of an
  277  existing high school, which that provides courses in one
  278  occupational cluster. Students who attend in the high school are
  279  not required to attend be students in the academy.
  280         (b) A total school configuration providing multiple career
  281  themed courses that are academies, each structured around an
  282  occupational cluster. The majority of students attending Every
  283  student in the school also attend the is in an academy.
  284         (4) A career-themed course Each career and professional
  285  academy must:
  286         (a) Consider Provide a rigorous standards-based academic
  287  curriculum integrated with a career curriculum. The curriculum
  288  must take into consideration multiple styles of student
  289  learning; promote learning by doing through application and
  290  adaptation; maximize relevance of the subject matter; enhance
  291  each student’s capacity to excel; and include an emphasis on
  292  work habits and work ethics.
  293         (b) Include one or more partnerships with postsecondary
  294  institutions, businesses, industry, employers, economic
  295  development organizations, or other appropriate partners from
  296  the local community. These Such partnerships shall be delineated
  297  in articulation agreements to provide for career-themed career
  298  based courses that earn postsecondary credit. The Such
  299  agreements may include articulation between the career-themed
  300  courses academy and public or private 2-year and 4-year
  301  postsecondary institutions and technical centers. The Department
  302  of Education, in consultation with the Board of Governors, shall
  303  establish a mechanism to ensure articulation and transfer of
  304  credits to postsecondary institutions in this state. The Such
  305  partnerships must provide opportunities for:
  306         1. Instruction from highly skilled professionals who
  307  possess industry-certification credentials for courses they are
  308  teaching.
  309         2. Internships, externships, and on-the-job training.
  310         3. A postsecondary degree, diploma, or certificate.
  311         4. The highest available level of industry certification.
  312         5. Maximum articulation of credits pursuant to s. 1007.23
  313  upon program completion.
  314         (c) Provide shared, maximum use of private sector
  315  facilities and personnel.
  316         (d) Provide personalized student advisement, including a
  317  parent-participation component, and coordination with middle
  318  schools to promote and support career-themed courses career
  319  exploration and education planning as required under s.
  320  1003.4156. As part of the coordination with middle schools,
  321  career-themed courses must provide information to middle school
  322  students about secondary and postsecondary career education
  323  courses that lead to industry certification programs and
  324  academies.
  325         (e) Promote and provide opportunities for students enrolled
  326  in career-themed courses career and professional academy
  327  students to attain, at minimum, the Florida Gold Seal Vocational
  328  Scholars award pursuant to s. 1009.536.
  329         (f) Provide instruction in careers designated as high
  330  growth, high demand, and high pay by the regional workforce
  331  development board, the chamber of commerce, economic development
  332  agencies, or the Department of Economic Opportunity.
  333         (g) Deliver academic content through instruction relevant
  334  to the career, including intensive reading and mathematics
  335  intervention required by s. 1003.428, with an emphasis on
  336  strengthening reading for information skills.
  337         (h) Offer applied courses that combine academic content
  338  with technical skills.
  339         (i) Provide instruction resulting in competency,
  340  certification, or credentials in workplace skills, including,
  341  but not limited to, communication skills, interpersonal skills,
  342  decisionmaking skills, the importance of attendance and
  343  timeliness in the work environment, and work ethics.
  344         (j) Include a plan to sustain and improve career-themed
  345  courses career and professional academies.
  346         (k) Redirect appropriated career funding to career-themed
  347  courses career and professional academies.
  348         (5) All career-themed career courses offered in a career
  349  and professional academy must lead to industry certification or
  350  college credit linked directly to the career theme of the
  351  course. If the passage rate on an industry certification
  352  examination that is associated with a career-themed course the
  353  career and professional academy falls below 50 percent,
  354  strategies to improve the passage rate must be included in the
  355  strategic 3-year plan the academy must discontinue enrollment of
  356  new students the following school year and each year thereafter
  357  until such time as the passage rate is above 50 percent or the
  358  academy is discontinued.
  359         (6) Workforce Florida, Inc., through the secondary career
  360  academies initiatives, shall serve in an advisory role and offer
  361  technical assistance in the development and deployment of newly
  362  established career-themed courses career and professional
  363  academies.
  364         Section 4. Section 1003.4935, Florida Statutes, is amended
  365  to read:
  366         1003.4935 Middle school career-themed career and
  367  professional academy courses.—
  368         (1) Beginning with the 2012-2013 2011-2012 school year,
  369  each district school board, in collaboration with regional
  370  workforce boards, economic development agencies, and state
  371  approved postsecondary institutions, shall include plans to
  372  implement career-themed courses a career and professional
  373  academy in at least one middle school in the district as part of
  374  the strategic 3-year 5-year plan pursuant to s. 1003.491(2). The
  375  middle school career and professional academy component of the
  376  strategic plan must ensure the transition of middle school
  377  career and professional academy students enrolled in career
  378  themed courses to a high school career-themed courses career and
  379  professional academy currently operating within the school
  380  district. Students who complete a middle school career-themed
  381  courses career and professional academy must have the
  382  opportunity to earn an industry certificate and high school
  383  credit and participate in career planning, job shadowing, and
  384  business leadership development activities.
