CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.House Bill 1579
Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1579
By the Committee on Community Colleges & Career Prep and
Representatives Sindler, Fasano, Diaz de la Portilla,
Harrington, Gay, Wise and Kelly
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to postsecondary education;
3 amending s. 229.551, F.S.; providing an
4 exception to the course leveling requirement;
5 amending s. 240.107, F.S., and reenacting s.
6 239.213(3), F.S., relating to
7 vocational-preparatory instruction, to
8 incorporate said amendment in a reference;
9 deleting an alternative to the College Level
10 Academic Skills Test; deleting a testing
11 requirement; amending s. 240.1163, F.S.;
12 providing limitations for calculating dual
13 enrollment grades; authorizing the approval of
14 dual enrollment agreements for limited course
15 offerings with statewide appeal; providing an
16 effective date.
17
18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
19
20 Section 1. Paragraph (f) of subsection (1) of section
21 229.551, Florida Statutes, 1996 Supplement, is amended to
22 read:
23 229.551 Educational management.--
24 (1) The department is directed to identify all
25 functions which under the provisions of this act contribute
26 to, or comprise a part of, the state system of educational
27 accountability and to establish within the department the
28 necessary organizational structure, policies, and procedures
29 for effectively coordinating such functions. Such policies
30 and procedures shall clearly fix and delineate
31 responsibilities for various aspects of the system and for
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1 overall coordination of the total system. The commissioner
2 shall perform the following duties and functions:
3 (f) Development and coordination of a common course
4 designation and numbering system for community colleges and
5 the State University System which will improve program
6 planning, increase communication among community colleges and
7 universities, and facilitate the transfer of students. The
8 system shall not encourage or require course content
9 prescription or standardization or uniform course testing, and
10 the continuing maintenance of the system shall be accomplished
11 by appropriate faculty committees. Also, the system shall be
12 applied to all postsecondary and certificate career education
13 programs and courses offered in school districts and community
14 colleges. The Articulation Coordinating Committee shall:
15 1. Identify the highest demand degree programs within
16 the State University System.
17 2. Conduct a study of courses offered by universities
18 and accepted for credit toward a degree. The study shall
19 identify courses designated as either general education or
20 required as a prerequisite for a degree. The study shall also
21 identify these courses as upper-division level or
22 lower-division level.
23 3. Appoint faculty committees representing both
24 community college and university faculties to recommend a
25 single level for each course included in the common course
26 numbering and designation system. Any course designated as an
27 upper-division level course must be characterized by a need
28 for advanced academic preparation and skills that a student
29 would be unlikely to achieve without significant prior
30 coursework. Courses with the same prefix and last three digits
31 required for both associate in science and baccalaureate
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Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1579
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1 degrees shall be exceptions to the leveling requirement and
2 may be offered at both the lower and upper divisions. The
3 course transfer policy as defined in s. 240.115(1)(b) shall
4 apply to these courses. Of the courses required for each
5 baccalaureate degree, at least half of the credit hours
6 required for the degree shall be achievable through courses
7 designated as lower-division courses, except in degree
8 programs approved by the Board of Regents pursuant to s.
9 240.209(5)(e). A course designated as lower-division may be
10 offered by any community college. By January 1, 1996, The
11 Articulation Coordinating Committee shall recommend to the
12 State Board of Education the levels for the courses. By
13 January 1, 1996, The common course numbering and designation
14 system shall include the courses at the recommended levels,
15 and by fall semester of 1996, the registration process at each
16 state university and community college shall include the
17 courses at their designated levels and common course numbers.
18 4. Appoint faculty committees representing both
19 community college and university faculties to recommend those
20 courses identified to meet general education requirements
21 within the subject areas of communication, mathematics, social
22 sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. By January 1,
23 1996, The Articulation Coordinating Committee shall recommend
24 to the State Board of Education those courses identified to
25 meet these general education requirements by their common
26 course code number. By fall semester, 1996, All community
27 colleges and state universities shall accept these general
28 education courses.
