Florida Senate - 2015 CS for SB 960
By the Committee on Fiscal Policy; and Senator Lee
594-03414-15 2015960c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Florida Bright Futures
3 Scholarship Program; amending s. 1009.531, F.S.;
4 providing that the initial award period and the
5 renewal period for students who are unable to accept
6 an initial award immediately after completion of high
7 school due to a full-time religious or service
8 obligation begin upon the completion of the religious
9 or service obligation; specifying requirements for an
10 entity that is sponsoring the obligation; requiring
11 verification from the entity for which the student
12 completed such obligation; revising eligibility
13 requirements for the Florida Bright Futures
14 Scholarship Program; deleting obsolete provisions;
15 amending ss. 1009.534, 1009.535, and 1009.536, F.S.;
16 requiring a student, as a prerequisite for the Florida
17 Academic Scholars award, the Florida Medallion
18 Scholars award, or the Florida Gold Seal Vocational
19 Scholars award, to identify a social or civic issue or
20 a professional area of interest and develop a plan for
21 his or her personal involvement in addressing the
22 issue or learning about the area; prohibiting the
23 student from receiving remuneration or academic credit
24 for the volunteer service work performed except in
25 certain circumstances; requiring the hours of
26 volunteer service work to be documented in writing and
27 signed by the student, the student’s parent or
28 guardian, and a representative of the organization for
29 which the student performed the volunteer service
30 work; providing an effective date.
31
32 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
33
34 Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subsection (2) and paragraphs
35 (a) and (b) of subsection (6) of section 1009.531, Florida
36 Statutes, are amended to read:
37 1009.531 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program;
38 student eligibility requirements for initial awards.—
39 (2)
40 (c) A student graduating from high school in the 2012-2013
41 academic year and thereafter is eligible to accept an initial
42 award for 2 years following high school graduation and to accept
43 a renewal award for 5 years following high school graduation. A
44 student who applies for an award by high school graduation and
45 who meets all other eligibility requirements, but who does not
46 accept his or her award, may reapply during subsequent
47 application periods up to 2 years after high school graduation.
48 For a student who enlists in the United States Armed Forces
49 immediately after completion of high school, the 2-year
50 eligibility period for his or her initial award and the 5-year
51 renewal period shall begin upon the date of separation from
52 active duty. For a student who is receiving a Florida Bright
53 Futures Scholarship award and discontinues his or her education
54 to enlist in the United States Armed Forces, the remainder of
55 his or her 5-year renewal period shall commence upon the date of
56 separation from active duty. For a student who is unable to
57 accept an initial award immediately after completion of high
58 school due to a full-time religious or service obligation
59 lasting at least 18 months, the 2-year eligibility period for
60 his or her initial award and the 5-year renewal period begin
61 upon the completion of his or her religious or service
62 obligation. The organization sponsoring the full-time religious
63 or service obligation must meet the requirements for nonprofit
64 status under s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or be a
65 federal government service organization that includes, but is
66 not limited to, the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps programs. The
67 obligation must be documented in writing and verified by the
68 entity for which the student completed the obligation on a
69 standardized form prescribed by the department. If a course of
70 study is not completed after 5 academic years, an exception of 1
71 year to the renewal timeframe may be granted due to a verifiable
72 illness or other documented emergency pursuant to s.
73 1009.40(1)(b)4.
74 (6)(a) The State Board of Education shall publicize the
75 examination score required for a student to be eligible for a
76 Florida Academic Scholars award, pursuant to s. 1009.534(1)(a)
77 or (b)., as follows:
78 1. For high school students graduating in the 2010-2011 and
79 2011-2012 academic years, the student must earn an SAT score of
80 1270 or a concordant ACT score of 28.
81 2. For high school students graduating in the 2012-2013
82 academic year, the student must earn an SAT score of 1280 which
83 corresponds to the 88th SAT percentile rank or a concordant ACT
84 score of 28.
85 3. For High school students graduating in the 2013-2014
86 academic year and thereafter, the student must earn an SAT score
87 of 1290 which corresponds to the 89th SAT percentile rank or a
88 concordant ACT score of 29.
89 (b) The State Board of Education shall publicize the
90 examination score required for a student to be eligible for a
91 Florida Medallion Scholars award, pursuant to s. 1009.535(1)(a)
92 or (b), as follows:
93 1. For high school students graduating in the 2010-2011
94 academic year, the student must earn an SAT score of 970 or a
95 concordant ACT score of 20 or the student in a home education
96 program whose parent cannot document a college-preparatory
97 curriculum must earn an SAT score of 1070 or a concordant ACT
98 score of 23.