  385         (2) Each middle school career-themed course career and
  386  professional academy must be aligned with at least one high
  387  school career-themed course career and professional academy
  388  offered in the district and maintain partnerships with local
  389  business and industry and economic development boards. Middle
  390  school career-themed courses career and professional academies
  391  must:
  392         (a) Lead Provide instruction in courses leading to careers
  393  in occupations designated as high growth, high demand, and high
  394  pay in the Industry Certification Funding List approved under
  395  rules adopted by the State Board of Education;
  396         (b) Offer career and professional academy courses that
  397  Integrate content from core subject areas;
  398         (c) Offer courses that Integrate career-themed course
  399  career and professional academy content with intensive reading
  400  and mathematics pursuant to s. 1003.428;
  401         (d) Coordinate with high schools to Maximize opportunities
  402  for middle school career and professional academy students
  403  enrolled in career-themed courses to earn high school credit;
  404         (e) Be offered Provide access to virtual instruction
  405  courses provided by virtual education providers legislatively
  406  authorized to provide part-time instruction to middle school
  407  students. The virtual instruction courses must be aligned to
  408  state curriculum standards for middle school career and
  409  professional academy students, with priority given to students
  410  who have required course deficits;
  411         (f) Be taught by Provide instruction from highly skilled
  412  professionals who hold industry certificates in the career area
  413  in which they teach;
  414         (g) Offer externships; and
  415         (h) Provide personalized student advisement that includes a
  416  parent-participation component.
  417         (3) Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, if a school
  418  district implements a middle school career-themed courses career
  419  and professional academy, the Department of Education shall
  420  collect and report student achievement data pursuant to
  421  performance factors identified under s. 1003.492(3) for academy
  422  students who are enrolled in career-themed courses.
  423         Section 5. Paragraph (o) of subsection (1) of section
  424  1011.62, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  425         1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
  426  allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
  427  district for operation of schools is not determined in the
  428  annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
  429  the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
  430  follows:
  431         (1) COMPUTATION OF THE BASIC AMOUNT TO BE INCLUDED FOR
  432  OPERATION.—The following procedure shall be followed in
  433  determining the annual allocation to each district for
  434  operation:
  435         (o) Calculation of additional full-time equivalent
  436  membership based on certification of successful completion of
  437  industry-certified career-themed courses career and professional
  438  academy programs pursuant to ss. 1003.491, 1003.492, 1003.493,
  439  and 1003.4935 and identified in the Industry Certified Funding
  440  List pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of Education.
  441  A value of 0.1, 0.2, or 0.3 full-time equivalent student
  442  membership shall be calculated for each student who completes an
  443  industry-certified career-themed course career and professional
  444  academy program under ss. 1003.491, 1003.492, 1003.493, and
  445  1003.4935 and who is issued the highest level of industry
  446  certification identified annually in the Industry Certification
  447  Funding List approved under rules adopted by the State Board of
  448  Education and a high school diploma. The maximum full-time
  449  equivalent student membership value for any student is 0.3. The
  450  Department of Education shall assign the appropriate full-time
  451  equivalent value for each certification, 50 percent of which is
  452  based on rigor and the remaining 50 percent on employment value.
  453  The State Board of Education shall include the assigned values
  454  in the Industry Certification Funding List under rules adopted
  455  by the state board. Rigor shall be based on the number of
  456  instructional hours, including work experience hours, required
  457  to earn the certification, with a bonus for industry
  458  certifications that have a statewide articulation agreement for
  459  college credit approved by the State Board of Education.
  460  Employment value shall be based on the entry wage, growth rate
  461  in employment for each occupational category, and average annual
  462  openings for the primary occupation linked to the industry
  463  certification. The Such value shall be added to the total full
  464  time equivalent student membership in career-themed courses
  465  secondary career education programs for grades 9 through 12 in
  466  the subsequent year for courses that were not funded through
  467  dual enrollment. The additional full-time equivalent membership
  468  authorized under this paragraph may not exceed 0.3 per student.
  469  Each district must allocate at least 80 percent of the funds
  470  provided for industry certification, in accordance with this
  471  paragraph, to the program that generated the funds. Unless a
  472  different amount is specified in the General Appropriations Act,
  473  the appropriation for this calculation is limited to $30 $15
  474  million annually. If the appropriation is insufficient to fully
  475  fund the total calculation, the appropriation shall be prorated.
  476         Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.