The Florida Senate

Increase student academic achievement and graduation rates through integrated academic and career curricula.

Prepare graduating high school students to make appropriate choices relative to employment and future educational experiences.

Focus on career preparation through rigorous academics and industry certification.

Raise student aspiration and commitment to academic achievement and work ethics through relevant coursework.

Support graduation requirements pursuant to s. 1003.428 by providing creative, applied major areas of interest.

Promote acceleration mechanisms, such as dual enrollment, articulated credit, or occupational completion points, so that students may earn postsecondary credit while in high school.

Support the state’s economy by meeting industry needs for skilled employees in high-demand occupations.

A school-within-a-school career academy, as part of an existing high school, that provides courses in one occupational cluster. Students in the high school are not required to be students in the academy.

A total school configuration providing multiple academies, each structured around an occupational cluster. Every student in the school is in an academy.

Provide a rigorous standards-based academic curriculum integrated with a career curriculum. The curriculum must take into consideration multiple styles of student learning; promote learning by doing through application and adaptation; maximize relevance of the subject matter; enhance each student’s capacity to excel; and include an emphasis on work habits and work ethics.

Include one or more partnerships with postsecondary institutions, businesses, industry, employers, economic development organizations, or other appropriate partners from the local community. Such partnerships shall be delineated in articulation agreements to provide for career-based courses that earn postsecondary credit. Such agreements may include articulation between the academy and public or private 2-year and 4-year postsecondary institutions and technical centers. The Department of Education, in consultation with the Board of Governors, shall establish a mechanism to ensure articulation and transfer of credits to postsecondary institutions in this state. Such partnerships must provide opportunities for:

Provide shared, maximum use of private sector facilities and personnel.

Provide personalized student advisement, including a parent-participation component, and coordination with middle schools to promote and support career exploration and education planning as required under s. 1003.4156. Coordination with middle schools must provide information to middle school students about secondary and postsecondary career education programs and academies.

Promote and provide opportunities for career and professional academy students to attain, at minimum, the Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award pursuant to s. 1009.536.

Provide instruction in careers designated as high growth, high demand, and high pay by the local workforce development board, the chamber of commerce, or the Agency for Workforce Innovation.

Deliver academic content through instruction relevant to the career, including intensive reading and mathematics intervention required by s. 1003.428, with an emphasis on strengthening reading for information skills.

Offer applied courses that combine academic content with technical skills.

Provide instruction resulting in competency, certification, or credentials in workplace skills, including, but not limited to, communication skills, interpersonal skills, decisionmaking skills, the importance of attendance and timeliness in the work environment, and work ethics.

Provide opportunities for students to obtain the Florida Ready to Work Certification pursuant to s. 1004.99.

Include an evaluation plan developed jointly with the Department of Education and the local workforce board. The evaluation plan must include an assessment tool based on national industry standards, such as the Career Academy National Standards of Practice, and outcome measures, including, but not limited to, achievement of national industry certifications identified in the Industry Certification Funding List, pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of Education, graduation rates, enrollment in postsecondary education, business and industry satisfaction, employment and earnings, awards of postsecondary credit and scholarships, and student achievement levels and learning gains on statewide assessments administered under s. 1008.22(3)(c). The Department of Education shall use Workforce Florida, Inc., and Enterprise Florida, Inc., in identifying industry experts to participate in developing and implementing such assessments.

Include a plan to sustain career and professional academies.

Redirect appropriated career funding to career and professional academies.