99 2. For high school students graduating in the 2011-2012
100 academic year, the student must earn an SAT score of 980 which
101 corresponds to the 44th SAT percentile rank or a concordant ACT
102 score of 21 or the student in a home education program whose
103 parent cannot document a college-preparatory curriculum must
104 earn an SAT score of 1070 or a concordant ACT score of 23.
105 3. For high school students graduating in the 2012-2013
106 academic year, the student must earn an SAT score of 1020 which
107 corresponds to the 51st SAT percentile rank or a concordant ACT
108 score of 22 or the student in a home education program whose
109 parent cannot document a college-preparatory curriculum must
110 earn an SAT score of 1070 or a concordant ACT score of 23.
111 4. For High school students graduating in the 2013-2014
112 academic year and thereafter, the student must earn an SAT score
113 of 1170 which corresponds to the 75th SAT percentile rank or a
114 concordant ACT score of 26 or the student in a home education
115 program whose parent cannot document a college-preparatory
116 curriculum must earn an SAT score of 1220 or a concordant ACT
117 score of 27.
118 Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 1009.534, Florida
119 Statutes, is amended to read:
120 1009.534 Florida Academic Scholars award.—
121 (1) A student is eligible for a Florida Academic Scholars
122 award if he or she the student meets the general eligibility
123 requirements for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program
124 and the student:
125 (a) Has achieved a 3.5 weighted grade point average as
126 calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, or its equivalent, in high
127 school courses that are designated by the State Board of
128 Education as college-preparatory academic courses; and has
129 attained at least the score required under pursuant to s.
130 1009.531(6)(a) on the combined verbal and quantitative parts of
131 the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or
132 the recentered Scholastic Assessment Test of the College
133 Entrance Examination, or an equivalent score on the ACT
134 Assessment Program;
135 (b) Has attended a home education program according to s.
136 1002.41 during grades 11 and 12, or has completed the
137 International Baccalaureate curriculum but failed to earn the
138 International Baccalaureate Diploma, or has completed the
139 Advanced International Certificate of Education curriculum but
140 failed to earn the Advanced International Certificate of
141 Education Diploma, and has attained at least the score required
142 under pursuant to s. 1009.531(6)(a) on the combined verbal and
143 quantitative parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the
144 Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered Scholastic
145 Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination, or an
146 equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
147 (c) Has been awarded an International Baccalaureate Diploma
148 from the International Baccalaureate Office or an Advanced
149 International Certificate of Education Diploma from the
150 University of Cambridge International Examinations Office;
151 (d) Has been recognized by the merit or achievement
152 programs of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a
153 scholar or finalist; or
154 (e) Has been recognized by the National Hispanic
155 Recognition Program as a scholar recipient.
156
157 The A student must complete a program of volunteer community
158 service work, as approved by the district school board, the
159 administrators of a nonpublic school, or the Department of
160 Education for home education program students, which must shall
161 include a minimum of 75 hours of service work for high school
162 students graduating in the 2010-2011 academic year and 100 hours
163 of service work for high school students graduating in the 2011
164 2012 academic year and thereafter. The student, and must
165 identify a social or civic issue or a professional area problem
166 that interests him or her, develop a plan for his or her
167 personal involvement in addressing the issue or learning about
168 the area problem, and, through papers or other presentations,
169 evaluate and reflect upon his or her experience. Except for
170 credit earned through service-learning courses adopted pursuant
171 to s. 1003.497, the student may not receive remuneration or
172 academic credit for the volunteer service work performed. Such
173 work may include, but is not limited to, a business or
174 government internship, work for a nonprofit community service
175 organization, or activity on behalf of a candidate for public
176 office. The hours of volunteer service must be documented in
177 writing, and the document must be signed by the student, the
178 student’s parent or guardian, and a representative of the
179 organization for which the student performed the volunteer
180 service work.
181 Section 3. Subsection (1) of section 1009.535, Florida
182 Statutes, is amended to read:
183 1009.535 Florida Medallion Scholars award.—
184 (1) A student is eligible for a Florida Medallion Scholars
185 award if he or she the student meets the general eligibility
186 requirements for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program
187 and the student:
188 (a) Has achieved a weighted grade point average of 3.0 as
189 calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, or the equivalent, in high
190 school courses that are designated by the State Board of
191 Education as college-preparatory academic courses; and has
192 attained at least the score required under pursuant to s.
