The Florida Senate

239.105  Definitions.--As used in this chapter, the term:

(1)  "Adult basic education" means courses at or below a fifth grade educational level in the language arts, including English for speakers of other languages, mathematics, natural and social sciences, consumer education, and other courses that enable an adult to attain basic or functional literacy.

(2)  "Adult general education" means a comprehensive program of adult basic education, adult secondary education, general educational development test instruction, and vocational-preparatory instruction.

(3)  "Adult secondary education" means courses through which a person receives high school credit that leads to the award of a high school diploma or courses of instruction through which a student prepares to take the general educational development test. This includes grade levels 9.0 through 12.9.

(4)  "Basic literacy," which is also referred to as "beginning adult basic education," means the demonstration of academic competence from 2.0 through 5.9 educational grade levels as measured by means approved for this purpose by the State Board of Education.

(5)  "Beginning literacy" means the demonstration of academic competence from 0 through 1.9 educational grade levels as measured by means approved for this purpose by the State Board of Education.

(6)  "College-preparatory instruction" means courses through which a high school graduate who applies for a degree program may attain the communication and computation skills necessary to enroll in college credit instruction.

(7)  "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Education.

(8)  "Community education" means the use of a school or other public facility as a community center operated in conjunction with other public, private, and governmental organizations for the purpose of providing educational, recreational, social, cultural, health, and community services for persons in the community in accordance with the needs, interests, and concerns of that community, including lifelong learning.

(9)  "Department" means the Department of Education.

(10)  "Document literacy" means the demonstration of competence in identifying and using information located in materials such as charts, forms, tables, and indexes.

(11)  "Family literacy" means a program for adults with a literacy component for parents and children or other intergenerational literacy components.

(12)  "Functional literacy," which is also referred to as "intermediate adult basic education," means the demonstration of academic competence from 6.0 through 8.9 educational grade levels as measured by means approved for this purpose by the State Board of Education.

(13)  "General educational development test instruction" means noncredit courses through which persons prepare to take the general educational development test.

(14)  "Lifelong learning" means a noncredit course or activity offered by a school district or community college which seeks to address community social and economic issues related to health and human relations, government, parenting, consumer economics, and senior citizens. The course or activity must have specific expected outcomes that relate to one or more of these areas.

(15)  "Local educational agency" means a community college or school district.

(16)  "Local sponsor" means a school board, community college board of trustees, public library, other public entity, or private nonprofit entity, or any combination of these entities, that provides adult literacy instruction.

(17)  "Certificate vocational education program" means a course of study that leads to at least one occupational completion point. The program may also confer credit that may articulate with a degree career education program, if authorized by rules of the Department of Education. Any college credit instruction designed to articulate to a degree program is subject to guidelines and standards adopted by the Articulation Coordinating Committee pursuant to s. 229.551(1)(g). The term is interchangeable with the term "certificate career education program."

(18)  "Degree vocational education program" means a course of study that leads to an associate in applied technology degree or an associate in science degree. A degree vocational education program may contain within it one or more occupational completion points and may lead to certificates within the course of study. The term is interchangeable with the term "degree career education program."

(19)  "Occupational completion point" means the vocational competencies that qualify a person to enter an occupation that is linked to a vocational program.

(20)  "Prose literacy" means the demonstration of competence in reading and interpreting materials such as newspapers, magazines, and books.

(21)  "Quantitative literacy" means the demonstration of competence in the application of arithmetic operations to materials such as loan documents, sale advertisements, order forms, and checking accounts.

(22)  "Vocational education planning region" means the geographic area in which career or adult education is provided. Each vocational region is contiguous with one of the 28 community college service areas. The term may be used interchangeably with the term "career education planning region."

(23)  "Vocational-preparatory instruction" means adult general education through which persons attain academic skills at the level of functional literacy or higher so that such persons may pursue certificate career education or higher-level career education.

(24)  "Workforce literacy" means the basic skills necessary to perform in entry-level occupations or the skills necessary to adapt to technological advances in the workplace.

(25)  "Workforce development education" means adult general education or vocational education and may consist of a single course or a course of study leading to an occupational completion point, a vocational certificate, an associate in applied technology degree, or an associate in science degree.

History.--s. 5, ch. 92-136; s. 5, ch. 94-232; s. 24, ch. 97-246; s. 16, ch. 97-307.