29 5. Appoint faculty committees representing both
30 community colleges and universities to recommend common
31 prerequisite courses and identify course substitutions when
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1 common prerequisites cannot be established for degree programs
2 across all institutions. Faculty work groups shall adopt a
3 strategy for addressing significant differences in
4 prerequisites, including course substitutions. The Board of
5 Regents shall be notified by the Articulation Coordinating
6 Committee when significant differences remain. By fall
7 semester, 1996, Common degree program prerequisites shall be
8 offered and accepted by all state universities and community
9 colleges, except in cases approved by the Board of Regents
10 pursuant to s. 240.209(5)(f). The Board of Regents shall work
11 with the State Board of Community Colleges on the development
12 of a centralized database containing the list of courses and
13 course substitutions that meet the prerequisite requirements
14 for each baccalaureate degree program; and
15 Section 2. Subsection (9) of section 240.107, Florida
16 Statutes, is amended to read:
17 240.107 College-level communication and computation
18 skills examination.--
19 (9) Beginning January 1, 1996, Any student fulfilling
20 one or both more of the following requirements before
21 completion of associate in arts degree requirements or
22 baccalaureate degree requirements is exempt from the testing
23 requirements of this section:
24 (a) Achieves a score that meets or exceeds a minimum
25 score on a nationally standardized examination listed in the
26 articulation agreement, as established by the Articulation
27 Coordinating Committee; or
28 (b) Achieves a passing score on the college placement
29 test, required pursuant to s. 240.117, and, as certified on
30 the high school transcript, a cumulative grade point average
31 of 3.0 or above, on a 4.0 scale, in college-preparatory high
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1 school coursework identified by the Articulation Coordinating
2 Committee; or
3 (b)(c) Achieves a passing score on the college
4 placement test, required pursuant to s. 240.117, and a
5 cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or above, on a 4.0
6 scale, in postsecondary-level coursework identified by the
7 Postsecondary Education Planning Commission.
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9 Any student denied a degree prior to January 1, 1996, based on
10 the failure of at least one subtest of the CLAST may use
11 either any of the alternatives specified in this subsection
12 for receipt of a degree if such student meets all degree
13 program requirements at the time of application for the degree
14 under the exemption provisions of this subsection. This
15 section does not require a student to take the CLAST before
16 being given the opportunity to use either any of the
17 alternatives specified in this subsection. The exemptions
18 provided herein do not apply to requirements for certification
19 as provided in s. 231.17.
20 Section 3. Subsections (4) and (5) are added to
21 section 240.1163, Florida Statutes, to read:
22 240.1163 Joint dual enrollment and advanced placement
23 instruction.--
24 (4) No student enrolled in any dual enrollment course
25 shall in any way be discriminated against for grading purposes
26 or subjected to an alternative grade or weighting system by
27 either the school district, community college, or university.
28 (5) The Commissioner of Education may approve dual
29 enrollment agreements for limited course offerings that have
30 statewide appeal. Such programs shall be limited to a single
31 site with multiple county participation.
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1 Section 4. For the purpose of incorporating the
2 amendment to section 240.107, Florida Statutes, in a reference
3 thereto, subsection (3) of section 239.213, Florida Statutes,
4 is reenacted to read:
5 239.213 Vocational-preparatory instruction.--
6 (3) Exceptional students, as defined in s. 228.041,
7 may be exempted from the provisions of this section. A
8 student who possesses an associate in arts, baccalaureate, or
9 graduate-level degree, who has completed the college-level
10 communication and computation skills examination pursuant to
11 s. 240.107, or who is exempt from the college entry-level
12 examination pursuant to s. 240.107 may be exempted from the
13 provisions of this section.
14 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 1997.
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17 HOUSE SUMMARY
18
Provides an exception to the course leveling requirement
19 with respect to courses included in the common course
numbering and designation system for community colleges
20 and state universities. Revises alternatives to the
College Level Academic Skills Test. Prohibits
21 discrimination for grading purposes with respect to
students in dual enrollment courses. Authorizes the
22 Commissioner of Education to approve dual enrollment
agreements for limited course offerings with statewide
23 appeal.
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