193 1009.531(6)(b) on the combined verbal and quantitative parts of
194 the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or
195 the recentered Scholastic Assessment Test of the College
196 Entrance Examination, or an equivalent score on the ACT
197 Assessment Program;
198 (b) Has completed the International Baccalaureate
199 curriculum but failed to earn the International Baccalaureate
200 Diploma or has completed the Advanced International Certificate
201 of Education curriculum but failed to earn the Advanced
202 International Certificate of Education Diploma, and has attained
203 at least the score required under pursuant to s. 1009.531(6)(b)
204 on the combined verbal and quantitative parts of the Scholastic
205 Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered
206 Scholastic Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination,
207 or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
208 (c) Has attended a home education program according to s.
209 1002.41 during grades 11 and 12 and has attained at least the
210 score required under pursuant to s. 1009.531(6)(b) on the
211 combined verbal and quantitative parts of the Scholastic
212 Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered
213 Scholastic Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination,
214 or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program, if the
215 student’s parent cannot document a college-preparatory
216 curriculum as described in paragraph (a);
217 (d) Has been recognized by the merit or achievement program
218 of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a scholar or
219 finalist but has not completed the a program of volunteer
220 community service work required under as provided in s.
221 1009.534; or
222 (e) Has been recognized by the National Hispanic
223 Recognition Program as a scholar, but has not completed the a
224 program of volunteer community service work required under as
225 provided in s. 1009.534.
226
227 A high school student graduating in the 2011-2012 academic year
228 and thereafter must complete at least 75 hours a program of
229 volunteer community service work approved by the district school
230 board, the administrators of a nonpublic school, or the
231 Department of Education for home education program students. The
232 student, which shall include a minimum of 75 hours of service
233 work, and must identify a social or civic issue or a
234 professional area problem that interests him or her, develop a
235 plan for his or her personal involvement in addressing the issue
236 or learning about the area problem, and, through papers or other
237 presentations, evaluate and reflect upon his or her experience.
238 Except for credit earned through service-learning courses
239 adopted pursuant to s. 1003.497, the student may not receive
240 remuneration or academic credit for volunteer service work
241 performed. Such work may include, but is not limited to, a
242 business or government internship, work for a nonprofit
243 community service organization, or activity on behalf of a
244 candidate for public office. The hours of volunteer service must
245 be documented in writing, and the document must be signed by the
246 student, the student’s parent or guardian, and a representative
247 of the organization for which the student performed the
248 volunteer service work.
249 Section 4. Subsection (1) of section 1009.536, Florida
250 Statutes, is amended to read:
251 1009.536 Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award.—The
252 Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award is created within
253 the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program to recognize and
254 reward academic achievement and career preparation by high
255 school students who wish to continue their education.
256 (1) A student is eligible for a Florida Gold Seal
257 Vocational Scholars award if he or she the student meets the
258 general eligibility requirements for the Florida Bright Futures
259 Scholarship Program and the student:
260 (a) Completes the secondary school portion of a sequential
261 program of studies that requires at least three secondary school
262 career credits. On-the-job training may not be substituted for
263 any of the three required career credits.
264 (b) Demonstrates readiness for postsecondary education by
265 earning a passing score on the Florida College Entry Level
266 Placement Test or its equivalent as identified by the Department
267 of Education.
268 (c) Earns a minimum cumulative weighted grade point average
269 of 3.0, as calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, on all subjects
270 required for a standard high school diploma, excluding elective
271 courses.
272 (d) Earns a minimum unweighted grade point average of 3.5
273 on a 4.0 scale for secondary career courses that comprise
274 comprising the career program.
275 (e) Beginning with high school students graduating in the
276 2011-2012 academic year and thereafter, completes at least 30
277 hours a program of volunteer community service work approved by
278 the district school board, the administrators of a nonpublic
279 school, or the Department of Education for home education
280 program students. The student must identify, which shall include
281 a minimum of 30 hours of service work, and identifies a social
282 or civic issue or a professional area problem that interests him
283 or her, develop develops a plan for his or her personal
284 involvement in addressing the issue or learning about the area
285 problem, and, through papers or other presentations, evaluate
286 evaluates and reflect reflects upon his or her experience.
287 Except for credit earned through service-learning courses
288 adopted pursuant to s. 1003.497, the student may not receive
289 remuneration or academic credit for the volunteer service work
290 performed. Such work may include, but is not limited to, a
291 business or government internship, work for a nonprofit
292 community service organization, or activity on behalf of a
293 candidate for public office. The hours of volunteer service must
294 be documented in writing, and the document must be signed by the
295 student, the student’s parent or guardian, and a representative
296 of the organization for which the student performed the
297 volunteer service work.
298 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.