The Florida Senate

¹239.245  Public information on career education programs.--

(1)  Beginning in the 1994-1995 school year, as a public service, the Department of Education shall disseminate information derived from the reports required by s. 239.233. The department shall ensure that the information disseminated does not name or otherwise identify a student, a former student, or the student's employer.

(2)  The dissemination shall be conducted in accordance with the following procedures:

(a)  Annually, the Department of Education shall publish the placement rates and average quarterly earnings for students who complete each type of certificate career education program and degree career education program. This information must be aggregated to the state level and must be included in any accountability reports. A program that was created or modified so that placement rates cannot be calculated must be so identified in such reports.

(b)1.  Each school district shall publish, at a minimum, the most recently available placement rate for each certificate career education program conducted by that school district at the secondary school level and at the degree career education level. The placement rates for the preceding 3 years shall be published, if available; shall be included in each publication that informs the public of the availability of the program; and shall be made available to each school guidance counselor. If a program does not have a placement rate, a publication that lists or describes that program must state that the rate is unavailable.

2.  Each community college shall publish, at a minimum, the most recent placement rate for each certificate career education program and for each degree career education program in its annual catalog. The placement rates for the preceding 3 years shall be published, if available, and shall be included in any publication that informs the public of the availability of the program. If a program does not have a placement rate, the publication that lists or describes that program must state that the rate is unavailable.

3.  If a school district or a community college has calculated for a program a placement rate that differs from the rate reported by the department, and if each record of a placement was obtained through a process that was capable of being audited, procedurally sound, and consistent statewide, the district or the community college may use the locally calculated placement rate in the report required by this section. However, that rate may not be combined with the rate maintained in the computer files of the Department of Education's Florida Education and Training Placement Information Program.

4.  An independent ²degree career education, technical, trade, or business school may not publish a placement rate unless the placement rate was determined as provided by this section.

History.--s. 22, ch. 92-136; s. 12, ch. 94-232; 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.

²Note.--The term "degree career education" was substituted for the term "postsecondary vocational" by the editors pursuant to the directive of the Legislature in s. 16, ch. 94-232.